5 tips to help teens find their groove with exercise

My number one rule will always be to only cultivate a mindset of positive association with exercise and avoid any negative connection to physical activity being a way to “burn calories” or “compensate” for that weekend pizza and ice cream! 

Teens and exercise is a very wide subject, but for now , as I write during our third period of lockdown in the UK, I thought I’d give you a few tips particularly applicable to support your teens right now.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨:

ENJOY!

No matter your age, let’s be honest, if you don’t enjoy it you won’t stick to it. So help your teens engage in physical activity you know they enjoy. If their preferred team sport is OFF at the moment, try and find an equivalent or an activity which will support them and improve their abilities for returning to it post pandemic.

Get skipping

It’s really fun, very good cardio, a little agility if you fancy learning some tricks and can be done indoor or outdoors. Try and master the Boxer step!! I’m no Rocky Balboa but it’s fun and really tough! You could also set up a simple circuit outdoors, do some sprints to build power, agility drills with a ladder and cones (good for football, rugby and hockey).

BUILD

Building a new habit that fits into the current schooling at home routine is key. I would encourage everyone to look at schooling from home as the same, but in a different setting and sticking to the school timetable. Use those PE and games slots to encourage them to be active at those times. Make sure they prepare their sports clothes as they would normally too. Creating those habits now is the way to consistency and a commitment that will lead to their long term healthy lifestyle.

PE lesson. Make PE a time for doing some strength and conditioning or some core strength work, and games a time to get outside and participate in some running, walking or cycling.

MAKE IT A SOCIAL THING

Social interaction is what we are all craving right now. If possible, get the whole family involved, or if not put some rules in place, block it in everyone’s diary, get a friend involved and exercise together. 

I suggest: It could be a run, a walk, or agreeing to attend the same Zoom class or Live instagram or YouTube home workout. There is something for everyone out there and a lot is on offer for free. Perfect for trying out all sorts of different types of workouts. Dance, barre, pilates, yoga, there are even apps offering outdoor running classes where an instructor will keep you going on that run.

GOAL SETTING

Engage into a challenge and encourage competitiveness. In my everyday job as a Personal Trainer I have found that even those who say they are not competitive usually thrive on a challenge, an achievable goal we agree on and they can focus on and commit to. In the current climate it is important to bring out the best in our teens and give them access to that feeling of achievement, pride and feel good reward.

How? Most schools have set up challenges on platforms such as Strava trying to encourage a little competitive spirit and a sense of community around being active and encouraging some level of physical activity for all. It may be 50km in a month, be it walking, running or cycling. It could be skipping for 2 minutes uninterrupted by the end of term. You could even come up with your own little family challenge or join one! There’s lots of free challenges on Strava that you can join in with, such as run 5km in February or a certain distance per month.

LONG TERM PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLBEING

Teens of today are absolutely aware of the physiological benefits of exercise for their physical and mental health, it is also worth explaining to them that physical activity is essential to support their brain health and efficient learning.

Chat to them. Spending time outside, away from screens is a mood and brain booster. It also helps regulate and improve their sleep quality (quantity is usually not a issue for them).

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to chat about anything else related to your teen health.
You could also join us for a Zoom Live session all about feeding teens for their physical and mental wellbeing. Click here to book your space!