everything i did this past year to improve my bones

...and let's face it, it could be none of these things and i am lucky

My bones improved 15% last year. To say my doctor was shocked would be an understatement. I cannot wait to see what my PT says today as she cautioned me against hopeful improvement. We were all just hoping my bones would not get worse. I am 33 years old. At age 30, women tend to see a shift in the behavior of our bones. The mechanisms that build them strong recede and the balance of bone remodeling shifts toward resorptive behavior. However, as luck would have it, my bones got better last year and I want to nail down what might have contributed. The following is an exhaustive list as to what I purposely did to improve my health:

1. I gained 15 pounds immediately

   1. This is self explanatory. I was in a healthy weight range but hadn’t been previously when I lost my period. I was also underweight for a long period of time. My dietician told me that to be safe, we need to put on 10 pounds and hold it. Overachiever I suppose in this one, but honestly I think my perspective here is that I am tired of diet culture, tired of maintaining a standard, tired of the bullshit. Breaking my pelvis and fixing my bones seemed a lot more important than weight. I guess when you hit a rock bottom, things come more into perspective.

2. I started taking a calcium supplement before running in the morning

   1. This research I found organically while writing a paper for my biological seminar class. There is quite a bit of research showing that taking a calcium supplement before exercise maintains serum calcium levels. When calcium levels drop, parathyroid hormone is released and signals to bone cells they need to break down and release calcium to the blood stream. This is when bones get weaker (don’t worry, they build back up!) during exercise. Taking a supplement that maintains calcium theoretically should prevent PTH secretion and therefore maintain bone integrity. I don’t know if this worked at all but I figured the worst is I pee out more calcium.

3. I went on estrogen replacement therapy

   1. 0.1mg estradiol patch, placed on my lower hip

4. I started taking a daily 65mg iron and 125mg vitamin D supplement

   1. I take iron because my ferritin was on the lower end

   2. I started taking vitamin D so that the calcium supplement I take every morning will get absorbed

5. I walked with a 30lb weighted vest for 30 minutes twice per week

   1. This is my research and I believe in it, so I decided to test it out.

6. I strength trained both upper and lower body twice per week

   1. Lower body: back squat, deadlift, eccentric calf raises

   2. Upper body: bench press, bent over row, shoulder press

7. I did a PT routine (30 minutes approximately) twice per week

   1. Thanks Caitlin! She was the second person I told about my stress fracture and bones and immediately stepped in to give me a program that would load my spine without breaking me further. She taught me that it doesn’t have to be hard nor do I need to be sore for things to be effective. She is right. I have never been sore or tired from completing her PT, though the concentration and balancing is always humbling.

8. I switched all my milks to whole milk

   1. This was mostly due to having someone in my life who drinks a lot of whole milk and me wanting to stop using protein powder.

9. I added a collagen supplement, creatine supplement and BHB supplement to my breakfast

   1. The research on these items being beneficial is mixed, but there isn’t really a downside. Creatine is one of the most researched supplements and has many other benefits outside of bone health. Collagen, if nothing else, is added protein to my sugary cereals and milk. BHB is beta-hydroxybutyrate, which is also the active ingredient in ketones. If you buy the powder it’s really cheap, and there is some research concerning the recovery benefits. I figured at worst it’s expensive salt and providing electrolytes.

10. I switched careers to one where I sit for most of the day

    1. I miss Skratch dearly, but I do think it was too much time on my feet for my current health. I try to move around once an hour while I sit at my computer researching, and I do walk a lot during the labs I teach, but my body has much more time to rest these days. I try to get my Garmin to tell me “Nice! Your restful day has improved your recovery!” every day by 2PM. It is meaningless but it helps me remember to check-in with myself and see if I should do my second workout or go home.

11. My coach changed my training when I started running again

    1. When we jumped in (which happened very gradually) I did not run more than two days in a row, often taking 3 rest days a week. We then added cross training on those rest days. Then one of those rest days turned into a 45 minute easy run. I only hit 6 days a week of running a few weeks before the Comrades marathon.

I’m sure all or none or some of these things contributed. I still had a lot of stress. I still slept like shit some nights. I still get a awful lot of anxiety about injury. My sports psychologist and friend Mario once said “are you doing everything you can to improve your bones? Well if that’s the case then whatever happens is just luck and you cannot control that.” When I look at everything I do to keep my bones healthy and strong, that helps me rest a bit easier. I still get really sad sometimes, when I think about losing running or movement, but I take comfort in that I am trying. I am doing my best with the cards I am dealt. I made some mistakes, but I am learning from them and won’t make them again.

I hope this list helps someone else. But mostly, it reminds me of what I’ve done. And I am proud of that.