Best Ways to Be Stronger

When it comes to preventing aging, you need to think about your inner strength. We don't just mean how you respond to adversity (although good coping skills and a great listen-to-you-no-matter-what buddy do help). We mean your skeleton. Certain things you do can sap the strength right out of your bones.

Skeleton drain: Colas and other caffeinated drinks
Change it: It's not the carbonation; it's probably the 16 phosphates in caffeinated drinks that rob your bones of calcium. So for every 12-ounce caffeinated soft drink and every 4-ounce cup of coffee you have, add 20 more milligrams of calcium to your day (on top of the 1,500 milligrams a day you should already be getting).

Skeleton drain: Bad timing
Change it: You can absorb only about 600 milligrams of calcium in a 2-hour period, so you need to spread the doses throughout the day. And you need to get 1,000 international units of vitamin D3 a day (1,200 for women over age 65), because it not only helps remodel bone but also allows calcium to get where it's needed. (Put 400 milligrams of magnesium in the mix, too; helps prevent constipation and bloating from that calcium.)

Skeleton drain: Too much protein
Change it: A protein-heavy diet can make your blood more acidic, and your body steals calcium from your bones to neutralize that acid. Don't count on supplements to pay down the whole deficit; better to eat right to begin with. Eat no more than half a gram of protein for every pound you weigh.