Some of us are passionate about a particular outlet. Running has always been my outlet. It's there for me during my struggles and on days when I seek self-truth. Unfortunately, I pay a price for running every day.

As women grow through adolescence, we often neglect the importance of our bodies. I once dealt with an eating disorder, ignoring my body's aches and pains and denying it of vital nutrients. I never thought that malnutrition and bone debilitation could happen to me, even after recovery.

It wasn't until a recent visit to my orthopedic surgeon that I saw something I will never forget.

I was being treated for a stress fracture, something I had been denying to myself for nine months. After taking X-rays, my doctor pointed out an additional diagnosis: osteoarthritis in my knees and some brittle bone.

There I was, a girl in her early 20s, experiencing something most women don't see until their 60s, if at all.

But it made sense. When my body needed calcium to grow healthy bones, I ignored it. And running 100 miles a week only made the stress on my body worse.

While I only dealt with an eating disorder for three years, I am going to be paying for those years for the rest of my life.

All I can do now is prevent my knees from further debilitation. Getting adequate calcium is important. Most women are not getting enough calcium in their diets, and incidences of eating disorders continue to rise.

So how can you maintain healthy bones?

The bone tissue within your skeleton will continue to increase until it peaks in your mid-20s. Women typically attain peak bone mass by age 18 and men by age 20. To enhance peak bone mass, physical activity and nutrition are two key elements to control.

Weight-bearing exercises create the most influence for bone mass. These exercises include running, walking, gymnastics and weight-lifting.

Eating for healthy bones requires foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. The importance of vitamin D is to increase calcium absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. You can actually get a heavy dose of vitamin D from the sun. You may also find it in milk, eggs, fortified cereals, fatty fish and butter.

Calcium is found mostly in dairy products. Aim for about 1,000 mg of calcium per day. One cup of milk contains 300 mg of calcium, about one-third of the daily recommendation.

Other good sources of calcium include plain low-fat yogurt, cheeses, salmon (pink, canned), collards, dark leafy greens, tofu, dried figs, soybeans, broccoli, cottage cheese, fortified cereals and fortified orange juices.

Calcium supplements are common and may be beneficial to people who do not consume enough in their diet. Talk to a health professional to determine if a supplement is for you. However, remember all vitamins and minerals can be consumed from the diet.

Some people say you should never take life too seriously, but this is a part of life you should approach with great concern.

February is National Eating Disorder Awareness Month. Be aware of the price you will pay if you take it too far.

You can recover from anemia or malnourishment of some body organs, but you cannot change bone damage such as osteoarthritis or osteoporosis.