The Physical And Mental Benefits Of Physical Activity For Teens
Mar 02, 2020
A regular exercise routine is crucial to teenagers because it helps maintain their physical and mental health. Unfortunately, as children enter their teen years and school becomes challenging, homework, perhaps a part-time job and social life they often lose interest in physical activity.
If teenagers can find a physical activity they enjoy, they are more likely to exercise on a regular basis and continue exercising into their adult years.
4 Physical Benefits Of Activity For Teens
The benefits of exercise for teens are numerous and include:
- Cardiovascular health. Routine activity for teens can reduce elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, and elevated blood cholesterol levels, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease that frequently are present as early as childhood or adolescence.
- Stronger muscles. Simply put, muscles need to be used to grow and become stronger.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Often weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain the weight loss is to be involved in regular physical activity.
- Healthy bones. Bone strength is achieved when bones are forced to bear weight and work against gravity
4 Mental Health Benefits Of Activity For Teens
- Reduce stress and increase relaxation. Taking a walk, jog or getting a workout in at the gym is a great way to relieve stress. One amazing mental health benefit of exercise in teens is stress relief. Routine exercise can help regulate any physical and mental stress that may have been built up due to a trying experience or stressful exam at school. Exercise can also increase relaxation, aiding teens who struggle with insomnia or sleep deprivation.
- Boost Self Confidence. Physical fitness can boost their self-esteem and self-image. Exercising regardless of the teen's size or weight can provide them with a better perception of his or her self-worth. Choosing an outdoor workout that fits your interests is a good way to meet people and build other skills all while building up self-esteem or self-worth.
- Reduce Anxiety Or Depression. Exercise is the perfect way to release endorphins, which are natural chemicals in your body that are known as the feel-good hormones. Studies have shown that the health benefits of exercise in teens can significantly improve depression or anxiety.
- Sharpen Cognitive Skills. Doing physical activity can boost memory and learning and children’s brain development has even been linked with the level of physical fitness they perform. As we age, our brains have a harder time processing or maintaining information. Working out at a young age boosts chemicals in the brain that prevent degeneration of areas of the brain that are linked to memory and learning.
The Takeaway
Young people today have lots of demands on their time, so they can find it hard to adopt an active lifestyle Its important to encourage regular physical activity for your teen to feel more energetic, improve focus and memory, as well a promote a better outlook mentally. With regular physical activity, your child can more easily maintain a healthy weight and prevent heart disease, and other medical problems later in life.
If you're looking for fun activities and exercise programs for your kids and teens reach out to us at Gantry Kids & Teens in New York. We're looking forward to working with you and your kids. Whether a novice or elite athlete, we got you covered with classes, after school, camps, the occasional Saturday night, private training or even celebrating a special event. We’re Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! Contact us
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