What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Characterised by the thinning and weakening of bones, it stealthily undermines bone health and increases the risk of fractures.

It is often called a 'silent disease' because it progresses without symptoms until a bone fracture occurs. 

This is exactly what happened to Helen Davis back in 2022. She had a simple fall which lead to her breaking both her wrists.

She was subsequently diagnosed with Osteoporosis.

This was a complete shock for Helen, she was in her mid 50's, was a yoga teacher and a hypnotherapist.

To all intents and purposes she was fit and healthy. 

She realised that the slow yoga she had been practicing and teaching for years wasn’t providing enough resistance and weight-bearing activity to create the strong bones she needed to support her body into an active and vibrant old age.

Helen wanted to understand how and why our bones deteriorate as we get older, what that means for our long-term health – and, of course, what we can do about it!

She discovered that bone density starts decreasing gradually for everyone at around age 35.

Plus the dramatic drop in oestrogen levels that accompanies peri-menopause and menopause accelerates this decline in women. In fact, some women can lose as much as 20% of their bone density over this 5-10 year period!

The long-term effects of osteoporosis can include:

• Increased risk of fractures from even minor falls or accidents 
• Loss of height and the stooped posture known as 'dowager's hump' the result of individual vertebrae in the spine collapsing
• Extensive fractures and vertebral collapses which can lead to chronic pain and discomfort. All of which can have a dramatic impact on our mobility and independence as we get older
• And in this context, 'getting older' starts in our 30's, 40's and 50's  

During Helen's journey to discover more about Osteoporosis she came across a movement-based process  called Bones For Life®  and within just 9 months she had completely replaced yoga postures in both her personal practice and her business!

So what is Bones For Life® ?

Bones for Life  uses natural movements to promote bone health and possibly prevent osteoporosis. It uses unique weight-bearing patterns to teach you how to safely transfer gravitational force through your skeleton without causing undue stress.

The outcome is a collection of 90 distinct movement practices, referred to as "processes," designed to help you tap into your body's "movement intelligence" and generate the rhythmic, dynamic movements necessary for bone strengthening.

Over time, these processes can also enhance postural alignment, stability, and balance, consequently reducing the risk of falls—an effective measure in preventing bone fractures.

Bones for Life  is now taught in over 30 countries worldwide, however, it’s still relatively unknown in the UK with only about 40 teachers across the UK and Ireland.

Helen is passionate about sharing the message of Bones for Life,  and she has created a 4-week Introduction to Bones for Life course that explores the key processes and foundational practices of the programme. She has extended an invite to all my blog readers to join her next Introduction course. 

 The usual cost of the course is £111 but you can enrol for just £99 using the discount code ANDREA99 

If you want to find out more about the Bones for life course you can learn more HERE

Sign up to receive Helen's newsletter and find out more about Bones for life HERE

Assess your own risk using the Q fracture  risk calculator HERE