I just finished a great weekend of backpacking this weekend in Yellowstone with my partner and our moms, who are in their 70's!
I love that our mom’s are still getting after it! Both of them have been hikers, skiers, runners, and generally, active mountain athletes their entire lives.
Unfortunately, each of them have been told by their providers that they have osteopenia, an early stage of osteoporosis.
I have to admit that I worry about either of them falling and breaking a bone in their daily lives, as your bones become more brittle when you have osteopenia. A fall is also harder to recover from as we age, particularly if you lack the strength to live life easily with 3 limbs instead of 4.
Imagine, could you get up from a chair easily by yourself with one leg at the age you are today? Can your mother or grandmother do this? What about get around using crutches? Could you get up off the floor with one leg or arm if you fell alone at home?
Having worked in a rehab hospital and nursing home, I’ve seen active women become dependent on others because they never prioritized resistance training. And honestly, I don’t blame them. Most women were never taught how to strength train.
I’m happy to say that both of them have started strength training in the last year and have noticed significant changes in how easy life feels!
I'm also happy to share with you that osteopenia is reversible.
Bone adaptation happens fastest in the early decades of your life, slowing in your 30s. But don’t let that stop you (or someone you know) from trying to make a change at any age - bone continues to adapt throughout our lifetimes. (If it didn't, how would you recover from a broken bone at all after 30?)
Osteopenia and osteoporosis exist on a spectrum and the earlier you start prioritizing resistance training the less likely you are to experience these conditions in your life time.
I’m so impressed by anyone who starts later in life to take a proactive approach to resistance training and learn something new. Learning something new can be intimidating.
It can also be hard to feel the impacts of things you do today on your future health. But the evidence is unequivocally in favor of resistance training as one of the most impactful things you can do for your long term health!
It's my mission to get more people strength training because of all of the positive impacts of resistance exercise to injury resilience, long term health, and longevity. I recently started volunteering with Girls Thrive to teach weight training. Check out Girls Thrive here. Their mission is to "inspire girls to empower themselves through a variety of physical activities and educational lessons designed to promote self-confidence, self-esteem, and positive body image." I also strongly believe that strength training can help improve your confidence, self-esteem, and body image!