If you have osteoporosis, exercising is crucial for keeping your bones strong. Osteoporosis means your bone mass and density are lower than normal, increasing your risk of fractures, especially in the hips and spine. Exercises like walking and resistance training can help strengthen your bones and slow bone loss. Exercise can also build your muscles and improve your balance, helping to lower your odds of falling and fracturing a bone, allowing you to stay active and healthy longer. Here are some safe exercise suggestions: 1. **Weight-bearing aerobic exercise**: Examples include walking or climbing stairs, which make your bones work harder than normal movements, helping to strengthen them and slow bone loss. High-impact exercises like jogging, hiking, and playing tennis may put more stress on your bones and joints. If you've had a fracture due to osteoporosis or are at risk for one, you might need to avoid these exercises. 2. **Strength training**: Using weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight to strengthen muscles, especially those near your spine, can help protect your bones. Strength training also puts pressure on your bones, helping to build and maintain bone mass. It's a good idea to ask a physical therapist or certified personal trainer to help create a safe strength training plan. 3. **Flexibility, stability, and balance exercises**: These exercises don't maintain bone mass like weight-bearing aerobic and strength training do, but they lower the risk of falling, improve posture, and protect the spine. Before doing yoga or Pilates, ask your doctor or a physical therapist which exercises to avoid, as some movements like bending forward may not be safe. It's important to talk to your doctor before starting any new type of exercise, especially if your bone density is very low or you've broken a bone before. Listen to your body during and after exercise. If you feel sharp or severe pain, stop immediately and seek medical advice.