Have you ever wondered why athletes have strong bones? – Yes, they have mighty dense bones!
Loss in bone density differs from person to person but can affect everyone. Risk factors can be higher for those with genetic links to osteoporosis, those leading sedentary lifestyles with low calcium diets, and particularly menopausal women due to estrogen loss.
Bone density affects the development of the overall health of a person. If your bones are not dense enough, then there are chances of them breaking easily.
Although bone density changes with time, the bones absorb the most nutrients and minerals to make them stronger and more powerful from childhood to adulthood. So bone density is the amount of bone minerals present in your bone tissue. Therefore, bone tissue is all about the mass of minerals in your bone.
Through this article, you’ll know how to improve your bone density naturally. There are many methods through which you can increase your bone density. But if you are looking to build it naturally, then this article is just for you.
1. Weightlifting And Exercise: A Remedy For Bone Density
Did you know that weightlifting improves your bone density?
If you go to a gym, you’ll see weightlifters have strong and heavy bones. They have this because the training and lifting will initiate new growth of bones and help maintain the structure.
A ton of research supports this first habit. Tests took place on young diabetic subjects undergoing weightlifting activities when their bone growth was at its peak. And this benefitted their bone density.
- The amount of bone minerals increases
- The size of the bone increases
- The number of bone injuries decreases
- The mass of muscles and connective tissue increases
2. Including More Vegetables In Your Diet
From our childhood, our parents have been saying that “Vegetables will make you like Superman!” – They weren’t wrong!
Vegetables do make you strong! These superfoods have low calories, essential vitamins and minerals to make your bones denser. In research, it has been proven that Vitamin C helps to protect your bones from severe damage.
Consuming yellow and green vegetables can benefit you a lot. These help children to grow bones and strengthen those in adults.
In many studies, children who ate vegetables regularly and cut down the intake of junk foods had better health and drastically improved bone density.
So, children, listen to your parents and eat your vegetables if you want superhero strength!
3. Consuming More Calcium
Calcium is the key element to strong bones. As you know, your bones are breaking down regularly and are reforming at the same time. So you must have enough calcium in your diet to replenish the reforming.
As with all nutrients, the most acceptable way of absorbing calcium is by consuming small amounts often every day rather than having a heavy calcium-rich meal each day.
Milk, cheese, yogurt, sardines, and some leafy greens are rich sources of calcium. So you should definitely include them in your diet.
4. Paying Extra Attention To Your Weight
Maintaining a decent weight is very important for the improvement of your bone density. The chances of developing bone injuries and diseases increase if you are underweight.
On the other hand, if you are overweight, it puts additional pressure on your bones. So in both cases, you must have a balanced body weight for your size to maintain your bone structures.
It would be best if you avoided the cycle of rapidly gaining and/or losing weight. The reason is when you lose weight, the bone density also decreases. But the problem arises when you start gaining weight; this time, your bone density doesn’t increase.
Therefore, you might have a healthier body but weaker bones!
5. Beware of Low-Calorie Diets
If you follow low-calorie diets with a lack of macronutrients, then it’s time to start increasing the amount!
Meagre calories can result in many health-related issues, and losing bone density is one of them.
In many cases, people determine their diets through the internet’s help or follow their friend’s latest diet plan. You should avoid drastically changing your diet to what works for others. Your genetics and body are different, and so are the food requirements.
So always seek your doctor’s advice or a professional and take their advice on how many calories you should intake. Every diet should have a balance of all nutrients.
6. Consume More Protein
Proteins play a vital role in your bone health. Proteins are the building blocks of cell growth, and a protein-rich diet will increase bone density.
Researchers found that an increase in protein helps improve the bones’ density drastically in ageing populations.
But it’s a must that you take suggestions from a doctor/dietician before you start experimenting with a protein intake plan.
7. Having Foods Rich In Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Foods such as salmon, nuts, and many seeds are rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. This, too, is one of the vital aspects of improving your bone density.
Nasa studies have found that foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids drastically improve bone structure and prevent density loss. Try to eat Omega-3 rich foods to give yourself the best chance of keeping your bones healthy for life.
8. Light Therapy Improves Density of Bone
Bright light therapy can also be a remedy for bone density improvement.
This therapy is well-known for being helpful to people who suffer from depression or stress-related conditions.
Light therapy mimics the light of the sun and helps to improve the circadian rhythm in your body.
When you get exposed to red and near-infrared light therapy, the wavelengths help stimulate chemical reactions in the cells, encouraging ATP (energy) production. This therapy can give you a lot of relief if you suffer from bone aches or joint pain.
A strong and healthy body can help maintain a strong and healthy mind. I hope these eight natural tips to maintain healthy bones and joints helps you to achieve a healthy and happy life.
Mrs. Sarah Dawson has been involved in the light therapy industry for quite some time now and is currently an executive at Premium Lights Therapy. She is a very passionate individual who really believes in the potential that light therapy holds for so many. She loves sharing her views on light therapy and is very enthusiastic about the many treatment potentials it holds.