30 simple things you can do daily to boost your bones

Building a strong skeleton happens all day. From the best ways to exercise to the top foods you should have on your plate, these tips will help fortify your frame.

Don’t have much time? You don’t need it. Running not only helps you live longer, but doing it for one to two minutes per day provides a high intensity workout that is associated with better measures of bone health, reports a new study in the International Journal of Epidemiology. High impact activity stimulates bone cells, ultimately improving bone density, the researchers report.

If you’re a postmenopausal woman, do lower impact activities two to three times a week, recommends Abraham Gregory Lin, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon. Try weight machines, dumbbell exercises, or weight-bearing endurance activities like aerobics, walking or light jogging.

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Dance! Just like jogging or using a weight machine, “dancing will increase the weight through your muscles and bones to help increase your bone density,” says Dr Lin.

“Vitamin D is a major contributor to bone density because it helps the body with calcium absorption,” Says Fany Patricia Rosas, nurse practitioner and manager of the Healthy Bones Program in the US. She recommends taking a supplement. Currently, the RDA for D is 600 IU, but many doctors suggest taking more. Check with your primary care physician to find out what’s right for you.

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Your bones are just one of so many reasons to skip soft drinks entirely. For every serving of the bubbly stuff per day, a woman’s risk of hip fracture increased by 14 percent, reported a 2014 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers note it’s unclear exactly why there’s this association, but past research has suggested it may be the caffeine, phosphorus or sugar that interferes with calcium levels in some way.

Here’s what happens to your body when you stop drinking soft drinks.

Along with a supplement, try to fill your diet with D-packed foods, like fish. Eighty-five grams of cooked sockeye salmon offers 447 IUs of bone-friendly vitamin D, two canned sardines contain 46 IUs and 85 grams of canned tuna has 154 IUs. Eat them on the regular and you’ll be well on your way to your daily quota.

When women jumped 10 to 20 times twice per day (resting 30 seconds between each jump) for four months, they benefitted from a stronger hip bone mineral density compared to women who didn’t jump, reports a 2015 study in the American Journal of Health Promotion. Jumping creates micro stresses in bone; when the body rebuilds this bone, it becomes stronger, the study authors note. So get fit by jumping rope!

It’s easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” of traditional exercise. (I should run! I should go to the gym!) But letting loose with a game of tennis, golf or racquetball also is considered a weight bearing activity that helps fortify your frame, says Julia Bruene, MD and sports medicine physician. (And PS: It doesn’t matter if you’re any good, either.) Here’s how to prevent injuries so you can stay in the game longer.

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Another perk to getting in a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, dairy and seafood? You’ll get a heaped serving of the vitamins and minerals you need to improve bone density, says Rosas-Osnaya. Those include phosphorus, vitamin K, vitamin B6 and B12 and magnesium.