Make a lifelong commitment to daily physical activity. Active girls may have a 5-10 percent greater bone mass at the end of adolescence than inactive ones. A calcium-rich diet and bone building activity (weight-bearing activity) are two essential factors for healthy bones. Many young girls, particularly pre-teen and teen girls, fall short in both areas. Here are some hints to help you communicate with the girls and young women about the importance of bone-building activity:

D Bone-Building Activities!

Bone-building activity will not only improve your bone health, but it also increases muscle strength, coordination and balance and leads to better overall health.

Like muscle, bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger.

You actually build the foundation for a lifetime of strong bone during your teen and young adult years! The amount of bone you can build during these years is your PEAK BONE MASS. This is the strongest your bones will ever be and the way you want to keep them the rest of your life.

To build strong bones, you've got to do activities that put weight on your bones for at least 20 minutes a day. Remember, all activity that you do is important! You need a total of at least 60 minutes of moderate-hard activity every day, which include at least 20 minutes of bone-building activity.

Activities that work all large muscle groups help bones store calcium.

Bone building activity moves your skeleton against gravity with force and impact. Weight-bearing activities include walking, hiking, biking, jogging, stair-climbing, tennis and dancing.

While daily activity is important and desirable, be aware that excessive exercise can actually endanger growth and development.

If you are a long distance runner, for example, discuss the effects this exercise might have on you with your parents and your health care provider.

Teens who overexercise in combination with strict dieting can delay both puberty and menstruation, increasing the risk for weak bones and fractures now and later in life.

Moderation is the key.

Source: Dairy Council of California