15 Ways To Build Bone Strength

By Tara Hari

Friday, September 6, 2013, 12:42 [IST]

The bones in our body have an important job of maintain the structure of our body. The way in which we care for our bones will affect our structural strength. This means that the bones which offer the structural support to the body are alive, so they have the ability to change in strength, stability and density.

The first thirty years of your life is when the bone builds up on its strength. Although the bones are regularly broken down and replaced, after you hit thirty the rate of bone loss will outpace the rate at which your bones are growing. Even though the efficiency of an adult's body in building bones cannot be compared to that of a child's there are still some steps which can be taken to improve bone strength. Here are some of the ways by which you can increase bone strength.

Start Now

The most important tip to building your bone strength is to start young. If you wait until your bones start giving you trouble, you might not be able to fix it that late. So start as soon as possible by taking the adequate measures like taking vitamin D supplements and calcium, exercising etc.

Avoid Salt

Salt increases the excretion of calcium. This means that the hard-earned calcium you are ingesting will all go to waste. Moreover, excess calcium excretion can increase your risk for kidney stones.

Bone Mineral Density Test

Take a Bone Mineral Density test to determine how strong your bones are. Osteoporosis is often called a "silent disease" because until a bone breaks, your body will not display any obvious, outward symptoms.

Drink Milk

The first step to take towards building your bone strength is to drink plenty of milk. This is because milk is a storehouse of calcium, which acts as the basic foundation of healthy bones, and Vitamin D that helps the body absorb the milk.

Limit Alcohol

Drinking is a definite way of interfering with the body's ability to absorb calcium. It also slows down the new bone formation. So keep drinking to a minimum, one glass a day for women and two glasses per day for men.

Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D supplements should be taken regularly to improve your bone density. It helps the body utilize calcium. It also plays an important role in building and repairing bones, as well as keeping muscles strong.

Quit Smoking

The rate of bone loss is increased by smoking. Women who regularly smoke have lower levels of estrogen, and tend to hit menopause early. These two factors also lead to accelerated bone loss.

Regulate Meat Intake

Calcium and phosphorous are the two minerals which helps the body to digest animal protein. Eating too much red meat, fish, pork, and poultry can deplete these resources from the bone. On the other hand, protein deficiency hinders calcium absorption in the intestines.

Genetics

Take time to study your family's medical history because genes determine a lot of factors that affect your overall body health like bone mass or bone health.

Avoid Sodium

Sodium which is present in almost all processed foods causes the calcium to seep out from your bones and into your urine. So follow a low sodium diet for optimum bone strength.

Weight-bearing Exercise

Activities that compel your body to work against gravity like kickboxing or basketball helps to strengthen bones by stimulating osteoblasts which are bone building cells.

Flex Muscles

A simple way to improve bone strength is by flexing your muscles or tendons as the tug on the bones which will compel them to grow. Therefore, any exercise that causes your muscles to flex is good for bone strength.

Limit Phosphate

The mineral phosphorus found in lots of food is important in small amounts for healthy bone development, but high levels of it interfere with calcium absorption in the body.