5 Healthy ways to strengthen bones naturally

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5 ways to strengthen your bones

1. Increase calcium intake

2. Exercise regularly

3. Get enough vitamin D

4. Avoid alcohol

5. Consume more potassium

Bones literally support your body's entire system. Apart from providing structure; they also protect organs, anchor muscles and store calcium.

It is very important to keep your bones strong and healthy.

You tend to gain more bone mass when you are young. Your body starts to lose more bone mass than it can gain after the age of 30. You can slow down this process (and reverse damage in some cases) through healthy lifestyle choices.

One in three women over the age of 50 years - and one in five men - will experience bone fractures in their lifetime according to recent statistics.

Don't worry, though. It's not as bad as it sounds - if you take good care of your bones.

Follow these healthy bone-strengthening habits to keep bones healthy and your bones will likely remain dense enough when you're older without causing any problems.

If your bones are thin and unhealthy, they might start deteriorating quickly. This can lead to weak, brittle bones and diseases like rickets and osteoporosis.

It can be expensive and difficult to get back to healthy bones when it is already too late. No matter what your age is, take care of your bones!

1. Increase calcium intake for stronger bones

The first thing that usually comes to mind when you think about bone health is calcium.

Maintaining a proper calcium intake can make bones stronger. The recommended amount of calcium per day is a thousand milligrams for most people. Teens need 1,300 milligrams and older women require 1200 milligrams.

Foods such as cheese, yogurt, beans, salmon and sardines are rich in calcium. I would suggest filling your calcium needs through diet rather than supplements and tablets.

2. Exercise regularly to strengthen bone health

Regular exercise is the key to keeping a number of health issues at bay - and bones are no exception.

Your bones respond to exercise by becoming stronger. Exercise actually increases bone density.

Exercising can also help you to maintain muscle strength, coordination and balance. This helps to prevent falls and related fractures.

A sedentary lifestyle is considered a risk factor for osteoporosis.

One study found that athletes who exercise regularly have the highest bone density. This shows that exercise has a positive effect on bone health.

Weight bearing and resistance exercises are best for strengthening your bones.

Weight-bearing exercises can be any form of exercise like hiking, walking, jogging, climbing and body-weight exercises. Resistance exercises include lifting weights.

You can pick your choice or do both of these.

3. Get enough vitamin D to improve bone health

Just like calcium, vitamin D is also vital for good bone health. It protects your bones by helping your body to absorb calcium.

Vitamin D also helps support the muscles needed to avoid falls.

Children need vitamin D to build strong bones and adults need it to keep their bones strong and healthy.

If you don't get enough vitamin D, you're more likely to break your bones as you age.

Some good sources of vitamin D are sunlight and foods like salmon, tuna, orange juice and soy milk.

4. Avoid alcohol to keep your bones strong

You should be aware that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your body.

A lesser-known ill effect of alcohol is that it damages your bones. Drinking alcohol can impact bone nutrition and disrupt the hormone regulators that are important for bone formation.

It reduces this process by directly inhibiting bone forming cells, but you don't have to throw out those liquor bottles right away.

You can drink no more than one alcoholic beverage a day if you're a woman and a man can consume no more than two drinks per day to avoid health problems.

5. Consume more potassium to strengthen bones naturally

Potassium helps to maintain a healthy acid/alkaline balance in the body. This leads to reduced calcium loss.

Potassium also plays a buffering role in your blood by keeping the bone strengthening materials like calcium and phosphorus from being lost from the bones and kidneys. 

Researchers found that people with high potassium intake have 8% greater bone mineral density than those with the lower intake.

You can get potassium through foods like legumes, bananas, spinach, broccoli and potatoes.

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9 Health benefits of sunlight

9 Amazing health benefits of sunlight

1. Prevents cancer

2. Prevents health problems

3. Helps with depression

4. Kills bacteria

5. Helps you to live longer

6. Curbs appetite

7. Gives you good sleep

8. Can improve lung function

9. Helps with blood pressure

This article is written by Sparkle Purpose. Follow Sparkle Purpose on Twitter and Pinterest.

Have you heard from a friend, family member or somebody else that we get vitamin D from sunlight? Do you think that the largest star in our sky is only giving us vitamin D without any other health benefits?

You will soon discover that sunlight is essential for our health - and that Vitamin D is only one major component of that.

There are many other benefits of sunlight. Unfortunately, very few people know about this.

1. Sunlight helps to prevent cancer

We know that sunlight gives us vitamin D. Do you know why this is good for us?

The lack of sunlight might be one explanation for the increase of colon cancer.

Sunlight helps us to produce vitamin D which prevents cancerous activity in the body.

The two links above point to studies if you would like to find out more.

2. Sunlight prevents health problems

We should remember that we produce most of our vitamin D at no extra cost when we do it in the sun. It's just the way that nature intended.

We think that this is simple, but it is done through a complex process in which our skin reacts to sunlight.

 You can avoid all sorts of health problems and get clear skin if you have enough Vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can result in mental illnesses like Alzheimer's and dementia, tooth decay, a compromised immune system and osteoporosis.

Click on the specific link that you want to learn more about.

Vitamin D deficiency is becoming an urgent health problem.

The best way to stock up on this is to eat certain foods rich in vitamin D like fish and fortified milk.

Get at least one and a half hours of direct sunlight each week. Break this up into smaller intervals to prevent sun burn and subsequent skin damage.

3. Sunshine helps with depression

The chemical serotonin, which positively affects your mood, is produced when sunlight reaches the retina. This process sends a signal through the optic nerve to increase levels of serotonin and boost your mood.

It is well known that most antidepressants work on the principle of artificially making sure that serotonin levels are high.

4. Sunlight kills bacteria

Bacteria and other small microorganisms (like yeast, viruses and fungi) are present everywhere.

They are on your hand, body and everywhere else.

Sunlight has antibacterial properties and can kill these microorganisms.

5. Sunlight may help you to live longer

The University of Graz in Austria followed several thousand heart patients for a number of years. They found that there was a correlation between earlier death and low levels of Vitamin D.

The study suggests that longevity may well be affected by maintaining optimal levels of Vitamin D.

The best and cheapest way to improve Vitamin D levels is to get more sunshine.

Read more: Can running everyday help you to live longer?

6. Sunlight curbs your appetite

Sunlight helps to curb your appetite.

Maintaining sufficient Vitamin D levels, either through supplements or by getting more sunshine, can actually help you to keep that appetite under control.

Weight loss accompanies the appetite diminishing effects of Vitamin D.

Those who have more problems with obesity also have low levels of Vitamin D.

7. Sunlight improves sleep quality

People would assume that sleep and sunlight aren't related because we sleep when the sun has already gone down.

This isn't true because your normal sleep/wake cycle has to be maintained through daily time cues.

Researchers now say that one essential element in favor of melatonin production (which is the sleep hormone) at night is to get sunshine at the same time every day.

The more sunshine you get during the day, the better your sleep will be at night time.

8. Vitamin D improves lung function 

Vitamin D boosts lung immunity and protects it from disease.

Vitamin D deficiency leads to chronic lung disease and malfunction.

Vitamin D is anti-inflammatory. It reduces mucus production. Vitamin D plays a hormonal role in almost every part of your body. One of its functions is to improve the strength and function of the lungs. It decreases allergic responses in diseases like asthma, hay fever, eczema and allergies.

Excess mucus production causes many complications - especially when it comes to the lungs.

9. Sunshine helps with blood pressure

People who suffer from vitamin D deficiency are more likely to suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure).

The above link also explains that Vitamin D deficiency leads weaker bones and poor heart health as well.

The health benefits of sunshine are absolutely free. The whole process is actually very easy. We cannot think of a better way to look after our health.

We just need to remember to have adequate protection and to do everything in moderation. Even too much exercise or too much sleep is bad for you.

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Natural Ways To Boost Testosterone

Image Source: Paulaowens.com

Testosterone is often referred to as the manly hormone. People with higher levels of testosterone build muscle faster and are stronger. They have more energy and burn fat more effectively. There are natural ways to boost your testosterone levels. I have searched the web to find the best ways you can increase your natural testosterone levels.

How to Increase Testosterone Levels

1. Do Compound Exercises

Compound exercises like squats, pull-ups and even push-ups increase natural testosterone production. These compound exercises also increase other muscle building hormones like growth hormone. Make sure that a big enough portion of your workout routine involves compound movements that stimulate more than one muscle group.

2. Get Enough Rest

Over-training can decrease your body's ability to produce testosterone. Make sure that your rest days maximize recovery. Allow your body enough resting time to recover and rebuild. Take a rest week every few months for deep recovery and re-calibration. I've found that I come back stronger after a good rest week (one that is earned, of course). Sleep is also very important. Sleep is the critical time for most bodily changes. Besides building muscle, your body also uses sleep to regulate hormones like testosterone. Not enough sleep will deplete testosterone production.

3. Get Enough Zinc

Fitness.mercola.com says that consuming enough zinc to maintain testosterone levels is very important. It states that besides the muscle growth, hair retention and reproductive health benefits of testosterone; it is needed for maintaining bone density and keeping an optimum red blood cell count. It sites a study where increasing zinc levels for 6 weeks increased this hormone's levels in men who had low testosterone levels to begin with. Getting less zinc reduced testosterone levels and zinc protects you from exercise-induce testosterone reduction. Foods that are high in protein are usually high in zinc. Natural sources of zinc include meat, fish, dairy products and beans. Zinc is also important for regular body maintenance and growth. It is needed for immune function, recovery from injury and blood function. Zinc is also touted as a powerful antioxidant that fights cancer. Since conventional farming methods that use a lot of chemicals can deplete zinc content, try to eat as organic and free-range as possible to increase zinc consumption. Go easy on the tabs, though. Zinc supplementation can benefit those who are deficient on zinc, but too much can restrict iron and copper absorption.

4. Stress Less

According to Authority Nutrition, the stress hormone cortisol will decrease testosterone levels if there is too much of it in your body for a long period of time. Cortisol can reduce testosterone levels very quickly. It says that when cortisol levels are high, testosterone levels are reduced and vice versa, since they balance each other out. Not only does cortisol negatively affect your testosterone levels directly; but indirectly as well. Cortisol makes you eat more food and produce more bad fat, which will also decrease the amount of testosterone that your body creates. Consider what makes you stressed and find ways to deal with these situations. Learn to cope better with situations that you can't change. Dedicate enough time to leisure and pleasurable activities and attempt to find a good balance between work and play. Things like exercise, healthy food, laughter and companionship decrease cortisol levels.

5. Eat Fat

www.jackedfactory.com explains that fat is needed to produce testosterone and that low fat diets hamper hormone production in general. Saturated fats (like the cholesterol found in egg yolks) are dangerous in large quantities, but small amounts are needed for the body to function properly. This saturated fat is needed for a strong heart and testosterone function, among other things. Testosterone is actually formed using cholesterol. Fat sources should make up 30% of your total caloric intake. 15-25% of these fat sources should consist of saturated fats. Saturated fats can be found in meat and dairy foods. You don't need any Trans fats, so you can steer clear of those. Trans fats are found in processed oils, baked foods like cakes and biscuits and fried foods. Fats from avocados, fish, nuts and seeds are good for you (when you get them from the food source, not processed).

6. Get the D

www.bodybuilding.com said that vitamin D is arguably the most important vitamin for testosterone production. It cites a study that found that people who were deficient in this vitamin had less testosterone than those who had higher vitamin D levels. You get vitamin D from the sun. Looks like tanning is good for you after all! Just be safe and don't get burnt - that's when skin damage and cancer becomes a risk. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and combats depression, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. People who have more fat often have lower vitamin D levels. This is because fat gets in the way of this little vitamin. Studies have found vitamin D to speed up weight loss in obese individuals. Salmon and mackerel are good food sources of vitamin D.

7. Avoid Alcohol

The Editors of Men's Health say that alcohol decreases testosterone levels. They referred to a study where men drank a medium amount of alcohol every day for 3 weeks. These men had 7% less testosterone than before they started the drinking study. Men’s Health recommends limiting yourself to 1-2 glasses of beer or wine per day to protect your precious testosterone levels. Alcohol also hampers your body's ability to build muscle. When there is alcohol in your blood stream, your body prioritizes the metabolism of the alcohol instead of turning protein into new muscle tissue.

8. Ginger Ninja

Eat ginger and add it to your food whenever you can. www.mensfitness.com states that ginger is one of the best foods for increasing your T-count. In a study, ginger was found to increase testosterone levels and even increase semen quality in infertile men. Ginger is regarded as a super-food because of its many benefits. These benefits include relief from nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness, morning sickness and pain. It is a powerful immune booster and aids in cancer prevention. It has been shown to decrease the duration of illnesses like flu or colds and make them more bearable. Some even eat it to decrease muscle pain from exercise so that they recover quicker!

I would like to hear other great ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels in the comment below. STAY STRONG!

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