Teens and exercise

 

Exercise benefits every part of our body, including mind.

 

It keeps you physically fit, stimulates immune system and combats health conditions by:

        • Getting your blood flowing smoothly
        • Lowering your blood pressure
        • Increasing your muscle strength
        • Keeping your weight under control
        • Boosting your levels of good cholesterol
        • Building strong bones
        • Improving your body’s oxygen circulation
        • Reducing toxic buildup by opening your elimination routes (mostly sweating and breathing)
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When we exercise, our body

  • releases chemicals called endorphins, also referred as a “happy” biochemical
  • lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol
  • positively impacts levels of serotonin (chemical that helps regulate mental health)

And all of the above trigger a positive feeling in our body. It helps us relive stress and anxiety. In addition, it helps teens to sleep better as well.

 

Exercise can give you a sense of accomplishment and pride at having achieved a certain goal. In result, it increases self-esteem.

Being involved in team sports adds a social aspect benefit to exercising. It provides “teens with a sense of community and belonging.” (2). Sport teams teach teens how to work hard, prioritize and sacrifice. It gives them an opportunity to work together with people with different skills than them. They are learning to deal with sports ups and downs, to tolerate frustration where working hard is not always recognized. This prepares teens to “become more resilient across domains and have a better capacity to cope with everyday life stressors.” (2)

Exercise together with diet are the two key factors in building strong bones.

Teenage years is the time to develop strong, dense bones.

“A women has about twenty years to develop dense bones – from puberty to her early thirties. After thirty-five, it’s too late to build bone density; she can only try to prevent bone loss.”

“Weight-bearing activities such as walking, running, or tennis, which put pressure on bones, especially the legs and spine, stimulate the formation of new bone tissue.” (1)

In addition to exercise, proper diet is very important for optimal health. This post with section about strong bones goes over dietary essential a teenager needs.

Sources:

    1. “Superimmunity for Kids” by Leo Galland, MD. with Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D.
    2. Four Reasons Why Team Sports are Win-win Teens for Teens. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/drifting-adulthood/201707/four-reasons-why-team-sports-are-win-win-teens