Friday, July 19, 2013

Vitamins and Yoga for Bone Health

Most of us take intense care of our health of vital organs of our body, but when it comes to bones, many of us tend to ignore. In fact, bones play a major role in growth and development of the body. Weak bones are often vulnerable to fractures. People may also suffer from osteoporosis, a condition in which bones break quite easily. Therefore, to prevent all these, one needs to take enough care about his bone health. In this blog we are going to discuss two effective methods that could help get healthy and strong bones.

Vitamins & Minerals for bone health: Calcium is the important mineral which helps in building bones. Periodically our body removes and replaces small amounts of calcium from bones. If the removed calcium is much higher than the replaced calcium your body suffers from a lack of calcium resulting in weakened bones. This condition can be avoided by taking sufficient amounts of calcium during the early childhood. Calcium can be taken only till 18 years and after that the body stops accumulating the calcium and start using the deposited amount. So, the higher your intake during this period the greater benefits and stronger bones you get. On the other hand vitamins like A, B12, C, K, and D are also important for bone health.

You can get your regular quota of calcium from food sources like fat free or low fat milk, other dairy products, dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and in fruits like oranges and whole wheat products. Vitamin A is found in liver, beef, chicken, egg, dairy products, etc. Fish, oranges, soy milk and cereals are good sources of other vitamins. In case of young children and older adults, if the food they take is not providing enough vitamins, doctors may prescribe vitamin supplements to cater to the vitamin and mineral needs of the body. When prescribed they should be taken regularly to avoid vitamin deficiencies and weak bones.

Yoga for healthy bones: Food and other sources provide the body with required nutrients which help the growth and development of bones. But to make them much stronger and resistant to minor attacks some or the other form of physical activity is required that boost the health of the bones. Yoga, when practiced regularly gives awesome benefits in the long run.

Different yogic postures make the bones stronger and flexible. The weight bearing poses show a positive effect on the bone health. Yoga also helps in increasing bone mass. The physical movements involved in Yoga renew and repair the bones in a much natural way. Yoga expands the bones and lengthens the areas with much practice. Special yoga classes are also conducted to treat disorders like osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Either it is supplying the body with required vitamins from foods or supplements or makes it flexible and much stronger using yoga, always remember to practice it regularly to get positive results.

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