How to Keep Your Bones Healthy

Learn how to maintain healthy bones throughout every stage of your life.

Warning
Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.

Step 1: Determine calcium intake
Determine how much calcium a person your age and gender needs daily. This information can be found by doing an internet search for "recommended calcium intake."

Tip
It is recommended that people between the ages of 19 and 50 receive 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily.

Step 2: Eat calcium-rich foods
Increase calcium-rich foods in your diet. Calcium-rich foods include dairy products, leafy green vegetables, dried beans, and pink salmon.

Step 3: Incorporate light exercise
Incorporate light cardiovascular exercise, like jogging and walking, into your routine. Since bones are tissue, just like muscles, they strengthen with exercise.

Step 4: Incorporate resistance training
Incorporate some light weight-resistance training into your exercise routine, like push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.

Step 5: Consider a supplement
Consider taking a calcium supplement if you aren't getting an adequate amount of calcium in your diet.

Tip
Use a supplement with magnesium -- it aids in the transfer of calcium to your bones.

Step 6: Consider a bone density scan
Consider a bone density scan and find out about other available therapies. A little preventative medicine can promote healthy bones and guard against osteoporosis well into your twilight years.

Did You Know?
Archaeologists have found evidence of osteoporosis in ancient Egyptian mummies.