You are sitting in your ergonomic office chairs (or slouched on the couch when working from home), typing away on laptops, drinking your fourth cup of chai for the day, thinking you are invincible. However, your bones are silently judging you. And worse, they are dissolving.
The average office deskie, for example, rolls out of bed, sits under artificial lights all day, avoids milk, and survives entirely on junk food and late-night scrolling. What does she get in return? A skeleton weaker than a house of cards. Skipping dairy, living in perpetual darkness devoid of Vitamin D, and living on a diet of processed junk are everyday crimes against your own skeleton. If you don't wake up, step out into the sun, and give your body some actual nutrition, one day you won't even need a slip-and-fall to end up in a full-body cast; you'll just sneeze too hard and crack a rib.
Dr. Vishal Lapshia, Consultant Orthopaedic & Joint Replacement Surgeon, AIMS Hospital, Dombivli told
about harmless-looking habit that are actually terrible for bone health.
- Not getting enough calcium and vitamin D: Calcium is important for maintaining bone strength, while vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. A diet consistently lacking these nutrients may affect bone health over time.
- Sitting for most of the day: Spending long hours sitting and having very little weight-bearing activity can contribute to loss of bone strength and muscle fitness.
- Not strength training: Muscles and bones also benefit from resistance and strength exercises. Appropriate strength training can help maintain muscle mass and support healthy bones as you age.
- Cigarettes and vaping: Smoking can affect bone health and is associated with a higher risk of fractures. People who smoke may therefore benefit from seeking support to quit.
- Drinking heavily: Regular heavy alcohol intake can interfere with bone health and may also increase the risk of falls, making fractures more likely.
- Restrictive diets: These may make it difficult to obtain adequate protein, calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients needed for healthy bones and muscles.
- Ignoring bone health because you feel fine: The absence of pain does not necessarily mean that your bones are strong. People with risk factors such as increasing age, family history, previous fractures, prolonged use of certain medicines or significant hormonal changes may need an assessment of their bone health.
- Prevention should begin well before the first fracture. Dr. Vishal Lapshia advises eating a balanced diet, getting enough calcium and vitamin D, staying physically active, including appropriate strength and weight-bearing exercises, and steering clear of smoking and alcohol.