Your bones, joints and the connective tissue holding them together make up your body’s scaffolding, called the skeleton. Without it you would look like a jellyfish out of water. Your muscles push and pull on bones to allow you to stand up and move around.
It’s easy to think that bones are just these rock-hard structures inside your limbs and around your head and torso. But bones are living tissue, so it’s important to keep them healthy. Bones age, and their thinning can lead to osteoporosis, a worrisome condition that puts you at risk of bone fractures, even spontaneous ones, that may even contribute to your untimely demise.
How do you know?
High-tech x-ray scans, called DXA, can monitor the loss of bone mineral density (BMD) that’s used as a measurement of your bone health. Our bone density peaks in our twenties and then gradually declines. This bone loss, often labeled osteopenia, is natural and its pace is influenced by your diet and other lifestyle factors as well as by genetics. In many women, it eventually culminates in osteoporosis, considered a chronic disease that is hard, if not impossible, to reverse.
Your hormones play a role
Postmenopausal women are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis, and resulting hip fractures can shorten their lifespan considerably. The natural decline in estrogen production during and after the menopause transition is an important factor in the accelerated loss of bone density and should be considered when deciding the use of long-term bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which has been shown to provide protection.
But hormone therapy is not the holy grail or only game in town, so to speak. It’s important to take a comprehensive look at all the factors that can influence bone health and take steps to maximize your strategies to improve resilience of your movement apparatus.
These are the steps you can take
While you can’t (yet) change your genes, there are numerous lifestyle choices you can leverage for stronger bones, and they will benefit your overall health as well. By now, many of these strategies are backed by extensive research evidence, so there’s no reason to dilly-dally, if you want to maintain healthy bones into your golden years.
The pillars of this approach are nutrition, supplementation with crucial nutrients often in short supply, removal of heavy metals if you’ve been exposed, reduction of industrial chemicals from the air, water and food, and, last but not least, suitable exercise.
Food is medicine, as usual
The way you nourish yourself should focus on a well-rounded wholefoods diet including mostly vegetables, some fruit, healthy sources of fats and proteins, and eating fresh organic, home-cooked meals whenever possible. Ditching the standard American diet (SAD), with all its processed food-like stuffs and soft drinks, is a good place to start for almost everyone (or maybe you’re onboard already). It’s also important to avoid foods that contribute to inflammation and compromise your gut integrity and microbiome. Top of my list are sugars, gluten and excessive amounts of salt. Oh, and you may want to lay off alcohol and quit smoking, while you’re at it. Hopefully, that’s already in the rearview mirror for you.
Our bones remodel themselves on a nonstop basis. This requires the availability of certain specific nutrients. Leading the pack are vitamins D and K as well as calcium, ideally from the food you’re eating. There are, however, a number of other nutrients, such as certain vitamins and minerals that are also important for bone metabolism. Discuss your specific needs with your naturopathic practitioner so that you can decide on a suitable supplement protocol.
Detoxification may be needed
Depending on your prior eating habits and the environment you’ve been living in, your body may have accumulated heavy metals and other toxins that can get in the way of keeping your bones healthy. In extreme cases, you may need to work with a medical doctor specializing in chelation therapy, but in most situations you can work on reducing your exposure and gently guiding out unwanted molecules with botanicals, nutritional supplements, and even sweating.
Be smart and get off your duff!
One key component of your approach to bone health is, of course, exercise. But not just any exercise! We now know that weight-bearing in your premenopausal years is important for strong bones, but after menopause you should place more emphasis on maintaining muscle mass. These are not mutually exclusive, of course. Look for a strength training program geared toward women in their forties, fifties, sixties and beyond. The earlier you start, the better. And never stop, just modify as your needs evolve. Pilates and specific yoga practices have been shown in research studies to improve bone density, in addition to keeping you strong and flexible.
Keeping your bones strong is easier if you take good care of your health and wellbeing. This means getting needed restorative sleep and keeping stress at bay. If you’re overscheduled, it’s time to take a serious look at what’s important to you and what you may be able to let go of to create a more leisurely pace of living for yourself.
© 2025 Christiane Siebert
