Pilates, Menopause and bone health
By Jo Spacey – Pilates and Yoga Instructor
December 13th, 2023
One of the many benefits of regular Pilates practice is the positive effect it can have on your bones. It’s easy to ignore bone health as it’s not visible (unless you have a fracture), but from your late 30s onwards, bones gradually lose their density. When women reach the menopause, this bone loss accelerates as oestrogen levels fall.
Bone tissue is alive and constantly changes throughout life to make sure it remains as healthy as possible. Your overall bone strength is a combination of the amount of bone tissue you have (your bone density) and how healthy or strong that bone tissue is. Both of these things are affected by age.
Bone tissue is constantly being ‘remodelled’ or renewed. This means that, older, worn-out bone tissue is broken down by specialist cells called osteoclasts, and rebuilt by bone-building cells called osteoblasts.
Up until about the age of 35, there is usually a balance between the amount of bone that is removed, and the amount of bone that is laid down. But this starts to get out of balance with age and is accelerated leading up to the menopause, when hormones are fluctuating. This means that more bone tissue is removed than is replaced, which is why osteoporosis and broken bones become more likely the older we get.
Being physically active and doing exercise helps to keep bones strong and healthy throughout life. That’s because your bones are living tissues that get stronger when you use them. Clinical studies have shown that Pilates can actually help increase your bone mineral density and prevent deterioration.
Pilates exercises are a slow, controlled combination of strengthening with stretching. Also adding weights to some of your Pilates classes means your bones will adapt and become more resilient, as you put heavier loads on your body. Bones stay strong if you give them work to do. That’s why keeping up with exercise as you age is important. It strengthens your muscles and keeps your bones strong – making them less likely to break by maintaining bone strength.
Focusing on bone health early on in the perimenopause is ideal in terms of prevention. However, it’s never too late to start making positive changes and improving your bone health.
Jo Spacey is a certified Pilates and Yoga Instructor, a Personal Trainer and Sports Massage Therapist. She’s also just started her own menopause journey.
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