DON’T Break a Leg … It’s Osteoporosis Month!

What do you think of when you hear about Osteoporosis? Do you think of broken bones and elderly, Caucasian women? Well, you’d be only partly correct!

This condition in which one’s bones lose their density and become weak or brittle, can happen to a person of any race and any age. In fact, 54 million people have low bone density. Furthermore, 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men over 50 years old will break a bone as a result of osteoporosis.

Can you feel it coming? No, unfortunately you can’t “feel” your bones getting weaker. Osteoporosis is actually called the “silent disease” for this reason. Many people don’t know they have it until they break a bone or see that they’re “shrinking” and losing height.

But, osteoporosis is not that serious, or is it? Well, breaking a bone can affect not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health. For some cases, it can end in death.

So if osteoporosis is serious, can happen to anybody, and cannot be seen coming, we had better learn something about how to prevent it. The four most important actions you can take are the following:

1) Get screened. (It is painless and only takes 5-10 minutes! If you’re concerned about exposure to radiation, know that it is very minimal and that you would experience 10 to 15 times more exposure if you took a round trip from New York to San Francisco!)

2) Eat foods rich in nutrients. (Your bones need that calcium and Vitamin D to stay strong and dense. Vitamin D helps your body actually absorb and use the calcium you take in. However, be careful to take the right amount as “more” is not necessarily “better.”)

3) Exercise regularly. (Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening activities keep your bones strong.)

4) Avoid smoking and limit your drinks to 2-3 per day.

These are all good places to start if you want to keep your bones strong and healthy!

But most of us need a little bit more practical help … Need some nutrient-rich recipes or a resource that tells you about what exercises you can perform? Take a look at what free advice https://www.nof.org/ has to offer!

Let’s break a leg (or not!) on getting started on the path away from osteoporosis and towards strong, healthy bones!