Kids Are Our Future

Health is the first priority for all of us. Nutrition and exercises are the fundamentals for staying healthy. Nowadays there are more and more overweight and under exercised teenagers. Teaching teenagers how to eat right and exercise become more important, which gives them the motivation they need to make fitness a part of their everyday lifestyle. By staying healthy, teenagers can improve their study effectiveness and a longer and higher quality life span.

Here are some tips for teens to stay healthy.

Healthy eating

By nutrition experts, the nutrient and energy needs of teenagers are higher than those of any other age group. To have a healthy eating habit for teens is a must.

Healthy eating can keep teenagers stay energetic all day long, and help them reach their maximum height and maintain a healthy weight.

Eat regularly
Usually eat 3 meals a day (morning, afternoon, and evening), and snacks when need extra energy. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It will raise teens’ low blood sugar and energy levels in the morning and will keep them going through a busy school day. Remind teens not to skip meals.

Do not over eat
Eat certain amount of food with rich nutrition to meat each day’s nutritional needs, while do not over eat.

Eat a variety of food
Eat food from different food groups, such as vegetables, fruits, breads, cereals, rice, pasta, milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.

A healthy, balanced diet is rich in fruit, vegetable and starchy foods, while contains moderate amounts of fish and/or meat, and milk and dairy food.

Reduce fat and/or sugar intake
It is recommended that foods high in fat, particularly saturated fat, and/or sugar should only be eaten in small amount or infrequently.

Reduce caffeine intake
Too much caffeine can cause headaches, acidity, increased heart rate, blood pressure and insomnia. Caffeine can be found in soda and chocolate, which makes it harder for teens to sleep.

Enough sleeping

For teens, it is recommended at least sleep 8-9 hours a night.

Regular Exercising

It is recommended to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, and three days a week. Because regular exercise can improve one’s health, well-being including strengthening the heart and lungs and reducing stress.

Vigorous Aerobic Exercise includes sports like football, tennis, soccer, walking, jogging, swimming, and running, etc.

Strength Training Exercise involves using free weights, machines, or one’s own body weight to increase muscle strength and endurance.

Stress management

Teenagers are facing more stress and need to learn stress management skills, which is one of the keys for them to stay healthy physically and mentally. Encourage them to take a break every day to enjoy something.

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We say teenagers like the sun at 8am, which means they are going to make progress, they are going to have a bright future. However, teenagers do have to know how to manage stress, because nowadays with the increasing competition and increasing distraction, they are under pressure. They are trying to figure out their future path, where they fit into the world, they sometimes feel lost, sometimes become over-anxious; they need parents’ guidance and support to develop stress management skills.

What teens worry about?

In this world with a lot of uncertainty, everybody has worries. Teenagers have no exception. A teen may worry about:

• future path
• grades
• extracurricular activities
• body changes
• family concerns
• friend problems

Because teens are still in the developmental process, they start to face pressure and to learn how to cope it properly, problems even do not look serious from an adult point of view may make them insurmountable. Some teens become overloaded with stress, and can not manage stress well leading to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical or mental illness.

Suggestions to parents

In order to help your teens to manage their stress properly, parents need to watch for their stress overloading carefully.

• Monitor your teen closely including his or her health, behavior, thoughts and emotion
• Talk to your teen often and listen to him or her carefully
• Encourage your teen in making good friends
• Support your teen in involving in sports and other extracurricular activities

Guiding teens on stress management

Stress handling is a skill, which is a part of EQ. Teenagers definitely need to develop this basic and key skill to become an adult who faces more stressful world. The following are some of the advice to best help teenagers combat the stressors not only during their high school years but also in their lives.

Encourage teens to exercise regularly

Exercise can re-generate brain cells and make a person feel energetic, and therefore increase one’s self-confidence. It is a great stress reliever and a great habit one needs to have for one’s life towards health, happiness and success. Relaxation exercises such as Yoga, abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation, are recommended.

Encourage teens to eat well

Eating regularly and well, eating nutritious and balanced meals avoiding caffeine and fast-food also can help teens to be healthy physically and mentally towards lowering stress.

Encourage teens sleep well

Sleeping is one of a person’s basic needs. Getting enough sleep for teens is extremely important, which can decrease their stress as well.

Encourage teens to talk

Talking to somebody, such as a family member, a friend, can low stress too. As parents, we want our kids come to us and talk to us, which we need build a very good relationship with them gaining their trust is the key.

Encourage teens to take a break

High school students having challenge courses are very busy these days. Parents should encourage them to take a break from stressful situations when necessary and suggest them to do some things like listening to music, talking to a friend, drawing, writing, etc., which can reduce stress.

By using these and other positive stress management techniques, teenagers can learn to manage stress and improve EQ, building the fundamental capability in their life.

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