Although teens tend to have faster metabolisms than older individuals, losing weight can still be a challenge. As a teen, you face challenges to weight loss, such as being exposed to food with sub-par nutritional value or growing athletes who can seemingly eat anything and stay thin. However, there are many ways you can encourage weight loss to improve your health. Consult your doctor before attempting any weight loss plan.
Increase your NEAT
NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis, is the burning of calories through daily activities other than sports and exercise. As research from the December 2002 issue of "Best Practice & Research: Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" indicates, NEAT can "increase metabolic rate substantially," and thus may help you lose weight. You can increase your NEAT by walking or biking to and from school, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or washing dishes manually instead of using a dishwasher.
Join a Sports Team
Between intramural, junior varsity and varsity sports teams, you should be able to find a sport that you enjoy available at your school. In addition to helping you meet new people, joining a sports team can help you lose weight. Not all sports burn the same amount of calories, but many burn a significant amount. For example, an hour of playing basketball burns 584 calories, an hour of baseball burns 365 calories, and an hour of racquetball burns 511 calories.
Find an Active Job
Although exercise does burn calories, your body wouldn't be able to handle exercising all the time. However, you can burn calories when not exercising, such as while you're at work. Instead of working as an office assistant or finding another low-intensity job, pursuing a position as a restaurant server, sports coach or stock associate can help you burn calories while at work.
Exercise Before Breakfast
Exercising before breakfast has several advantages for teens. If you exercise before breakfast, you can ensure you get a workout in before you're too tired from school and activities to exercise later in the day. In addition, if you exercise before you eat, your body is in a fasted state, which can encourage fat loss. As fitness specialist Christian Thibaudeau explains, sleep naturally frees up fatty acids, which you can burn by exercising right away in the morning; your body will burn these fatty acids rather than any food you take in.
References
- "Best Practice & Research: Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT); J.A. Levine; December 2002
- Mayo Clinic: Exercise For Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
- T Nation: Chris Shugart: The Fasted Cardio Roundtable Featuring Christian Thibaudeau, Dr. Lonnie Lowery, David Barr, and Dr. John Berardi
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