Bone Maintenance When Estrogen Levels Shrink

This one is for the ladies.

Estrogen is a driver of bone mineral density. Most of us know that.

But at some point, the ability to produce it begins to shrink, or eventually disappear altogether, typically due to age.

And bones and bone strength begin to suffer because of it.

Do we sit back and just let it happen?

Nope. Not in the #TrainForLiFE world that we at Functional Elements like to live in.

It simply means that we focus on the elements or drivers of bone mineral density and health that we CAN control.

Put another way, it means it becomes much more important to give the body what it needs, when it needs it.

That typically means two things:

1) Crank up your strength training. Don't worry I'm not talking about bulking up. I'm talking about strategic resistance training. Without the driving force of estrogen, we need a consistent effort in place to put tension on the bones to fuel maintenance and potentially even growth.

2) Feed the body what it needs. I'm talking protein. Calories. Calcium. Vitamin D3. Magnesium. These are the biggies that relate directly to bone health. Take protein for instance. Do you know how much your body requires each day? Knowing is half the battle ... putting a consistent, daily effort to make it happen is the other. And if I'm being honest, most clients I deal with fall well short on both.

The next step? It's yours. Seek out a professional to help you put the right plan together for you (I happen to know of a good one!).

And don't wait. Put a proactive plan in place at an early age and really attack the factors you CAN control to avoid the downfalls of the one's you CAN'T.

Remember, it's all about giving your body what it needs, when it needs it!

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSD, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition