Osteoporosis in Women — Nobody Talks About How Dangerous It Really Is

Why Lifting Heavy Weights Matters More Than You Think

I think probably the biggest thing I’m focused on right now has to do with my age and how critically important it is to actually make the time to lift very heavy weights at least three times a week. The workout piece is so critically important — nobody tells you just how important it is, especially as a woman, to lift very heavy weights consistently. Otherwise you genuinely run the risk of getting osteoporosis, which is a very real concern for a woman my age, approaching 47 now.

The reality is that one in two women in the United States will break a bone because of osteoporosis. Not may break a bone — will break a bone. That is fifty percent. It is mind-blowing how dangerous that is, and nobody talks about it.

The Advice That’s Actually Working Against You

The thing I have to be so focused on is: am I genuinely lifting heavy weights, actually putting stress on my bones and muscle, and not just using bands? As great as bands are, the resistance isn’t consistent. You have to fully load your body — it’s not just using machines, which isn’t nearly as impactful as using free weights, barbells, something that loads your entire body, specifically your spine and hips.

I didn’t know any of that until I started researching osteoporosis, and the only reason I started was because of how old I was. But the results of not doing it are devastating. I went down this rabbit hole of what actually improves bone density, and it turns out that a lot of the standard advice — from the osteoporosis foundation and the American Medical Association — creates a false sense of security for women.

From a diet perspective, it says to eat plenty of protein, but then lists protein sources that women over 50 really can’t process well. It says things like beans and grains, and that’s terrible advice, because after 40 or 50, your body struggles to process that.

But it’s the movement advice that really gets me. They tell women to avoid lifting heavy weights and avoid impact like jumping, because it could cause fractures — except the only thing that will actually improve your bone density is lifting heavy weights and impact movements like jumping. They recommend foot stomps and walking, and that literally does nothing to prevent or improve osteoporosis, because it’s not enough actual stress and impact on the bone to cause it to remodel. That’s just science.

It’s the same as kids who chew on tough food versus kids who suck on bottles — the ones who don’t create that mechanical stress end up with weak chins and narrow jaws, because the bone never gets the stress it needs to develop properly. The same goes for bone in women, especially approaching or over 50.

That’s actually a lot of what I’ve been focusing on in class — why movement is so important, why deadlifts, why squats, why overhead presses, why burpees, why I insist that you jump. It’s because these are the things you must do to increase bone density.

How I Keep Lifting Heavy on the Road

Traveling makes this difficult, but I do try to make time to go to the hotel gym. I focus on deadlifts using dumbbells — a Romanian deadlift, but it’s the closest you can get to a real deadlift with dumbbells — using the heaviest weight they have, for at least 6 to 10 reps, three sets. I always do a lower body strength movement and an upper body strength movement, plus a circuit.

One day, I’ll do shoulder-to-overhead, like a military press with dumbbells, and deadlifts. The next day, dumbbell front squats as heavy as I can lift — the downside is they’re limited by what my upper body can hold, which is why I prefer barbells — then a bench press or incline bench press with dumbbells, plus some kind of farmer’s carry for grip strength. The last day, a heavy bent-over dumbbell row and a different squat variation, like a suitcase squat or a cyclist squat. So: upper body strength, lower body strength, and a circuit.

The other thing I do is sprint work, two days a week. Walking doesn’t do anything for your bones or muscles — sprinting does, because of the impact. I’ll sprint as fast as I can for 30 seconds, then walk for two minutes, and repeat that 8 to 10 times, so it’s about 30 minutes of sprint work.

Sleep and Eating on the Road

The hydration piece is critically important, especially with flying — it’s so dehydrating. I always bring salt with me and try to have 4 to 8 ounces of salt water every hour, otherwise I get super dehydrated.

But making sure I stop eating three hours before bed is probably one of the biggest things that helps my recovery. I have to be very deliberate: if I’m going to be asleep in three hours, I need to stop eating, or my recovery is completely screwed up. Everyone sleeps terribly when they eat too close to bed, because your body is so focused on digesting that it can’t focus on restorative sleep.

When I travel, I eat my first meal around 7:30 AM and stop eating right around 3:30 or 4:00. That gives me 14 or 15 hours of not eating, and my sleep is so much better. I found that it’s really important for me to eat first thing in the morning so I’m not craving food later in the night. So if I’m doing intermittent fasting while traveling, I frontload all my eating between 7:30 and 3:30, rather than pushing my eating window later.

It makes traveling so much easier. I’m active and moving from about 3:30 to 10:30, so I’m burning calories but not taking anything in — it’s basically an intermittent fast — and my recovery and sleep aren’t screwed up. It’s great.