Fitness for Teens
By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE
Today’s teens seem to pack as full a schedule as adults. Making time for fitness must be a priority to build the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits. Here are some tips to help teens make exercise a permanent part of their lives into adult hood:
- Make an appointment to workout - Schedule exercise time 1 month in advance and keep that commitment the same way you would any other important commitment. If it’s necessary to cancel a workout session, reschedule it for another time during the day or for the very next day.
- Plan workouts with friends - those who exercise with someone have a greater chance of sticking to their workouts.
- Use your breaks to get moving - If you have a few minutes between class or a free session during the day, use the time go get in a short burst of activity. Even if you take a quick lap around the building, you will return to your next class refreshed and with more mental clairty. A workout break during lunch will refresh you for the second half of the day and is known to boost brain power.
- Rely on a coach - find a gym teacher, coach or a friend who is an athlete who you can to go for advice and support. Having someone to guide you in your fitness quest will help you to get results, avoid injury and stick to it.
- Always be Dressed to Move - You never know when the opportunity will arise to go for a walk , use the school gym or run around a filed while waiting for friends . Keep your sneakers in your locker all times.
- Add in exercise during down time - If you find yourself sitting to watch more than an hour of television a day, consider riding a stationary bike or performing an exercise routine in front of the TV. You only need to dedicate 2 percent of your week to exercise in order to improve your health.
- Add movement into your activities of daily living - walk the dog, take the stairs, wash the car, walk to town (assuming it's safe), rake leaves, shovel snow, dance and so on.
Getting physically fit does not have to mean hours in the gym. You can express your workout routine and still maximize your results. Below are ways you can get the most out of the time you do dedicate to exercise.
6 Ways to Get the most out of Your Workouts
Combine Your Upper and Lower Body Exercises - Cut your strength routine in half by incorporating exercises for several body parts. For example, while performing a lunge, add a set of bicep curls to the movement.
Choose Compound Exercises - Exercises that work several muscle groups simultaneously are more time efficient than isolation exercises, which focus on one major muscle group. Examples of compound exercises include the leg press, squat, chest fly, walking lunge and seated row.
Circuit Train - With minimal equipment, you can set up stations alternating cardio activities with strength training activities. This will keep your heart rate up so that you can get both the aerobic and anaerobic (strength) benefits. A sample circuit might include: jump rope, bicep curls, jumping jacks, push-ups, jogging in place, squats, mini-trampoline exercises and dips. Repeating the circuit up to three times is guaranteed to boost your metabolism in under 30 minutes
Interval Train - Using active rest and work ratios will allow you to workout at the upper and lower levels of your heart rate zone and optimize calories expended. You can start with brisk walking for 2 minutes and jogging for 30 seconds. Then progress to 2 minutes of brisk walking and 1 minute of jogging. Eventually progress to two minutes of each and ultimately to spending less time walking and more time jogging. If you are already a runner, alternate your running with spints where you accelerate with a burst of energy and then taper back to a run.
Increase Your Intensity - By picking up the pace, you can cover more miles and ultimately burn more calories in less time. You may need to work up to higher intensities gradually, but you will become more efficient in the process and be able to cut back on the duration of your exercise sessions. Ditto for you strength training workout. If you keep each set intense, you can get the most benefit and eliminate the need for several warm up sets.
Keep in mind that there will be snags in the best though out plan. So, prepare for changes and be flexible. Use obstacles as an opportunity to try something new. Most importantly, fitness should be fun. Take advantage of what is available in your area. Sign up for community programs, explore local parks, enlist in a sport you always wanted to try.
Teens who engage in physical activities score higher on exams and tend to better manage other areas of thier lives. Being physically fit lifts thier mood, boosts self-esteem, reduces stress and sets the foundation for a lifetime of good habits. Teens who exercise are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol and engage in other illegal and dangerous behaviours. They will also be sick less often, report being happier and even make more money if they continue thier exercise habits into the earning years. When teens (and adults) add exerciser to their lives, it positively influences other area's of their life. They tend to make healthier food choices and sleep better.
Physical activity is one important way for teens to avoid the every growing teen obesity epidemic. According to Dr. Kenneth Cooper from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, it is predicted that the generation of children being born now are expected to be outlived by their parents due to diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
If you feel that you or a friend are exercising obsessively, bring the issue to the attention of a parent, teacher or coach. Getting help early is the best course of action.
Some sports that are beneficial for fitness are soccer, tennis, karate, swimming, track and field, dance, gymnastics, hockey, skating, basketball and more. As long as the sport gets the heart rate up and challenges the body, it's most likely beneficial. Conditioning for sports is also important. IN the off season, athletes typically work on building up thief strength. In the preseason, building endurance is important. During the season, most work on sport specific drills and skills. A training routine for sports can be very specific to the activity to best help the athlete optimize their training and performance.
For general fitness, incorporate some activity most days of the week. Ideally engage in some cardiovascular exercise 3 or more days a week and strength train 2 - 3 days a week. The focus should be on fitness - not on thinness. Movement should be a natural part of our lives. Do not focus on perfection, but being the very best your body and be. Realize that much of what you see in Hollywood is extreme and is unrealistic for everyone.
Do not focus on the scale. Instead use your clothes and the mirror as a guide. No permanent changes happen overnight. Expect to feel some soreness in the beginning. Focus on creating one new habit at a time. When you have mastered one thing, then set a goal for the next.