If you're looking for healthy diets and workouts for teens, a good place to start is with the diet and workout plans that work best for adults. What you'll find is that most fad diets on the market today don't work that well for anyone. Consider the tips and advice in this article to find the best ways to keep teens healthy and active.
Healthy Diets and Workouts for Teens
With so many overweight and obese kids today, it can feel somewhat overwhelming if you're in the position to try to find healthy diets and workouts for teens. However, there are a variety of ways to get the teens in your life moving and eating more healthfully. Consider these tips.
- Encourage balance. Teens need to be eating a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and lean proteins. The more balanced the better.
- No diet is sometimes the best diet. Even for overweight teens, diets often do more harm than good. Eating a well-rounded diet of fresh foods and drinking plenty of water can often go further to reach a healthy weight than fad diets.
- Explain the dangers of dieting pills and fads. Unfortunately, there are diet products on the market today that are not only inappropriate for young people, but can sometimes be dangerous. Explain that weight loss and healthy living is best achieved through real foods and exercise.
- Consult a medical professional. Doctors, registered dieticians, and nutritional consultants can offer children and teens a dedicated meal plan, as well as advice on exercise to help them achieve weight loss goals in a healthy and safe manner.
- Be aware of eating disorders and their symptoms. Teens, especially females, are susceptible to body image issues and may feel pressure to attain an unrealistic body size. It's important to encourage a healthy diet and lifestyle and to be aware of any concerning behavior that could be indicative of an eating disorder, such as anorexia-nervosa or binge eating disorder.
Fun Workouts for Teens
There are many ways to encourage your child or other teens in your life to get active in order to maintain their physical health. Here are just a few ideas.
Team Sports
Encouraging team sport participation is a great idea. Adolescents that participate in team sports can gain more than just physical fitness. They can learn many valuable skills for life, such as leadership, the ability to work as a team, and pride in their accomplishments. Here are just a few examples of team sports that also help your child get in a great workout.
- Football
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Soccer
- Cheerleading
- Swimming
Solo Sports
Some teams prefer the type of sports that allow them time for reflection, such as running or cycling. Encourage these sports, too.
Other Activities
There are many other ways for teens to stay active outside of sports. Consider these ideas.
- Hire a personal trainer to work with the whole family.
- Get a family gym membership.
- Go on walks or runs together.
- Play Frisbee, throw a football, or engage in some other form of "play" activity.
- Encourage him or her to take up an active hobby, like gardening or hiking.
Recommended Calories
The caloric intake between boys and girls in their teenage years vastly differs. It's important to note that boys are able to consume upwards of 2800 calories at the age of 16 years old. As they age, this number may reduce based on their height and weight. Girls, however, should only be eating about 2000 calories daily. As a girl transitions into womanhood, this may increase to about 2200 calories daily before tapering off at around 2000. For specific recommendations based on your teen's height, weight, and age, visit [www.mypyramid.gov MyPyramid.gov]. One of the most important factors when encouraging a teen in your life to get and stay healthy is to lead by example. Children look to adults in their life for dieting and fitness advice and tend to pick up the habits of those around them. To help your child get healthy start with yourself.
