Exercise builds more than just strong muscles. It's good for arthritis too! Read on!

You have heard the advise before. Exercising at least three times a week will help you stay slim, keep your heart healthy and sleep better. Now there is one more reason for you to keep your
re body moving — your bones. The Osteoporosis Society of Canada reports that 1.4 million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis — the "silent thief." Osteoporosis is called the silent thief because it sneaks up unnoticed and steals calcium away from bones, sometimes for years without a single sign. In the end, osteoporosis leaves bones thin
and brittle and susceptible to breakage. Often, it is only when a bone breaks, from activities as simple as picking up a bag of groceries or
bending over to tie a shoe, that the sufferer realizes they may have the disease.

For this reason, prevention is critical in the fight against osteoporosis. There are two main ways to reduce the risk of osteoporosis — one is exercise. All exercises are beneficial for overall health, but there are only two types of exercises that help reduce the risk of osteoporosis — weight-bearing and strength training exercises.

Weight-bearing exercise requires you to support your entire body weight during the activity. Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, running, dancing, tennis and soccer. Swimming, on the other hand, is not a weight-bearing exercise.
The second type of bone-building exercise is strength
training. This involves moving objects or your own body weight to create resistance for your muscles to work against. For example,
lifting barbells or using weight machines found in a fitness centre are good ways to help keep bones strong- Push-ups and semi-squads
are examples of using your body weight as resistance.

The second step in reducing the risk of osteoporosis is eating a well-balanced, calcium-rich diet. The Osteoporosis Society of
Canada recommends at least 1,000 mg each day for women and men aged 19 to 49, and approximately 1,000 to 1,500 mg each day for
those over age 50. The most commonly known foods containing calcium are dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt. However, you can also get calcium through non-dairy sources such as leafy green vegetables, calcium fortified orange juice, salmon with bones or almonds.