Topic Overview
Weight-bearing exercises, started in your youth and
continued throughout your life, can help prevent
. These exercises, such as walking,
jogging, climbing, dancing, or lifting weights, help you build strong bones as
a young person, and then help you maintain your bone thickness (density) as an
adult. But if you stop exercising, your bones will begin to thin. Starting
these exercises at any age will help prevent bone loss. It is best to do
weight-bearing exercise for at least 2½ hours a week. One way to do this is to
be active 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. In addition to
weight-bearing exercise, experts recommend that you do resistance exercises at
least 2 days a week.
Exercises that are not weight-bearing, such as swimming, are good for
your general health. But they do not work your muscles and bones against
gravity and so they do not stimulate new bone growth.