You might feel like it's important to look like the teens on television or in magazines, but the truth is, each person has a healthy weight that's specific to her own body. If you're at a healthy weight, it's unrealistic to try to look like a waif-thin model. If you're not at your healthy weight, a few lifestyle changes can help get you there.The habits you develop as a teen can keep you at your healthy weight your entire life.
Learn Nutrition
If you're overweight, the school cafeteria, mall food court, and movie theater snack counter might be your enemies. Pizza, soda, and fries are good occasional treats, but they're not meant to be eaten every day. The American Heart Association recommends overweight people eat a specific way to lower their weight and heart disease risk. This way of eating isn't just for weight loss, though. It helps maintain weight once you get where you need to be. The AHA recommends eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. Simply eating less isn't the answer. You need to eat nutritious foods.
Get Physical
Once you've cleaned up your diet, the next step is to start moving. Exercise and weight loss form a simple equation. If you don't burn as many calories as you take in, you'll gain weight. If you burn more than you take in, you'll lose weight. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to count everything that goes into your mouth, but it does mean you need to make sure you're physically active on a regular basis. Join a school sports team, convince your family to join a gym or community center, dance, swim, hike, or do anything you find fun. Try to be physically active at least 30 to 60 minutes each day, according to the AHA.
Skip Fad and Dangerous Diets
Weight loss isn't something that can or should happen overnight. It's a life-long commitment to healthy eating and exercising, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fad diets are dangerous. They can prevent you from getting the nutrition your body needs to finish growing. What's worse, they can lead to eating disorders, and the weight you lose while you're on them usually comes back once you stop your extreme behavior. Puberty forces your body into one change after another, and sometimes, you just have to roll with those changes until you're done developing. Eating and exercising should support those changes rather than hinder them.
Member Comments