Osteoporosis Prevention Begins Now: How To Start Protecting Your Bones While You're A Teenager
If you're a teenager, you're probably not thinking about menopause or osteoporosis. Unfortunately, not thinking about those issues could set you up for problems later on. You might not realize this, but preventing osteoporosis actually begins right now, while you're young. It's during your early years that your bones develop the strength they'll need to carry you through your life. Taking good care of your body will help prevent things like osteoporosis once you hit menopause. To help you develop strong, healthy bones, here are four steps you should take now, while you're still young.
Avoid Starvation Diets
Maintaining a healthy weight throughout your life is important. However, going on calorie-restrictive starvation diets to lose weight is not a healthy option for your body or your bones. Those calorie-restrictive diets deplete your muscle mass and destroy your bones. Not only that, but they'll leave you hungry, which means you'll want to eat more.
Don't Start Smoking
Now that you're a teenager, it's important that you take your health seriously, which means you should avoid things that could jeopardize your development. Smoking is one of those activities you should avoid. Smoking in your early years will prevent you from developing the bone mass you need for strong, healthy bones. Unfortunately, that means you'll face a bigger risk of developing osteoporosis and needing osteoporosis treatments when you're older. Help keep your bones healthy by not smoking. If you've already started smoking, talk to someone about a smoking cessation program for teens. It can help you kick the habit.
Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
When you're an active teenager, you might not have time to sit down and eat healthy meals. However, you still need to find time to eat healthfully, especially if you want to have healthy bones later in life. To develop strong bones, you need to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some of the fruits and vegetables you should be eating include fruits rich in vitamin C, and vegetables that are either green or yellow. You should also try to add plenty of foods that are high in calcium too.
Add Weight-Bearing Activites
If your daily activities don't include weight-bearing exercises, they should. You need weight-bearing exercises to help develop strong, healthy bones. If you're not sure what weight-bearing exercises are, they include sports like soccer and tennis, as well as dancing and jogging. Basically, any activity that gets you up and onto your legs.
Now that you're a teenager, it's a great time to start taking care of your bones. The tips here will help you develop healthy bones, and avoid osteoporosis.
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