Osteoporosis & our body

I remember turning 12 and people telling me your not heavy you're just big boned!

So that felt good in my 12 year old brain!  

Today at 57 I am quite grateful for them.

When I turned 45 my gynecologist suggested I get a baseline bone density test, The scan came back as normal, so I didn't pay much attention to them. But at the age of 50 I had another. My tests came back and I had lost a good amount of bone density. I was told by my dr. that because my bones are more dense it really isn’t an issue, but I remember when my mom turned 65 and had some major bone loss, I just felt I should be smart about this.

What I realized between bone scans was a few things I had changed (beyond my hormones). I hurt my knees and my back and so had to change up my movement choices. I took up swimming and biking - 2 major sources of cardio that don’t compress the bones to help build them up. My vitamin D levels were extremely low. I stopped lifting weights (mostly heavy and deadlifts) as much, because I wasn’t sure I was doing them correctly and was afraid of injuring my back again. So between the ages of 50 and 57 I made some changes. I started lifting weights 3-4 times a week, I added walking, jumping on the trampoline and Pilates reformer jump board. I do a lot of resistance work on the reformer and add weights to my yoga and pilates. And I take a lot of Vit. D each day (I don’t absorb well).

Here is a text I received from my dr. this week. “Your bone density is normal! Keep up the good work!”

Here is a quote from the NATAP “Osteoporosis is preventable and treatable, but because there are no warning signs prior to a fracture, many people are not being diagnosed in time to receive effective therapy during the early phase of the disease. Many factors have been associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis-related fracture”

Here are a few conditions and diseases that cause or contribute to osteoporosis according to the NATAP: Low calcium intake, vitamin D insufficiency, excess vitamin A, high caffeine intake, high salt intake, aluminum (in antacids), 3+ drinks of alcohol a day, inadequate physical activity, immobilization, smoking, falling, thinness.

Now go build some bones!