Recent research has discovered that girls who exercise in their preteen and teen years may protect themselves from developing breast cancer later in life. It's thought that regular exercise creates slight hormonal changes that have a protective effect.

In addition to that good news, health experts say that girls don't need to do strenuous exercise to benefit from the physical activity. Moderate exercise, like walking or biking, for example, helps too. Women in the study who were at the lowest risk ran for three hours every week or walked for 16.

Teenagers often have a hard time looking into next week, so exercising to ward off breast cancer in menopause... that just might not be enough motivation for your girls. If you have a teen who's reluctant to exercise, consider taking family walks together in the evenings or enrolling her in an active class that interests her. Not only will exercise protect her breast health, but making it a priority will give her a lifelong foundation for good health.