Most advice for women over 40 sounds like:
“run more.”, “wear a weighted vest”, “take supplements”, “do jump training”. But what if this advice is missing something crucial? World-renowned sports dietitian professor Louise Burke shares: “Sometimes people think of running being good for bone, but bone is quiet deaf and after the first eight steps it doesn’t hear anymore” Research suggests bones need varied, directional forces not just repetitive impact.
So what do bones actually need?
Research shows the most effective bone-building activities are:
- Resistance training with progressive loading over 70% 1RM
- Directional changes and varied movements
- Exercises that “pull on the bone”
- Activities that create novel forces
But here’s the problem most women don’t know about:
Professor Burke’s research has found: “When people do aerobic exercise for a period, there’s a sudden drop in blood calcium levels” This triggers mechanisms that can break down small amounts of bone to maintain blood calcium.
Pre-Exercise Calcium
As Prof Burke explains: “If you take calcium prior to exercise…the calcium coming in from the gut can take the place of breaking down a little bit of bone.” This may reduce exercise-induced bone turnover.
But calcium isn’t the whole story, your bones also need:
- Adequate total energy intake
- Sufficient protein intake
- meeting calcium requirements (1000-1200mg daily)
- Vitamin D sufficiency
- Avoiding extreme dietary restrictions
Here’s the bigger issue impacting bone health:
Under-eating: Even active women fall into this trap. “Adequate calcium, adequate carbs, adequate energy”- Prof Burke.
Research shows that low energy availability negatively impacts bone health, independent of exercise habits. So how do you put this all together? How do you actually build bone strength?
The science backed approach:
- Include resistance training 2-3x weekly
- Vary movement patterns and forces
- Consume calcium-rich foods before exercise
- Ensure overall energy intake matches activity level
- Include protein at each meal
The long term approach: Bone responds slowly to both positive and negative influences. Consistency in training and nutrition creates cumulative effects over time, making sustainable habits the key to long term bone health.
Source: “Dr Tony Boutagy”