How To Customize An Exercise Plan For Teens

With the Internet, video games, text-messaging and other modern technology, getting teenagers to exercise can be quite the challenge. Other interests, busy school schedules and work can leave even less time for fitness. Exercise is important in keeping teens healthy, improving self-esteem, controlling body fat and reducing the risk of obesity-related diseases like diabetes, the KidsHealth website advises. To help teens enjoy exercise and reap all of the benefits associated with it, customize individual exercise plans to their interests.

Step 1

Ask your teen what his interests are. Ask about sports he may be participating in now or sports in which he has participated in the past. Designing an exercise program around a teen's interests can make exercising more enjoyable. For example, running may be an enjoyable activity for a track star and dancing may be enjoyable for a cheerleader.

Step 2

Find out what activities your teen has always wanted to try. Turn exercise into a time to try new activities. For example, she might want to learn how to ski, skateboard or learn a particular type of dancing, such as Latin dancing.

Step 3

Give your teen options. Ask him to rank a list of activities in order of what he enjoys or would like to try the most. List cycling, dancing, swimming, jogging, jumping rope, sports, running, brisk walking, aerobics and other activities to choose from.

Step 4

Create an exercise plan based on the information you have gathered from your teen. Incorporate two to three of the activities she has selected into a weekly workout plan. For a teen who has selected running, swimming and dancing, have her swim one day per week, go for a run twice a week and take a dance class at a local gym or studio studio twice a week.

Step 5

Provide your teen with a backup plan. For example, a teen who chooses swimming for an activity might not always have access to a pool; a teen who chooses dancing might not always have access to a car to get to a class. Encourage him to try another activity when plans change --- riding a bike instead of swimming, for example, or using an aerobics DVD in place of a dance class.

Tips and Warnings

The American Heart Association recommends that teens under the age of 18 participate in 60 minutes of physical activity per day. For those over the age of 18, the National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of physical activity, five days per week.
You and your teen should talk with your teen's doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen, particularly if she has been sedentary or has any health concerns.