Falling Is Not an Option: My Journey to Increase Bone Density

Ever since my 20s, I've been the poster child for fitness: jogging, cycling, competing in numerous 10Ks and three marathons, hiking, backpacking, rock-climbing, inline skating, open water swimming, yoga, paddle boarding, lifting weights — you name it, I did it. So when I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at age 66, I was not only shocked, I was mad.

How dare I have osteoporosis? I could barely believe the results. I was so angry that I never wanted to have another bone density test again, until a few years later, when my doctor gently convinced me that that was not a smart idea. 

When I retested, it turned out that, along with 54% of United States women in their 70s, I had bone density loss or osteopenia — an improvement, I guess, but obviously not good enough. After the test, I did a bit of strength training, off and on. Mostly off.

Then, a few months ago, two women I know, both in their early 70s like me, had serious falls. One fell twice, breaking her elbow and fracturing several vertebrae; the other broke her heel and her opposite wrist while running after her toddler granddaughter. Alarmed by their falls, I woke up and decided to take the issue seriously.

My yoga teacher recommended a strength trainer, Bea, a woman in her 30s who was also the owner of a yoga school. Because I was soon headed for Mexico, where my husband and I live part of the year, I only had time to see her twice. My goal was to increase not only my strength but also my flexibility. In particular, I wanted to squat well enough to be able to pee in the woods. Barry and I have a campervan, and I had noticed on a recent trip that it was getting increasingly hard for me to squat. I'm limited by surgical steel in my right ankle from a serious break more than 40 years ago.

"That's functional fitness!" Bea laughed when I described my goal. This kind of training mimics the movements we use in everyday life, such as bending, lifting and twisting.

She gave me a wedge so I could begin learning to squat on an incline. It made all the difference, and that success inspired me. 

When I left for Mexico, I had a list of portable strength exercises that I could do anywhere. At our home in Mexico I keep resistance bands, two kettlebells and a yoga mat, which are all I need, since most of the exercises I do are bodyweight.

After I arrived in Mexico, I was so focused on getting settled and into a new routine that I didn't restart my strength routine. But a couple of weeks later, when Marilyn, a fellow expat, told me she was training to be a life coach, I offered myself as a practice trainee. In our first session, I told her I would commit to three workouts a week, 20 to 30 minutes long. My goal was 30 minutes, but I decided 20 would suffice at first, just to get me over my resistance. 

Less than an hour after that first session, I unrolled my yoga mat and worked out. Obviously I was already primed! All I needed was a bit of encouragement.

Seeing Marilyn a few times, along with sending her a message after each workout telling her what I'd accomplished, was just the impetus I needed. I was off.

That was three months ago. Since then, I've added more strength, Pilates, balance and core exercises for variety. I draw from such sources as the NYT 9-Minute Strength Workout, The Washington Post 7-Minute Workout and exercises from the Mayo Clinic. I lift kettlebells, squat and perform the plank, bridge, deadlift and mountain climbers on my yoga mat, counting my breaths as a way to time myself.

In the evenings, I look up strength exercises to add to my portfolio and learn more about the core. What does "engaging the abs" mean, anyway? I discovered that it refers to squeezing all of the muscles in the torso and holding them in a tightened position, while still breathing normally.

I also signed up for a concentrated Tai Chi class, two sessions a week of 90 minutes each, where we're learning the first third of 108 movements. While Tai Chi isn't strength training, it's excellent for developing flexibility and good balance — important for avoiding falls. After 90 minutes of Tai Chi, I feel pleasantly tired.

For years I'd always thought fast beat slow any day. After all, I boasted about my record, running the Big Sur Marathon in 3:56. But the more I do strength exercises, the more I realize that the ability to hold a position — say, extending one leg horizontally — and then slowly, excruciatingly returning it to a standing position, requires all the strength I can muster. If you don't believe me, try sitting on the floor with your knees bent and incrementally, inch by inch, lying back down to the floor. You'll realize the exercise not only requires highly controlled movements, it's an absolute killer.

I'm a huge fan of record-keeping, having read long ago that ago that record-keeping in and of itself brings about change. Over the years, tracking habits on a chart has helped me eat more greens and fresh fruit, make cold calls, greet strangers, learn Spanish and increase my writing output.

Along with my messages to Marilyn, I track my workouts in my journal. I also sent Bea a photo of me doing squats. She wrote back, "This made my day! Look at that squat depth. Love to see it!" She was also delighted that I'd added Pilates, "a great way to cultivate bodyweight strength and build your core from all sides." 

I won't need another bone density test for two years, but I've already accomplished my original goal of being able to squat and am going strong — carrying heavy objects longer, strengthening my core and bending more easily.

What I didn't expect was how important my routine would become. Soon after I start, a calm, quiet hush settles over me. No one is around, and I hear only my breathing, the bells of a nearby church, and the sound of birds twittering. The half hour has unexpectedly become one of my favorite weekly routines, a time to slow down, unwind and appreciate my body.