No matter what age we are, exercise is an important part of our overall health and well-being. That said, people are a lot more likely to sustain an exercise habit throughout adulthood than they are to start one in it. This means that the earlier we get regular exercise into our lives, the better.
The current global guidelines for the amount of exercise that adolescents need is one hour of moderate or vigorous activity per day, yet fewer than 20% actually achieve this. Part of the reason for this is that it is much greater than the amount of physical activity schools schedule for them. As a parent, it is your responsibility to fill the gap.
There are many ways that you can get more physical activity into a teenager’s life. As you can probably expect, ordering them out of bed or off of the sofa is not one of them. This blog offers some principles and advice you can use instead.
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Make it social
Exercising with others is a proven enhancer of motivation and effort. Joining a sports club is great, but not everybody is competitive or into sports. Some alternatives are teen gym classes, which can be booked through websites like https://www.theab.com.au/, or tying exercise to their unique interests. For example, if they are into photography, they might enjoy a scenic hike with lots of photo opportunities. If they’re a voracious reader, you could arrange a day of walking or cycling to different bookshops around town.
Sneak it in
We burn calories doing all kinds of things, not just the activities that we think of as exercise, such as sports or going to the gym. Many chores, for example, are great for expending some energy. Allocating the more physically demanding ones to your teens, like mowing the lawn, is a good way to sneak in a bit of exercise. It might be harder to sell them on, but then again they might agree to join a sports club just to get out of it!
Encourage them
The goal of getting your teen into exercise now is to equip them with a habit that will help them stay fit as they get older. That habit is much more likely to stick if they enjoy it, and the simplest way to make them feel good about what they are doing is by acknowledging their efforts and complimenting them. They might roll their eyes, but deep down they still appreciate you noticing.
Stay tuned in
As well as being attentive to their progress, you also want to look out for any sudden changes such as disinterest in an activity they used to enjoy. If this happens, sit them down for a chat about it. There’s likely an emotional or interpersonal reason they’re being put off. You might be able to intervene and help them enjoy it again.
Conclusion
Exercise is essential for the health of children and young people and has benefits for their focus and overall development too. Using tips like those above, such as theming physical activity around their interests, can help instil a love of exercise that will benefit them now and that will stay with them throughout their adult life.