You really need to be thinking more about your skeleton before its too late

Your skin tends to steal the spotlight in the summer — it needs a lot of SPF and TLC to stay healthy.But don’t forget about your bones! Regardless of the season, bone health is often overlooked until it’s too late.Building a strong skeleton is important for protecting organs, storing essential minerals and, quite literally, keeping you upright.As we age, declining hormone levels accelerate bone breakdown, increasing the risk of bone-related conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.Porous and brittle bones can easily lead to fractures, especially among older adults.“Bone loss is the silent disease,” Dr.

Hazim Moustafa, a primary care sports medicine physician at Catholic Health, told The Post.“And we say that because usually there are no obvious, visible signs until it becomes more advanced.”Moustafa shares who is most at risk for significant bone loss — and how to head it off.Reaching your greatest bone density — when your skeleton is at its strongest and densest — happens sooner than you might expect.“Most of our peak bone mass is really occurring in our late teens and early 30s,” Moustafa said.

“Once we get into our mid- to late-30s and we progress through life, our bone mass usually starts to drop off.”Puberty triggers a surge in hormones and growth factors that fuel rapid bone development.As puberty ends, the growth plates at the ends of long bones harden into solid bone and the skeleton stops expanding.“A lot of people think that when they’re entering their 30s … they have a lot of time left.

They have their 40s, their 50s to worry about this,” Moustafa said.Yet the late-20s and early-30s are when people tend to become “more career-oriented or family-oriented.They’re not spending as much time in the gym,” he added.

“They’re not spending as much time doing physical activity, and that’s really when this process starts.”Instead of waiting until middle age, you should focus on incorporating strength traini...