| Every day we wake up and we get ready for the | | | | caffeine, quit smoking if you do, and avoid aluminum |
| day. We may sit up in bed and our back may hurt or | | | | because this can displace calcium in the body. |
| our leg may be stiff or ache. When this happens, we | | | | Exercising is also very important for both bone and |
| usually do not feel like getting up, putting on our | | | | joint health. Some exercises that you could do include: |
| shoes and exercising. Most of us would rather pull the | | | | walking, biking, aerobics, and weight-lifting. Doing |
| covers up, hit the snooze button and go back to | | | | weight bearing exercises helps the bones to become |
| sleep. This may be the time though when exercise is | | | | stronger, builds up muscles, and helps with balance |
| most important. If we do not keep exercising daily | | | | which may help reduce falls and fractures. |
| our muscles and joints will tell us this by aching and | | | | It is also important to keep exercising to help |
| hurting more and some days that may reuse to | | | | prevent or reduce the risk for arthritis. Osteoarthritis |
| work at all. In order to help prevent this and other | | | | affects the cartilage that cushions the end of the |
| problems to our joints, it is important to keep | | | | bones and joints. It affects the fingers, knees, hips, |
| exercising so we can continue to move and enjoy | | | | and can cause joint pain and stiffness. It is also the |
| the activities we love for a long time to come. | | | | most common type of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis |
| "Bone and Joint Health", throughout our lives our | | | | affects the lining of the joint. This can cause joint |
| bones and joints are constantly working and forming | | | | pain, stiffness, swelling, joint damage, and loss of |
| and growing. From the time we are born to age | | | | function of the joints. It is important to eat a |
| twenty, our bone formation is more than our bone | | | | balanced diet and to exercise regularly and also to |
| loss. At age thirty we reach "peak bone mass" and | | | | manage stress to help avoid a higher risk for these |
| our bones are larger and the most dense. After age | | | | health concerns. |
| thirty, we tend to have more bone loss than | | | | So the next time you wake up and get out of bed |
| formation. | | | | and your body starts aching and you just want to go |
| There are things that can be done to improve bone | | | | back to sleep, remember it may be better for you |
| and joint health before a fracture occurs or other | | | | to keep moving. If we don't use our joints and |
| health conditions become a bigger concern. These | | | | muscles we may lose them. So it is very important |
| things include: increasing the amount of calcium in | | | | to keep exercising daily and eating right to take care |
| your diet. Get plenty of Vitamin D, calcium, | | | | of your bones and joints so we can keep moving for |
| phosphorus, magnesium, and other trace minerals in | | | | as long as we can and be healthy and happy. |
| your diet, avoid excess amounts of alcohol and | | | | |