Tips on exercise and diet for osteoporosis

How to prevent osteoporosis and fractures?

Take more calcium in your daily diet;

Menopausal women can supplement estrogen under the guidance of a doctor;

Establish a regular exercise schedule;

Reduce smoking, drinking, coffee and strong tea;

Don’t consume excess salt or protein;

Pay attention to the activity environment, ensure safety and reduce the chance of falling.

Exercise and osteoporosis

Appropriate exercise:

Can strengthen bones and reduce the chance of fractures;

It can enhance the strength of back muscles and improve body posture;

It can increase the strength and flexibility of the muscles in the hands and feet, and help maintain balance to prevent falls;

It can prevent back sprains or fractures.

Exercise to prevent osteoporosis

Weight-bearing exercise

"Weight-bearing exercise" refers to exercise that requires the bones to bear weight, such as walking, morning exercises, Tai Chi, jogging, etc. If you can persist in doing it every day, it can effectively prevent osteoporosis.

Exercises to strengthen the muscles of your hands and feet

Such as lifting 1-2 kg dumbbells, stepping exercises, etc.

Exercises to improve body posture and strengthen back muscles

Always pay attention to correct standing and sitting posture and maintain good posture to reduce spinal strain. Back exercises focus on stretching bones and strengthening muscles. If you have osteoporosis, be sure to avoid bending over to prevent spinal compression fractures.

Suggested daily exercise, principle: do what you can and persevere

First do about 2-3 minutes of warm-up exercises, then do 2-3 minutes of static exercises.

Brisk walking/jogging for 10-20 minutes

Stepping exercise for 3-5 minutes

Easy jumping for 2-4 minutes

Make big circles with your hands for 1-2 minutes

Lift the dumbbells upward for 2-3 minutes

Back strengthening exercise 3-6 minutes

Diet and Osteoporosis

Studies have shown that if children eat foods containing adequate calcium from an early age, they are less likely to develop osteoporosis. Therefore, we should try to eat and take in enough calcium from a young age. I hope the following tips can help you:

1. Eat a balanced diet

Follow the guidance of the health pyramid and develop a balanced and nutritious eating habit. Daily food should include milk, meat, vegetables, fruits and grains.

2. Eat more foods rich in calcium

Calcium mainly comes from dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, followed by tofu and bean products, nuts and fish. Edible fish bones are also rich in calcium. Vegetables such as cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and broccoli also contain higher calcium than ordinary vegetables. Here I would like to correct a wrong idea. Many people believe that drinking bone soup can supplement calcium. In fact, bone soup mainly contains a large amount of fat and protein, but the calcium content is very low. It also lacks vitamin D which can promote calcium absorption. Therefore, drinking bone soup cannot actually supplement calcium.

3. Adequate protein

Eat 4 to 6 taels of meat, fish, poultry, tofu and soy products every day. Excessive protein intake will cause calcium loss.

4. Reduce the use of salt and pickled foods

Foods high in salt can increase calcium loss. Eat less pickled vegetables, bacon, roast meat and canned food. Use less chicken essence, MSG and various salty sauces when cooking.

5. Get enough vitamin D

Exercising outdoors in the sun can promote the synthesis of vitamin D and help calcium absorption. You can also eat foods high in vitamin D, such as liver and egg yolks.