Teenagers have a lot on their plates. No, they don’t have to worry about paying a mortgage or setting up their 401k, but they do have to learn to balance social life, school work, and perhaps a job. One thing that tends to be off the radar for most teens is health and fitness.
This is even true for those teens who play for their school sports teams or are involved in any movement based after school activity like dance. In only 21 states is it a requirement for schools to provide physical education or recess during the school day and from what I remember, P.E. was treated as a social hour.
What’s most interesting about this is that overall health and wellness is important for anyone to thrive, especially during the teenage years. Staying active can have numerous benefits on the body, both physical and psychological, and the habits that a person develops during their teen years can have lasting effects.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, physical fitness should be at the core of a teen’s life. Physical activity can help a person grow strong and keep them in general good health. Physical activity also helps us maintain a healthy blood pressure and helps alleviate anxiety.
It’s also been found thatphysical fitness and IQ directly correlate, so your active teen is more likely to have higher academic achievements as well as career achievements. Our self-esteem is also directly affected by physical activity. By becoming physically fit, we develop a more positive outlook toward ourselves. Unfortunately, teens face a lot of distractions, which leads to so many teens living a sedentary lifestyle.
No one is doomed to living sedentary. The next few steps are specifically for teens but can be applied at any age.
1. It’s okay to transition! A slow build is better than no build. A ten-minute walk may be all that someone can handle the first few tries, and that is perfectly fine. Set smaller goals and build from there!
2. Make workouts something to look forward to! Workout plans work best when they involve something the teen will actually enjoy. If your teen enjoys dance, martial arts, or swimming, look into classes provided in your community. If your teen is partial to nature, hikes and camping will get your teen up and active.
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You can also encourage your teen to get involved with a sports team or club, which will at least provide your teen with some level of activity while allowing them to be social.
3. Compromise. If your family is one that likes to sit together and watch television, or if there are no real regulations for watching TV in the household, find a compromise and create rules.
An example would be to do a fitness challenge during you TGIT time. During thecommercial breaks see who can hold a wall sit the longest or do the most push-ups.
4. Introduce your teen to fitness modalities that may be complete of their radar. Weightlifting and strength training may seem like something only grown-ups would do, and boxing may seem a bit mature, but both modalities are excellent ways to get in shape and are also very empowering.
No matter how you approach it, the most important thing to do is to lead by example. Teens look to the adults in their lives to practice what they preach, so if you’re going to attempt to encourage the teen in your life, you must also encourage yourself!
Jasmine Danielle is a Los Angeles based dancer and fitness trainer. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has studied with FiTour, the National Federation of Personal Trainers, and the Equinox Group Fitness Training Institute.
Jasmine is currently a Group Fitness Instructor for Equinox, Everybody Los Angeles, and Sandbox Fitness. Her fitness modalities include, ballet, dance cardio, barre fitness, TRX, treadmill interval training, cardio kickboxing, jump rope, indoor cycling, and metabolic conditioning.
