Show Notes
Did you know that up to 62% of women between 50 and 69 in Australia have poor bone health — and most have no idea? Bone loss doesn’t start in your 70s. It starts around our late 20’s and accelerates during the menopause transition, quietly and without symptoms, long before the health system thinks to check. In this Midlife Unfiltered podcast episode, Anita draws on her own lived experience — a retired radiographer with an Osteoporosis diagnosis at 51, and a journey to reverse it without medication — to bust 8 of the most common myths about bone health and give you the knowledge to take action for yourself, right now. Why This Matters. The numbers are hard to ignore. They are Australian numbers but if you’re in a predominantly English speaking country they are likely to be similar for you too: * 62% of Australian women aged 50–69 have poor bone health (osteopenic or osteoporotic) * 10–20% of bone mass is lost during the menopause transition alone (in that 5–10 year period peri and post menopause) * 70% of women over 79 are osteoporotic * $3.5 billion — the annual cost to Australia’s health system for fracture care And yet in Australia, a subsidised bone scan isn’t available until age 70, unless you have a pre-existing risk factor. That’s a 20+ year gap where lifestyle intervention could make a real difference. That’s a 20 year gap you need to advocate for yourself and fill.— but most women don’t even know their bone health status. 8 Myths & Misconceptions — Busted. In this podcast chat Anita talks about 8 Myths and Misconceptions about bone health. To widen your awareness and arm you with conversation kickers to take to your health care team. Myth 1: Poor bone health Is an old woman’s disease. Bone decline starts around our late 20’s and for women, accelerates during our menopause transition. With about 62% of women having poor bone health (13% osteoporosis and 49% with osteopenia) between 50–69, poor bone health is not just what you get in old age. Don’t wait to find out your bone health status. Ask your doctor for a referral for a DEXA scan costs around $120 AUD . You don’t need a referral for a REMS scan. Reports are explained to you on the spot and are sent to your health team. They cost about $200 AUD. Your health fund may cover most of it. Myth 2: Improving Bone health is a quick fix. Bone is slow-changing tissue. Gains take months to years; loss can happen much faster, especially around menopause. Bone health is a long game no matter what your treatment options — the sooner you start, the better. And don’t give up on them! Myth 3: Medication is my only treatment option. Not at all. The LIFTMOR trials (Dr Belinda Beck, Australia) showed targeted strength training can not only slow bone decline — it can reverse it, sometimes better than medication. Plus it builds muscle and improves balance. HRT is also proven to support bone health in women, independent of menopausal symptoms. There’s a link to the LIFTMOR trial in the Resources section below. Note: walking, running, cycling and swimming won’t build bone. You need impact and loading — jumping, stomping, and targeted strength training. Myth 4: Calcium is all my bones need. Calcium matters absolutely, but it needs support with a healthy diet that offers: * Calcium — the building block - 98% of our calcium stores are in our bones * Protein — bones are made of collagen too; essential for strength * Vitamin D — helps bones absorb calcium (low levels can actually draw calcium out of bone) * Vitamin K — helps direct calcium to your bones * Prunes — yes, really. 5 prunes a day for 12 months has been shown to slow bone loss. Prunes have potassium, boron, magnesium, polyphenols as well as Vitamin K which all support bone health. There’s a link to that study in the Resources section below. Myth 5: Bones just hold me up. Bones are living, metabolic tissue and an endocrine organ. They store and release minerals, respond to hormones and nutrition, and even produce hormones — osteocalc
More from Midlife Unfiltered: The Season Of Me
Eight years ago, at 51, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis caused by an overactive parathyroid gland. I’ve been reversing my osteoporosis ever since, with better results at each scan. That was until two DEXA scans two months apart, on two different machines, told two very different stories. For the first time, it lead me to believe I was not. That I had gone horribly backwards. One made it look as though my hip had slid back towards my pre-surgery levels. The other, on the machine I’d used for years, was far more encouraging. What was ‘true’? What was going on? This episode is about understanding why this can happen, what I did about it and how to read your own reports more closely - to find clarity. It includes the calculations and questions I promised below. This is information, not medical advice. Please take your results and questions to your own doctor or health team.
In this honest conversation, pelvic and sexual health physiotherapist Lisa Fitzpatrick draws on 30+ years of clinical experience and her own heartbreak to explain menopause and sex, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and reclaiming pleasure in midlife. We call out myths and bring truth to misconceptions; the silences surrounding women’s sexual health as we age. Silence that breeds shame and holds women captive in their own minds and bodies. Clinically, we explore the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), why pelvic floor relaxation matters as much as strengthening, vaginal moisturisers and lubricants, local oestrogen, and why ‘use it or lose it’ applies to pelvic health. Emotionally, we talk about shame, nervous system safety, identity, desire, relationships and the role of connection and self-trust in thriving after menopause. Whether you are navigating menopause yourself, supporting a partner, or simply want to understand women’s sexual health in midlife, this episode offers compassionate, practical insight.
In midlife the changes are BIG. The rate of those divorcing over the age of 50 is at an all time high. Increasingly too, the ‘relationships’ we have with AI are becoming deeper and wider in application and in frequency. When it comes to Grey Divorce, AI’s role is also deepening, some may say becoming a dependence. As much as those conversations about your divorce, your relationship, your marriage you may be having with Claude, Chat GPT (name your preferred AI) seem helpful, they do come with certain risks you may not be aware of. That’s the focus of this podcast chat. Not to scare, to inform. For awareness. I sat down with Kiki Hart (aka Louise Cooper). Louise is a lawyer, accredited mediator, and someone who’s been through a divorce herself, to unpack where midlife, divorce and artificial intelligence are all colliding at once. I came away with a lot to think about, and I suspect you will too. In this episode… Grey divorce is real, and it’s us Kiki lead the conversation with some stats around divorce trends here in Australia (which are not that dissimilar to those in the US and elsewhere). Whilst divorce rates have remained reasonably steady overall it’s the divorces involving marriages of 20 years or more that have proportionally risen 20% in Australia since the 1980s. The shift is happening at the 50-plus stage of life. Some of the numbers we discussed: * Median age at divorce in Australia in 2025: 47.3 for men, 44.4 for women * 29% of Australian divorces are now ‘grey divorces’ (people 50+) * In the US, the rate of over-50s divorcing roughly doubled between 1990 and 2010. * Overall divorce rates are sitting near their lowest since the mid-1970s - it’s specifically midlife driving the trend upward, not divorce in general
Squash is often called the world’s healthiest sport. In this episode of the Midlife Unfiltered podcast my squash coach Caleb Johnson joins me to unpack why. I also share my own return to the game after 30 years. Squash is on the rise again. Is it for you? The ball’s in your court 🙂 In this episode we talk about: * Caleb – as an Australian professional squash player, squash and fitness coach, runs a junior academy and squash advocate. * What makes squash different from most racquet sports - it has no net that separates players (for starters) and the benefits of that. * Racquet sports – in order of popularity * A brief history of squash and its evolution – the popular years and its rapid decline * Squash as an inclusion in the 2028 LA Olympics – and its rise again. * The health benefits of racquet sports in general * The physical health benefits of squash specifically: high calories burned (600–1,000 calories/hour), cardio challenging, muscles and bone benefits from multi-movements and multi-directional impacts – without the level of injury of other forms of sport * Tarek Momen vs. Rafael Nadal: a wild real-world comparison of match intensity – how tennis and squash compare. Not to knock tennis (we both love tennis) but to highlight the differences and impacts on health. * High intensity, ‘interval training’ nature of the sport PLUS endurance. * Brain and neural health benefits – squash is called ‘chess on legs’ – split second decision making and anticipation of where the ball is going next and where to place it. * Caleb shares a personal story about his friend with 7% vision who restored vision. through playing squash – he’s hoping it will be studied in the future. * Bone & Muscle health – how it helps our bones and muscles (and the study that shows this) * The ease to integrate it into life – doesn’t take up much time, can practice on your own (no balls to chase on the other side of the net!), build skills, play socially, competitively and it’s inexpensive. * Squash’s Olympic debut at LA 2028, and what it means for the sport’s future * The sport everyone’s Dad used to play – now it’s on the rise again. * How to start playing squash – as a new sport; * How to get back into squash again – the mind-body gap, and how to do it safely – people like me coming back to squash after 3 decades away (we are the risk group guys); warming up for as long as you play for starters. Here’s to squash in the 2028 in the LA Olympics and then 2032 in our home town of Brisbane, Australia. Get out there and start squashing in your local area. Unfortunately, our audio mucked up in the final minutes of our chat, sorry. Thank goodness for the subtitles! Find Caleb: Caleb Johnson Squash - Instagram, Facebook, and website Related Midlife Unfiltered episodes: * Bone Chatter: Strong Bones Are More Than Density * Re-Entry in Midlife: Who You Were Before Kids If you’d like a full deep-dive - history, global participation, the studies behind every claim, and more…keep reading below. The full story: I picked up a squash racquet when I was about 6. After 30 years since competing, I’m back playing squash for the health benefits I know it brings. Join Caleb Johnson, my fabulous squash coach and I as we explore this brilliant, unique racquet sport. It’s been called the #1 all-round healthiest sport and is often referred to as ‘chess on legs’. Meet Caleb. Caleb is a professional squash player and coach, currently ranked 311 in the world and #15 in Australia. He started playing at 14, (late by professional standards, where most competitors start at 4, 5, or 6) and became Australia’s #1 under-19 player by 18. He turned professional at 22. His goal…crack the top 100, and maybe, just maybe, an Olympic team spot in 2028. Alongside his own playing career, he coaches clients from age 5 to 85. Squash is different from other racquet sports. Unlike tennis, table tennis, pickleball, badminton, or padel, players share the exact same physical space. There’s no net that separate
Sarah is my optometrist. Actually, Sarah and Sally both are. I’ve been asking my health team members specifically about what their ‘area of body expertise’ is affected in peri-menopause and post-menopausally. To get the facts straight from the expert’s mouth. I had my bi-annual eye exam recently and asked Sally if there are any conditions she knew of that are more prominent in midlife, that are attributable to menopause? Instantly, she said “yes, Dry Eye Disease“ and “Sarah is the one to speak about it. (Yep, she threw Sarah straight under the bus. Thankfully they’re great mates). And Sarah said “yes”. We talk a lot about how menopause dries things up - skin, mouth, vagina. You know. You can probably add a few more to the list. Turns out, dry eyes are too and most of us have no idea. Why is that? Is it the lack of research? Lack of clinical knowledge? Or the simple fact that we’re just not talking about it? Probably all 3. So today Sarah and I are changing that. With her 20+ years of clinical and academic experience in optometry, running a dedicated Dry Eye Clinic and as a woman in midlife, Sarah is perfectly positioned to talk to us about what happens to our eyes in this time of life and what we can do to help them as we age. Yep, she’s our gal! Because that blurry vision you blame on needing a new prescription, or thinking your watery, gritty, tired eyes are because of seasonal changes (and the season of your life), this episode is for you. Let’s go!