As we grow older our body naturally changes. Such changes include our bones and how they develop. Our body is always regenerating itself, but it is important as humans that we help that process by doing the right things with our diet, exercise and lifestyle. A common misunderstanding is that our bones only need calcium to stay strong. This isn’t the whole truth. Whilst our body needs calcium along with many other things, an important vitamin is needed too. Our body cannot absorb the calcium needed to keep our bones strong without Vitamin D.
 Vitamin D can be absorbed through our skin from sun exposure, but it can also be obtained from certain foods in our diet. Foods containing Vitamin D include fatty fish like tuna, mackerel and salmon.Some dairy also contains this vitamin, like cheese and eggs and even products like orange juice, soya milk and some cereals.
When our bones age, they can start to weaken. People often hear the terms Osteopenia and Osteoporosis when people are discussing the body and our bones as we get older. We often think that as we age it is too late to help our bone health. At St. George Health, we believe there are many things we can do to help ourselves at any stage in life. Our bones are integral to our ability to stay mobile, and the best way to help them is to keep moving. Many studies have shown that performing regular weight-bearing exercise helps our bones stay strong. Avoiding such things in our lifestyle as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and a poor diet lacking in nutrition are all key parts to keeping our bones healthy as long as possible.
At St. George Health we have a series of Allied Health Professional offering advice on keeping you active and healthy. Our Osteopaths work with people of all ages with various aches and pains to aid their body to recover from injury. If you have an ache or pain stopping you from staying active, why suffer and stop yourself from staying healthy? Your body relies on you to take the best care of it not matter what age you are.
So as part of women’s health week we are encouraging not just women but men too, to take advantage of our FREE 15 minute consultations offered by practitioners such as Phillipa (our new Osteo), Helen (Acupuncturist) and Angelique (Exercise Physiologist) within St George Health for the month of September, to see if we can help you stay active and healthy. It is a great opportunity to see what specialist we have within the clinic, and to answer any questions you may have about what each of us can help with as practitioners. Enjoy staying active with us. |
