Any weight-loss program, including those designed to help teens lose weight, should involve a balance between increasing activity level and decreasing the amount of calories consumed. When this is done, weight loss will occur. Engaging in fun exercises can help teens lose weight faster than consuming fewer calories can alone. While your teen should consume a healthy amount of calories each day -- which is best determined by a physician -- she will experience faster weight loss by engaging in physical activities for longer periods of time.
Swimming
Getting in a pool can be a fun exercise that provides teens with an opportunity to tone and strengthen muscles and burn calories, which can lead to increased weight loss. Swimming laps using any of the basic strokes, including breast, back and freestyle, uses many of the body’s major muscle groups and can be made more fun by engaging in races. Water aerobics may appeal to some teens and will help them perform fitness-building activities in an environment that provides resistive qualities that are not offered by on-land exercises.
Court Games
Court games, such as racquetball and basketball, are effective ways to expend calories on the path to successful weight loss. These types of exercises are fun to participate in and are likely to appeal to a lot of teens. Court games involve short bursts of speed, twisting, turning and jumping, qualities that will help your teen increase the amount of calories burned and, in the long run, lose weight. In addition to burning calories, court games are effective in improving coordination and stamina.
Biking
Bicycling can provide teens with a fun exercise that can be done within blocks of your house or within the confines of the local fitness center. Bicycling can be done on a stationary or mobile bike, though your teen might find mobile biking more appealing. Mobile biking allows your teen to get out and explore the world around him while providing him with cardiovascular exercise. Taking a portable music player along might make your teen’s biking experience, whether mobile or stationary, more entertaining and fun.
Golf
Your teen might find golf to be a challenging and fun exercise that can aid in her weight-loss efforts. While many golf courses offer the option of renting a golf cart to its patrons, most allow players to walk the course, as well. Encourage your teen to walk the course, which will increase the amount of calories burned. In addition to getting fresh air and the benefits of walking, your teen will engage in a variety of limbering motions, such as twisting and squatting, during an 18-hole round of golf.
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