If you’ve got a teenager, you’ll know all too well how difficult it can be to draw them away from their technology for some exercise. As their bodies are rapidly growing, exercise is more important than ever as it helps build muscle and bone strength. So, what can you do if your teenager is living a sedentary lifestyle? Let’s take a look now.
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Lead by example
Like with small children, it’s important for you to lead by example, even when it comes to exercise. When they see you being active and looking after your body, they’re more likely to follow suit. Whether you go for a morning jog or an evening swim, your willingness to exercise will rub off on your teenager.
Where possible, encourage your teenager to join you in exercising. If you’re doing yoga in the living room, for example, why not invite them to try out a few poses? Not only will this help encourage them to exercise more, but it gives you a chance at bonding over a common interest.
Encourage hobbies that will get them moving
Every teenager has their hobbies, so if they show interest in one that involves them moving or exercising, you should encourage it. Things like dancing or football may interest them, so if you hear them talking about it, encourage them to do it. For example, if you hear your teenager talking about some cool skateboard decks they’ve seen online, why not encourage them to give it a go? You could set up some skate ramps in the garden until they’ve built enough skills and confidence to go to the skate park. Not only can skateboarding be a great way to exercise, but it gives them a chance to make new friends too.
Set realistic goals with incentives
If motivation is an issue with your teenager, then why not try setting goals for them and providing incentives if they achieve them? You could buy them an activity tracking watch and challenge them to reach at least 10,000 steps a day and if they do, you can reward them with things like staying up longer at night or making curfew a little bit later. Not only will they look forward to their reward, but they will get a sense of accomplishment from completing the goal, therefore encouraging them to continue doing it.
Give them the right resources
Finally, it’s important to give your teenager the right resources to do the types of exercise they want to. This might be by driving them to football training or buying a hockey stick and helmet for practice. When they have the right equipment and the right gear, you’ll be helping them enjoy the activity more, not to mention encouraging better performance.
It’s not easy, but encouraging your teenager to exercise is a must. Be patient and make sure that you give them plenty of support and motivation. Whether it’s attending a dance recital or giving them a lift to their activities, you’ll be helping to set your teenager up for a healthy and active life.