How to Strengthen Your Bones

Did you know that more than 200 million women currently have osteoporosis? As many as one in three women will have a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime! Interestingly, most people do not know they have osteoporosis unless they are monitoring their bones with DEXA scans, as osteoporosis is basically symptomless, that is, until you break a bone. As we age our bones become weaker, especially once we are menopausal and have less estrogen in our system. Yet, there are many things we can do to keep our bones strong and prevent and even reverse osteoporosis.

One of my favorites is magnesium. Everyone talks about calcium for bone strength, yet magnesium is equally important for maintaining strong and flexible bone. You also need adequate vitamin D3 and vitamin K2. Collagen (my favorite is Multi Collagen by Nutridyn) is one of the main components of your bone. As we age, our collagen naturally decreases and this decrease puts us at greater risk for osteoporosis. Taking collagen daily helps maintain your bone health as well as all of your connective tissue including your joints, skin, hair and nails. Daily collagen use will help increase your bone density and therefore strengthen your bones.

Weight bearing exercises and resistance training are incredibly important for gaining and maintaining healthy bones. I recommend many exercise choices ranging from walking to weightlifting. Anything that has you working against gravity is going to help strengthen your bones. Find an exercise program you like, go to the gym, get outside and walk or hike, dance; any and all of these will help. Push-ups are great for the bones in your upper body. Lots of options; just do something! If you are new to the world of strength training, seek out some professional help to get you started on the best path for you.

A colleague of mine, Jacob Schor, ND, FABNO, reported that practicing your “pink flamingo”, i.e. balancing on one leg for one minute 3x per day can make a huge difference in avoiding fractures and strengthening bones. “Unipedal standing does the two things we want: It improves balance, decreasing spontaneous falls by about one-third. It also strains the bone, mimicking weight-bearing exercise, in theory, strengthening the bone and decreasing the chance of fracture if a person falls.”

Other great things for your bone health:

·        Stretch, especially after you have worked out or are at least warmed up.

·        Get good sleep.

·        Minimize your alcohol intake as higher alcohol intake is associated with osteoporosis.

·        Avoid smoking.

The above suggestions offer some great strategies you can implement to prevent and/or reverse osteoporosis.

Rachel Oppitz, ND