As we get older, keeping our bones strong and dense becomes a top priority to prevent fractures and stay mobile.
While we’re often told calcium is ‘important’, the advice rarely goes beyond ‘drink your milk.’ However, building rock-solid bones is a multi-layered process. A natural approach that relies on the power of food and a variety of nutrients working together.
Here are five key pillars to build and maintain strong bones!
Challenge Your Bones with Resistance Training
Think of your bones as weightlifters who respond to a good challenge.
Weight-bearing exercises, like weightlifting, using resistance bands, or even bodyweight exercises like squats and lunges, put healthy stress on your bones, signaling them to strengthen their structure.
This translates to increased bone mineral density, thicker bones, and stronger muscles — a triple threat against age-related bone loss.
Even simple 10-Minute, high-intensity workouts can bring incredible results!
Eat Your Greens
Popeye had a point!
Vegetables are the unsung heroes of bone health.
They’re packed with a treasure trove of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that work together to slow down bone breakdown.
Aim for a rainbow on your plate — at least nine servings of veggies a day. We’re talking broccoli, kale, cabbage, and anything else that looks like it came straight out of a farmer’s market.
These veggies are loaded with bone-friendly nutrients like polyphenols, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. They help protect your bones from being depleted by maintaining the body’s healthy pH balance.
Food Comes First
While calcium is essential for bone density, megadosing calcium supplements may do more harm than good by contributing to the calcification of blood vessels and soft tissues.
Instead, focus on getting your calcium from dietary sources like leafy greens, beans, sardines, and raw dairy products. When obtained through whole foods, calcium is accompanied by a supporting cast of nutrients that aid absorption.
Trace Vitamins and Minerals
Magnesium, zinc, potassium — these minerals might not get the spotlight, but they’re crucial backup players for your bones.
Magnesium helps activate Vitamin D, which is essential for calcium absorption. Zinc, on the other hand, promotes bone growth and keeps it from breaking down. Get your daily dose of these minerals from legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Vitamins D3 and K2:
Imagine Vitamin D3 and K2 as the ultimate bone-building dream team.
Vitamin D3 acts like a helpful usher, guiding calcium from your bloodstream to where it’s needed most — your bones. But D3 can’t do it alone. That’s where K2 comes in.
It’s like a skilled construction worker, taking the calcium and putting it right into the framework of your bones. Without these two nutrients, extra calcium can just float around and cause trouble in your arteries instead of strengthening your bones.
Get your Vitamin D3 from sunshine, fatty fish, or dairy, and find Vitamin K2 in fermented foods like sauerkraut, natto (a fermented soybean dish), and aged cheeses.
The Takeaway…
By embracing this natural, food-first approach, you’re building your bones from the inside out, creating a strong foundation for an active and healthy life, no matter your age.
