Treating your body well is crucial to live a healthy life. Diet and exercise is good for your overall health, but it also supports parts of your body that you may not think about on a daily basis. When it comes to your bones, a healthy lifestyle is crucial!

Our bones support your entire bodies by providing structure, protecting our organs, and facilitating our muscle movement. Building strength in your bones is important no matter what your age.

Our AFC Urgent Care Cleveland team explains how to build strong bones below, so read on.

Why Do Bones Become Brittle?

Even when we stop growing taller, our bones never stop remodeling! They can change in density as we age. Once you hit your 30s, you have actually reached your peak bone density. From there, you start to lose bone mass.

While this is a natural process and a part of aging, if you don’t take steps to help slow this process, you could be at risk of developing a condition called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes your bones so brittle that even something as simple as a bump against the table can cause a fracture. By supporting your bone health, you can help reduce your risk of this!

Steps to Support Your Bone Health

• Increase your physical activity.
• Drink alcohol only in moderation.
• Consume more foods rich in vitamin D and calcium.
• Avoid smoking.

What Kind of Exercise Is Good for My Bones?

Exercise is great for your overall health, but it is actually crucial in supporting your bones. Through moderate weight-bearing exercises like walking, jogging or climbing stairs, your bones are gently encouraged to build up mass and can actually grow in density over time. Your workout routine needs to be consistent for this to work though. Try to get at least 150 minutes of exercise every week, even if some of that time is spent on a daily walk!

Remember, too much of a good thing can lead to poor outcomes, so listen to your body and don’t go overboard with the exercise. Constant pressure or too many intense workouts can lead to stress fractures and other overuse injuries. Keep your workout routine varied, listen to your body, and consume more calcium!

Risk Factors for Osteoporosis

• Women
• Individuals of Caucasian and Asian descent
• People who take certain medications for chronic conditions
• Older adults

We can help diagnose and treat broken bones. Stop by AFC Urgent Care Cleveland today.