|
Along with adults, many teens are becoming alarmingly overweight because of stress and depression at school and home. A lot of the blame has been shifted towards television, computers, and video gaming systems. This is where teen fitness will come into play. Talk to your teen about fitness and let them know the benefits of exercising.
There are many ways for teens to improve their fitness level overall and it doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Find a workout buddy and try sports, maybe not on a team, but just for fun while hanging out with friends. Basketball, football, soccer, and swimming are all great ways for teens to explore fitness and it won’t seem like a chore to do. Teens can have fun and at the same time lose some weight and improve their fitness. Teens who play sports are less likely to become obese and develop heart disease, and many more forms of health problems such as cancer.
By adding weight lifting into teen fitness routine, it will also help with developing bone structure and muscle mass. Bones that are exercised on a regular basis will become stronger and there is a less change of fractures or breakage if a teenager has an accident. It is more beneficial to lift low amounts of weight when first starting out during the years of puberty. Lifting heavy weights can harm the bones and damage them while they are still developing.
Swimming is a total body work out and a great way for teens to explore fitness and have fun. When you swim, you use every muscle in your body. There may be programs at your local YMCA that offers swimming and is a great way for your teen to boost their overall fitness level. Parents can exercise with their teens and make it a family affair. There’s nothing wrong with families exploring fitness together. There are gyms that offer an entire family memberships. Call your local gym and find out if there may be discounts for family enrollment. Fitness with the entire family can create strong bonds among members that could last a long time. Exercising relieves stress and can make your home a more peaceful atmosphere as well. Some gyms offer fitness programs such as swimming, aerobics, basketball, weight training, and spinning classes.
Parents should also educate themselves in fitness so that they can raise a teen that knows the benefits of keeping fit and staying healthy. Along with teen fitness, teens should also learn about good nutrition. Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand. Teens should follow the food pyramid and get the right amount of grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy daily. The average active teenage girl should have a calorie intake of 2,200 calories a day and an average active teenage boy should have a calorie intake of 2,800 calories a day. Some calorie intakes may be lower depending on whether the teen boy or girl is active or a very inactive person.
|
