This week has been all about menopause for me.
The government announced that menopause advice will now be included in routine NHS health checks. About time!
I thought it was weird that I've been offered screening for breast, bowel, cervical, and even lung cancer - but not for the one thing I'm guaranteed to go through. Hopefully, this new advice will be genuinely useful and not just another tick-box exercise.
A narrow corridor to the next chapter
On Wednesday, I joined a webinar with Jenny Burrell - the person I did my menopause training with. I expected a session focused on symptoms - hot flushes, mood changes, all the usual suspects - but instead, she focused on the transition itself.
She described menopause as:
“A narrow corridor leading from one life to another.”
A chance to really look at how are lives are now, and an opportunity to decide how we want the next 30 years to look.
The forgotten foundation: bone health
Jenny also recommended a book by Vonda Wright called Unbreakable - it’s already on my Christmas list (though after hearing her speak, I may not be able to wait that long!).
Vonda also appeared on Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast recently, discussing bone health - something many of us don’t think about until much later in life.
But here’s the truth: we need to build our “bone bank” before menopause, not after.
Before cappuccinos became a thing, I didn’t really drink much milk (though cheese has always been a constant in my diet!) and my only real exercise in my twenties was cycling, so I'm not sure I got to peak bone mass
Pregnancy and breastfeeding can also leech calcium from your bones if your diet doesn’t keep up - and for me, those years were between 35 and 45, the age known as “critical mass” for bone density.
So… who knows what my bones are like now?
How to build (and protect) your bones
According to Vonda, the key things for strong, healthy bones are:
1️⃣ Optimise your hormones
2️⃣ Build muscle
3️⃣ Re-train balance and foot speed
I’ve always focused on resistance training - but haven't really prioritised impact. Like me, many women may avoid it - because of pelvic floor concerns, joint issues, or foot pain.
But the good news is that you can start small. Any impact is better than none - so that we are at least maintaining bone rather than losing it
Here’s what the research says:
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Walking: 1.5× your body weight
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Running: around 2.5× your body weight (but only bone-building for the first 50 strides!)
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We need impact of around 3× your body weight to build bone
We can achieve that by landing and rebounding = Jumping down from a small 8" step and then immediately jumping forward
Studies have also shown that 30 single-footed hops per leg, three times a week for six months can also build bone
Of course, if you’re not used to impact, don’t start there.
Try these modifications instead:
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Lift into a calf raise, then gently drop your heels - as if landing from a jump
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Try double-footed mini jumps
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Add alternate knee-lift skips, then progress to single-leg hops
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Include squat jumps, followed by a small rebound jump forward
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Eventually, add jumping from a step for more challenge
If you can add in multi-directions too, so much the better - so why not have a game of hopscotch?!
Other fascinating bone facts
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Getting less than 5 hours of sleep a night can impact bone health
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Eating 5 prunes a day may help prevent (and even reverse) bone loss
You can watch the full Vonda Wright interview here:
A final thought
At the start of her book, Vonda Wright says:
"I contend that although we certainly undergo some life stage changes, what we call normal aging is actually normal aging for stressed out, undernourished people who are not intentionally building muscle, not attending to their hormonal health and not prioritising mobility."
Menopause doesn't have to be the start of a decline
Instead it’s an invitation to strengthen the foundations that will carry us into our next phase of life - whether that be our bones, our muscles, or our mindset
What changes do you need to make?
P.S. If you’d like to put this into practice, come and try my Strength & Cardio class. It’s just 30 minutes, combines resistance and impact (the perfect combo for bone health!), and will leave you feeling strong, energised, and ready for the week ahead. Join us via Zoom on Mondays and Fridays at 9:15am, or catch up anytime in the Sarah Parker Fitness membership.
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