Recently, researchers have questioned whether ensuring adequate calcium consumption throughout her life is enough to reduce the average woman's risk of developing osteoporosis or brittle-bone disease later in life.

Current thinking is that exercise may play an even more important role than we previously thought in keeping bones healthy and strong. To keep your bones healthy, experts recommend you make the following forms of exercise a part of your life.

Weight-bearing activities, including activities you do on your feet with your bones supporting your weight. This can be walking, jogging and stair climbing. Strength training using resistance, such as free weights, resistance bands or water activities strengthens your muscles and help slow bone mineral loss.

Back-strengthening exercises improve your posture. This reduces your chances of a stooped posture, caused by pressure on weakened bones that eventually fracture.

Training Tip

The best solution to dodge exercise plateaus is cross training. Performing the same activity repeatedly at the same level makes the body more efficient, resulting in lower kilo joule expenditure from the activity. Research shows that by sticking to one activity, the number of kilo joules burned may decrease by as much as 25%.

Exercises should make sure they change their workouts often to maintain workout efficiency and prevent boredom.

Deskercise to Beat Stress

Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, either for work or fun, is a way of life for many. This means that the average person isn't moving around much, leading to muscle and joint stiffness and a build-up of tension. To avoid feeling tired after time in front of a computer here are some quick and easy exercises.

Shoulder Rotation

Sit up straight, facing forward and slowly roll your shoulders forward five times and then backwards. Repeat as many times as you need to.

Stretch

Remaining seated, stretch one arm up as high as you can, trying to stretch from your lower back. Repeat 10 times alternating arms.

Move Those Fingers

Touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of each finger to make a circle. Straighten your fingers in between the thumb touches.

When you consider how long you spend sitting each day, whether at the office, in the car or in front of the TV, is it any wonder that so many people complain of lower back ache? Stretching your back is a great way to loosen up the muscles and reduce tension build-up and a great move to try is the Cobra pose.

Warm Up: Loosen up your back with the lotus foot and ankle stretch. Place hands (palms downward) immediately behind your back. Flex your feet up towards you, flexing from your ankle and not your toes. Open up the back of your knees and keep your legs straight and hold for 10 - 15 seconds.

The Cobra

Lie on your tummy with your legs extended, your hands tucked under your shoulders and your elbows tucked into your waist. Inhale and as you do so, lift your eyes, then your head and then your chest upwards until you are looking up towards the ceiling. As you exhale, gently come down and as you do so, turn your head down towards the floor. Perform the cobra pose twice more and then rest in the Child pose. Lower your knees to the ground and hips to your heels. Relax with one cheek to the ground and arms at the sides, palms facing up.