Physical Activity

Women achieve their maximum bone mass in their teenage years. The more bone mass you accumulate before that age, the more likely you are to have healthy, strong bones later in life. Yet Canada’s Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth for 2008 shows that less than half of children in Canada get the amount of exercise they need each day for healthy growth and development. And girls tend do less physical activity than boys: only 36 percent of girls are meeting physical activity guidelines.

"It's as Simple as Black and White" – Diandra Muhammed, Cawthra Park Secondary School art student, Mississauga, Ontario.

Weight-Bearing Activity

Examples of weight-bearing activities include:

• climbing stairs
• walking
• Tai Chi
• dancing
• hiking
• aerobics and step classes
• jogging
• racquet sports, like tennis
• skipping rope
• lifting weights

Low-impact activities, such as cycling, swimming and using an elliptical machine, are great forms of exercise but they are not weight-bearing.

Muscle Strengthening Activity

Activities that strengthen your muscles also make your bones denser, and improve your posture and balance. Muscle strengthening exercises can be done at home or in a gym by

• using strap-on velcro ankle and wrist weights
• lifting free weights
• using weight machines
• doing exercises that strengthen your core
• doing exercises that use your own body weight to exercise your muscles (such as push-ups, curl-ups, lunges and squats)

Consult an exercise specialist to determine which exercises are most appropriate for you.

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