Strong Bones After Menopause: My DexaFit Results at 56

Can short strength workouts really protect your bone density after menopause? Last year at 56, almost seven years past surgical menopause, I got my first DexaFit scan to find out, and the results genuinely surprised me.

In 2024 I was recovering from a car accident, we were mid-move, and my strength training fell off completely. By Christmas the scale was at an all-time high and I did not recognize myself. This episode is the full story of what I changed in 2025 and what my bone scan showed at the end of it.

Here is what we get into:
How estrogen protects your bones, and why surgical menopause (a radical hysterectomy just before I turned 50) put me on a steeper path than most women after 50 ever face. The stats that stop me in my tracks: a woman can lose up to 20 percent of her bone density in the first five to seven years after menopause, about 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone from osteoporosis, and roughly 1 in 4 older adults dies within a year of breaking a hip.

Then the good news: the simple, repeatable things I actually did, including morning light, D3 with K2, protein at every meal, a weighted vest, and 10-ish minute demo-style strength workouts I could fit into a busy, tired midlife life.

My DexaFit results: a Z-score of 2.1 (compared to women my age) and a T-score of 1.2 (compared to healthy young women), both in the excellent range.

One honest note, because it matters: a whole-body scan like this is for context, not a medical diagnosis. Osteoporosis is diagnosed at the hip and spine, so get your own scan, know your numbers, and work with your provider.

Chapters:
00:00 Understanding Postmenopausal Bone Loss
04:12 Rapid bone loss and exercise decision
06:39 Protein and Strength Training Plan
11:15 Midlife bone health discussion

Grab my free Midlife Bone Care Guide (the 10 simple steps I actually did): https://www.camoyler.com/boneguide

Start with my demo-style Menopause Mini Strength Program: https://www.camoyler.com/offers/dNzq2xmR/checkout  

The D3 with K2 I use: https://camallen.nutridyn.com/d3-5000 

The weighted vest I use: https://amzn.to/4qf9gRO

Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Subscribe for a new midlife strength and menopause episode every week

Come say hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heymomma_cam/

#Menopause #BoneHealth #StrengthTrainingOver50 #MidlifeMethod #Over50

Transcript

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In July of 2025, I laid down on a table and let a machine scan every single bone in my body. At the time, I was 56 years old, about 7 years post-menopause. And I'll be honest with you, part of me was calm, like I lift weights, I take care of my body, I've done the work. And then part of me was really nervous because I remembered exactly where I was just one year before. So let me take you back. Hey there, welcome back to The Midlife Method. My name is Cam Allen, and today we're going to talk about our bones. So let's rewind to the year of 2024. That was a really hard year for me. It started back in April, literally the same week we moved, I was in a car accident and I suffered whiplash. So I was recovering from this car accident. So I really wasn't lifting weights. And every time I tried to lift weights, it just set back my recovery even further, my body needed to heal and I let it. I was going to the chiropractor every week. I had headaches, my neck, my shoulder, all the stuff. And if you've ever moved, you know this. We had boxes everywhere. We were literally ripping out carpet from the top floor to the bottom floor. And if you've ever removed tack strips, that is a workout in its own. I had stress stacked on top of stress. And little by little, I noticed my strength training just absolutely stopped. So by the end of the year, the scale had climbed to an all-time high. I recall getting dressed for Christmas, like changing clothes numerous times and trying to like layer up so I could hide my midsection. And then I remember seeing a picture from that Christmas. And honestly, I didn't recognize myself. My energy was at an all-time low. And then I looked in the mirror. I didn't feel like myself. I didn't look like myself. And I had a whole list of good reasons, and every single one of them was true. But here's what you couldn't see on the outside. I knew I was fluffy. While life was getting busy, I was like wondering what was happening on the inside, like what was happening to my bones. Now, as a health coach, I know a lot of numbers, but here's some numbers that literally stopped me in my tracks. After menopause, a woman can lose up to 20% of her bone density that first 5 to 7 years after postmenopause. You don't feel it happening. There's no ache or warning because bone loss is really sneaky. And often you don't find out that something's wrong until something breaks. And when it breaks, it's not a small thing. About 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis in her lifetime. That's crazy. And if it's a broken hip, this one becomes really serious. About 1 in 4 older adults die within a year of breaking a hip. Of the ones that survive, many of them never walk on their own, and a lot of them lose their independence for good. Now, so many women after 50 hear a number like that and they just freeze. I mean, they're shocking, right? And I really don't want that for you. And I'm not telling this to scare you. I'm telling you this to wake up. Because there is so much good news coming. You got to stay with me. So exactly why does menopause hit our bones so hard? Well, it's estrogen. Estrogen is one of your bones' biggest protectors. Think of it as like the foreman on a construction crew. It keeps the breakdown crew in check so the buildup crew can keep on pace. And when estrogen drops, that forewoman, we'll call her, just literally walks off the job. The breakdown of your bone speeds up and your bones start losing that ground. And here's the piece of my story. For most women, that estrogen drop is like a slow slope. You know, perimenopause into postmenopause can take anywhere from 10 to 12 years. So it happens over several years through menopause into postmenopause. But mine was a cliff. Just before I turned 50, I had a radical hysterectomy, meaning they removed my ovaries and my uterus. And your ovaries are your, like, your little hormone makers. So I went into surgical menopause literally overnight. I didn't have a slope. And in my 40s, if I was perimenopausal, I was totally clueless. So I didn't have this gentle slide. My estrogen fell off a cliff in a single day. Now, even in postmenopause, your ovaries still pump out a little bit of hormones. But with no ovaries, I don't even have that protection. So by the numbers, I was set up for super faster, steeper bone loss than most women face, which is exactly why what happened next matters so much. So in 2025, I decided to lower the barrier I thought I needed to do a workout. And here's the thing, that's doable because for many of us after 50, we didn't want to overhaul our whole life. Like, you can't do that. I was busy. I was tired just like everyone else. So I picked really simple things and I stayed super consistent. Morning light is one of my favorite things ever. I get outside 10 to 20 minutes outside with daylight getting in my eyeball before my to-do list takes over. I also was really consistent with my supplements. I take D3 with K2 together with a little fat, like in the morning with my breakfast, so my body can actually use those vitamins. And by the way, D3 K2 is a huge multitasker. I like taking things that do more than one thing. So D3K2 also helps your cardiovascular health. It helps with your mood and your stress levels. It supports your bone and your skin tissues, and it's known for helping your immune function. So like, yeah, I'm going to take that. And I also started playing with a weighted vest, just a little extra load. I actually started wearing it right here at this desk. If you're watching on YouTube, I would put it on and I'd wear it for a little bit. And then I would notice I just would take it off. And then I practiced using it around the house. And then before long, I was vacuuming the dog hair up using my weighted vest. And before long, I was taking it on long walks. I actually remember the first day my friend Katie's like, yeah, let's walk. You know, we walk downtown. It's like a 3-mile little loop. She's like, are you bringing your vest? I'm going to bring my vest. And I was like, okay, I'm doing it. That was the first time I remember. So thank you, Katie, for me walking 3 miles with a weighted vest. Now, I only do it a couple times a month, but I do it. It's a kind of like gentle impact your bones are going to love. And also, if you're already walking, why not add a vest some days? Mix it up. I also was really intentional with my protein, like aiming for 20 to 30 grams at every meal, and it was non-negotiable for breakfast because bone is about half protein by volume. Calcium alone was never gonna cut it. And here's the big one in the heart of it all. I started strength training again, but not the way you might think, because I wrote 10-ish minute mini workouts designed into a well-planned program. I made sure I was hitting all the muscle groups and there was enough reps and rest built in, short, using heavy for me weights, done in my basement with no shoes at my own pace. Because if you've been around, I love demo style and I do not do follow-along workouts. I think they take away your authority and your power. And menopause is about having more power, not less. So that was my plan. And here's why it worked. Because short workouts were short enough that I actually had time and energy to do it. And the thing is, I wrote them. So if I went downstairs and did the first one and I felt good, they're stackable. So I would go right on to the second one. And the way they're designed, it's into a program. So if you do 3 in a row, you'll get your entire body worked out. If my 3 in a row happen in one day, awesome. If my 3 in a row happen in 3 consecutive days, that's also awesome. A workout you'll actually do beats a perfect workout that you'll skip every single time. So back to that scan in late July 2025. I wanted proof. My brain's wired that way. In my previous life, I was a math and science teacher, and I didn't want to just feel like something was working. Like I looked in the mirror and I saw my body composition changing. My clothes were fitting better. I had more energy. But what were my bones doing? So I wanted to see the data. So I had a DEXA fit scan. It was actually the very first time I've ever had this done. And the scan will look at your whole body. And here's what it showed. My Z-score came back at 2.1. And your Z-score compares your bones to other women your age's bones. And you want them high. And mine was pinned all the way to the top of the excellent range. So I was thrilled. Then they give you a T-score. And a T-score— my T-score was 1.2. And that's even tougher, because what they're doing is comparing your bones to women, healthy young women. So they're comparing you to younger women. So positive is good. And 1.2 landed me right there in that excellent range again. So both scores were excellent. 7 years after my estrogen literally fell off a cliff when I had a hysterectomy. Now, an honest note, because I care about telling you the whole story here. This kind of whole body scan is for context. It's not like for a medical diagnosis like osteoporosis. Osteoporosis diagnosis reads your spine and your hip. Based on my numbers, I'm like, I'm not worried about it. And I did not have a plain DEXA scan. I had a DEXA fit. So if you're looking for a diagnosis, You got to talk to our doctor. So get your own scan, know your numbers, and work with your provider. But for my scientific mind, this Dexafit scan was proof that I was looking for. First of all, short workouts didn't just change how I looked and my energy; they were also keeping my bones strong. And you don't know if your bones are strong or not. You just have no idea what's going on in the inside. So if you take

nothing else from this, take this: 10:09

you do not need a perfect plan to get your bones stronger. You just need. You need one that

you can repeat. So here's some really simple things: 10:21

morning light, taking D3 with K2, adding a little protein at every meal, and using some heavy-for-you weights in short doses. Hey, and if you want to walk with a weighted vest— now that's really controversial on the internet, so do with that what you will. Also, get your data so you're deciding from a place of knowing instead of guessing. See these small steps stacked over a little bit of time. That's how your bone responds. And hear me on this because this matters more than any number on a scan. You are worth it, not because your body is like a problem to fix, because you are worth taking care of. Menopause is not just a hormonal inconvenience that happened to you. It's actually, I believe, an invitation to finally get to know. Love, listen to your body enough to keep her strong. And you are not too late. And you are not too far gone. You are a woman in midlife who is still here, who is still listening to this, and you're still standing and you still absolutely are able to build. I believe your bones are listening. So is your body, and they are ready to respond. So tell me in the comments, tell me one, if you're starting to think about your bones, Comment 2 if you've been meaning to strength train, but life keeps getting in the way like it happened to me in 2024. Or comment 3 if you're already lifting, but you're ready to like have a DEXA fit or a DEXA scan because you feel like that's your next step. Believe me, I read every single comment and I'm right here cheering you on. In the description below, I have my free midlife bone care guide. It walks through 10 super simple steps I actually do and did. To get those results. It's linked below for you, including my short workouts, because the Menopause Mini Strength Program got me going again. And it can get you going too. And while you're down there, hit subscribe. It's an honor to be on this journey with you, and I'll see you next week.