Are Your Bones as Strong and Healthy as They Should Be?
We all know that strong healthy bones are important but many of us fail to realize just how essential they are to our lives. There are also many misconceptions about bones some believing they are just a hard lifeless substance. Nothing could be further from the truth. If they were lifeless substances they would not have the capacity of healing when broken or injured. Bone is a complex living tissue and can be greatly affected by your diet and exercise.
Our body is basically built around our skeletal frame so one of the obvious functions of bones is the structure of our body, enabling us to be erect. Another important function of bones is protecting many vital organs such as our heart and lungs. A third important function is that they are an anchor for muscle tissue. Your muscles are attached to bones keeping them fixed to ensure they can adequately perform their intended purpose.
There are a number of lifestyle factors that can increase the rate of bone breakdown, including smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and excessive intake of caffeine, plus lack of exercise. As weight loss can also result in bone loss, it becomes more important than ever to follow a healthy eating routine. It becomes a vicious circle if, by eating the wrong foods we increase our weight, thus putting more stress on weakened bones. Then it becomes necessary to lose the weight and if this is not done carefully and correctly bone loss will be the result.
Caring for our bones is essential to our long term health and wellness. Good bone health is essential for an injury and pain free future. Good bone health should start young but it is never too late to start practicing good bone health habits. Your bones will still benefit which means better health and less injury for you.
It is certainly true that for the best results, habits should be formed early in life. Eating a well-balanced diet from an early age, that includes calcium rich foods, grains and fresh fruit and vegetables, will certainly contribute to healthy bones. However, it is never too late to start implementing good bone building habits. Your bones will still improve and you will reap the benefits.
Good bone health is essential for the prevention of Osteoporosis. Conditions such as this cause the bones to become very porous and weak. If the condition worsens, bones become extremely brittle and are much more prone to injury and fracture, resulting in pain and therefore reducing the quality of life. By practicing good bone health the risk of Osteoporosis and similar can be reduced.
With a good diet and exercise bone density can be drastically improved. Exercise such as weight resistance training puts positive stress on your bones which creates bone tissue, therefore making bones more dense and strong. This reduces the incidence of fractures and other diseases that weaken bones.
Bones are constantly changing and must not be neglected. They must be continually replenished with nutrients or bone loss can be the result. Good bone health should be practiced when young but much can still be done in the later years of life to improve bone health. Many women will suffer from bone loss when reaching menopause as the ovaries cease to produce estrogen. It is therefore vital for women to ensure they have good strong bones from an early age to reduce the risk of Osteoporosis.
Start taking good care of your bones today!
About the Author
Joan is the owner of http://www.notjustjoints.com where she provides
information for sufferers of Arthritic Diseases and Bone Health. Joan
suffers herself from arthritis and her husband has chronic rheumatoid
arthritis. This led her to research and look for answers to help fellow sufferers. Visit her website for a wide range of information relating to muscular skeletal diseases - http://www.notjustjoints.com