How to protect bone health as a woman
Protect bone health with weight-bearing exercise such as brisk walking, strength training at least twice a week, enough calcium and vitamin D from food and daylight, not smoking, and limiting alcohol. Ask about a bone density scan at 65, or earlier if you have risk factors such as early menopause or a fracture from a minor fall. Supplement amounts are a question for your clinician.
Why it matters: Bone loss speeds up after menopause, and habits built earlier protect you later.
Steps
- Add weight-bearing activity most days: brisk walking, dancing, stair climbing or hiking.
- Do strength training for the major muscle groups at least twice a week, starting light.
- Eat calcium-rich foods such as dairy, fortified plant milks, canned fish with bones and leafy greens.
- Get some daylight, and ask your clinician whether your vitamin D needs checking.
- Practice balance, such as standing on one leg near a counter, to lower fall risk.
- Ask about a bone density scan at 65, or earlier if you have risk factors.
- Make your home safer against falls: clear floors, good lighting and a nonslip bath mat.
Stop and call a professional if
- you break a bone from a fall at standing height or less
- you lose height or develop a new curve in your upper back
- you want to know whether you need supplements and in what amount
Questions to ask the professional
- Do I have risk factors that mean an earlier bone density scan?
- Should I take any supplement, and how much, given my diet?
Common mistakes
- Relying on supplements while skipping exercise.
- Starting heavy lifting with poor form; begin light or with a qualified trainer.
- Ignoring a fracture from a minor fall, which is a reason to ask about bone density.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to protect bone health as a woman
What to say
Protect bone health with weight-bearing exercise such as brisk walking, strength training at least twice a week, enough calcium and vitamin D from food and daylight, not smoking, and limiting alcohol. Ask about a bone density scan at 65, or earlier if you have risk factors such as early menopause or a fracture from a minor fall. Supplement amounts are a question for your clinician.
What to show
- Add weight-bearing activity most days: brisk walking, dancing, stair climbing or hiking.
- Do strength training for the major muscle groups at least twice a week, starting light.
- Eat calcium-rich foods such as dairy, fortified plant milks, canned fish with bones and leafy greens.
- Get some daylight, and ask your clinician whether your vitamin D needs checking.
- Practice balance, such as standing on one leg near a counter, to lower fall risk.
- Ask about a bone density scan at 65, or earlier if you have risk factors.
- Make your home safer against falls: clear floors, good lighting and a nonslip bath mat.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you break a bone from a fall at standing height or less.
Check question
Which exercise loads bones most usefully?
Answer: Brisk walking and strength training. Weight-bearing and resistance exercise stimulate bone.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US national preventive screening recommendations for adults, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
- US clinical guidance on bone health and osteoporosis, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .