The wonders of modern medicine have made sure that turning sixty is something to celebrate. It’s a pretty impressive milestone, especially when you consider the average lifespan in 1970. It was just sixty-seven years. Now, it’s pushing eighty and rising at a rapid rate. So, reaching the big Six Oh means plenty more laughs, memories, and special moments.
It does come with some significant challenges though because getting older takes work. Every year puts a greater strain on your body and you’ve got to use diet and exercise to counteract it. Fortunately, this is a more than a possible feat. Seniors all around the world, are living fit, strong, and healthy lives. The only difference is that they keep a closer eye on themselves.
If you want your sixties to be more joyful than geriatric, it’s time to start taking care of you. This guide to maintaining bone health will give you some tips on the best ways to stay healthy.
Eat a Calcium Rich Diet
When it comes to bone health, the stars of the show are calcium and potassium. The former is essential for growth and strength, while the latter is necessary for the body to absorb sufficient amounts of the mineral.
Eating foods high in calcium is a great way to ward off bone diseases like osteoporosis. However, it’s a common mistake to assume that the mineral works in isolation. In truth, it also depends upon the presence of Vitamins D, K, and C, as well as magnesium and strontium.
Take Dietary Supplements
Even though all of the minerals listed are a critical requirement for bone health, it can be difficult to consume enough through diet alone. This is why private label supplement manufacturers are so valuable. You can easily top up your levels by taking calcium, Vitamin D, or magnesium pills.
Ideally, you should try to get as much calcium from food as possible. Vitamin D can be harder because it comes from exposure to the sun and modern lifestyles can be quite sedentary. If you don’t spend much time outside, boost your vitamin intake with high-quality supplements.
Reduce Your Salt Intake
Ever since the 1980s, nutrition experts have been studying the link between osteoporosis and salt intake. There is strong evidence to suggest that a diet high in salt increases the amount of calcium expelled by the body as waste. So, eating salty foods is bad for bone density.
For each 100mmol increase of salt, scientists believe there is around 1% of additional bone loss per year. Given enough time, this would inevitably lead to serious and debilitating conditions. This is why seniors must make an effort to cut salt intake as far as possible.
Get Into Weight Bearing Sport
You might think that the best way to protect something as fragile as the skeleton is to avoid stressful activities. However, the opposite is true. The more lead bearing and impact producing exercise that you perform, the stronger and tougher your bones become.
This is because they need to be used or they start to disintegrate. Everything from basketball to jogging, dance, and tennis will help you stay active for longer. So, don’t believe anybody who says that old age is dull. Your body is capable of some wonderful things, even after sixty.
The Joys of Being a Fit and Healthy Pensioner
The narrative around advanced age, particularly in western societies, is one of inactivity and enforced isolation. Often, we treat the older members of society as people who have used up their opportunities and don’t have many options left. Fortunately, the truth is very different.
Whether you’re sixty or seventy-nine, you have the power to stay active, stay engaged, and stay healthy. With regular exercise, a good diet, and a little vigilance, your skeleton will be there to support you through the big and little moments.