How to Build Strong Bones After 45

Bone density loss speeds up after menopause, but most women don’t know it’s happening… until it’s too late.

In this episode of The Menopause Method, we’re talking about how to build strong bones after 45, and why midlife is the most important time to support your skeletal system.

You’ll learn:

• What causes bone loss during menopause
• 10 simple, holistic ways to prevent osteoporosis and osteopenia
• How to improve bone density naturally with strength training, impact movement, nutrition, and stress support
• The role of calcium, vitamin D, and K2 in midlife bone health
• How to start supporting your bones now, even if you’ve never lifted weights

This isn’t about fear. It’s about freedom.
Because strong bones = a strong, steady, independent life.

🧘‍♀️ Plus: Get my free Midlife Bone Care Guide with all 10 strategies + a calming guided meditation.

Download the Free Guide:
👉 https://www.camoyler.com/boneguide

Free Home Gym Guide: https://www.camoyler.com/gym-equipment-guide
Free Menopause Sleep Guide: https://www.camoyler.com/pl/2148586038
Get the Menopause Mini Workouts: https://www.camoyler.com/meno-minis.

Chapters:
00:00 Post-Menopause Bone Health Essentials
06:13 Gut and Bone Health Tips
09:22 Affordable Fitness: Data-Driven Decisions
10:04 Boost Your Bone Health Now

#BoneHealth #MenopauseBoneLoss #MidlifeFitness #OsteoporosisPrevention #WomenOver45 #StrongBones #MenopauseMethod

Transcript

0:00

So I'm just going to say it. Bone health isn't exactly the sexiest topic, but maybe it should be, because it affects everything from your balance to your energy and how you get to walk through and experience this life. In this episode, we're getting into why bones matter so much more after menopause and how to take care of them in ways that go way beyond calcium and drinking a glass of milk. By the way, D, did you know broccoli has more calcium than milk? Who knew? Hey, there. Welcome back to the Menopause Method podcast. My name is Cam Allen, and because I know you love a good checklist, I've got a free holistic bone guide waiting for you in the notes. There are simple steps, no fluff, and you can grab it below. Okay, so exactly why does bone health matter more in midlife? Well, it's going to sound like a broken record, but once your estrogen drops, your bones lose its greatest protectors. That's crazy. Women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in that first five to seven years after menopause. And the thing is, you're not going to know it's happening. It's kind of like your body slowly removing the bricks from a foundation, but you don't notice until one gives out. This matters now and not later. You don't want to fall and realize that you have a problem. So I have for you some simple things that you can do to make sure your bones stay strong through menopause and you get to experience life to its fullest. We're going to start with morning light. Morning light actually helps set up your circadian rhythm. It helps your gut know what time it is. Have you ever wondered why your belly growls at certain times of day? It's your eyes. In addition to that, it sets up your circadian rhythm for your appetite, your digestion, and your sleep. And it also supports natural vitamin D production. One way I habit stack this is in the morning. I take my meditation outside. I'm listening to the birds and the fountain and my guided meditation in the morning light. It is a wonderful way to take care of myself first before I dive into my to do list. Speaking of vitamin D, Vitamin D is one of those foundational four that I recommend for midlife women. I have yet to see labs showing that women don't need to take vitamin D3. In fact, the combination is D3 K2. It comes in one pill. And you may be wondering, like, why K2 K2 actually makes it absorbable to your body. So D3 K2 does way more than keep your bone strength, but it also helps your immunity. We want to make sure the calcium stays in the bones and not in the arteries. And D3K2 is magical. I recommend taking most supplements with food and this one definitely goes with that. Think of D3K2 as like sunshine in a bottle. So take it earlier in the day, take it with your first meal of the day and you're set, ready to go. Next up, strength training with heavy for you weights. Of course, if you know me at all, you know I'm going to say that. So what exactly does heavy for you weights mean? That means the last few reps of each and every set should feel challenging. And if the last few reps are too easy, that means it's time to bump up your weight. You can focus on two times a week like full body or I've got the menopause minis. They are in the show notes as well. They have completely changed my attitude and my body composition in seven short months. So check them out. 10 minutes of strength training, you have the time and the energy for that. Next is a walking with a weighted vest. Now if you've been on social media at all, you've seen people doing that. Maybe you've even seen me walking with my weighted vest about once a week. I would say for the last two or three months I've been going on a longer walk with my weighted vest. It is like I love it. It kind of takes me back to my crossfit days. It's challenging and it's walking is something that I do anyhow. So adding the weighted vest once a week ish helps me making everyday movement and it's a bone building opportunity. Start light, keep it doable. When I first started wearing my weighted vest, I would wear it here at my desk and boy, I noticed I really had to work on my posture. I couldn't hunch over because you were in this vest. And then I would do it around the house. I would vacuum up dog hair and stuff like that. Before I took it out on the road, one of my friends encouraged me to do a city walk with it on and I did three miles and I was good to go. But I did warm up to it. You may be wondering like how heavy should my vest be? The recommendation is 5 to 10% of your body weight. However, if you've been lifting weights and you're used to weight training, I would go to the 10% of your body weight and you can do this. Work your way up and you've got it. Next up on the movement category is adding jumping movements. Now we are not talking about like crazy box jumps, even though I've done those before and I love them. But this could be jumping, rope jumping on your stairs, doing jumping jacks, or even, believe it or not, hopscotch. And how fun is that? You don't need a long workout to get the impact, just start adding some jumping to your workouts. And of course I have workouts that have jumping if you need help. Next, you gotta take in more protein. Your bones are made of protein, not just minerals. I recommend 30 grams per meal and start your day with breakfast. One of my favorite go to breakfasts is Greek yogurt with frozen berries. Berries are low on the glycemic index so I know that's going to keep my blood sugar stable. I love raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, any of the berries are good to go. Plus I know I'm getting nice micronutrients as well. Speaking of that, gut health is next on the list. That is where your minerals actually get absorbed. So adding in fermented foods like kombucha or kimchi is really nice for your gut. You're feeding the gut bacteria, making sure you get lots of fiber. I like to do the fiber in forms of fruits and veggies. However, if you're feeling like your flow isn't flowing, if you know what I mean, you can add a supplement like Thorne's Fiberman. Sometimes I use that to make sure my gut health is on point and then hydration. Now there are some things on the list that actually drain your bones. Can you guess what they are? Unfortunately, caffeine is one of them, alcohol is the next one, and then ultra processed foods. So limiting your caffeine, alcohol and your processed foods will also take care of your bone health. And this is not about restriction. If you know me as a human or as a coach, this is more about awareness. If you love your coffee like I do and I put collagen in it, so I'm making sure I'm getting protein in the morning. That is like a non negotiable for me. Morning light with my coffee, with my caffeine and my collagen, that's how I get my day going. That's a non negotiable. Do you have any non negotiables in your life? This is not about restriction. This is about understanding how our body responds to things that we choose to do. It's about awareness. Next, how are you going to support your nervous system High cortisol breaks down your bone and high cortisol adds to your belly fat. We don't want either of those things. So what are your simple stress practices? Maybe it's breathing. When you inhale, it's okay for your belly to expand. That's actually how it should be, like a nice deep belly breath. I think we were told, like, you got to suck it in, but actually we want our belly to go out when we inhale because that's where we're breathing from. We're not breathing from our shoulders, we're breathing from our core, from our diaphragm. Other simple stress practices might be walking or journaling. Me, honestly, going outside, sitting and listening to the birds in the moving water, that is just amazing to me. Next up, functional testing and tracking. So once a year I recommend getting your blood work done and you may have to ask for this test. You can actually get your vitamin D tested. The test is called 25oHD and for optimal levels, it's 50 to 80 nanograms per milliliter. I have yet to see a set of labs where women do not need to supplement with vitamin D3K2. Get your levels tested come from a place of knowing what your body's doing and then hormones. You gotta decide if hormone replacement is for you or not. If you choose hormone replacement, I encourage you to investigate the bioidentical kind for me. I do wear an estrogen patch. I change it twice a week. It is estradiol and that has been a game changer for me. It is not about replacing my levels when I was 30 or 40. It's about having enough estrogen on board that it's actually protective to your health. Then you can have bone scans like the DEXA scan. I had mine done today. I'm very happy with my results. What I'm doing is working and what I'm doing is I just shared with you if you don't want to invest in a DEXA scan or your insurance won't cover it, there's something called an in body scan and it is also accurate. Maybe not as accurate as this DEXA scan, but it's more affordable. A lot of times you'll find in your areas, gyms will have an in body scan and they'll offer you a price if you're not a non member. So make your decisions from data, not just from guesswork. Strong bones are more than just avoiding a fracture. It's about staying mobile and independent and like upright and sturdy and be in this for the long haul. So I invite you to pick one thing from this list and start this week 10 minutes of strength training. You have the time and the energy for 10 minutes. Maybe it's a morning walk so you're getting your movement and your morning light. Maybe it's adding a little bit more protein to your meals because all of these dial movers actually help. And let me tell you, you are not too late. You're right on time to start supporting your body in this new chapter. So here's some action steps for you. Download the free guide. The link is in the show notes below or you can find it on my website@camallen.com Bone Guide Share this episode with a friend who also needs some bone health support. If you could leave a review or subscribe, especially if you found this helpful to see your bones in a whole new light. Thanks for being here. Let's stay strong, sturdy and upright for the rest of our midlife.