When you read the words, ‘bone health’, you might conjure up images of older adults, osteoporosis, and arthritis. But did you know that bone density can start to decrease, in women and men, as early as your mid-30s?

Bones are made up of living tissue just like the rest of our body, and those cells turn over complete every 7 years! But neglecting bone health can mean that each time they turn over, they may become increasingly weak. Because of this, it’s important to think about bone health at any time during adulthood.

So we’ve put together a short list of tips that you can use to ensure you have healthy bones throughout your life:

1. Try weigh bearing exercises. Mix up your fitness regimen to include exercises which have you running and jumping, including jogging, dancing, and aerobics. If you have arthritis or osteoporosis you can start with walking or using a low-impact exercise machine such as an elliptical. Either way, exercise is key to bone health.
2. Quit some bad habits. Avoiding smoking and excessive drinking will also go a long way to help you maintain bone health. Smoking and drinking more than one drink per day both contribute to loss of bone density.
3. Get enough calcium. You’ve heard it a million times, calcium helps build bones. However, it can be difficult to get enough quality calcium from dietary sources, so investigate a supplement to support bone health.
4. Don’t forget Vitamin D. Over the past few years, research has pointed to the importance of Vitamin D to aid in Calcium absorption. And since Vitamin D mainly comes from the sun, you may not be getting enough. A supplement containing Vitamin D is a good idea.
5. Get your K. Recent research has pointed to Vitamin K as an important nutrient for the maintenance of bone health. Along it’s unclear what Vitamin K’s role is in bone health, it is known that adults who are deficient in this particular vitamin lose bone density faster than if they took it. A complete Calcium + Vitamin D + Vitamin K will cover all your bases.

Following these tips, you’ll ensure that your bones will remain healthy now and throughout your life.