How to Encourage Health and Wellness in Teens

We all know teenagers the facts of life: Teens are probably one of the most difficult age groups to deal with. In fact, the only people who are unaware of this are the teenagers themselves. The teenage years are full of passionate emotion, hormonal ups and downs, numerous discoveries, rounded out by some good old teen angst. Because of reasons such as these, getting teenagers to do something can be a task equivalent to scaling a mountain. Parents everywhere know it is no easy task. Sometimes, however, it is necessary. For example, it’s important to keep teenagers healthy, even if this means pushing them to do a few things against their will. If you’re in need of a little advice to motivate your teen to get moving and active, check out these useful tips for teenager health and wellness.

Get Them Involved in a Team Activity

The most important part of life to a teenager is the social aspect. Family, school, the future, and pretty much everything else takes a backseat to their social scene. If you can, hone in on this important aspect of their personal development. Try to get them involved in an activity with others. The earlier you can get them involved, the better. It’s much harder to persuade a 16-year-old than a 13-year-old. Some ideas may include a sport, gymnastics, dance, or even cooking or art classes. Just do what you can to get them off the couch and their eyes diverted from their phones, and you’ll be moving them in the right direction.

Use Their Personal Interests

Teenagers today are swarmed with technology. Phones, laptops, tablets, and numerous other devices make up most of their world. If you can’t seem to get them motivated in any other way, try involving technology. Buy them a fitness app, an active video game, or even limit screen time to try and motivate them to actually get up. If you choose the last route, you will be met with much resistance and plenty of whining, but stick to your guns. Just keep in mind that the teenage years are short in comparison to teaching them healthy habits for a lifetime.

Be an Example

Once our children get old enough, we see a lot less of them. Friends and social activities take our place, and sometimes this can cause a lapse in our own example setting behavior. Trust that your children see your behavior. Set a healthy example for your children by exercising regularly and eating a well balanced diet. Even if they don’t follow your lead right now, they may look back and follow your lead just a few short years from now.

Keeping teenagers motivated is an especially difficult task. Just try to remember your own angst-filled teenage years, and do your best to be empathetic while at the same time pushing them to be better than ever. Praise them for what they do right, bite your tongue when you can, and trust that teaching them healthy habits will pay off in the long run.

Source: thejoint.com