Physical Activity

Exercise

All adolescents should engage in moderate amounts of daily physical activity. This amount can be obtained in longer sessions of moderately intense activities, such as walking for 30 minutes, or in shorter more intense sessions of activities, such as jogging or playing basketball for 15-20 minutes.

The benefits of physical activity include:

• Helping to build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints.
• Controlling weight, building lean muscle, and reducing fat.
• Preventing or delaying the development of high blood pressure in adolescents.
• Helping to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and promoting psychological well being.

Get Moving!

Each week, try to increase your physical activity. Here's how to start...

If you are inactive
Haven't thought about activity in years? Increase daily activities by:

• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Hiding the TV remote control.
• Making extra trips around the house or yard.
• Stretching while standing in line.
• Walking whenever you can.

If you are sporadic
Active some of the time but not regularly? Become consistent by:

• Finding activities you enjoy.
• Planning activities in your day.
• Setting realistic goals.

If you are consistent
Active most of the time -- at least four days a week? Think about the long term by:

• Changing your routine if you start to get bored.
• Exploring new activities.

Adolescent Injury

Injury is a major cause of child and adolescent medical treatment and death throughout the world. Research has shown that many injuries and deaths can be prevented, often by simple and available means.

Click on the link to learn about Sports Injury Prevention

Safety Tips:

• Bicycle Safety: Teenagers as a group are most often injured or killed on bicycles. Remember, bicycle helmets are compulsory.
• Water Safety: Diving into shallow water is very dangerous because of the risk of spinal injuries. Before diving into any water, check the depth.
• Sports Safety: As contact sports often cause injuries in adolescents, the following suggestions should be noted:
  • Wear fitted mouthguards or helmets, particularly for contact sports.
  • Warm up before participating in a game and stretch to cool down.
  • Wear proper protective equipment for skateboards, skates, and trail bikes.
• Motor Vehicle Safety: Always wear seat belts.