Have you thought about the health of your bones lately?
I wanted to share this graph with you. It illustrates how we reach peak bone mass around our late 20s/30. We maintain it for a while before it starts to decline. For women the decline speeds up, once we arrive at menopause due to the loss of estrogen. The type of lifestyle you live also plays a role in how quickly it declines. And it is not just women that are affected. Osteoporosis New Zealand says 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over 60 will suffer a fragility fracture due to osteoporosis. This leads to a loss of mobility, independence and fun.
So, what can you do to avoid the crippling effect of fractures late in life?
- Strength training with weights. Improves your bone density & lean muscle mass
- Improve your balance and coordination
- Eat a nutrient rich diet especially in calcium and Vitamin D (helps absorbs calcium)
- Get outside in the morning sunshine for some Vitamin D
- Limit alcohol, too much makes bones brittle.
It is never too late to start
And finally, if you have children in their teenagers and 20s encourage them to do all they can to build a high peak bone mass now. (It will be the last thing they are thinking about!) Researchers agree that the higher it is to start with the bigger the dividends later in life.
