Strong Is The New Skinny

Yup. True. Tell everyone you know.

For most of us, we’ve had the idea of thin hammered into our young, impressionable brains since puberty.

I have a memory from my freshman year in college. I was on break, at dinner with my grandmother, who was tall, beautiful and willowy. She was sitting across from me, drinking an Old Fashioned, scanning me up and down as I had undoubtedly gained the “freshman 15”, and said in her southern drawl, “darlin’, you’ve gotten fat”.

I was wounded. Of course, I wasn’t fat, not even close, but the message still tormented me throughout my college years and beyond.

What I know now is skinny isn’t the end goal. It’s strong. My grandmother had osteoperosis in her old age. She was thin but her bones were weak and brittle.

50% of women will fracture a bone post menopause. Think about that statistic. Half of you reading this will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.

If that didn’t get your attention,

Our bone strength and muscle mass naturally decline over time and the loss of estrogen during menopause is the culprit.

Estrogen plays an important role in women's bone development over the lifespan, and estrogen decline after menopause puts women at a significantly higher risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. In the United States, approximately half of Caucasian females will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime.

So what can we do about it? A lot actually!

Know your risks. Go get a bone density scan. The gold standard is DEXA but the InBody scan is also good and accurate.

Create a bone health plan. I can help you with this at The Morning Pause

Exercise. Remember, strong is the new skinny. Resistance training + aerobic exercise is a fantastic combo for building and preserving muscle mass and strength. I am a big fan of walking with a weighted vest!

Nutrition. Load up on protein to help build muscle. Make sure you’re getting enough calcium and vitamin B, D+K. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Eat lots of veggies and foods high in magnesium and zinc. If you aren’t getting enough of these nutrients from your food, consider supplements.

Alcohol. Cut back on alcohol, it’s soooo hard, but soooo good for your bone health (among other things). Your skin will thank you. Your sleep will thank you. Your mood will thank you. And we know that your bones will thank you too.

I talk alot about aging with intention and advocating for our health as women.

The more we know, the more equipped we are to make healthy choices and ultimately pass that knowledge down. I love that my daughter is strong. She seems to know something I didn’t at 16.

Now go grab a weighted vest on Amazon since it’s prime day and walk with a friend and know that you’re already on your way to creating a bone health plan!