Teens and Exercise: 5 Benefits and 3 Reasons Why You Should Join Them4 min read

Let’s be honest: how many times have you woken up in the morning with a stiff neck or back and felt that you should have started to exercise as a teen?

The best time to get into physical activity is as a kid (the next best time is now, but that’s for another story). When you get your kid into exercise, you’re not just instilling a habit, you’re making it into a lifestyle.

Physical activity is great for your mental and physical health. Doctors have agreed for years that exercise helps keep our mind healthy and for longer at that.

So if you’re not convinced yet that you need to unroll yoga mats for yourself and your kid for the next session, read on to know more!

5 Benefits of Exercising for Teens

Exercise has been shown to have many benefits. It can be a great way to relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve your mood. In addition to being physically beneficial, exercise has been shown to affect the brain positively.

Regular exercise can help improve your cognitive function, including memory and attention span. Exercise also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is essential for making new neurons in the brain.

In fact, physical activity helps each and every part of our body. Here’s how:

It strengthens the heart

Our heart is a muscle, and like all the other muscles, its overall performance improves when it is put to good use. Research has shown that high-intensity exercise for teenagers can help ward off heart disease in later life.

It strengthens the lungs

If there is anything that COVID-19 has taught us, it is that healthy lungs are underrated. You can help your kid keep their lungs healthy through physical activity. Studies have shown that aerobic fitness activity in childhood showed improved lung capacity and volumes in adulthood.

It helps maintain healthy body weight

As more research is done, we are learning that a healthy body can look different for each person. Size is not the determining factor. Healthy body weight is, of course, suggested for optimum performance of our bodies.

Doing that through physical activity instead of restrictive diets will not only improve our strengths but also help avoid problematic food associations that can lead to eating disorders.

It strengthens bones

The foundation of building strong bones starts in childhood. We begin losing bone mass as soon as we hit our 20s. Exercising regularly help improve our bone density and bone strength.

To reach maximum bone strength, it is essential that teenagers do weight-bearing exercises for 20-30 minutes for at least 3-4 days per week.

It enhances emotional well-being

The teenage years are extremely stressful for both parents and teens. Physical activity is a great way to have some control over your mental well-being and this is especially true for kids. Exercise helps alleviate anxiety and improve self-confidence.

3 Reasons Why You Should Exercise With Your Teen

You get some quality bonding time

The older your kids grow, the less time you may get to spend with them. Having weekly or daily exercise or physical activity sessions is a great way to schedule some time to spend with them.

Besides, there’s nothing better than getting the blood flowing to have a great time with your kids.

Your kid learns the importance of working out from you

The best role model your kid can have is you. Even if they don’t consider you as a role model, they will still see and learn from you.

When you exercise with your kid, you are teaching that this is something they can do as part of their routine.

You get in your physical activity requirements

Let’s face it: sometimes we forget to get in our exercise sessions into our routines as well. When we schedule workouts or games with our kids, it forces us to show up as well.

Don’t Forget…

It’s never too early or too late to start exercising. Exercise is a great way to help combat depression, anxiety, and stress. Exercise can be an outlet for pent-up emotions, and it can boost your mood by releasing endorphins in the brain.

In this day and age, when everything we do is on our screens, getting out there and moving around has never been more important.

So take this chance to make it your family routine. A weekly routine can go a long way for both your kid and yourself!