3 Ways to Build Bone Strength as You Age Through Life

As we age, we are more at risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis dramatically increases, especially for post-menopausal women. It is important to build bone strength as soon as you can. Here are 3 ways to build bone strength as you age through life.  

First, engage in weight-bearing exercise. Weight-bearing exercise will not only strengthen your bones, but it will strengthen your muscles, improve your balance, coordination and flexibility. Examples of weight-bearing exercise are: walking, running, hiking, yoga, pilates, tai chi, swimming and lifting weights just to name a few. 

Second, make sure you are consuming calcium in your diet. Calcium rich foods such as leafy greens, bone broth, and fish are a great source. Cooking, freezing and long steeping/simmering improves the bioavailability (ability to absorb the nutrients of your food) of calcium in your food.   

Last but not least, make sure you consume vitamin D so that it can help absorb calcium. Vitamin D and calcium are your friends that work together to get the job done. Wild caught salmon, mackerel and pasture-raised eggs are rich in vitamin D. Mushrooms placed in the sun for a few hours will make an abundance of vitamin D that is easily absorbed once cooked. Besides getting vitamin D in your food, make sure you also take in some sun rays. Vitamin D, is also known as the “sunshine vitamin” because your skin can also make large amounts of vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.