Little old ladies don’t always start out that way. Over time and as we age, the architecture of our spines succumbs to wear and tear. The vertebrae, the interlocking bones that support the spine, begin to thin and the fluid-rich spaces between the vertebrae dehydrate and become stiff.

“Height loss is due to the space between the vertebrae shrinking, or the vertebrae getting crushed down…If a person is losing height, it means that they are aging,” offers Dr. Tyler C. Cymet, an osteopathic physician and assistant professor of internal medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

While losing a few millimeters a year is natural, it can result in unpleasant and even painful complications in our daily lives.

“When the body changes and we lose height, other problems follow. Our body mechanics can change and it can be more difficult to do the same activities we did before. It can change our walking pattern, affect how far we can bend or twist, and the risks of breaking bones is much greater. Also, with an increased curvature breathing becomes less efficient, and we may not be able to get full lung expansion,” says Dr. Cymet.

Rapid or sudden height loss—more than three millimeters a year— may also be a symptom of osteoporosis, a disease that lowers bone mass and bone tissue density and that afflicts more than 75 million people around the world.

Making sure to consume sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamin D and maintaining an active lifestyle are two of the most effective ways in which we bolster the strength of our aging bones.

“The most important foods for bone health are calcium and vitamin D, but having adequate amounts of phosphorous and trace minerals are also very important,” advises Dr. Cymet.

To preserve bone health, The National Institute of Health (USA) recommends that men and women from the ages of 19 to 50 consume at least 1,000mg of calcium a day. Men and women over 50 should consume from 1200 to 1500mg a day.

Keep in mind that vitamin D is essential to the proper absorption of calcium. Sunlight remains the best source of vitamin D—15 minutes in the sun a day can make all the vitamin D you need—but for those in less hospitable climates vitamin D and calcium comes in combination supplements.

Walking, jogging, tennis and weight training are all weight-bearing exercises that in concert with a bone-healthy diet go a long way toward maintaining bone health, muscle strength and flexibility.

“Weight bearing exercises, especially if done at a younger age, help to build thicker and stronger bones. Weight lifting can also help to ‘thicken’ up the bones,” says Dr. Cymet.

Pilates and yoga also provide excellent opportunities for fighting against inevitable diminishment by strengthening the muscles of the core and back.