The skeletal and hormone systems are actually quite complex and therefore, can seem overwhelming on finding the best balance for your systems. Both systems change quite dramatically over a life span and both of these system changes are part of the aging process, so there are factors we just can’t modify or control. However, we know these systems are impacted by a variety of lifestyle factors such as; nutrition, mechanical loading, exercise, stress, sleep, anxiety and the list goes on.

We want to maintain a healthy skeletal system as it is a lattice of support for our body and a storehouse for minerals. A well-functioning hormone system supports the skeleton’s growth and health as well as every tissue in our body.

Bone Health

Bone consists of calcium and phosphate bound in a matrix of collagen to make it resilient and allows impact to be absorbed without breaks. When we don’t provide our body with enough nutrition to support the hormone and bone regulation our systems become imbalanced.

I will relate this to the sayings ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’ or ‘form follows function’. These systems will respond to the food you eat and the exercise load you put through your body. Not doing or eating enough will strip the body of nutrients and load which is needed to reinforce growth. If there are inadequate hormones regulating through the body, it will seek stores from the bone system to supply where necessary and vice versus. On the other end of the spectrum doing too much or foregoing sleep will lead to an overactive system to keep up with demand. Examples of this can be a woman losing her menstrual cycle or a male who continues to get stress fractures from exercise. These are imbalanced and you could say unhealthy systems.

These two systems are complex. The skeletal system’s health is multifactorial, and the hormone system is only one influencer that can have positive or negative effects on our bone health. What you can do for your hormone health and in turn, your bone health which you can control can be simple – prioritise your health and listen to your body.  Make sure you find your balance. Do not underestimate how important sleep, stress management, and eating well and moving can be for your body.

Prioritising your Health

In my experience usually working on one or two of these things will also influence another. If you feel you aren’t managing well with any or all of these in your current lifestyle, please seek appropriate help to work through these. Identify why you might not be eating enough, not sleeping or exercising too little or too much then find a professional that can help you to ensure you go through the lifespan with healthy bones that can carry your body to achieve all you wish to do in your life.

If you are worried about your bone health, then a Bone Mineral Density Scan can be ordered from your doctor and a blood test to determine your mineral levels can be of value too to determine what you might need in your diet. Please see below for critical hormones that regulate bone health and have this discussion with a trusted doctor.

Table Most Critical Systemic Hormones Regulating Bone

If you would like to discuss your health, training levels, or injury management with one of our professionals, contact TPM on (02) 66540237 or email info@tpmwoopi.com.au

From: 2, The Basics of Bone in Health and Disease Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General. Office of the Surgeon General (US). Rockville (MD): Office of the Surgeon General (US); 2004. Copyright Notice NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.