Bones and Benefits - 5 Simple Tips For Happy, Healthy Bones
If you’re looking for simple yet effective ways of ensuring you're doing all you can to achieve happy, healthy bones, then look no further. Below are five easy to follow tips on what you can do to maximise your bone health.
- Calcium Intake
Calcium is vital for strong, healthy bones. This essential mineral is required for bone health and development, nerve function, primary bodily functions such as muscle contractions and also the ability for form blood clots. What's more, calcium deficiency is linked to brittle bones and risk of osteoporosis.
This is why your calcium intake is so important when it comes maintaining healthy bones. Calcium is often incorporated into our diets from foods such as milk, yoghurt, cheese and green leafy vegetables. However, if you find that you do not eat enough of these types of food it would be a good idea to research the best calcium supplement to suit your specific needs.
- Maintain your body's pH
Balancing your bodies pH levels has a range of benefits including bone health.
Your bones can in some cases become weak and unhealthy due to the amount of acid waste in your body. But why is this? Well, it’s due to the fact that calcium is an alkaliser and therefore your body will draw out the calcium from your bones in order to balance out acidity levels in the body. This is why it’s important to make sure you are eating healthy foods that are rich in nutrients that are directly linked to bone health. To ensure you are eating a healthy diet that is maintaining a balanced pH level, do some research into acidic and alkaline food groups. You should then aim for your diet to be made up of around 20% acidic food and the rest alkaline.
- Avoid processed food
The man-made chemicals which are often found in processed foods are acidic and therefore detrimental to the health of your bones. Anyone who strives to eat a healthy balanced diet will know the negative effects that processed foods can have on your overall health.
If your diet contains mostly processed foods then at least try to read the ingredients. If there is a large number of chemicals and other ingredients that are unnatural then it’s often wise to try and avoid eating such foods.
Switching to a more natural diet doesn’t have to be immediate, but as soon as you begin to change small parts of your diet to natural, healthy alternatives it will not take much time for you to notice a difference in your health and well-being.
- Exercise regularly
Regular exercise is a great way of keeping your bones strong and healthy.
The best exercise for your bones is anything which requires you to bear weight. A few examples of weight-bearing exercises are jogging, weight training, climbing or hiking and dancing to name but a few. Aim to exercise for approximately 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week. Not only will regular exercise improve bone health but it will make you feel more energised and happier within yourself.
- Avoid Stress
It’s getting harder and harder to ‘stress less’ nowadays with our busy lifestyles.
However, relieving yourself of unnecessary stress wherever possible is beneficial to the health of our bones. This is because stress is said to have an acidifying effect and the body and, as mentioned in point two, acidity levels in the body can lead to calcium being sapped from our bones.
So, try to keep your stress levels to a minimum and practise being more relaxed and positive in your day-to-day life. There are a number of techniques and exercises that are good for relieving stress such as meditation and yoga. Find a technique that works best for you and aim to practice it as often as you need to.
Although all of the points above seem pretty simple but you’ll be surprised by how much of a difference they can make to your life. Start by making small changes to your diet and lifestyle today and you and your bones will reap the rewards for many years to come.