How to get fit & stay healthy: tips for teens 

Any type of physical activity can help improve your fitness and your overall health. It can be as simple as taking the dog walk, moving the lawn or taking the stairs. The most important thing is that you keep your body moving! 

4 Benefits of Physical Activity

Being physically active can help with: 

1. Keeping you at a healthy weight - but be wary, everybody’s healthy weight is different. There are so many factors that go into what your healthy body weight is. But the main way to know is through your BMI (Body Mass Index). If you have any questions or if you want to know more, check in with your doctor. 
2. Prevent Heart Disease - Research has shown that the risk factors for heart diseases have started during childhood. And this is caused from a lack of physical activity, and this is the major factor for heart disease.
3. Strengthen Your Bones - Did you know that exercising regularly can help prevent a bone disease called Osteoporosis? This disease is very common in older people, and this causes your bones to break very easily. 
4. Reduces Stress - I know it’s hard to avoid stress, as we all have stress in our lives. But learning how to deal with it is important especially when it comes to staying healthy. There are many things that can cause stress such as, problems with parents or friends or just the pressure of school. Even changes in your life can cause stress. Exercise is a great way to release some of these stresses and it will help relax your mind and body.

What are the Basics of Fitness?

To be healthy, you might find it helpful to work on these aspects of fitness: 

• Aerobic Endurance - this determines how well your heart, lungs, and blood vessels provide oxygen and nutrients through your body. 
• Muscle Strength and Endurance - This level of fitness is the amount of work and the amount of time your muscles can do before they get tired. Basically the more fit you are the longer you can play sports and workout for before your muscles get tired. 
• Flexibility - This is how well you can stretch your joints, muscles and ligaments through a full range of motion. People with good flexibility can bend over and touch their toes. 

Make Physical Activity Part of your Everyday Routine

Physical activity should be part of your everyday routine, like eating, sleeping, or even brushing your teeth. It can be anything from PE at school, playing for a sports team, or working out at a gym or on your own. But make sure you remember these tips: 

• Stay positive and have fun 
• Take it one step at a time
• Get your heart pumping 
• And remember to warm up

Other Ways to a Healthy Lifestyle

As well as exercise there are many other ways to live a healthy lifestyle:

• Spend less time in front of a screen
• Eat 3 healthy meals a day 
• Drink plenty of water 
• Drink less soft drink 
• Eat less junk food 
• Get 9 to 10 hours of sleep every night