It is estimated that one out of five American women over the age of 50 has osteoporosis-brittle, fragile bones that occur when the body fails to form enough new bone, when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both. As a result, about half of all women over the age of 50 end up having a fracture of the hip, wrist, or vertebra. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises are one part of an overall approach to treating osteoporosis. "It wont help you build new bone, but it will help you maintain the bone you have," says Susan Joy, MD, director of Womens Sports Health at Cleveland Clinic.
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