Healthy bones and joints are essential factors that contribute to a healthy life. As we age, our bone health tends to diminish bringing about conditions like degenerative joint disease and osteoarthritis making life harder to manage and less enjoyable.
Osteoporosis is documented to be a key factor that contributes to broken bones where approximately two million of such cases are reported annually [1]. Besides, it is also reported that the risk of women dying from a hip fracture is, in fact, equal to her dying from breast cancer, after the age of 50 [2]. Joints, when worn out, tend to hurt even when performing simple tasks such as reaching for a book or a glass on a higher shelf. These kind of effects can be easily evaded when you start putting the right amount of effort towards maintaining your bone health. Here are some of the ways you can ensure healthy joints:
Exercise
The joints are a part of your musculoskeletal system, which means all other members of this system like the bones, ligaments, cartilage and muscles need to be healthy to keep your joint health in check. So how can you achieve this? To begin with, you can start by making small lifestyle changes. Choosing to exercise on a regular basis will strengthen your muscles and as a result alleviate any joint pains over time. The arthritis pain that you may be feeling, will make you want to avoid the whole process of exercising altogether. This shouldn’t be the case as research has shown that the stiffness and the pain you feel can only get worse the more you don’t exercise. So pull out that yoga mat, or head to the gym and get those joints moving!
Diet
Consuming healthy foods and snacks will also help in maintaining your weight and shed those extra kilos that can weigh down on your joints. Besides, obesity is another key factor that contributes to joint problems. So diet and exercise conjointly will help you with any weight issues. As it is said that every pound of weight you lose, will take four pounds of pressure off your knees! That’s not all! With every ten pounds that you lose, you will also reduce that pain by 20%. Now will be a good time to check out some diet plans.
Supplements
Taking the right supplements is another way to ensure you are giving the right vitamins and minerals required for your joints. So, it’s a superfood of sorts that will maintain the health of your joints as you grow older. Calcium and vitamin D are vital nutrients required for healthy bones and joints. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (U.K) conducted a study in 2016 which stated that supplements help in reducing hip fractures by 30% and total fractures by 15% [3]. Supplements also comprise of nutrients like:
- Glucosamine and chondroitin that help in cartilage growth and osteoarthritis prevention.
- Collagen provides support, strength and elasticity needed for tissues to connect to bone or muscle.
- Natural Eggshell Membrane helps in suppressing inflammatory chemical agents which reduces pain, stiffness and swelling.
- Curcumin supplements help in reducing inflammatory responses that are brought about by injuries and stress.
If you’re looking for supplements to restore your joint health, you can check out the Joint Restore Triple Action supplements provided by Nature’s Way which is an advanced formula that combines Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM. How about gummies containing curcumin? Haven’t heard of it before? Well, now you have. Check out Nature’s Way Activated Curcumin Gummies that’ll make supplements a joy to munch on.
In conclusion, with exercise, a bone-healthy diet, and the right supplements you can be assured of quality living and bones that will stand the test of time!
References:
- Sahni, S., Mangano, K. M., McLean, R. R., Hannan, M. T., & Kiel, D. P. (2015). Dietary Approaches for Bone Health: Lessons from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Current osteoporosis reports, 13(4), 245-55.
- Price, C. T., Langford, J. R., & Liporace, F. A. (2012). Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of their Availability in the Average North American Diet. The open orthopaedics journal, 6, 143-9.
- Weaver, C. M., Alexander, D. D., Boushey, C. J., Dawson-Hughes, B., Lappe, J. M., LeBoff, M. S., Liu, S., Looker, A. C., Wallace, T. C., … Wang, D. D. (2015). Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and risk of fractures: an updated meta-analysis from the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 27(1), 367-76.
