BONE DENSITY.
Is what gives your frame the strength it needs.

Bone density seriously affects its strength but should not be confused with overall bone mass.
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being replenished. Our peak bone mass occurs around 35 years old, from then on we all start to lose it slowly. However, after the menopause women lose bone faster which can lead to the painful and disabling condition of bone thinning or osteoporosis. Both men and women can suffer from this condition but women are particularly at risk.

The good news is that osteoporosis is almost always avoidable.

As with other areas of our wellbeing we need to ensure that the elements, in the form of the necessary nutrients, in this case mainly the mineral calcium , are present in the body.
Calcium is present in dairy produce such as butter and milk, it is also used to fortify non-dairy products where it is not naturally present, enabling us to avoid the high saturated fat levels associated with dairy products.

A small proportion of the body's total calcium requirement (around1%) is very important for bodily functioning in areas other than bone and teeth regeneration. So important in fact, that if you become deficient in calcium your body will steel it from your bones accelerating the development of osteoporosis.

Having ensured the materials our bodies need to build bone are present, we then need to ensure we take sufficient exercise of the right kind to maintain our bone density, weight bearing exercise is the only type that can do this. It is the stress on our bones caused by the repeated compression type loading from this type of exercise that builds bone mineral density. Climbing stairs is a good example of weight bearing exercise. Jogging also provides the impact type loading on our bones but if used excessively without precaution can cause knee joint problems. Swimming doesn't help bone density since your body weight is supported by your buoyancy.

If we don't include weight bearing exercise in our activities we run the risk of our skeleton becoming weaker and more prone to fractures and breaks, which are all the more devastating the older we are.

The areas most prone to damage are the wrists, hips and spine so it is in these areas we must be especially careful to maintain high mineral density and strong bones.