Take action on dietary and lifestyle factors to reduce your risk.
Personal Factors
- If you exercise less than three times a week, start to exercise more. Some of the best exercises for bone are walking, jogging, dancing, lifting weights, or any other weight-bearing activity. Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.
- Quit or reduce smoking.
- Ask your pharmacist or doctor if any medications you take interfere with calcium.
- If you are underweight, consider gaining a few pounds through healthy eating and exercise.
- If your menstrual periods are irregular or if you are going through menopause, check with your doctor for suitable advice.
- Learn more about osteoporosis and what you can do to prevent it.
Dietary Factors
- Improve your diet with calcium-rich foods. Find out if you’re getting enough calcium with the Calcium Calculator™ online tool or order the print resource.
- Make sure you get enough vitamin D.
- Limit your alcohol intake to two or fewer drinks each day.
- Limit your coffee intake to four cups or fewer each day. For a calcium boost, make one of those a caffè latte.
