Tips To Get Your Rear in Gear!

It's not complicated to stay active.  Just be a little creative.  Here's some examples:

§         Find activities you enjoy such as dancing, roller-skating, biking, swimming, jogging, weight lifting, rec sports, etc.   DON'T FORGET ACTIVITIES LIKE LASERTAG OR PAINTBALL.   If you enjoy the activity, you're more likely to stay with it.   YOU NEED 60 MINUTES OF CARDIO ACTIVITY EVERYDAY.

§         Partner up with a friend and challenge one another to exercise and stay fit.

§         Try to walk as much as possible.  Walk to the store, shop at the mall, walk to school (if safe and possible), walk to a friend's house, etc.   

§         Exercise on the stability ball while watching your favorite television show.  You could easily get in 7-10 hours per week of exercise just by using this neat trick. 

§         Buy a set of light weight dumbbells and do full-body exercises 3 days a week.  They are critical for your bone health, joint health and they help you lose fat-mass weight.   TeenGirl, your primary concern is to  develop peak bone mass.   After graduating from high school, girls have all the bone mass they will ever have--Unless they strength train to increase it.  DOWNLOAD FITNESS PROGRAMS TO YOUR iPOD OR RENT/BUY FITNESS DVDs TO GUIDE YOU. 

 

Tips on TeenGirl Nutrition---Eat, Eat, Eat---The Right Stuff!

Good nutrition is also critical since a teenage girl grows faster during adolescence than at any other time in her life, except for infancy.  SEE THE "NUTRITION PAGE" FOR MORE INFORMATION. 

§         Eat nutritional snacks like cut-up fruit/vegetables, pretzels, cheese sticks, low-fat yogurt and butter-free popcorn, etc.  FOR SUGAR LOVERS---GET YOUR SUGAR-FIX WITH SMOOTHIES/SHAKES/SUNDAES WITH LOW-FAT YOGURT, FAT-FREE MILK, NUTS AND FRESH FRUIT!

§         Drink water and unsweetened tea instead of sugary soft drinks.   Also, many fruit juices have as many calories as soft drinks. 

§         Forget the fad diets!  They don't work long-term and they are dangerous!  Instead, focus on a nutritional diet (at least 2000-2500 calories per day) which include the right amount of fats, proteins and carbs.   VEGAN DIETS SHOULD ALSO HAVE THE NECESSARY AMOUNTS OF PROTEIN, FATS AND CARBS!

• DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST--IT HELPS YOU EAT LESS LATER ON
• Eat your food on a plate, not in a bag or jar.  It helps you eat less
• Eat with a purpose---DON'T JUST GRAZE
• Eat at least 2 servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal
• Don't assume that LOW-FAT means LOW-CAL---Read the Label

§         Speaking of fats, eat mainly unsaturated fats.  Hint:  Many fast-food items are loaded with unhealthy trans-fats and saturated fats which lead to chronic illnesses such as heart disease. 

• DON'T SUPER-SIZE YOUR FAST-FOOD ORDER!!
• SKIP THE SIDE ORDERS LIKE FRENCH FRIES AND BREAD STICKS
• SKIP THE MEAL APPETIZERS, UNLESS THEY ARE LOW-CAL
• SKIP THE DESSERT OR SPLIT IT WITH YOUR FRIEND
• EAT UNTIL YOU ARE FULL, NOT STUFFED (TAKE A DOGGY-BAG)

§         If you eat out, order healthy food items.  All restaurants now offer healthy food choices on their menus.

Take your daily multivitamins that are suitable for teen girls.  Also, have your doctor check to see if you need iron and calcium supplements. 

 

Fitness For Girls

Young Girls Girls, of primary concern to you is to begin developing peak bone mass.   After graduating from high school, girls have all the bone mass they will ever have--Unless they strength train to increase it.  According to a recent issue in Pediatric Physical Therapy (2006; 18 [1], 19-22), soccer is a great activity for adolescent girls.  It combines weight-bearing exercise with repetitive impact from running and jumping.  This significantly increases bone density which reduces the risk of osteoporosis.  Nutritional Note to Girls I do not recommend extreme diets that omit one or more of the macronutrients.  The macronutrients are fat, protein and carbohydrates.  No doubt, bad fad diets have contributed to diseases such as anorexia and bulimia.  Female athletes are also at risk when diets are inadequate because of concerns about weight gain.  Girls, eat healthy and exercise! START EARLY WITH FITNESS HABITS AND KEEP IT FUN FOR KIDS When should fitness training start?  According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, children aged 6 years and older should participate in activities that enhance muscle strength and muscle endurance.  In my opinion, this can be done in a way that is safe and enjoyable for kids.  And it should be done in a way that provides learning of new skills, building of friendships and experiencing success-----NOT BASED ON COMPETITION-----KEEP IT FUN!  KIDS SHOULD EXERCISE AT LEAST 60 MINUTES PER DAY.  TOP 10 REASONS KIDS SHOULD EXERCISE The American Council on Exercise (ACE) gives these reasons because the obesity epidemic among kids ages 6 to 19 has reached 15 percent.  This is almost quadruple what is was in the late 1960s. Kids who exercise are likely to continue the good habit as adults. Exercise helps kids reach and maintain a healthy body weight. Kids who exercise have strong muscles, bones and joints. Exercise helps in the development of interpersonal skills, especially for kids who play team sports. Fitness improves overall sleep. Research has found that exercise promotes involved school attendance and enhances academic performance. Kids who exercise have greater self-esteem and better body images. Kids who are regularly active prevent or delay the onset of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Active kids report less anxiety and depression and are happier overall. Exercise improves motor coordination and the development of motor-performance skills. WHEN IS IT SAFE TO BEGIN RESISTANCE TRAINING? There is no minimum age to begin lifting weights or strength training.  Generally, if your child is ready for participation in sports (usually ages 5 or 6), he or she is ready for some type of resistance training.   The child should be emotionally mature enough to accept and follow directions from competent adult instructors.  Here are some benefits of youth resistance training: Increased muscle strength and endurance. Increased bone density. Decreased risk of injury. Position changes in body composition. Improved sports performance, running speed and jumping ability. Improved self-esteem and self-confidence. Overall improved health. GENERAL RESISTANCE TRAINING GUIDELINES The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) give the following general guidelines: If your child is apparently healthy, a medical exam is not mandatory.  An exam is recommended for kids with known or suspected health problems. The child should be ready to follow instructions and training guidelines. The exercise environment should be safe and free of hazards. The child should warm-up for 5 to 10 minutes before resistance training. Children should be encouraged to ask questions about training and praised for participation.  WARM-UP AND FLEXIBILITY Always warm-up before resistance training exercises.  A good warm-up consisting of something like 5-10 minutes of brisk walking, jumping rope, treadmill, stationary bike, etc. will warm your muscles and decrease chances of injury.  Follow your warm-up with 5-10 minutes of stretching.  When the workout is finished, cool-down with 5-10 minutes of stretching.  COMMON RESISTANCE TRAINING EXERCISES The following are a list of resistance training exercises that will target the major muscles of the child's body: Again, adult supervision and spotters should always be present. Dumbbell squat Dumbbell lunge  Dumbbell bench press Dumbbell Fly Dumbbell Row Biceps Curl Dumbbell Heel Raise (two legs and single leg) Dumbbell Overhead Shoulder Press Abdominal Crunches Lying Back Extension  Kids should not perform maximal heavy lifts and extreme care should be taken when lifting weights overhead or over-the-body.  Proper form and technique should be stressed to kids.  Its important that kids also drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.   OTHER FUN AND BENEFICIAL EXERCISES Some other fun exercises include jumping rope (including the jumprope games we played growing up), pick-up games such as football, soccer and basketball, running relays, hiking, dancing, hop-scotch, bike riding, playing at the park, etc.  The list goes on and on.  THE POINT IS----GET OUT THERE KIDS AND STAY ACTIVE----EXERCISE AT LEAST 60 MINUTES A DAY!   YOUR HEALTH DEPENDS ON IT!