Our genes contribute to our wellness, with some people lucky enough to sail through life without many wellbeing issues. For the rest of us, we generally need to look at our lifestyle to make the most of our genetic make-up and avoid making some diseases worse, especially if they have a hereditary link.
Does the past matter?
Osteoporosis is one of those conditions that is believed to be partly genetic, but we can still influence the health of our bones even if one of our parents or close relatives was diagnosed with it. Bone experts say that we should use our youth to build up a strong bone bank, and this applies whether osteoporosis is in our family or not. The reason why our younger years are so important is because this is when most of our bone mineral density is formed (BMD). Its builds up over our 20s then drops off when we hit our 30s and beyond. In this sense, the past definitely matters, but we can also continue to care for our bone health as we get older.
Look at your activities
Weight-bearing exercises allow our skeleton to take the weight of our entire body, which actually make muscles and ligaments stronger, especially when we’re younger. These can include skipping, jumping on the spot, fast cycling, walking and running – with doctors suggesting we do up to two and a half hours a week of moderate intensity exercise. Strength-training activities also have a similar effect on our skeleton and can boost muscle growth, whatever our age. Effective activities include weight lifting and press-ups.
Fill your plate… and cup
It’s no myth that milk is packed full of calcium, in fact just one pint of milk provides us with 700mg of the mineral – which is the lowest recommended amount to have in a day. But we also need Vitamin D to help us absorb calcium, which we can get if we eat eggs and oily fish. Sunlight can also provide us with Vitamin D, and speaking with a GP can highlight other ways we can give our diets a mineral boost and cut out toxins from smoking and excessive alcohol.
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