Moving your body regularly, in whatever way you enjoy, supports nearly every part of health covered in this book: mood, sleep, bone strength, and even period symptoms.
What Counts
- Team sports, dance, swimming, or martial arts.
- Walking, biking, or hiking.
- Simple things like stretching, yoga, or playing actively with friends.
There's no single "correct" form of exercise. The best kind is the one you'll actually enjoy and keep doing.
Exercise and Your Cycle
As covered in Chapter 13, exercising during your period is safe and often helpful for cramps. Some people prefer lower-intensity movement during their period and higher intensity at other points in their cycle, both are fine, listen to your own energy levels.
The Point Isn't Appearance
- Exercise during these years is about how it makes you feel, more energy, better sleep, better mood, not about changing how your body looks. Bodies are supposed to change shape during puberty, and that's healthy, not something to correct with exercise.