Every time you take a step, your bones and muscles work together to move your body. They’re doing incredible work for you - you literally can’t move without their help. Behind the scenes, some vitamins and minerals work hard to support your bone and muscle health, and they deserve some recognition for helping you live your best every day.
Keep reading to learn about 4 important vitamins and minerals that benefit your bones and muscles
Calcium, Vitamin D, Phosphorous, and Magnesium are some of the most beneficial vitamins and minerals behind our bone and muscle health. It’s essential to get these vitamins and minerals into our diets so we can give our bones and muscles what they need to work normally.
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral for bone and muscle health. It plays a role in the muscle contraction and relaxation process. It relaxes muscles and helps convert the energy our muscles need to expand and contract. It’s also a key player in bone formation, specifically in influencing osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Magnesium also acts as a cofactor when your body is making and activating vitamin D.¹⁻³ Now, that’s what we call a multi-tasking mineral!
About 50% to 60% of the Magnesium in your body is stored in your bones.¹ That’s why it’s important to get Magnesium into your diet every day.
How do I Get Magnesium in my Diet?
The recommended daily intake for Magnesium is about 420 mg per day.⁴
Magnesium is in lots of the foods we eat daily, including green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.¹
You can also get Magnesium into your diet by taking vitamin supplements like VÖOST. One dose of VÖOST Magnesium contains 50% of your daily magnesium needs to support your overall health.* Plus, with VÖOST you get a fruitastic lemon-lime flavor makes getting your Magnesium that much more fun.
2. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps your body absorb calcium, enables your muscles to move, and supports healthy bones by stimulating bone-building cells.⁵ You need calcium for healthy bones and muscles, but you also need Vitamin D to help your body use Calcium.
Amazingly, your body can make Vitamin D from sunlight. Most people can get their Vitamin D this way. But that can be a challenge for some depending on lifestyle and geography.
How Do I Get Vitamin D in My Diet?
The recommended daily amount of Vitamin D is at least 20 mcg per day.⁴
Vitamin D is harder to come by in food, which is why it’s often found in fortified foods, like milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice, and more. Some foods that naturally have Vitamin D are egg yolks, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, and beef liver.⁵
Supplements can also get you the Vitamin D you need. VÖOST Vitamin D effervescent tablets contain the Vitamin D3 many Americans may be deficient in to support your bone health, muscle health, and immune function.* The delicious blackberry peach flavor will have you craving a Vitamin D VÖOST.
3. Phosphorous
Phosphorous is a mineral that helps your body make energy and carry out important chemical processes.⁶ Phosphorous is an essential mineral, which means that you need it to maintain your health.
About 85% of the Phosphorous in your body is stored in your bones and teeth, and some in your genes.⁷ Together, Phosphorous and Calcium form a compound called hydroxyapatite, the main component of your bones and tooth enamel.⁷
How Do I Get Phosphorous in My Diet?
The recommended daily intake for phosphorous is 1,250 mg.⁴
Many foods contain Phosphorous. However, not all foods contain this mineral in a form that the body can absorb.⁷ Some examples of foods that contain Phosphorous include milk, yogurt, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, and grains.⁷
4. Calcium
Calcium is a mineral that helps you maintain healthy bones and teeth, enables muscle movement, and regulates the transfer of messages by nerves from your brain to different parts of your body.⁸
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body.⁹ Most of your bone (80% to 90%) is made up of Calcium and Phosphorous.10 But as you get older, your bones slowly lose calcium.⁸ That’s why it’s so important to make sure you get enough Calcium throughout your lifetime.
How Do I Get Calcium in My Diet?
The recommended daily intake for calcium is 1,300 mg.⁴
Calcium is found in lots of the foods you’re already probably eating or drinking. You can get calcium from dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese, leafy, green vegetables like kale and broccoli, and most grains like bread, pasta, and unfortified cereals.⁸ ⁹
3 Tips for Bone and Muscle Health
A balance of good nutrition, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors can help your bones and muscles stay strong. Making sure you support them every day is important so you can keep them healthy throughout your lifetime.
Keep reading for 3 ways to support bone and muscle health.
1. Eat a Diet Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
Your nutrition matters when it comes to bone and muscle health. Eat a daily diet rich in Calcium, Vitamin D, Phosphorous, and Magnesium. You can’t be your best self without these crucial vitamins and minerals!
Getting these nutrients through your diet is a great way to do it, but sometimes it can be a challenge to meet all your vitamin and mineral needs that way. That’s where vitamin supplements like VÖOST can help. VÖOST Vitamin D provides 250% of the daily recommended value, while VÖOST Magnesium provides 50% of the daily recommended value. VÖOST Men and Women’s Multivitamins provide 125% of Vitamin D’s recommended daily value, and 20% of Magnesium’s recommended daily value. Delivering the vitamins and minerals you need with fruitastic flavors you want, VÖOST can help get the nutrients your body needs for peak performance.
2. Work against Gravity with Weight-Bearing Exercises
You may already know that exercise keeps your muscles strong. But it’s not just your muscles. It also maintains healthy bones. Add weight-bearing exercises to your daily routine to build tough bones. Weight-bearing exercises like walking, hiking, jogging, dancing, basketball, and soccer force you to work against gravity and make your bones stronger.¹¹ Higher-impact exercises like jogging offer even more bone-supporting benefits.¹²
3. Add Resistance Exercises to Your Routine
Resistance exercises can strengthen your bones and muscles. You can get the greatest benefits to your bones when you increase your resistance exercises progressively over time. Resistance exercises include training with free weights, weight machines, medicine balls, elastic bands, and different movement velocities.¹³
According to the Surgeon General, you should be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days, preferably daily, to support healthy muscles and bones.¹¹ Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions about starting a new exercise routine.