The Effects of Exercise on Teens

Establishes Healthy Habits

• For many teens, making time for fitness while juggling homework, after-school activities and busy social lives may be challenging. However, figuring out how to balance regular exercise with the rest of their lives sets up a habit they can carry with them into their adult years, explains TeensHealth.org, an online health information resource for parents and teens maintained by the Nemours Foundation.

Helps Reduce Obesity Risk

• Teens who are physically active are more likely to maintain a healthy weight than their more sedentary peers, according to the Weight-control Information Network. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that U.S. teenagers are at much higher risk of becoming overweight or obese compared to teens in European countries, partly because of teens̵7; sedentary lifestyles. Encouraging your teenager to participate in just one hour of physical activity each day -- whether it̵7;s rock climbing, ice skating or just walking around the neighborhood -- can significantly reduce her likelihood of carrying extra pounds.

Improves Long-Term Health

• Exercising now can help reduce your children's risk for health conditions like Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure down the road, explains KidsHealth.org, an online parenting and health information resource maintained by the Nemours Foundation. Though many teens don̵7;t realize it, their adolescent years will set the tone for their future bone health, and regular exercise will improve bone health and reduce osteoporosis risk down the road, explains the University of Arizona. Regular exercise may also reduce a teen̵7;s risk for heart disease, vascular health issues, hypertension and other serious health problems, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Benefits Mental Health

• Even a modest amount of exercise can help teens feel better about themselves academically, socially and athletically, says Gary Goldfield, psychologist and clinical researcher at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, in an interview with HealthFinder.gov. Goldfield, who conducted a 2012 study on teens̵7; activity and its effects on mental health, found that even if teens didn̵7;t lose weight or change their appearance, they still felt better about themselves after exercising. Kids who exercise regularly are also better able to make friends and less likely to engage in aggressive or dangerous behavior than more sedentary teens, found researchers from the Trimbos Institute, who published their research in the journal ̶0;Clinical Psychological Science̶1; in 2012.