Remember how much fun it was “growing up”? Everyone made a big fuss about how much bigger and stronger and taller we were getting. It was embarrassing actually, but we learned to accept that one day we would be tall, short, or somewhere in-between.
When we get older no one ever tells us that we look a little shorter. A little chubbier or a little “peaked” perhaps, but never “shorter” because that word suggests that we are getting old.
We have always fussed about being weighed, but now it seems we have something else to worry about. We are shrinking; we are now an inch or maybe even two inches shorter than we used to be. No wonder our clothes feel tighter and our pounds have redistributed.
Height, as you know, is determined by the length of the leg bones, the spine and the skull. The leg bones remain pretty much the same but the spine really does shrink. Those little cushions of cartilage between the bones of the spine wear down and get thinner as we age. The end result is that the spine gets shorter and stiffer. This tends to be true whether we have osteoporosis (a bone thinning condition that causes the bones of the spine to crumble) or not.
There are a lot of reasons to protect your bones if you want to be active, healthy and independent. The best way to do this is by fighting bone loss:
• Calcium and Vitamin D (best obtained from diet, rather than pills but do whatever it takes).
• Regular exercise, especially the type that puts stress on the bones. Weight bearing exercise stimulates the creation of new bone tissue.
• Limit tobacco and alcohol use.
• Bone density test if indicated.
Take care of your back. Stop slouching. Stand tall and do whatever it takes to keep your back strong and pain- free. Strengthening, stretching and improving your posture will make you look taller, and your new clothes will fit comfortably.
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