Teens need adequate nutrition to promote health. Consuming a wide variety of foods helps teens receive proper nutrition to fuel growth. Exercising has many benefits for teens. Exercise helps to relieve stress levels, burn calories and reduce risk of developing disease. Team sports such as baseball provide exercise that teens can enjoy. Joining a sports team also provides a way for teens to socialize.
Physcial Activity
The Rhode Island Department of Health states that physical inactivity contributes to the cause of 300,000 deaths per year in America. Teens need to exercise for overall health. Sedentary teens need to start with 10 to 15 minutes a day, according to nutritionist Lisa Margolin, J.D., M.S. Television viewing cuts into exercise. Teens who watched more than two hours a day had more fat than those who watched less, according to the National Institutes of Health. Tape a couple of your favorite shows to give you flexibiity in fitting in exercise time.
Strength training two or three times a week can help teens to build muscle. Joining a health organization or youth group can help teens with weight lifting activities. They should start out with light weights and build up to heavier ones. The bench press helps to build chest muscles. Squats help work leg and back muscles. Leg extensions build strong lower body muscles. Teens can perform abdominal exercises without weights if they choose. Performing sit-ups or bicycle kicks helps build a strong core.
Cardiovascular activity helps to burn calories to maintain weight. Teens can engage in organized sports for exercise. Playing soccer or baseball helps teens build social skills while exercising. Short bursts of activity count for exercise. You can jump rope a few minutes in the morning. This will get blood pumping, and will improve mental concentration throughout the day.
Diet
Proper nutrition ensures health and growth for teens. A balanced diet with a wide variety of food provides vitamins and minerals. Missing meals can stunt growth. Margolin states that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast can slow metabolism and keep energy levels low. Margolin recommends a shake for breakfast containing soy milk, protein powder, banana and ice cubes. Teens should also pack a lunch or buy one at school. Complex carbohydrates can help sustain energy levels. Egg salad on wheat bread with tomoto makes an excellent sandwich according to Margolin. Including lean protein sources at dinner provide energy to build muscle. Baked chicken, beans and milk provide sources of lean protein. Teens should consume snacks if able during school to maintain high energy levels. Trail mix provides a quick burst of nutrition. Avoid snacks high in sugar, fat or salt. Exotic foods such as kiwis or hummus can keep snacking interesting.
Misconceptions
Teens need to be aware of advertisements that attempt to sell products or diets. Teens may try to avoid entire food groups, skipping meals and fasting, warns the National Institutes of Health. Some may even smoke, induce vomiting or use diet pills, which lead to other health problems. Beverages can contribute many calories to the diet. Soda and sugary drinks may replace water and milk as choices, but these drinks add high amounts of sugar and calories, and may contribute to weight gain, says a NIH website. Energy drinks provide pure sugar with little nutrition value. These expensive drinks provide caffeine, which speeds up the heart rate. Drink milk or water primarily.
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