Bone Health 101: Osteoporosis Facts & Tips
Katie Dailey
Founding Clinician, Groove Health
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis ("porous bone") is a condition that results in weak, brittle bones. This increases the risk of fractures, most commonly experienced in the spine, hip, and wrist.
How Common is It?
If left untreated, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture.
Why Does this Happen?
🦴 Bones are living tissue. They are constantly being remodeled throughout our lifetimes, through a balanced process of building and breaking down bone. In fact, every 10 years, you have a completely new skeleton! As we age, this process can become imbalanced, leading to more bone breakdown than formation. The biggest contributors to this imbalance include:
Hormonal changes (especially estrogen loss in menopause)
Poor nutrition
Lack of exercise
Certain medications and disease states
The Role of Hormones
During menopause, women lose estrogen, a key hormone that helps prevent unwanted breakdown of bone. Without estrogen, bone loss and muscle loss accelerate. In fact, women can lose 10–20% of their bone mass in the first 5–7 years after menopause.
The good news? Strength training and the right nutrients can help slow, stop, or even reverse this process.
How is Osteoporosis Diagnosed?
Osteoporosis is often called a “silent disease” because most people don’t know they have it until they break a bone. The most common test for diagnosis is a DEXA scan, which measures bone density.
Exercise for Stronger Bones
Strength training and weight-bearing exercises are some of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis. People who stay active have 5–15% stronger bones than those who are sedentary!
Even if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia, exercise can help. Studies show that:
✔ You can build 1–3% more bone mass with exercise alone
✔ Targeted strength and stability training can cut fracture risk by up to 50%
✔ Strength training is as effective as some osteoporosis medications—without side effects!
Here at Groove Health, we are experts in treating conditions like osteoporosis and osteopenia. Meet with one of our coaches to get a custom plan for managing your bone health. Click here to get started.
Nutrition for Bone Health
Your bones need key nutrients to stay strong, including:
Calcium – The main building block of bone, found in dairy, leafy greens, and nuts
Vitamin D – Helps absorb calcium, found in fatty fish, eggs, and dairy
Protein – Essential for bone repair, found in meat, beans, eggs, quinoa, nuts, and dairy
The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation recommends:
1,000–1,200 mg of calcium per day
800–1,000 IU of vitamin D per day
70–100 grams of protein per day for most women
