Fitness for Teenagers
Teens need exercise every day to stay healthy and fit, and the best way to encourage activity is to help adolescents find sports or exercise they enjoy. Topics include safety, nutrition, sports and fitness how-tos, and how to motivate your teenager to be physically active.
Describes particular benefits of exercise for teenagers and preadolescents. Lists reasons kids this age may not get enough physical activity. Offers suggestions for types of sports and athletic pursuits teens and tweens might enjoy and ways to encourage participation.
Kids' bodies (and brains) change rapidly during puberty, which can quickly lead to feelings of awkwardness or more serious body image issues. Frequent physical activity may help tweens and teens feel more in control of their changing bodies. Exercise can also help kids manage stress and maintain their weight.
It's a common complaint--kids often say they hate gym class. Here is a three-step method for changing their minds and helping them love, or at least tolerate, PE.
Try these confidence-boosting tips from experts and parents to help build your tween or tween's body image during puberty. Most apply to both girls and boys who worry, "Am I fat?"
For tween girls, puberty can be a trying time. Those who develop early may feel ashamed of their new curves and status as sexual beings. Those who develop later than their peers feel left behind. Weight gain associated with puberty is normal, but can leave girls worrying, "Am I fat?"
During puberty, boys may become more athletic thanks to added muscle and height. Even overweight boys may be inspired to exercise more.
Noncompetitive, individual athletic pursuits offer preteens the chance to learn a new skill in an environment that promotes growth and challenge, rather than competition.
Find seven simple suggestions for supporting your teen athlete, from keeping her workout gear ready to use to cheering her on at games and competitions.
Sports teams at the high school level-and even in middle school–are serious in their workouts and competitions. Both athletes and their parents need to be prepared.
Take a quiz to find out if your teen has a healthy body image. Then consult resources to address the problem, if there is one.
Take a closer look at your daughter's body image with this parenting quiz. Follow up with helpful resources for nurturing a positive body outlook.
BAM! Body and Mind is an online destination for kids created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Designed for kids 9 to 13 years old, BAM! Body and Mind gives them the information they need to make healthy lifestyle choices.
