Summer is almost over, Fall is in the air and that means Halloween is just around the corner!
Soon, paper and cardboard skeletons will adorn grocery store shelves…ready to adorn the doors and windows of our homes as spooky trick-or-treaters sport glow-in-the-dark skeleton costumes.
This is the perfect time of year to considered the super-amazing structure that supports your body…to wonder at its strength…and why, as we age, it can become brittle and subject to the forces of gravity.
We are told over and over again in the media to live a healthy lifestyle. So true…for so many reasons.
Keeping our ‘skeleton’ healthy and strong and avoiding osteoporosis should be a life-long goal.
Whatever your age, it is not too late to begin the habits of daily exercise and healthy eating as your “shield and armor” for old age.
What is osteoporosis?
• The dictionary defines it as “a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes, or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.”
• The National Osteoporosis Foundation defines it as “a disease of the bones which happens when you lose too much bone, make too little bone or both. As a result, your bones become weak and may break from a minor fall or, in serious cases, even from simple actions, like sneezing or bumping into furniture.”
Osteoporosis and the broken bones it can cause are not necessarily a normal part of aging. There are steps you can take throughout your life to improve the health of your bones.
What can you do to protect your bones?
(Hopefully you are doing these things already):
• Engage in regular exercise.
• Eat foods that are good for bone health such as fruits and leafy, green vegetables.
• Get enough calcium and vitamin D.
• Eat a well balanced diet.
• Avoid smoking and limit alcohol to 2-3 drinks a day.
Osteoporosis doesn’t have to be scary…but if you have concerns about your bone health, call us for a consultation today.
