Why Is Physical Fitness Important for Teens

Why is physical fitness important for teens? Well, it’s everywhere today. Turn on the nightly news and you’re sure to see at least one story on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. We say, read on to discover the answer!

What Is Physical Fitness?

Amazingly, physical fitness is actually a broad term that’s used to encompass the four different elements of overall fitness. These elements include:

• Cardio Respiratory Endurance: This refers to the ability to perform a strenuous activity over a length of time, and is more commonly known as aerobic exercise.

• Muscular Endurance: The ability to hold a particular position, or the ability to repeat a movement several times.

• Flexibility: Flexibility usually refers to one’s overall range of motion. Yoga would be a good example of this.

The general consensus among fitness experts is that all of these different components of exercise should be incorporated into our daily lives, at last several times a week. Some of the activities that accomplish these goals are:

• Jumping Rope
• Walking Briskly
• Push-ups (either military style or modified)
• Lifting Weights
• Running
• Gentle Stretching or Yoga

So, Why Is Physical Fitness Important for Teens?

Why is physical fitness important for teens? Well, there are several, well-documented reasons.

Health Reasons

The overall health benefits of exercise have become well-known, particularly in the last decade or so. For example, doctor’s now know that exercising regularly helps to improve heart function and the transport of blood (and therefore oxygen) throughout the body. Lung capacity and function increases as well, which means you’ll b able to take deeper breaths, and hold your breath for longer periods of time.

Perhaps the very best benefit of regular exercise is that it helps to cut one’s risk of obesity (being significantly overweight). Carrying extra weight, particularly around the trunk of the body, is very dangerous to one’s overall health, and can lead to a whole host of future complications, including diabetes.

Psychological Benefits

When it comes to fitness, one can really see the mind-body connection, and the psychological benefits of exercise may be particularly helpful to teenagers. That’s because physical fitness has been shown to boost one’s overall mood, and when you feel good, you look great! Not only will your mood improve, but so too will the way you see yourself. From this prospective, it’s easy to see how one’s self-esteem benefits.

Perform Better at School

Regular physical fitness can also translate into performing better in school. That’s because the more exercise you do, the better you’ll sleep at night, and a restfull night’s sleep is key to feeling good.

First, sleep aids in good psychological health because it gives both the mind and the body time to recuperate from, and digest, the day’s events. Second, when we get a good nights’ sleep, we usually wake feeling refreshed and recharged; ready to face the day.

Third? Studies show that those that get a consistent nights rest tend to perform better, overall, on tests and school work. In short, maintaining one’s physical health is beneficial on almost every level.

Getting Started

If you are revved up and ready to begin an exciting physical fitness journey, here’s the best way to get started:

• Talk to your doctor: This doesn’t have to be complicated at all, but you do want to make sure that your doctor gives you a clean bill of health before you start any kind of exercise program.

• Start Slow: If you’ve been slightly sedentary up until this point, don’t worry. Start of small by walking a few extra minutes a day.

• Love It: Find out what activity suits your body best, and do that. If you love sports, try out for a team. Feel the need for speed? Consider track. From swimming to volleyball, there are literally tons of fun ways to get physically fit.

Learn More

Why is physical fitness important to teens? It’s important because it improves the quality of your life and has enormous health benefits. The benefits can be social too, since you can enlist the help of a few close friends, and work out together. To learn more, visit LTK’s Exercise channel; you’ll find everything you’ll need there to get fit and fearless!

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