You CAN build bone strength, even in menopause.
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that silently creeps in a few years before menopause. It causes your bones to lose mass and mineral density, putting you at risk for bone fractures.
Your bones become less strong and resilient and lose about 1% of their strength every year after 40 years old. It’s silent, because there’s no pain, or any symptom associated with it, except, one day you might fall and end up with a broken bone. NOOOOOO!
8 Million are Women!
10 million Americans live with osteoporosis, 8 million are women. So, 80 % of people with osteoporosis are women, just like you and I! Those stats make me sit upright and ask the question, what can we do about it?!!!
Women seem to be at higher risk than men, because our bones are already much smaller and thinner than our counterparts, and because the hormone estrogen can decline very rapidly in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause.
Estrogen Production Declines
As you transition through the stages of menopause, over time, estrogen production declines, and that is an important reason for you to build bone strength. The hormone estrogen is the key regulator for bone metabolism.
A loss of estrogen results in bone reabsorption, not bone building. Estrogen tells the cells that make and regulate bone growth what to do, so without estrogen, your bones are really challenged to gain strength and regeneration.
Estrogen is a very powerful hormone indeed, in fact, even in men, estrogen is a key regulator of bone strength and regeneration.
Osteoporosis is a Disease you Can Tackle!
The best part about all of this is…Osteoporosis is a disease you can tackle with simple lifestyle shifts.
Things you can choose to do…
Get Enough Calcium Every Day
Get enough calcium every day, through the foods you eat, and if you don’t like or can’t tolerate foods with calcium, consider taking a calcium supplement. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) recommends women 50 and older need 1200 mg of calcium daily and those younger than 50 need 1000mg of calcium daily.
Get Enough Vitamin D Every Day
You need vitamin D to absorb calcium. You can get it from some foods, the sun (be sure not to burn), and you might consider taking a vitamin D supplement. The NOF recommends women 50 and older need 800-1000 IU of vitamin D daily, and women under 50 need 400-800 IU daily.
Move Your Body Every Day
Move your body every day! Movements like walking, jumping, mopping, weightlifting, yoga, body weight, and resistance bands, put natural stress on your bones, which signals bones to increase calcium deposits and encourages bone forming cells to stay activated.
Resistance training is a confidence building exercise which helps maintain and encourage bone strength as well as muscle strength. Resistance or strength training also makes the muscles that wrap around your bones stronger. Stronger, more dense muscles support your bones and joints as they move through life.
Menopause Movement Mission
In the Menopause Movement Mission, we explore resistance training in a safe, community, learning how our bodies move and respond to loads heavier than your purse (lol). Seriously, we enjoy having fun and we also are serious about our bodies maintaining the strength and support we need to live the lives we want to.
You should join us, we love women who are actively seeking ways to feel their best!
Learn more about the Menopause Movement Mission here>>>
Stop Smoking
You already know that smoking isn’t good for your overall health. Here’s a great article called, Tips to Quit Smoking from Smokers from the CDC
Talk to Your Healthcare Provider about Your Bone Health
Bones strength is likely not at the top of the list when seeing your healthcare provider, and YOU can change that. Make your bone health a priority by asking about it at your next appointment.
Want to learn more in depth information about osteoporosis? Click here for a wonderful, printable resource from the National Osteoporosis Foundation, which is a wonderful support system for all of us as we age.
Nicole Vienneau MSN, RN, NC-BC
Nicole combines 20+ years of nursing experience with 30+ years of fitness + health coaching to uncover your most authentic expression of wellbeing.
Nicole is navigating menopause too, and is learning to accommodate her life through these magnificent stages of aging.
She is a board-certified integrative nurse coach, menopause fitness specialist, brain health trainer, personal trainer, and a group fitness, yoga, and tai chi instructor. She specializes in protecting your health through habits and behaviors that support brain and body health at Blue Monarch Health, PLLC.
Nicole is passionate about everything she does, and especially loves creating safe, restorative communities. She loves exploring nature, finding solace with her cat-babies and traveling with her awesome husband.