What You Can Do To Keep Your Bones and Muscles Strong

It is essential to be strong in bones, and muscles in order to achieve mobility, independence, and wellness throughout life. Bone health and muscle strength and power are influenced by genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, and environment. This guide includes simple ways to build and maintain your bones and muscles strong long-term.

Why bone and muscle strength is important

Healthy bones protect organs from injury, assist in posture, and allow movement. Muscle strength contributes to body weight control, balance, and safeguarding joints. Together these two strengthen each other, and both reduce the risk of falling, injury, fractures, and get osteoporosis as we age.

Physical Activity for bone and muscle strength

Regular physical activity, and movement are the best way to stress bones and muscles and keep them strong regardless of your age. Along with physical activity, supplements like bio d3 max capsules are often considered to support bone health and strength.

Weight-Bearing Impact Exercise

Weight-bearing activities consist of supporting your body on your feet and pushing or moving against gravity. For example: walking briskly, jogging, hopping, dancing, climbing stairs, hiking, tennis, badminton, skipping, etc. Through these activities, more pressure, and forces are placed in your bones causing small impacts and induces force dynamic fluctuations that encourage bones to keep density and strength.

Progressive muscle resistance exercises

Muscle strengthening or resistance exercises make the muscle do work against extra force and build muscle power and bone strength. You can do this with extra weight, resistance bands, or just body weight. Common weight resistance exercises are through squats, lunges, push ups, pull ups, rows, presses, etc. After a few sessions you will gradually increase resistance, and the fitness instructor can assess warm up, strengthen correctly and avoid injury.

Balance and flexibility exercises

• Balance varies from physical activity and sport/lifestyle activities. Exercises like Tai Chi, yoga, single-leg stands, and wobble board walking, etc. will maintain/preserve a level of balance. By maintaining balance, you lower the risk of falling and having a fracture. Flexibility exercises like stretching bring the muscle, and joints back to their normal state to allow a comfortable range of motion; which is important for regular daily activity and functional basis. 

Activity To Include

• Try to engage in a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderately intense weight-bearing physical activity.
• Strength training for all major muscle groups at least 2 days per week.
• Try to include a variety of types of movement – speed, direction, and activity to provide variety to the muscles and bones.

Nutrition for Strong Muscles and Bones

Balanced nutrition provides the necessary building blocks for bone development and proper muscle function.

• Calcium-Rich Foods

• Foods rich in calcium include dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese), green leafy vegetables, tofu, almonds, and fortified foods that provide calcium.
• Adults need approximately 1000-1200 mg of calcium in their diet daily, depending on sex and age.

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and aids in bone health and development.
• Vitamin D from the sun, fortified foods, and supplements can all contribute to maintaining your vitamin D status.
• If tested deficinet for vitamin D, supplements like bio d3 max, may be advised by your doctor to help with maintaining bone health.

• Protein and Other Nutrients

• Inadequate protein in the diet could compromise muscle mass and form. Protein sources to support muscle development and repair are lean meats, beans, lentils, nuts, and dairy.
• Magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin K are also important in the bone and muscle.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Water is necessary for muscle contraction and transporting nutrients.

• Guiding Principles for Diet

• Limit the amount of salt and caffeinated beverages as they may promote calcium loss.
• Limit the amount of soft drinks and ultra-processed foods consumed; opting for fresh, whole foods is best. 

• Maintain a Healthy Weight

Excess body weight puts stress on bones and muscles, while being underweight increases the risk for bone loss and fractures. Client’s ability to maintain a healthy weight range can be supported through a balanced, nutrient dense diet, and regular physical activity.

• Limit Alcohol and Avoid Smoking

Smoking and heavy, frequent alcohol consumption can erode the structures of bones and muscles, which increase a person’s risk for developing osteoporosis. Eliminating smoking and reducing alcohol intake can promote both immediate and long-term health.

• Avoid Sedentary Behaviour

Sitting still for long durations slows the metabolism of both bone and muscle. People should take regular breaks during activity – get up and walk, stretch, or stand every hour if they are working at a desk.

• Accident Prevention

Using well-lit rooms, wearing supportive footwear, and minimizing clutter can help reduce the risk of accidents due to falls. If a person has concerns with their balance or if they are feeling stiff, they should have their balance assessment and development plan assessed by their healthcare provider.

• Monitor Progress & Follow-up Assessments

Think of simple ways to assess, track and monitor improvements in functional strength, balance and flexibility such as; walking distance, getting up from a chair, or standing on one leg for a certain period. Schedule regular follow-up assessments if a person is considered high risk for falling or if they are older.

Consult with a doctor when considering supplements, new or modified exercise, or if the individual is experiencing pain or weakness and does not know the reason.

Considerations by age group

• Children and Youth

Encourage children to play and do a variety of sports, both competitive and for fun, as they build bone during their growing years! Take into account also that children and youth need dietary calcium and Vitamin D.

• Adults

Middle age and older adults should continue to engage in weight-bearing activities and progressive resistance exercise with some adjustment based on mobility and safety. Balance activities should be prioritized as we lose muscle and bone naturally as we age.

• Persons with Health Conditions

When participating in any activity with arthritis, osteoporosis, or injury, it is advised to including professionals to support their activity participation. Activities that are non-weightbearing, like swimming, may still help a person maintain strength in their muscle.