It is never to early to start thinking about bone health. As we age, we tend to focus more on bone health as issues such as osteoporosis become more prevalent. But promoting bone health needs to start at an early age to decrease the risk of injuries, especially orthopedic injuries.

Bone loss occurs when the body absorbs too much of the calcium and phosphate from your bones. Throughout your life, your skeleton goes through a continual process of old bone being absorbed by the body as new bone is created. Maintaining a proper balance of new and old bone dictates your bone health.

How can you be proactive in keeping your bones healthy and strong? There are a number of ways to accomplish this.

Tips for Promoting Bone Health

• You are what you eat. There are a number of foods that promote bone health that are readily available to most people. Eating foods rich in calcium is one of the best things you can do to increase the strength of your bones. Make sure you include plenty of milk, yogurt, cheese, broccoli, kale and beans to pack in calcium to your diet. Additionally, your body needs Vitamin D in order to absorb the calcium. This can be achieved either through foods, sun exposure or supplements.
• In addition to a balanced diet, it is vital to have an active lifestyle to promote bone health. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking, jogging and aerobics should be a part of your routine. Further, exercises such as yoga and pilates are also important to strengthen your core and decrease the likelihood of spine injuries.
• Avoid smoking and consume alcohol only in moderation. Tobacco can weaken the bones and alcohol in excess can interfere with your body’s calcium absorption.
• Talk to your doctor. This might seem like an obvious tip but it is one of the most important ones. Your individual health history is key in determining the best ways to promote bone health. Be honest with your doctor so together you can make the best decisions to build the strength in your bones as well as avoid bone loss.

Promoting bone health is not only important for avoiding orthopedic injuries, it is also key for healing. If you do sustain an injury, the recovery process is impacted by your bone health.

Further, maintaining a healthy diet while incorporating moderate exercise can have a positive impact on the entire body. The benefits of diet and exercise extend to heart health, mental health and decreased risk for illness.