Fitness Programs for Teenagers

Childhood obesity in the United States has doubled in the past thirty years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Eighteen percent of teenagers are obese. Many factors can contribute to teen obesity, but a fitness plan can help keep their weight under control. This page gives your ideas of how to inspire your teen to work out.

Everyday activities such as sports and regular exercises can be combined to create a fitness plan that engages your teen and keeps them moving.

  1. Include cardio in their routine

According to the CDC, teens up to age seventeen should get at least 60 minutes cardio daily to maintain a healthy weight. This may seem like a lot, but your teen can get it done by combining walking, sports, skateboarding, dancing and running track. Teens who are not into sports can get it done by incorporating video games that include physical activity such as aerobics into their daily routines. They don’t have to get it done in one block either. They can break it up throughout the day to make it manageable.

  1. Help your teen strengthen their muscles

Your teen does not have to pump iron or hit the gym to strength train. However, this is a great workout to include at least thrice a week to help with their weight management. Strength training exercises can consist of squats, crunches, and lifting weights. Teens who play sports will often have this included in their drills and activities. If your teen is not a sports fanatic, you can deliberately include these exercises in their daily routines.

  1. Flexibility training and endurance exercises

Flexibility helps your teen to move their muscles and joints and retain a range motion. Remaining flexible also helps them prevent muscle injury during workouts and sports. Flexibility is attained through stretching, which should ideally be done before and after other exercises. Teens should maintain the right posture and stretch correctly to avoid injury.

Endurance is being in a position to perform an activity without tiring. Aerobics strengthens a teen’s heart and lungs increasing their endurance. Endurance training is also best for burning calories and helps reduce risks such as heart disease, blood pressure, and diabetes.

How to motivate teens to be active

On top of dealing with emotional and psychological changes, teens have to deal with academic and social pressure. Getting them involved in workout regimes may not be easy, but the following tips will help you motivate your teen to get up and move.

  1. Schedule a regular workout time. Your teen should treat this time as an appointment they must attend.
  2. Make it fun. Teens enjoy fun activities such as dancing, swimming, and hiking.
  3. Make it creative. A little creativity such as mermaid swimming will have your teen interested in the workout.
  4. Make it social. Let them invite their friends to be part of the exercise. They can go for a hike, ride a bike together or share their skipping rope routine on social media.
  5. Don’t overdo it. Start slow, even with skipping to 200 or a set of push-ups at a time. They can add a little movement every week.

Conclusion

Teens may not naturally want to work out, but it is healthy for them as they grow. Include exercise in their daily plan by making it more appealing.