If you want to keep your bones healthy and prevent fractures, injuries or degenerative diseases, such as osteoporosis, you can follow a variety of lifestyle practices. By incorporating certain nutrients into your diet and performing specific types of exercises, you can strengthen your bones and keep them in top form. Healthy bones can help you look and feel younger and more energetic, make you look thinner by allowing you to have good posture, and offer you a lifetime of support to enjoy the activities you love.
Step 1
Eat a nutritious diet rich in calcium. Your bones are composed of calcium, and your body continuously removes and replaces small amounts of calcium. To prevent losing more calcium than you replace, you need to consume sufficient amounts of calcium daily. The recommended daily amount of calcium for adults ages 19 to 50 is 1,000 mg. Women older than 50 and teens need more calcium. Foods rich in calcium include dark green vegetables, dairy products, almonds and calcium-fortified foods, which can come in the form of cereals, orange juice and soy products.
Step 2
Include vitamin D in your diet. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and can be found in foods such as cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, milk, fortified yogurt, sardines, Swiss cheese, liver and eggs. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 15 micrograms for all adults up to age 70 and 20 micrograms for adults older than 70.
Step 3
Do weight-bearing cardio exercises for 30-minute sessions at least five times a week. Weight-bearing activities strengthen your bones, as well as offer fitness benefits. Some cardio exercises to choose from include walking or jogging, tennis, racquetball, hiking, basketball, dance, stair climbing, jumping rope and soccer.
Step 4
Do resistance training two to three times per week, with at least one day of rest between each session. Resistance training strengthens your bones and prevents bone loss by causing new bone tissues to form. You can use free weights, weight machines or your own body weight for resistance. Choose exercises that work all of your major muscle groups, such as pushups, squats, lunges, bench press, leg press, triceps extensions, biceps curls, back extensions and crunches.
Things You'll Need
- Free weights or weight machines
- Exercise clothing
