It’s Never Too Late to Start laying a Solid Foundation For Stronger Bones

It’s natural to focus on the health of the body parts that we can see; hence, why we try to lose weight and gain muscle. When is the last time you thought about the health of your bones? If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t thought about bone health since you last broke or injured one.

Bone health is essential for optimal health well into old age. While sex and genes do play an essential role in bone health, it’s never too late to start laying a solid foundation for stronger bones. Let’s take a look at the benefits of having good bone health along with ways to improve it starting today.

Benefits of Good Bone Health

Think you won’t be able to notice the difference with whether your bones are healthy or not? Think again. Here are just a few benefits of good bone health that you’ll see as you go about your day to day.

Immunity: Did you know that the health of your bones has a direct impact on how strong your immune system is? Healthy bones encourage red and white blood cell production, and studies have found that bones and the immune system rely on many of the same bodily processes for creating specialized cells. Taking care of one will help the other.

Energy: One of the most common complaints from people developing or who have osteoporosis or another bone-related disease is a lack of energy. By taking care of your bone health, you’ll experience a higher level of energy throughout your day.

Injury Risk: A simple fall that we think nothing of in our 20s can have extreme consequences in our 50s and 60s if our bone health is poor. Stronger bones reduce the risk of injury due to a slip, fall, or carelessness during exercise. What’s more, good bone health can help to secure your independence well past the age of retirement.

How to Improve Bone Health

If you want to improve your bone health, it’s crucial to get a baseline of how healthy your bones are right now. We recommend visiting your chiropractor or orthopedic doctor to get a necessary screening to understand the state of your current bone health.

Are you wondering what you can do to build stronger and healthier bones?
Here are five things that everyone can do to improve bone health starting right now:

Exercise: Strength training has been shown in multiple studies to dramatically increase bone density by promoting the cycle of breaking down and rebuilding. Weightlifting and higher impact movements such as jump rope are great ways to encourage bone turnover and stronger bone mass.

Diet: Bone tissue is primarily made up of protein and collagen. By tweaking your diet, you can increase bone growth and development. Try increasing your intake of plant-based protein while eating a moderate amount of complex carbohydrate and omega 3 fatty acids.

Supplements: While diet and exercise are going to be the foundation for better bone health, supplementation can complement both. There are four supplements that have been shown to promote bone development: vitamin D3 and K2 can be taken once a day with calcium as the three have a synergistic effect. We may also recommend a collagen supplement. As mentioned above, collagen makes up a big part of bone tissue.

Smoking and Substance Abuse: It’s not just what you take or do that can help improve bone health, it’s also what you stop doing. Smoking and illegal drugs can both negatively impact your bone health. Studies have found time and time again that smoking can reduce bone growth and bone remodeling, resulting in weaker bones and a higher risk for osteo-related diseases such as osteoporosis.  Check out how Acupuncture can help you to stop smoking.

Chiropractic Care: Even if you are currently suffering from osteoporosis, chiropractic care can help. Chiropractic adjustments have been suggested to increase bone turnover, helping to strengthen bone tissue and increase bone mass.

Want to Improve or Maintain Good Bone Health?

Everyone should make an effort to learn more about the health of their bones. If you want to improve your bone health, we can help you! Give us a call at 773-878-7330 to schedule a consultation and see what you can do to improve it.