Being young often brings about the feeling of being indestructible: injuries heal faster, you have loads more energy and you’ve got fewer worries than anyone in the world. However, as the times change, so do teenagers. The lure of the television and Internet have made couch potatoes of countless teens, allowing for more issues with weight gain and weight management and a decline in overall physical activity.

Teenagers who stay physically active throughout their younger years often continue to lead physically healthy lives into adulthood. Additionally, being fit during the teen years also decreases the chances for developing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and other degenerative medical issues. Not all teenagers want to be a part of organized sports and many hate the thought of going to gym class. Unfortunately, this has caused many teens to fall prey to obesity and other unhealthy nutritional routines. If you’re worried your teen isn’t getting the proper daily exercise, there are a few things you can do.

The first thing to understand in your approach to your teenage son or daughter is that the teen years are filled with self-discovery. Teenagers want to find out what they like, develop their personalities and participate in things that speak to their nature. Never try to force anything on your teen, since this will give them the perfect chance to rebel against your better judgment. If you realize early on that your teen isn’t good at team sports, don’t continue to sign them up for teams or nag them about finding the right team sport to be a part of. Instead, encourage any other activities that may suit them better. While it may seem a nuisance to most parents, activities such as skateboarding meet the requirements of a physical activity. Does your son or daughter like to swim? Then see if they’d be interested in joining the swim team or simply going to the gym to do a couple of laps a few times a week. Buying them the proper equipment and/or taking them to and from their activity are great gestures to keep your teen motivated to stay fit.

Not only can special interests prompt your teen to stay physically active, everyday routines can also be turned into a form of exercise. Great examples include walking or biking to school or extra curricular activities, getting a part time job or volunteering and even babysitting (chasing after young kids is enough exercise for any teen or adult!).

Once they find an activity that interests them, do your best to see that they can develop a routine for it in order to encourage them to stick to it. It may not bring home a load of trophies and awards but they’ll get the exercise they need while fulfilling their desire to do things on their own terms.

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