Different Ways for Teens to Get Fit

A Step at a Time

• An hour a day of activity can seem overwhelming to some, but exercise accumulates. Walking five miles a day may sound impossible, but if your teen wears a pedometer to keep track of his steps -- 10,000 a day being the goal -- it becomes a challenge. Encourage him to add to his daily steps by walking or biking to school or using a bus stop that is further away. Every step counts. Pacing during a phone call can add several hundred steps.

Team Sports

• Getting fit with friends can be appealing to teens. Team sports, running clubs and other group activities can be healthy outlets and sources of physical exercise for teens. Encourage your teen to explore his choices and try something new. Everyone is new to an activity at some point. That is the point of practice, which involves physical activity and can lead to better overall fitness. If team sports aren̵7;t for him, try individual sports, like skiing, swimming or running.

More Activities

• Being active does not have to mean sports or exercise. Pulling weeds in the garden is activity. Washing the car is an activity. Walking the dog around the neighborhood, trying to learn how to skateboard and climbing the wall in the school gymnasium are forms of exercise. Encourage your teen to get outside, explore and stay on his feet in the name of fitness.

Sitting Disease

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of screen time a day. That can become a battle with teens on cell phones, computers, television and video games. The real problem isn̵7;t the time on screens, but the time in the chair. Watching television, playing video games and doing homework are passive activities that discourage movement and fitness. Encourage your teen to get off the chair once an hour for an activity break. Do sit ups and jumping jacks during commercials. Remove the chairs from the game room and put in stair steppers and treadmills.

You Are What You Eat

• The benefits of exercise can be eaten away in a single snack or meal. Eating foods high in fat, sodium and calories is detrimental to a fit lifestyle. Encourage your teen to make healthy diet choices by having better offerings in the refrigerator and pantry. Instead of stocking the house with the empty calories of soft drinks and chips, fill the refrigerator with fresh fruits and vegetables that are washed and ready to serve. Yogurt, milk and other low-fat dairy products are protein builders for teens in training.