NO BONES ABOUT IT Text by Nedra Bloom Bones need attention before you turn 20. "If you don't get enough calcium when you're a teenager, you can't make it up," says Dr. Andy Harcourt, of Baldwin Bone and Joint. By that age, you've built the majority of your bone mass, and everything you do after that basically just adds or subtracts calcium. But don't despair; there are still ways to maximize bone health at any age. "Bones are living tissue, dynamic and responsive," Harcourt says. Here are some tips for keeping them strong and healthy, from Harcourt and Dr. Stephen Cope, of The Orthopaedic Group. 20s - 30s Eat a calcium-rich diet: Low-fat or nonfat milk, cheese, nuts, and dark, leafy green vegetables. Get a little sunlight. About 15 minutes a day helps provide vitamin D. Do weight-bearing exercise. Stronger bones are better able to retain the calcium you eat. Maintain an ideal body weight. If you're a smoker, quit. Even second-hand smoke can reduce bone density. 40s - 50s Bones are slowly and steadily losing density, faster in women than men, so keep up the diet and exercise. Aim for about 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day. Don't worry about getting too much, says Harcourt. "Your body is very good at getting rid of any excess." Are you fair-skinned? Have you experienced early menopause? Do you overindulge in caffeine or alcohol? Do you use tobacco? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be at risk for osteoporosis and should consider getting a bone density test. Medications may help deal with bone loss. 60s AND BEYOND At this age, everyone is at high risk, so physicians strongly encourage patients to have a bone density test. And keep up with the diet and exercise routine. "No matter how old you are, you ought to exercise anything you can," Cope says. However, listen to your body - if exercise hurts, stop and find out why. FOLLOW YOUR HEART Text by Nedra Bloom We can feel our hearts race with excitement, swell with emotion or pump with exertion, but for many people, this all-important organ is still something of a mystery. Half the people with heart disease don't know they have it until they have a heart attack, and half of those who have a heart attack die from it, says Dr. Jason Cole, of Cardiology Associates. Coronary artery disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S., Cole continues. Repair is important, he says, but prevention is key. Heart disease has plenty of well-recognized risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease. But there are ways to overcome those risks. The short answer, Cole says, is "eat right and don't smoke, don't smoke, don't smoke." 20s - 30s Concentrate on prevention: diet, exercise and avoiding tobacco. Also make a point to get your cholesterol checked by age 25. Don't ignore symptoms. If you have chest pain, find out why. In this age group, men need to worry more than women. 40s - 50s If you have any risk factors, consider more sophisticated lab testing than the "good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, total cholesterol" basics. Look at imaging, such as cardiac calcium screening, a specialized CT scan that can show calcium in your heart (an indication of dangerous blockages) to check for plaque buildup. 60s AND BEYOND Keep maintaining a heart-friendly diet and schedule routine screenings with your doctor. With a doctor's OK, keep exercising. "Your heart doesn't care if its swimming, running or hanging wallpaper. Just do something that gets your heart rate up," Cole says. Check back Wednesday for part two of Mobile Bay's special Health and Wellness Section.