Quote Originally Posted by Robyn Maislin
I also am half way to osteoporosis. I can't take Fosomax (it made me deathly sick to my stomach) so I am on Evista. So far, it hasn't helped. I've been taking calcium for 20 years, but i have never been a milk drinker. Hopefully, weight training will help this, but I can't train hard when i am riding a lot, it just makes my muscles too sore. I hope I don't end up a hunchback on a bike when i am 60. I tried running last year, but I just hate it. So, I started mountain biking last fall and hiking a little, and while I enjoy these, it's a whole new set of skills, esp. the mountain biking. Well, enough of my rambling.
Well, maybe that's one benefit to all my extra flab -- it's more for me to carry around, so everything I do is weight training! *sigh*

After reading about the cycling/osteoporosis connection, I asked my dr. about a bone density test at my next visit (I'm 27). She said that it really wouldn't be useful because some people, like herself, have bones that are less dense. She said that the only useful info is the differential in two tests taken a year or two (?) apart around the onset of menopause, because they can then see how much you're losing. If they do find that you have low bone density at a younger age, all they can really do is tell you to get more calcium and do weight-bearing exercise, which they'd tell you to do anyway.

I'm sure your dr. has it all in hand, but I just thought I'd share this little anecdote ...

Anyway, mountain biking, while fun, really won't do much, if anything, for bone density. Hiking is much better. But I don't think you have to get excessively sore in order to see bone benefits from weight training; are you getting enough potassium in your diet? Is it possible to splurge and get some massage work done? I go to a massage therapist whenever I can free up some cash, and she's helped me find and fix a lot of muscle issues.