How Teens Can Stay Fit

What can I do to get more fit?

Any type of regular, physical activity can improve your fitness and your health. The most important thing is that you keep moving!

Exercise should be a regular part of your day, like brushing your teeth, eating, and sleeping. It can be in gym class, joining a sports team, or working out on your own. Keep the following tips in mind:

Stay positive and have fun. A good mental attitude is important. Find an activity that you think is fun. You are more likely to keep with it if you choose something you like. A lot of people find it's more fun to exercise with someone else, so see if you can find a friend or family member to be active with you.
Take it one step at a time. Small changes can add up to better fitness. For example, walk or ride your bike to school or to a friend's house instead of getting a ride. Get on or off the bus several blocks away and walk the rest of the way. Use the stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator.
Get your heart pumping. Whatever you choose, make sure it includes aerobic activity that makes you breathe harder and increases your heart rate. This is the best type of exercise because it increases your fitness level and makes your heart and lungs work better. It also burns off body fat. Examples of aerobic activities are basketball, running, or swimming.
Don't forget to warm up with some easy exercises or mild stretching before you do any physical activity. This warms your muscles up and may help protect against injury. Stretching makes your muscles and joints more flexible too. It is also important to stretch out after you exercise to cool down your muscles.

Your goal should be to do some type of exercise every day. It is best to do some kind of aerobic activity without stopping for at least 20 to 30 minutes each time. Do the activity as often as possible, but don't exercise to the point of pain.

A Healthy Lifestyle

In addition to exercise, making just a few other changes in your life can help keep you healthy, such as

Watch less TV or spend less time playing computer or video games. (Use this time to exercise instead!) Or exercise while watching TV (for example, sit on the floor and do sit-ups and stretches; use hand weights; or use a stationary bike, treadmill, or stair climber).
Eat 3 healthy meals a day, including at least 4 servings of fruits, 5 servings of vegetables, and 4 servings of dairy products.
Make sure you drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after any exercise (water is best but flavored sports drinks can be used if they do not contain a lot of sugar). This will help replace what you lose when you sweat.
Stop drinking or drink fewer regular soft drinks.
Eat less junk food and fast food. (They're often full of fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar.)
Get 9 to 10 hours of sleep every night.
Don't smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or do drugs

15 TOP FITNESS TIPS

Ron Emmons’ responses to frequently asked fitness questions provide a wealth of information. To help you review and remember issues important to your health and fitness, he has provided the following top 15 fitness tips. Reviewing the tips on a regular basis can ensure that an issue imporatnt to your wellbeing is not overlooked. If you want help in remembering what a tip means, go back to the Emmons’ interview.

Make fitness a family priority.
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water per day.
Get 8 hours sleep each night.
Get a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat each day.
Eat 5 to 6 small meals each day. Check out our sample Eating Plan
Lower salt intake.
Eat quality foods, and you won’t have to count calories.
Do 30 to 45 minutes of fitness exercising three days per week. (adults only)
Do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio exercising five to six days per week. (adults)
Do 15 to 30 minutes of cardio exercising each day. (children)
Don’t do too much too fast.
Use dumbbells for fitness training.
Keep a journal of your eating and exercising.
Proper stretching is a ‘must’ before starting your workout.
Never start another set before your breathing has returned back to normal.
Listen to your body, more is not always better

Physical Activity Tips for Youth (12-17 years)

Tips to Get Active

For readers interested in the PDF version it is available for downloading or viewing:
Tips to Get Active (PDF Document - 352 KB - 2 pages)>> Help with PDF documents

Be active - at home, at school, at play - inside or outside-with family and friends. You'll have more energy, feel healthy and strong, and good about yourself!

Every step counts. Try to do an hour every day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity. Choose vigorous activities at least three days a week.
Get stronger by doing activities that build muscles and bones at least three days a week.
Combining aerobic and strengthening activities will improve your health and well-being.

Tips to help you get active

What activities you choose to do is up to you:

Walk, run or bike instead of getting a ride
Do something you enjoy - run, jump, swim, skateboard, snowboard, ski, skate, toboggan
Check out yoga, hip-hop, or aerobics classes
Try indoor rock climbing, play soccer, ride a bike
Take the dog for a walk
Dance to your favourite music
Rake the leaves, shovel snow, carry the groceries home
Join a team at your school
Choose activities you like or be creative and try something new
Set physical activity goals with your friends and family
Reduce screen time

Be more active after school. Every step counts!

Top of Page

Health Benefits

Meet new friends
Do better at school
Increase your concentration
Improve your self-esteem
Build stronger bones and muscles
Improve your mental health
Improve your fitness
Improve your posture and balance
Reduce your stress
Have a strong heart
Helps with healthy growth and development

Adding more physical activity to your day improves your health, and it's fun.

What is moderate aerobic activity?

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity makes you breathe harder and your heart beat faster. You should be able to talk, but not sing.

Examples of moderate-intensity physical activity include walking quickly, skating, bike riding and skateboarding.

What is vigorous aerobic activity?

With vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, your heart rate will increase even more and you will not be able to say more than a few words without catching a breath.

Examples of vigorous activity include running, basketball, soccer and cross-country skiing.

What are strengthening activities?

Muscle-strengthening activities build up your muscles. With bone-strengthening activities, your muscles push and pull against your bones, helping make your bones stronger.

Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include doing push-ups and sit-ups, lifting weights, climbing stairs and riding a bike.
Examples of bone-strengthening activities include running, walking, yoga and jumping rope.

Combine aerobic and strengthening activities
To achieve health benefits, children need to do both aerobic and strengthening activities. Aerobic activities result in faster breathing, a warmer feeling and an increased heart rate. Strengthening activities build muscles and bones.

Get them active after school
After school is a great time to be physically active. Sign up for active programs, and if possible find active ways to get home from school. Make time to be active every day.

Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines were developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

In the teen years, kids who used to be bundles of nonstop energy might lose interest in physical activity. Between school, studying, friends, and even part-time jobs, they're juggling a lot of interests and responsibilities.

But kids who started out enjoying sports and exercise tend to stay active throughout their lives. So they might just need a little encouragement to keep it going during the teen years.

Immediate benefits include maintaining a healthy weight, feeling more energetic, and promoting a better outlook. Participating in team and individual sports can boost self-confidence, provide chances for social interaction, and offer a chance to have fun. And regular physical activity can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other medical problems later in life.

Fitness in the Teen Years

It's recommended that teens get at least 1 hour of physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Yet physical activity tends to lag during the teen years. Many teens drop out of organized sports, and participation in daily physical education classes is a thing of the past.

But given the opportunity and interest, teens can get health benefits from almost any activity they enjoy — skateboarding, in-line skating, yoga, swimming, dancing, or kicking a foot bag in the driveway. Weight training, under supervision of a qualified adult, can improve strength and help prevent sports injuries.

Teens can work physical activity into everyday routines, such as walking to school, doing chores, or finding an active part-time job. They can be camp counselors, babysitters, or assistant coaches for young sports teams, jobs that come with a chance to be active.

Motivating Teens to Be Active

Teens face many new social and academic pressures in addition to dealing with emotional and physical changes. Studies show that teens on average spend more than 7½ hours a day on various media, including watching TV, listening to music, surfing online, and playing video games. So it's no surprise that they can't seem to find the time to exercise or that parents can't motivate them to be active.

Parents should try to give teens control over how they decide to be physically active. Teens are defining themselves as individuals and want the power to make their own decisions, so they're reluctant to do yet another thing they're told to do. Emphasize that it's not what they do; they just need to be physically active regularly.

Once they get started, many teens enjoy the feelings of well-being, reduced stress, and increased strength and energy they get from exercise. As a result, some begin to exercise regularly without nudging from a parent.

For teens to stay motivated, the activities have to be fun. Support your teen's choices by providing equipment, transportation, and companionship. Peers can play an influential role in teens' lives, so create opportunities for them to be active with their friends.

Help your teen stay active by finding an exercise regimen that fits with his or her schedule. Your teen may not have time to play a team sport at school or in a local league, but many gyms offer teen memberships, and kids might be able to squeeze in a visit before or after school.

Some teens might feel more comfortable doing home exercise videos, which are fine. But while exercise video games (like tennis or bowling) are a good alternative to sedentary activities, they shouldn't replace active play and participation in sports.

And all teens should limit the time spent in sedentary activities, including watching TV, playing video games, and using computers, smartphones, or tablets.

When to Speak With Your Doctor

If you're concerned about your teen's fitness, speak with your doctor. Teens who are overweight or very sedentary might need to start slowly and the doctor can recommend programs or help you devise a fitness plan.

A teen with a chronic health condition or disability should not be excluded from fitness activities. Some activities may need to be changed or adapted, and some may be too risky depending on the condition. Talk to your doctor about which activities are safe for your child.

And some teens may overdo it when it comes to fitness. Young athletes, particularly those involved in gymnastics, wrestling, or dance, may face pressures to lose weight. If your teen refuses to eat certain food groups (such as fats), becomes overly concerned with body image, appears to be exercising compulsively, or has a sudden change in weight, talk with your doctor.

Another dangerous issue is the use of steroids, particularly in sports where size and strength are valued. Talk with your doctor if you suspect your teen is using steroids or other performance-enhancing substances.

Finally, speak with your doctor if your teen complains of pain during sports and exercise.

Fitness for Everyone

Everyone can benefit from being physically fit. Staying fit can help improve self-esteem and decrease the risk of serious illnesses (such as heart disease and stroke) later in life. And regular physical activity can help teens learn to meet the physical and emotional challenges they face every day.

Help your teen commit to fitness by being a positive role model and exercising regularly, too. For fitness activities you can enjoy together, try bike rides, hitting a tennis ball around, going to a local swimming pool, or even playing games like capture the flag and touch football. Not only are you working together to reach your fitness goals, it's a great opportunity to stay connected with your teen.

5 Fitness Tips for Teenagers

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Teenagers' bodies go through a great deal of change as they grow older. As teens begin to make their own choices, exercise and eating habits should be implemented to help them pave the way for a healthy lifestyle. Many teens look up workout routines online, which are often not teen

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More: Strength-Training Benefits for Teens

Don't Do Chest Exercises Every Day

The dangers of overtraining apply to all muscle groups, but is most commonly seen with chest workouts. Working the chest too often is one of the worst habits boys get into. By the time they're in their 20s, the chest muscles are so over developed and tight, they look like cavemen. Muscles break down and tear each time they are strained, and they need proper recovery time to grow.

Learn Muscle Balance

Teach your to teen to exercise the entire body, both upper and lower halves. Too many individuals will either focus on their lower body (girls) or upper body (boys). Power, strength and a strong core all come from the ground up. Teens need to have a strong base in order to distribute that power and energy in whatever they're doing. Make sure your teen alternates lower- and upper-body strength training exercises. In addition, he or she should learn balance, body weight and plyometric exercises.

Focus On Breathing

Breathing will make or break any fitness activity. Always breathe out on the exertion part of an exercise. Reversing breath may lead to nausea or fainting.

Follow Great Biomechanics

Unless your teen plays football or is involved in a sport where he or she needs to push someone away, he or she does not need to bring the barbell to his or her chest. Sport-specific training is used for the sport that is played, so make sure your teen trains for his or her sport.

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If your teen likes to exercise, a smart rule he or she can practice is the 90-degree rule. Whatever exercise you teen does: chest press, shoulder press, squat, leg press or lunge, do not go past 90 degrees. It will keep him or her safe and injury-free.

More: 5 Exercises to Improve Posture

Don't Go Super Heavy

Teens are still growing. In order to avoid disruption to growth plates, your teen should skip heavy weights; the skeletal structure cannot handle it. If your teen is closer to 18 years old, then he or she can start to implement the overload principle. If he or she is 13 to 15 years of age, then your teen should stick to muscular-endurance exercises and learn correct form before applying heavier loads.

Note: Remember to speak with your teen's physician before they start any workout program.

More: Nutrition Tips for Young Athletes

FITNESS

Fitness is about improving your health and wellbeing as well as your physical abilities. Anyone can improve their fitness - you don't have to be into competitive sport or do it in public. It also doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

To maintain your health and reduce any risk of health problems, health professionals and researchers recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every day.

The Benefits of Improving Your Fitness

The best way to approach improving your fitness is to do it for your own reasons. Exercising regularly can improve your fitness and also help you:

Develop more energy
Feel better about yourself
Manage stress
Look healthier
Manage your weight
Improve your mental health
Meet new people
Live longer

You can find out more about the benefits of regular exercise at the Better Health Channel's Physical Activity page (new window).

Ways to Keep Fit - Picking an Activity

There are lots of activities you can do to get fit (or fitter), and there are lots of ways to do it, including:

On your own (e.g., walking, running or swimming)
With friends (e.g., bushwalking or rollerblading)
As part of everyday life (e.g., walking or cycling)
With a group or club (e.g., netball, soccer, martial arts or basketball)
By attending group exercise classes (e.g., spin classes, kick-boxing, dancing)

It's recommended that you have a think about what kind of activities you enjoy so you can pick something that suits your lifestyle. For example:

Don’t choose an outdoor activity if you're bothered by weather extremes such as heat or cold
Don’t pick an activity just because you think it would be good for you – you've got to also enjoy it
Think about physical activities you enjoyed as a child (like cycling or netball) and give that activity another try
Keep your budget in mind and decide whether you can afford expensive equipment or pay for regular classes and memberships
Be realistic about your current health and level of fitness - if you're a beginner you need to start slow
Choose a couple of activities - you might get bored and lose motivation if you stick to only one kind of activity

Sports Medicine Australia's Active Women in Sport factsheets (new window) have information is aimed at all women. They have good general advice and with comprehensive overviews and well worth checking out.

If you're interested in a particular sport, Sport and Recreation Victoria has a list of Victorian sporting organisations (new window) that links to their website where you can find out more about how you can get involved.

Sport for People with a Disability

If you're a person with a disability, Access for All Abilities (new window) can work with you to identify a sport or activity that you want to get involved in, and then hook you up with the right club, organisation and association to help you out.

To get in touch, just call them on 1800 AAA VIC (1800 222 842) or fill in an enquiry form at aaavic.org.au (new window).

The Gym Thing

Some people find regular visits to a gym or fitness centre really enjoyable, and attending regularly is a great way of improving fitness and health. They tap into advantages such as:

Advice and guidance from qualified instructors
Having an exercise program developed to meet individual needs
Access to other programs such as classes and facilities like a pool or sauna
Being in an environment where other people are focused on fitness
Making an exercise routine a habit through regular gym visits
Gym or fitness centre programs and membership don't always suit everyone.

Disadvantages can include:

Feeling self-conscious or not really getting into the atmosphere
Not having time or transport to regularly get to the gym
Having good intentions at the start that fall away
Getting bored with the programs
Wasting money if you don't make full use of facilities or sign up for a fixed period of time and then stop going

If you are thinking of joining a gym or fitness centre, give yourself time to shop around and try places on a casual basis before signing up. The same applies to any type of exercise or movement class

The Better Health Channel's page on fitness centres and gyms (new window) is a great place to find out more info and to find a suitable one in your area.

Don't Overdo It

Just as your body will benefit from regular exercise, it also benefits when you give it time to recover from activity. A proper exercise program should always include a warm up and time to cool down. This will:

Improve your performance
Reduce the risk of injury
Help your body to recover from the strain of your activity

It's also important to make sure that the activity or sport you do uses a range of muscle groups so that you don't overuse one set of muscles and hurt yourself.

Overtraining is a situation in which people exercise too much and too often in the mistaken belief that the more exercise you do, the better and healthier you become. In fact, overtraining can have the opposite result and negatively affect your health.

Over Training can sometimes be related to negative feelings about the way that you look and the idea that if you're fitter and buffer these feelings will go away. To find out more about this issue, and where you can get help..

Links

Better Health Channel - Physical Activity
Includes advice and information about finding a fitness centre, kinds of exercise to consider, how to start (and stay) active and how to exercise safely.

Sport and Recreation Victoria
Check out the Young Women in Sport section for a good overview of a range of different sports and info on how you can get involved. You can also find a listing of all sporting organisations in Victoria.

Access for All Abilities
A first-point-of call service connecting people with a disability to sports and recreational opportunities in Melbourne.

Reviewed by: Princefemzy BMTboY, AUTHOR

Date reviewed: December 20 16

EXCLUSIVE: ALL YOU NEED TO STAY FIT AS A TEENAGER