Look after your bones with diet and exercise

by Wendy Scanlon, NZ Registered Nutritionist, Puāwai Healthy Lifestyle Service, Pegasus Health

Osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to become thinner and weaker than normal. This means that they can break more easily, such as after a small bump or fall. It affects more than half of women and about one third of men over 60 years, as well as some younger people.

Look after your bones by:

* Eating a wide range of foods: vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and milk products and lean meats, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes and nuts and seeds.

* Choose calcium-rich foods each day. Food is the safest, cheapest, and most effective way to get calcium. See the table for ways to get more calcium through food.

* Letting the sun shine on your skin to make vitamin D. You need vitamin D for your body to use calcium. At this time of year, try and get outside around noon, with your face, arms and hands exposed. Between September and April, get outside in the early morning or late afternoon for about

20 to 30 minutes. Unfortunately, you can’t get vitamin D by sitting inside by a sunny window, you need to be in direct sunlight. Talk to your GP team about your vitamin D levels if you don’t go outside much, tend to cover up or have a history of skin cancer and need to use sun protection all year. You may need to take vitamin D tablets.

* Do some weight-bearing and resistance activities every day for bone health. Weight-bearing activities force you to work against gravity. These include walking, climbing stairs, playing tennis and dancing. Resistance activities include carrying shopping, standing up and sitting down repeatedly, lifting weights, and using elastic bands.

* Check out your local community strength and balance classes through www.livestronger.org.nz/home/findclass/find-a-class-near-you or phone 03 373 5060. The Community Group Strength & Balance Project is part of a nationwide initiative to help older