When you break a bone in the early years of life, it’s no big deal- you get a plaster, your friends sign it, and it would heal in a couple of weeks. But it’s always not the same, ladies! As you age, your bones weaken and your body doesn’t bounce back from an injury like it used to. Instead, a light fall that once resulted in a scraped knee could now break a bone.

Since women’s bones have low bone density than men’s, they’re more likely to develop osteoporosis and related health conditions as their bone mass begins to diminish. However, it’s never too early or late to be giving special attention to your bone health. In this piece of writing, we will be highlighting a few tips to help women maintain optimal bone health.

Start young

Most women in their late 20s don’t pay much attention to their bone health, and why should they? After all, they enjoy peak bone health between the ages of 25-30. Note that the stronger your bones are at their peak, the longer they’ll remain stronger in the later years of your life. The earlier you start eating a healthy diet and working out regularly, the less likely you’ll develop osteoporosis and other bone conditions.

Quit smoking, limit alcohol

Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are harmful not only for your delicate organs but bones as well. Chain smokers and heavy drinkers are found to have a low bone mineral density as compared to moderate drinkers and non-smokers. Besides, drinking moderately lowers your risk of getting falls as compared to heavy drinkers.

Eat nutritiously

Most women juggle between roles as a mother, wife, corporate bee, home managers, and often get little or no time to eat well or pay attention to their diets. But, supplying essential vitamins and minerals to your bones every day is extremely crucial for your bone health. Include leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy, and meats rich in calcium, minerals, vitamin D, and phosphorus.

Take supplements-

Ideally, you should get bone-strengthening nutrients from the foods you eat, but if not, supplements are the next big thing. Women aged 19-50 require 1000 milligrams of calcium every day, and if you’re over 50, you need 1200 milligrams of the bone-strengthening mineral daily.

Besides, the recommended daily dose of vitamin D for females aged 19-70 is 2000 units a day or 60000 units a month.

Keep a check on your body weight

Excess body weight and unhealthy BMI are risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. It’s important to maintain a healthy body weight because if you’re too heavy, it makes bones weak and adversely affects your overall health.

Perform weight-bearing exercises

Weight-bearing exercises such as aerobics, walking, dancing, and weight training help your bones produce more cells, which makes bones dense and stronger. Besides, it reduces markers in bone turnover and inflammation.

Get plenty of vitamin D and K

Vitamin D is extremely important for your bones as it helps calcium absorption in the body. You can get your daily dose of vitamin D from sun, foods, or supplements. Getting enough of the sunshine vitamin protects you against osteopenia, osteoporosis, and other bone disorders. Besides, getting plenty of vitamin K2 through diet or supplements supports bone health by modifying osteocalcin, a protein that helps in bone formation. It helps minerals to bind to bones and improve bone mineral density.

The bottom line

To keep your bones strong and healthy, ensure that you get enough calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients every day. Besides, stay active, and follow a good lifestyle. Limit caffeine, sodium, and alcohol intake.