Your joints and bones are the building blocks of your body, supporting all your movements and activities. But with age, a sedentary lifestyle, or poor nutrition, they can lose strength and become painful
Movement is a luxury we all have to cherish at every stage of our lives. For most of us, we reach peak bone mass between the ages of 25 and 30, which is why it is so important to maintain adequate calcium intake from an early age. While the most important factor in maintaining healthy bones, consuming vitamin D, magnesium, and weight-bearing exercise are equally important.
Why is it important to maintain healthy bones?
Low bone density can lead to osteoporosis, often called the silent disease because its symptoms remain hidden until a bone breaks.
Your bones and joints are extremely important in every movement and activity you perform. A problem with them can bring your daily life to a halt because they are essential for mobility and flexibility.
Here are 3 reasons why you should know:
1. Maintain mobility
Any movement you make is due to the mobility of your joints, whether it is walking, climbing, running or swimming. To continue doing these activities without difficulty, it is essential to maintain the health of your joints.
2. Prevent joint pain and stiffness
Poor joint care is the main cause of joint discomfort and pain as we age. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common joint disorders that occurs due to the breakdown of cartilage, leading to pain, swelling and stiffness, which can even make it difficult for you to move freely. However, professional chiropractic care can delay and completely eliminate such problems, maintaining joint flexibility.
3. Keep your risk of injury low
Weak or stiff joints make your body prone to injuries, especially during any physical activity. The best orthopedic hospital in Ahmedabad recommends that you maintain healthy joints with strong muscles and connective tissue that can prevent injuries and ligament tears.
7 ways to keep your bones and joints healthier every day
1. Maintain a diet that promotes bone health
Nutrition is the backbone of your health and a good diet can help you stay away from the possibility of having to visit an orthopedic surgeon. Controlling your calcium and vitamin D intake is important, but there are other nutrients that play a central role.
Include milk, green leafy vegetables, almonds, tofu and calcium-rich supplements. This will help improve your bone density and make your bones stronger.
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient because it helps your body absorb calcium. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight, but you can also add vitamin D to your diet through fatty fish and fortified foods.
The minerals Magnesium and Vitamin K help build bone density, prevent fractures and osteoporosis, and maintain mobility. These minerals can be consumed through nuts, whole grains, and green vegetables.
Arthritis can create fluid that can cause severe joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Consuming anti-inflammatory foods like berries, olive oil, turmeric, and fish like salmon helps soothe arthritis, thereby reducing pain and stiffness.
2. Regular physical activity
Physical activity helps keep many diseases away and helps keep bones strong, joints flexible, and improves balance. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking, dancing, stair climbing help strengthen bones, while strength training such as weight lifting or resistance exercises can promote bone and muscle growth. Low-impact activities such as swimming, cycling, yoga are significantly effective in reducing stress on joints while improving flexibility and endurance.
3. Cut down on habits that can harm bones
There are some activities that we may be doing that can contribute to weakening our bone health such as smoking. Smoking reduces blood flow to the bones and hinders calcium absorption, which weakens bone density and leads to bone-related diseases.
Unhealthy alcohol consumption is also harmful to our health as it disrupts vitamin D production and weakens bones. In today’s world where desk jobs are increasing sedentary lifestyles, bone stiffness has become common and so has the risk of osteoporosis and arthritis. Make small changes to your lifestyle like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking 10-15 minutes after every meal, using nicotine patches instead of smoking.
4. Control your weight to reduce stress on your joints
Being overweight or obese can also be a major cause of bone-related problems because excess weight puts extra pressure on your joints, especially your knees, hips, and spine. Maintaining a healthy weight helps reduce cartilage wear and tear, reduces your risk of osteoarthritis, increases mobility, and reduces joint pain. Maintaining a healthy weight can also help protect your joints in the long term by combining a healthy diet with regular activity.
5. Focus on posture and ergonomics
Poor posture, especially from prolonged sitting at a desk or screen, can cause chronic bone and joint problems. Use ergonomic workstations and chairs, stretch and move around regularly during breaks, and maintain good posture when sitting, standing, or lifting heavy objects. All of these things combined can help improve posture and potentially prevent serious musculoskeletal conditions later in life.
6. Regular health checks are a must
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, which is why regular bone density checks, joint exams and tests are so important. They can help you spot signs of deterioration or deficiency before they become a major problem. Early intervention makes a huge difference, whether you’re young or old.
