One in 10 women struggle with osteoporosis when once they hit 60 years.

That ratio goes up to 1 in 5 once a woman hits 70 years old.

That ratio sounds dreary and makes it look like there is nothing you can do about keeping your bones healthy.

But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

There are steps you can start taking today, regardless of your age, that will improve your bone health and reduce the effects of osteoporosis.

And we’ll be talking about those steps in today’s post.

12 tips to keep your bones healthy

Add more calcium and vitamin D to your diet

Calcium and Vitamin D are essential nutrients that help your body to produce new bone cells. Increasing your intake of either or both of them will improve your bone health dramatically.

• Eat low-fat yogurt and Greek yogurt.
• Green vegetables like broccoli, bok choy and kale are rich in calcium. Add those to your diet as well.
• At the grocery store, you will find certain foods that are fortified with vitamin D and calcium like orange juice and certain cereals. If you tend to buy those food items, buy the ones fortified with these nutrients.
• Taking a calcium or vitamin D supplement is a good idea too!
• Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Apart from vitamin D and calcium, fruits and vegetables contain so many more nutrients that improve other systems that support bone health.

Increase weight-bearing and muscle-building exercises

Exercise can improve your bone health as well.

• Walking doesn’t seem like an impressive exercise type-but it is effective. A brisk 30-minute walk around your neighborhood is a good way to improve your bone and overall health.
• Dancing is another great exercise that will keep your bones healthy. Sway away my friend.
• Add some resistance to your exercise. If you walk, use dumb-bells to increase the resistance. You can also use resistance belts and other equipment that make your exercise just a little harder but not stressful.
• Mix it up. Sometimes, one exercise type becomes boring. You don’t have to do just that. Try a new activity and add more spice to your life and health to your bones.

Develop healthy habits (and drop bad ones)

There are certain habits that will simply get you in a lot of health trouble.

If you’re trying to improve your bone health, those bad habits have to go.

I’ve already mentioned some of the good habits you can develop above. Here are a few bad ones to drop.

• Quit smoking. Ask your doctor about different ways to quit if you’re finding this difficult.
• Reduce or eliminate foods that are salty or high in sugar.
• Reduce your alcohol intake and keep it to 3 drinks or less per day.

Know your risks

It’s important to know your risk for osteoporosis or any other bone disease.

If you know your family health history and there is a history of osteoporosis, chances are that you have a high risk for it.

Certain lifestyle habits like drinking, smoking and high sugar diets could contribute to osteoporosis as well.

Even if you’re genetically predisposed to osteoporosis, adopting the healthy habits I just talked about will go a long way to reducing the effects of the disease.

In addition to all this, it’s important for you to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about your risks.

They can work with you to come up with a plan that will keep you healthy for a long time to come.

Staying safe when you have a risk for osteoporosis

A person with osteoporosis can easily fracture their bones.

Thus, it’s important to keep your home safe if you have a risk for or have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Read this post to learn more about keeping your home safe for you and your loved one.

• Make sure to have your vision and hearing checked each year.
• Keep night lights in hallways you or your loved one use at night.
• Get rid of any loose items such as clothes, toys and rugs that someone could trip over.
• Keep an alert device handy so you can call someone should you fall and need help to get up.

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