The Most Surprising Way Your Bones Support You

Why Standing Helps with Healthy Weight

couch-potatoes It’s well documented that people who do a lot of sitting have increased risk of obesity. On the surface it makes sense because when you’re sitting, you’re not moving (much). Sitting doesn’t allow you to burn many calories. But how does standing more reduce the risk of obesity?

The answer may be found in your bones. A new study conducted on mice set out to determine whether fat mass helps regulate body mass. Without getting deep into the details, the most interesting result seemed to suggest your bones play an important role in regulating your diet.

Osteocytes are bone cells that detect when weight is bearing on your skeletal system. According to the study, healthy bones detect changes in body mass and adjust your diet accordingly. (Lower body mass = eat more | Higher body mass = eat less)

When you’re sitting your bones aren’t sensing your full body mass so that may in fact cause you to eat more. On the other hand standing lets osteocytes sense your weight more accurately.

Of course this was only one study but it seems to suggest maintaining healthy bones may be helpful in even more ways than originally thought. Here are a few tips for maintaining healthy bones:

Eat Calcium Rich Foods

There are plenty of great sources of calcium. Include some of these calcium rich foods into your diet to help maintain healthy bones.

Leafy greens like kale ,
broccoli,
beans,
nuts and seeds

Get Plenty of Vitamin D

Most experts say you should get anywhere from 1000 – 5000 international units of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D is a critical component for healthy bones and helps with the absorption of calcium.

The great thing about vitamin D is that your body can synthesize it through direct sunlight on your skin. You can also get vitamin D by including Vitamin D rich foods (like eggs and mushrooms) in your diet and using high quality vitamin D supplements.

Stay Active

One of the best things you can do to keep your bones strong and healthy is to remain active. Weight bearing exercises like walking, running, hiking, yoga and weight lifting are all excellent options.

Summary

Your bones may actually help you maintain your ideal weight. Staying active and including foods in your diet that are calcium and vitamin D rich can help your bones support you in more ways than one!