Exercise For Teenagers

December 2, 2011 by  
Filed under Exercise Tips

It does, however, help to learn about the different ways you can exercise so you can have fun, reach your goals and avoid injuring yourself. The great thing about fitness for teens is that just about any activity that gets you moving will work.

You should try to get vigorous exercise in for about an hour a day at least 3 days a week, and regular, more moderate activity during the rest of the week. Vigorous aerobic fitness includes sports like football, tennis, soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc.

It also includes brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming or chasing an annoying sibling. Always make sure you are wearing the proper protective gear for whatever activity you choose and try for this level of activity at least 3 times a week.

Muscle-strengthening is a type of training that helps you build muscular strength and endurance. It can involve unstructured activities like using playground equipment or climbing trees.

It can also include structured strength workouts with exercises like squats, pushups or crunches using weights, machines, or your own body weight. Always work with an adult, coach, trainer or other expert before you start lifting weights to make sure you know the right exercises to do and how to do them correctly.

You may already lift weights if you are playing a sport but, if not, you can add this type of activity 2 to 3 days a week, with at least a day of rest in between. Aside from participating in a sport or other activities like running or riding your bike, you should also include regular activity into your day.

This means limiting how much time you sit at the computer or video game. This can include active games, taking walks, wrestling with your friends, or tossing a ball in the backyard.

This is something you can do every day, especially on the days you are not doing harder, more structured workouts. Power lifting is a type of training that involves explosive lifting, often focusing on how much you can lift at one time.

This type of training is not recommended for teens because it is difficult to use good form and the body may be stressed too abruptly, causing injury. Exercising too much can also lead to injuries, overtraining and, for girls, a change in menstrual cycles that could lead to bone loss.

It is sometimes hard to know how much is too much, since everyone can tolerate a different amount of fitness. However, exercising several times a day or for several hours is probably too much on anyone.

Following the guidelines and exercising about an hour a day is a good place to start. While it is fine to have goals to improve your body, we can’t always control what we can change.

If you want bigger muscles, that’s something that happens after puberty, although you can always build strength at any age. If you want to lose weight, fitness and a healthy diet are important, but don’t expect dramatic weight loss overnight.

Permanent, safe weight loss is a slow process and trying to speed it up with unhealthy diets or excessive exercise often backfires. If you are into sports, you probably have practice, games and other activities to keep you busy.

If not, you may have to be creative about fitness, especially if you haven’t had a chance to practice different activities to find what you like and what you’re good at. Ask your parents if you can go to the gym with them or if there is a local community center where you can exercise.

Create a new routine where you walk, in-line skate, or run every day when you get home from school. If you don’t want to exercise outside by yourself, ask your friends or a family member to go with you or use a fitness video in your own bedroom.

Do some chores like raking leaves or sweeping the driveway can actually burn calories while making your parents happy. You can also take the dog for a long walk.

Jack R. Landry has been writing about the exercise and health industry for years. He recommends using exercise bikes to stay healthy and fit.

Contact Info:

Jack R. Landry
JackRLandry@gmail.com
http://www.workoutwarehouse.com

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