5 Top Ways To Ensure Healthy, Stronger Bones Crucial To Health

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Jan 04, 2016 05:12 AM EST

There are over 206 bones in an adults' body and its care and health is crucial because it's what attaches the muscles and limbs to the rest of the body's framework. It's also where nutrients are stored and, like the skin, it serves to protect other organs and affect mobility and body functions like eating and hearing. Without giving bones the right care and maintenance, a person's lifespan could easily deteriorate.

Here are 5 top ways to ascertain that your bones' health is properly taken care of:

1) Take care of your bones' health while you're still young and not when you're in your senior years already. In your 20s, your bones' mass is already developed to up to 90 percent, which means it will hit its top form when you're in your early 30s, according to the Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Center. Early on, you should already be making a habit of taking care of your bones with proper diet, exercise and maintenance.

2) Balance your vitamins and mineral intake. Bones do require calcium and the nutrient is essential to its health in old age. However, you should also make sure you're taking enough vitamins D and K2 as your calcium intake would be useless if your body lacks the vitamins to work properly, according to Mind Body Green. You can get calcium, vitamins D and K2 from eating dairy, green and leafy vegetables, beans and legumes, shrimps, salmon, tuna or vitamin supplements.

3) Exercise regularly. Several studies have already proven the relationship between the lack of physical activity and development of osteoporosis and the best way to go about maintaining stronger bones is through exercise. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends weight bearing and muscle-strengthening routines as two types of activities to incorporate in your daily workouts. It's great for building stronger bone density.

4) Cut down on vices like alcohol and cigarettes. These can affect bone formation as well as the bones' ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Instead, the bones end up absorbing carcinogen and other toxic substances that weaken it. A person who smokes and drinks could also be prone to fracture and, in worse conditions, it could lead to alcoholic bone disease, according to Alcohol Health and Research World.

5) Never do drugs. Aside from the general deterioration of health, drugs, including steroids and other anabolic substances, can also decrease the bone mass. People addicted to substances like cocaine and methamphetamine can go for weeks without eating proper food, thus their nutrient intake is compromised. Drug addiction has also been linked to osteopenia, an alarming condition that's less severe than osteoporosis, per Destination Hope.

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