Shrinking as we age

[klmama]

Is there any way to slow the shrinking that comes with age?  I'm seeing it happen to others in the family, some pretty rapidly, and I assume it will happen to me someday.  Any suggestions? 

 

 

[Pawz4me]

At almost 51 I've already lost an inch or two, and I didn't have it to spare to begin with. :sad:   Now I'm trying to get in the habit of doing yoga.  Might help, can't hurt.

[Cinder]

MIL's doc recommended weight training to build muscle.

[redsquirrel]

exercise helps a great deal. Especially core work to keep you upright. And yes to weights! 

But if you are referring to bone loss, that has to do with diet and exercise.

 

I recently learned that the main teachers at my son's ballet school are much older than I thought they were. One teacher is in her mid 70s and I sincerely thought she was in her late 50s. And that was only because I figured she must be that old, she looks to be in her early 50s, but I thought that wasn't possible. The owner and main teacher is about to be 60 and again, I knew she was older than me but I think she looks 45. These are not women who dye their hair or wear make up. They are both fully grey, but they carry themselves with such ease and stand so straight and tall and steady that they seem much younger than their years. My husband's jaw was on the floor when I told him how old they are.

 

The older teacher, in her mid 70s, is older than our parents and she seems so much younger. Just to see her walk down the street, she looks younger than they do.

[Kerileanne99]

I am shrinking too!! Definitely think posture helps, and yoga or Pilates.

 

Although when I complained of this to my hubby recently he told me not to worry, that not ALL of me is shrinking. He assured me that your nose, ears, and feet continue to grow all of your life!

Thanks dear...

[Amy in NH]

At 40 I gained a 1/2 inch by improving my posture through the use of a roller similar to this one.

[gardenmom5]

physical exercise that stresses the bones and builds muscle. calcium your body will actually absorb, and protein.

yoga is actually supposed to be good for keeping limber and it will tax the bones.

 

this is a subject dear to me as my paternal grandmother had severe osteoporosis.  she lost four or five INCHES in height.  I was shocked when I was told she'd been 5'7, and saw a picture of her as a young woman and she was tall.  I only knew her as this tiny petite thing who was badly hunched over.

[Deee]

I think gravity is squashing me and pushing bits out sideways;)

[Cinder]

I didn't think of bone loss causing shrinking. With my mil--she's actually losing weight, not height, in spite of maintaining a fairly healthy diet and continuing to exercise. She's 86yo and walks about 2.5 miles per day; she's been doing that for decades. That's why her doc recommended weight training to try to stop the weight loss since she has no other health issues.

[Pawz4me]

In my case it's mot bone loss. My mom had severe osteoporosis, so I've already had two bone density scans. Both showed my bone density to be slightly above normal for my age.

[ChiMomNP]

I am 41. I lost 2 inches this past year. I went from 5'3 and 5'1. So NOT fair. My normal BMI dropped by several pounds and I had to lose the "extra" due to my height loss to avoid the $1200 penalty my DH's insurer slaps on you for not being a healthy BMI. 

[Negin]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, since my mom's been shrinking. None of us are tall to begin with. Her osteoporosis is really quite bad. :(

 

Agreeing with all the suggestions - yoga, barre, Pilates, Classical Stretch. I'm doing my best to implement them more often. 

 

At 40 I gained a 1/2 inch by improving my posture through the use of a roller similar to this one.

 

[Carrie12345]

I did a very basic google search recently, and it is supposedly normal for the spine to compress a bit, as early as age 40. Early/rapid height loss should be looked into. Dh, at 36, has lost 2" already. When he pulled his back last week, the urgent care doc did an xray and told him he had the back of a long haul trucker. He's supposed to see the orthopedist.

 

So, I'm guessing, do the opposite of sitting all day!

[KungFuPanda]

Study dance. I gained 1 1/4 inches after a few years of dance classes as an adult. I'd always been healthy and active, but there's just something different about dance posture and developing the core muscles to take some of the strain off your back.

 

You don't have to become a ballerina, but every dance form will stress posture in the beginning. Just find an adult rec class.

[Negin]

Not sure if Katy Bowman has been mentioned on this thread or not, but I just saw this and have yet to read it all. Her books and DVDs are tempting me :D. 

[Tanaqui]

But if you are referring to bone loss, that has to do with diet and exercise.

 

And also strength training. Many people don't know this, especially women, but building muscle helps to build bone mass at the same time.

 

[bettyandbob]

Weight bearing exercise and weight training. My preferred exercise, swimming, is not weight bearing. Running, walking, dancing are weight bearing.

[GailV]

Not sure if Katy Bowman has been mentioned on this thread or not, but I just saw this and have yet to read it all. Her books and DVDs are tempting me :D.

I was going to link that exact article! It may not be the answer to everyone's shrinkage, but it surely covers a lot.

 

Side note: alignment and posture are different. I appear to have good posture, but I'm doing all sorts of janky things with my spine, like thrusting my rib cage, that probably shorten me. Alignment is what I'm doing all the time in every movement, which loads my tissues certain ways that tell my body "hey, we need some more building materials over here!"

 

Yes, yes, yes - get her books! You'll love them! The more I read of her blog and her books, the more I'm amazed at how she's brought together physiology, medicine, physics, anthropology, and other branches of science into one coherent, plausible discussion. She has changed my life (and dd's - we now hang from a bar several times per day).

 

Edited for autocorrect goofiness.

[VeganCupcake]

I third the recommendation to look into Katy Bowman's work. It has been very helpful to me.

[Saraswati]

I have an inversion table - the decompression therapy has done wonders for me.

 

http://teeter-inversion.com/Why-Inversion/Benefits-of-Inversion/

[gardenmom5]

keeping the spine healthy - so the cartilage between the vertebra is healthy, as well as the vertebra themselves.  that's where most people loose height.

 

since I really started yoga again - I feel taller.  I can reach things more easily. there is evidence it helps the spaces between vertebra as well as strengthens muscles to improve posture.  my posture is now very good.  better than many women who are younger than me.

I go to a chiro, on an irregular basis (it supports the yoga - but doing yoga means I don't have to go as often)

 

calcium and vitamin d3 as they help keep bones healthy.  

[trulycrabby]

I had lost two inches in height over the years, but gained them back doing yoga. The doc commented on it last checkup. I am 51.

[shukriyya]

I was going to link that exact article! It may not be the answer to everyone's shrinkage, but it surely covers a lot.

 

Side note: alignment and posture are different. I appear to have good posture, but I'm doing all sorts of janky things with my spine, like thrusting my rib cage, that probably shorten me. Alignment is what I'm doing all the time in every movement, which loads my tissues certain ways that tell my body "hey, we need some more building materials over here!"

 

Yes, yes, yes - get her books! You'll love them! The more I read of her blog and her books, the more I'm amazed at how she's brought together physiology, medicine, physics, anthropology, and other branches of science into one coherent, plausible discussion. She has changed my life (and dd's - we now hang from a bar several times per day).

 

Edited for autocorrect goofiness.

 

Could you say more about hanging from a bar. I'm intrigued. And which books/dvds of hers in particular would you recommend?

 

[MIch elle]

homemade bone broth

 

See

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Broth-Old-Fashioned-Remedy-Modern/dp/1455529222

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967089735/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1455529222&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=09HDZZJJDSK8RVFH0CME

 

 

[GailV]

Could you say more about hanging from a bar. I'm intrigued. And which books/dvds of hers in particular would you recommend?

 

We bought a chin up bar that fits in a doorway from Walmart. We put it in a doorway that we pass dozens of time each day, and when we pass by we grab it and hang briefly. At this point we're just working on building up our hands (a couple of weeks ago dd went across monkey bars for the first time in years and really felt like she was ripping up the skin of her hands).

 

I decided to start working with this to build loads on my wrists since that's a spot that tends towards osteoporosis. Once I started I realized that I was helping my core strength.

 

The blog Alignment Monkey has some videos about learning to do pull ups and chin ups with good form. I think Katy Bowman also explains what steps to take to begin building upper body strength. I'm moving very, very slowly in that direction.

 

I like all Katy's books, so I might not be helpful there. Move Your DNA is short but very dense (very readable though). Alignment Matters is a compilation so lots of old blog posts. The only videos I've watched are the online ones.

[shukriyya]

We bought a chin up bar that fits in a doorway from Walmart. We put it in a doorway that we pass dozens of time each day, and when we pass by we grab it and hang briefly. At this point we're just working on building up our hands (a couple of weeks ago dd went across monkey bars for the first time in years and really felt like she was ripping up the skin of her hands).

 

I decided to start working with this to build loads on my wrists since that's a spot that tends towards osteoporosis. Once I started I realized that I was helping my core strength.

 

The blog Alignment Monkey has some videos about learning to do pull ups and chin ups with good form. I think Katy Bowman also explains what steps to take to begin building upper body strength. I'm moving very, very slowly in that direction.

 

I like all Katy's books, so I might not be helpful there. Move Your DNA is short but very dense (very readable though). Alignment Matters is a compilation so lots of old blog posts. The only videos I've watched are the online ones.

 

This is great, thanks! I've been looking over her website and looking at some vids. I like her no-nonsense approach and her materials seem really grounded in scientific fact.

[Liz CA]

Boy...I read "Stinking while we age." Getting coffee now.

[VeganCupcake]

Could you say more about hanging from a bar. I'm intrigued. And which books/dvds of hers in particular would you recommend?

 

 

I have several of the e-courses. I think Science of the Psoas is really good if you have hip/pelvic floor/knee issues. Super Supple Shoulders is great if you are trying to correct rib thrust and kyphosis, as well as tight shoulder girdle.

 

Really, there isn't anything that's not great. I love the alignment snacks, too.

[shukriyya]

I have several of the e-courses. I think Science of the Psoas is really good if you have hip/pelvic floor/knee issues. Super Supple Shoulders is great if you are trying to correct rib thrust and kyphosis, as well as tight shoulder girdle.

 

Really, there isn't anything that's not great. I love the alignment snacks, too.

Thanks. The alignment snacks despite the silly name look like an accessible place to begin. Trying to decide which of her books to start with as well. They all look good!

[redsquirrel]

And also strength training. Many people don't know this, especially women, but building muscle helps to build bone mass at the same time.

 

Yes, that was the exercise part of diet and exercise, lol

[mathnerd]

I had lost two inches in height over the years, but gained them back doing yoga. The doc commented on it last checkup. I am 51.

There are several poses in yoga that stretch the vertebra which are compressed over time. So, it is true that yoga does stretch out the body.

[VeganCupcake]

Thanks. The alignment snacks despite the silly name look like an accessible place to begin. Trying to decide which of her books to start with as well. They all look good!

 

That is really hard to say. I have them all and I'm reading Move Your DNA right now, and it is fantastic. But I think part of the reason that it is so great is because I have read so much of her previous material and I have some understanding of the complexity of these issues--that I probably don't just have a hip problem, but a whole body problem. You can't change the way you use one joint of your body without dramatically affecting (for good or bad) others.

[shukriyya]

Yep, interdependence on the micro level. Perhaps I'll start with the compilation of her blog material. That looks fairly extensive. Have you done any bar work, hanging, chin-ups etc?

[klmama]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.  Starting yoga this week. 

[Tanaqui]

Yes, that was the exercise part of diet and exercise, lol

 

I see what you're saying here. Because many women, when they think of exercise, automatically assume aerobic exercise (also good!) and don't consider weight training at all, I tend to follow that mold and list them separately, so it didn't occur to me that you wouldn't do that :)

 

[VeganCupcake]

Yep, interdependence on the micro level. Perhaps I'll start with the compilation of her blog material. That looks fairly extensive. Have you done any bar work, hanging, chin-ups etc?

 

I have a chin up bar that I hang from a couple of times a day, and when we go to the park, I try to do some hanging.

 

The blog book is very good. 

[redsquirrel]

We have a chin up bar in the house and I can't even reach it. :lol:

 

So, all this sitting on the floor we should be doing... does anyone do it?

 

I had a 2 hour wait during ds2's TKD class and there is a waiting area with a large and soft carpet. I spent the time sitting while reading and then knitting. 2 hours is a long wait, lol.

 

Sitting like that was fairly comfortable because there is a thick carpet. I moved around a lot, at one point reading while on my stomach. But at home the floor is wood with no carpet and cold in the winter.

 

But is it 'correct' that when I sit on the floor I am shifting this way and that? I sit cross legged, then on my knees with my feet under me, then in a straddle sit, then in a 'hurdle' position, etc, etc. I wasn't uncomfortable in any of those positions, I just felt more comfortable shifting and adjusting every few mins.

 

And apparently I have fairly good alignment and flexibility. I can stand up from the floor without touching anything to help me up and I can get into a deep squat easily.

[Negin]

Yes, yes, yes - get her books! You'll love them! The more I read of her blog and her books, the more I'm amazed at how she's brought together physiology, medicine, physics, anthropology, and other branches of science into one coherent, plausible discussion. She has changed my life (and dd's - we now hang from a bar several times per day).

 

 

I third the recommendation to look into Katy Bowman's work. It has been very helpful to me.

I ordered nine of her Alignment Snacks and was very excited to start on them. So far, I've done two and I'm really not at all impressed. I was hoping for more - something in the stretching category or whatever. I will try the other seven. Here's a thread where others review her stuff it in more detail. 

 

, on 12 Oct 2014 - 11:21 AM, said:

I have an inversion table - the decompression therapy has done wonders for me.

 

http://teeter-inversion.com/Why-Inversion/Benefits-of-Inversion/

I've been thinking of getting one for the longest while. Thank you for the reminder. 

 

homemade bone broth

 

 

Thank you for the links. I've known this for quite a while and need to get motivated to do this on a regular basis. 

 

We bought a chin up bar that fits in a doorway from Walmart. We put it in a doorway that we pass dozens of time each day, and when we pass by we grab it and hang briefly. At this point we're just working on building up our hands (a couple of weeks ago dd went across monkey bars for the first time in years and really felt like she was ripping up the skin of her hands).

 

The blog Alignment Monkey has some videos about learning to do pull ups and chin ups with good form. I think Katy Bowman also explains what steps to take to begin building upper body strength. I'm moving very, very slowly in that direction.

 

We have a chin-up/pull-up bar, but I have a very hard time with it. My wrists get so sore. I seldom use it anymore. 

[SarahW]

In addition to all of the above - Vitamin K2.

 

It moves calcium out of your blood and into your bones. 

[J-rap]

Interesting thread!  I haven't lost any height, but because I'm now in my early 50's my doctor did a bone test recently and said my hips are showing very slight osteopenia.  That was scary to me!  My mother has lost about 5 inches (began in her late 70's, and now she is 86).  My sister was a dancer and exercises regularly, but she is already losing height.  (She is significantly older then me, but much younger than my mother when she started losing height.)   However, my sister was on epilepsy drugs all her life and I've heard that can expedite osteoporosis.

 

Anyway, it's definitely in my genes, so this been on my mind recently too.  Thanks for all the good suggestions!  I'm going to check out that Katy Bowman site.

[shukriyya]

This is such a great thread. I'm waiting on my chin up bar. Missed the delivery on Friday so hopefully tomorrow it'll come. As far as k2...taken with k1 and vitamins A and D helps absorption of each of them. Designs for Health makes a very good one:: http://catalog.designsforhealth.com/Vitamin-D-Complex-60-capsules?sc=2&category=3796

[VeganCupcake]

I ordered nine of her Alignment Snacks and was very excited to start on them. So far, I've done two and I'm really not at all impressed. I was hoping for more - something in the stretching category or whatever. I will try the other seven. Here's a thread where others review her stuff it in more detail. 

 

 

I bought her Science of the Psoas web class a couple of years ago and the first time I did the exercises, I said to myself, "What the heck is this supposed to do??" because it felt like it was doing nothing. I have since found that they really do work wonders for me, if I do them regularly. I can also very easily undo any good I've done by doing them by spending a couple of days being really sedentary.

[VeganCupcake]

 

But is it 'correct' that when I sit on the floor I am shifting this way and that? I sit cross legged, then on my knees with my feet under me, then in a straddle sit, then in a 'hurdle' position, etc, etc. I wasn't uncomfortable in any of those positions, I just felt more comfortable shifting and adjusting every few mins.

 

And apparently I have fairly good alignment and flexibility. I can stand up from the floor without touching anything to help me up and I can get into a deep squat easily.

 

The Restorative Exercise Institute produces a poster (and it's printed in Move Your DNA) of various resting postures around the world. It's absolutely normal and desirable to shift between them so that you are not just freezing yourself into one set of movements over the years. Here's a link: http://www.katysays.com/thinking-outside-the-classroom-chair/ It's also a really good post about kids and sitting in chairs.