“Cardiovascular conditioning

Cardiovascular workouts should involve bearing weight. So walking, jogging and dancing are preferable to swimming or biking. It’s also important to dial up your exercise intensity.

•    To improve bone density, heighten the intensity of your normal walking pace

•    Alternating higher-intensity exercises two to three days a week with lower-intensity activities four to five days a week is most effective.

Strengthening exercises

Work with free weights or use weight machines at the gym to gain strength

•    Remember that exercise is site-specific. So target the areas most prone to fracture: spine, hips and wrists.

•    Weight training is recommended two to three times a week.

•    Strengthen your spinal extensor muscles, which lie over the spine, to improve posture and reduce fracture risk by doing the following exercise daily:

•    Stomp your feet to increase bone density in your hips. Do four stomps on each foot twice a day using enough pressure to crush a can.

Stretching

•    Perform stretches slowly and smoothly, to a point of stretch, not pain.

•    For maximum benefit, do stretches once or twice a day.