Work Out Plans for Teens

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children and teens ages 6 to 17 participate in one hour of physical activity each day. This amount of exercise should include both aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening exercises. You can benefit both physically and mentally from participating in this amount of physical activity each day.

Benefits

Regular exercise helps produce endorphins, or chemicals that help you feel happy. Exercise can help you reduce some mild symptoms of depression and anxiety while also improving your self-esteem. In addition to the mental health benefits, regular exercise of all types can help you control your weight and decrease your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and heart disease. Stronger muscles and bones are also another benefit of participating in regular exercise.

Aerobic Exercise

The majority of your 60 minutes of exercise each day should come from aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise includes brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming and other sports that require continuous activity. Aerobic exercise helps your heart and lungs become more fit, which means your heart can pump more blood to your body with less effort. Choosing to participate in activities and sports that you enjoy can help you stick with an aerobic exercise routine.

Strength Training

As a teen, you can safely participate in strength-training activities, as long as you have been instructed in proper techniques. Strength training can include lifting weights or doing exercises that use your body weight as resistance, such as pushups, pull-ups or sit-ups. Your strength-training workout should include exercises for your major muscle groups and be done at least two times each week.

Considerations

Always begin and end your workout sessions with a warm-up and cool-down. Also, if you are new to exercise or have a condition that may affect your ability to exercise safely, like asthma, talk to your doctor to see how much and what types of exercises will be safe for you. If you are new to lifting weights, talk to a coach or an exercise specialist to learn proper techniques to help you avoid potential injuries.