You’ve probably realised by now I love my kettlebells, running, walking, and yoga.
Exercise is a daily feature in my life and never fails to transform me mentally.
So obviously my biggest fear in life is losing the ability to move, which with age would also be accompanied by a loss of independence.
The risk of muscle and bone loss increases with age and is worsened by chronic diseases, inflammation, malnutrition, being overweight and sedentary lifestyles.
Menopause and declining hormones are also a significant factor.
Estrogen stimulates cells known as osteoblasts responsible for building bone and countering the action of cells that break down bone (osteoclasts).
It’s also involved in collagen formation and joint lubrication. Without input from this hormone, the risk of musculoskeletal issues increases significantly including osteoporosis, arthritis, tendonitis, and RSI. The joints simply doing have adequate infrastructure so injury risk is also greater.
There are some lifestyle and nutrition principles that are fundamental to have in place to minimise the risk of joint issues.
Including:
- Eat a nutritious diet rich in minerals rich in bone-building nutrients including magnesium, calcium, boron, and silica
- Eat 2-3 servings of protein daily to build muscle. Muscle changes faster than bone but can positively influence bone and stabilise joints reducing injury risk.
- Do weight-bearing exercise including resistance training, walking, running, hill walking, yoga, bodyweight exercises *do not do anything that exacerbates joint pain
- Ensure you consume around 800mg of calcium daily, if not consuming dairy foods you may need to supplement with calcium citrate. Taking half a teaspoon of ground eggshell daily is a superb way to meet your calcium needs, it provides around 800mg.
- Supplement with vitamin D and K2. The K2 supports the movement of calcium into bones. Most people benefit from around 2000 IU’s of vitamin D daily and 75-200mcg of K2. Consider testing vitamin D to establish if you require a higher dose.
- Supplementation with additional buffered vitamin C (500-3000mg daily), zinc citrate (5-25mg) and magnesium citrate/glycinate (200-400mg) can support soft tissue health, repair, and bone health.
- Supplemental bovine collagen (1-2 tbsp daily) may help support soft tissue health.
- Taking essential omega 3 fatty acids as a supplement (1-2g daily). I recommend Biocare’s range of EPA products in terms of value for money). And/or eating 2-3 servings of oily fatty fish a week (with the skin and bones if you like tinned sardines and salmon)
- Under professional guidance herbs, phytoestrogen therapy, and HRT can also provide immense symptoms relief from musculoskeletal complications and help to restore joint function.
I’ll be discussing all this in-depth with an expert team including a Menopause GP, medical herbalist, and women’s health physio on our 21 Day Menopause Support Hub which kicks off next week.
Whether you’re in your 30’s or 40’s and wanting to prepare, approaching perimenopause, going through the menopause transition, or post-menopausal, every expert will empower you with essential advice to look after your bones.
Places on the Hub are now limited and I’m offering you 20% off your place with the code MENOHUB20.
All of the sessions are recorded so even if you can’t join us live you’ll be get lifetime access to the replays. I really don’t want you to miss out on this incredible opportunity.
Whatever you do please don’t struggle alone with the symptoms, reach out for support as there are options for you.
