Teenagers like it easy: The exercise guide for teenagers
- By Team TDO
Teenage - that lovely period where your teenager is a whirlwind of energy; a real blur when it comes to talking nineteen a dozen or cramming for exams or whether seeking a date for the prom.
This is the time when their bodies are developing and whatever habits they acquire now shall set the trend for the future. As every parent knows what a tough task it is to expect complete obedience from a teenager. You would probably get better results from a stone wall! Parents often force their children to hit the gym or set the house rules for exercise regimens enforcing them with threats, bribes and more. However, if a teenager is not set upon any exercise at all and makes up his mind to show resistance then you have a real problem on hand. Our advice to parents of slightly lazy teenagers is to take it really easy and introduce your teenager to the benefits of The No-Problem Teenage Work Out Regimen.
Ok, so your kid shows signs of becoming a rocket scientist and he takes the Einstein’ look rather seriously now does he? Well first of all, who says only hitting the gym makes healthy bodies? You can tell your teenager about the good effects of certain exercises on the brain and if he is much the bookworm then the following exercises should be great to keep him in the good books of health, strength and stamina.
Skipping: Those who know the ropes know that this is a great exercise for the development of co-ordination, flexibility and stamina. A skipping rope can also be used indoors, so if your teenager is reluctant to go to the gym to lug weights give him a skipping rope with fluorescent handles (Pink rope for the girls.). Skipping is an aerobic exercise and can build strong legs and if maintained at a steady pace, can build endurance, stamina, increase height and also cut flab. Most teenage boys tend to look down at skipping as a purely girlie exercise, but that’s not true.
Jogging: This is for the slightly more energetic teenager. If you have been able to impress upon him the benefits of exercise then like skipping, jogging too has marvelous benefits to the teenager. Slow jogging for about 20-40 minutes a day or alternate days will help boost your teenager’s lung capacity and endurance. Jogging has several mental benefits too as the blood circulates well throughout the body. Your teenager is most likely to make demands for a headband, tracksuit and a stopwatch, as he probably would love to synchronize his jog time perfectly with the girl next door! A small price to pay, if his interest in exercise is to be maintained over a period.
Stretches: Ok, you have a problem here! Your teenager is more resistant to good habits than you thought. Maybe he has a lot to contend with on a daily basis which leaves him with no time at all for silly pursuits like good health and exercise (His esteemed opinion!). Well, you have a real cerebral type of teenager here and he is allergic to gyms and hates jogging as well. Basically, nothing motivates this guy to exercise, so you do have a problem on hand. Just as he has stretched your patience, you can introduce him to the world of calisthenics and stretching. Simple head to toe, standing backbends, high kicks if done for about 15-20 minutes in the morning are quite good for toning the body and even reducing hyper activity.
Swimming: Swimming is great fun and doesn’t even require great strength. Just the perfect exercise for your teenager to splash about and indulge in during summer vacations. Water-based aerobics or just plain swimming is so easy on the body and ensure absolutely zero injury. Swimming is a great body and resistance developer. It exercises every single muscle and joint in the body and can help calm down an antsy teenager very well. Just ensure that you enroll your teenager on a swimming coaching camp where the water is treated and the coach is experienced. This will ensure that your child will take to swimming like a duck to water…no fear!
Rest assured, once your teenager discovers that sheer joy of flexibility, swimming, skipping and the great benefits of stretches he will be naturally drawn towards health and exercise. Who knows that might even make him supplement flexibility with jogging or go in for advance levels of flexibility i.e. yogic postures or martial arts. The trick here is in introducing your teenager to the most basic forms which are great in themselves to keep him healthy and active.
