Lifestyle changes to prevent osteoporosis
It’s proven that being more physically active helps with many of your menopause symptoms, and osteoporosis is one of the main conditions that exercise benefits to maintain strong bones and muscle mass.
But with menopause comes many barriers, weight gain, low self-esteem, joint pain, the list goes on… And if you’re not, or never have been keen on physical activity then it can be doubly difficult to be motivated to move. But not all exercise need be in a gym setting, much of it can be built into your day to day life.
What exercises should menopausal women do to build stronger bones?
Regular weight bearing and muscle strengthening exercises. Those who exercise are more likely to retain calcium in their bones than those who don’t. Think about the regularity and type of exercise you do to guarantee that your bones, joints and muscles get maximum benefit.
Weight-bearing exercises where feet and legs take the weight of your upper body, are especially good for improving bone density, key for preventing osteoporosis. So try skipping, running, fast walking and dancing. NHS Choices say that 150 minutes of ‘moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week’ should do the trick.
Strengthening muscles is as important as building bone, some exercises can be carried out when you’re sitting at home or at your desk. Try some push-ups, squats, wall press ups and arm weight work, using tins of food or invest in arm or leg weights to make your body work harder.
Watch our video where Jo and Ann workout in the park doing fun ‘Menopause Strength and Conditioning Exercises’. Or just watch it and have a laugh!
Balance is important too, see how long you can stand on one foot when cleaning your teeth. Yoga is particularly beneficial as you can combine balance, strength and resistance exercises alongside much needed relaxation to ease your menopausal stress.
Do you want to be more physically active and lack confidence? We can help
With our sister business, Menopause Movement, we have over 200 certified menopause personal trainers, fitness coaches, Pilates trainers and yoga teachers on our Directory. All are highly trained to support menopausal women to help them build confidence, become stronger and more active in safe, non-judgemental and friendly environments.
Search our Menopause Movement Directory.
We guarantee you will find a professionally trained expert who will help you find the joy of movement!
Keeping a healthy body weight in menopause
Weight gain is a big menopause bugbear. Being over or underweight can increase the risk of osteoporosis. Check your BMI. Lots of tools online to do this by using your height and weight to calculate your BMI. Normal range is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin!
Our bodies get 90% of vitamin D from the sun’s UVB rays acting on our skin. Fifteen minutes’ daily exposure to the sun for short periods from April to October, without sunscreen, should make enough vitamin D for most people. However, we live in a cloudy, grey country, with little sunshine in the winter months meaning that most of us will be deficient in Vitamin D. Public Health England recommends that we take a daily 10mcg vitamin D supplement in the grey, sunless months. Try a spray it absorbs into the bloodstream faster.
What can make osteoporosis worse?
Cut out known bone loss triggers
What we take away from our diet and lifestyle, is just as important as what we add, to improve bone health. Time to remove or reduce the following:
Cigarettes: Smokers are at increased risk of fractures as they have weaker bones.
Alcohol: Yet another reason to go easy on the booze! Heavy consumption contributes to low bone mass and decreases bone formation. Alcohol appears to slow down healing after a fracture and let’s face it if it is consumed in excessive amounts can cause unsteadiness leading to falls! Over two units a day increases your risk.
Fizzy drinks: A high intake of sugary fizzy drinks may cause bone loss through increased amounts of phosphoric acid. NOS says “there is no clear evidence proving a detrimental effect of fizzy drinks on bone health” but you could moderate your intake and think about including more nutritious drinks, milk or yogurt based smoothies or simply water if you are thirsty.
Red Meat: Cut down on red and processed meats. A study published in Advances in Nutrition in January 2017 reported that reducing your intake may have a positive impact on bone health. Too much protein causes the body to produce sulphates, causing bones to lose calcium. However, it is not necessary to illuminate it altogether as red meat contains bone building zinc.
Caffeine: According to the NOS: there is some evidence to suggest that more than several cups of coffee a day, maybe as many as eight, may cause a slight imbalance between calcium intake and calcium loss from the body. The effect is only modest. But, if you already have other risk factors for osteoporosis, you may want to consider limiting your intake of caffeine. Interestingly, studies suggest that tea does not have the same effect.
Processed sugars: There is no proven link between sugar and bone health, yet over consumption may prevent calcium absorption. Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits rich in antioxidants, which are healthy nutrients that support bone health.
Excess Salt and Processed Foods: Calcium from bones goes into the bloodstream, into the kidneys and down the toilet. The more salt you eat; the more calcium is lost to the kidneys. Cut out salt and monitor sodium levels in processed foods via the traffic light system on packaging.
Ensure that you are eating healthily in menopause, diet and nutrition and what you consume can make a massive difference to your bone health.