5 Natural Ways to Build Stronger Bones

I get it.

Bone health isn't the most exciting topic.

But it IS crucial for your overall health and wellness.

Without healthy bones you can't move around and live an active life. 

And unfortunately, as we age, our body's naturally start to lose bone density.

You don't have to be a victim.

Thankfully there are many ways that you can naturally strengthen your bones.

You don't need some fancy exercise machine or a magical potion to build stronger bones.

Actually, building stronger bones is surprisingly simple.

So how are you supposed to build healthy bones? 

Read on below...

 

How to Build Strong, Healthy Bones

Below are the top, researched-backed tips for building stronger bones.

1. Get Enough Sunshine

It is quite easy to stay indoors and be inactive on a daily basis.

This inactivity not only effects our muscles (due to limited exercise), it also impacts our bone health.

When you're outside your skin is exposed to sunlight. This start a natural process whereby your body starts making Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is important for bone health because it helps your body to properly absorb calcium, a key nutrient in bone health.

So start getting more sunshine in your life.

Go for a walk in the morning (or on your lunch break). Jog outside instead of inside on the treadmill. Take your dog for a walk. Etc...

Now, if you live in a cold climate where it's difficult to get sunshine, or if you are afraid of getting too much sun, taking a Vitamin D supplement is a great option.

We'll go over this later on in the article.

 

2. Consume High-Calcium Foods

Calcium is important for bone health.

We all know this.

But do you know why calcium is so good for you bones?

Here's why:

Calcium is the mineral that is laid down when your body builds new bone tissue.

And since old bone cells are constantly being broken down and replaced by new bone cells, eating enough calcium gives your body the "raw materials" that it needs to build up and repair your bones.

The amount of calcium that you need differs depending on your age.

In general, the older you are, the more calcium you need.

Here's a link to a helpful article that goes over how much calcium your body needs throughout different stages of life.

While you can supplement with calcium, you should aim to get the majority of your calcium needs via your diet.

The best source of dietary calcium is found in milk (you can also check out our article on the 10 best foods for bone health here)

Now, if you still can’t get enough calcium from drinking milk (or if you have an allergy), you can supplement with calcium.

Our Essentially-U multivitamin contains calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals that are important for bone health.

While calcium is important, there are other nutrients that are important.

Such as....

 

3. Eat Enough Protein

You may be surprised to see protein on this list, but there's a good reason for it.

Protein is a key for good bone health.

We usually think of protein as being important for muscles, not bones. However, 50% of bone tissue is actually made of protein (1).

According to studies, protein intake has an impact on calcium absorption and can affect both bone formation and bone breakdown (2).

In order to maximize bone formation, make sure to get enough protein.

For protein-rich meals, you want to rely on foods such as chicken and eggs. Beans and nuts are also great protein options.

So how much protein is necessary for the body to have strong bones?

It depends on different factors; from your size to the activities that you do.

As a rule of thumb, a person with a larger frame requires higher amounts of protein per meal and vice versa.

 

4. Taking A Vitamin K2 + D Supplement

We said earlier that there is no "magic potion" for building stronger bones.

While that is true, there are very important nutrients involved in building bone density.

In addition to calcium, the two most important nutrients for bone health are Vitamins K2 and D3.

Getting enough of these nutrients is vital for maintaining your bone health.

However, the majority of American are deficient in these two vitamins.

This is problematic.

Vitamin K2 is involved with guiding calcium from your bloodstream into your bones. This helps to support joint elasticity and overall bone health. 

Vitamin D helps you to absorb calcium into the bones.

As you can see, these two nutrients are key for your bone health.

However, it can be difficult to get enough of these vitamins through diet alone.

This is where supplementation is a good idea. 

We recently launched a Vitamin K2 + D3 supplement. Our formula contains highly absorbable vitamin forms, and will help to support your overall bone health.

If you think that you might not be getting enough K2 (or D3), definitely check out our K2 + D3 formula.

If you are interested in learning more aobut the role that K2 and D3 play, check out our in-depth article on the benefits of Vitamin K2 + D3

Want to learn more about supplementation?

Check out our blog post on the Best Bone Supplements. Complementing vitamin D3 and K2 with other supplements like Magnesium can be beneficial, as these nutrients all work together to build stronger bones.

 

5. Lift Heavy

The body is known for its ability to adjust to the stress that it is experiencing.

If you don't exercise, which is a "good stress" for your body, then your body will become weak.

And one thing that you have to understand is that your bones can also become weaker or stronger depending on the activities that you do.

One of the best ways to stimulate the bone growth is via exercise.

You need to lift heavy if you want your bones to stay strong. 

Now, "heavy" is relative.

What's considered as being heavy for a grandma is different from that of a young male powerlifter.

The key is to find something that challenges your body.

While lifting heavy weights is awesome for bone health, it's not always a great option for everyone. Especially those with an injury history.

In that case, doing cardio, such as running, is a great option.

While running outdoors is best (get that sunshine!), you can also run on a treadmill. Getting a good treadmill is a great way to stay active daily, even during the winter months.

 

Wrapping Up

It should come as no surprise that having a healthy diet and exercising are keys for building stronger bones.

It seems that "diet and exercise" are the answers to most of our ailments.

However, simply knowing this doesn't do anything if you don't make changes. 

Knowledge is power WHEN it's put into action.

So make sure you endeavor to live a healthy lifestyle. This is the key to naturally building stronger bones

I'm James Hood from FitnessAbout.com. I'm a vegan bodybuilder and a passionate blogger from Detroit. I believe in holistic development and likes to cut the BS promoted my media about health.