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Teenage Obesity on Rise: Time to Take Action
Doctors recommend consistent
exercise in combination with
healthy eating as the
best way for growing females to
lose weight safely and keep it off. Besides, gaining control over the body
at a younger age helps in future years when losing extra
weight gets tougher.
According to research released by the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine, junk food ads on TV may be a major reason
obesity rates continue to rise
among 12-17 year-olds. The studies examined by researchers at the University of
Illinois-Chicago and University of Michigan concluded that 26% of TV ads seen by
teens were for food products. The vast majority of these products contain high
amounts of fat,
sugar and
sodium.
Teen girls can lose weight and have fun with a variety of aerobic exercise
techniques, including
dancing,
tennis, football, volleyball and kickboxing.
Teens who watch more than two hours of junk food television ads a day had more fat than those who
watch less, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Ways to Prevent Increase in Body Fat:
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Daily exercise: Aerobic workouts represent the best method for
overall weight loss and
maintenance, because exercise that gives your
legs and arms the
opportunity to move continuously burns the highest amount of
calories. It also includes brisk
walking,
running,
cycling,
swimming or chasing an annoying sibling. You can
jump rope a few minutes in the morning. This will get blood pumping, and
will improve mental concentration throughout the day.
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Diet: A
balanced diet with a wide variety of food provides vitamins and
minerals.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, skipping it can slow
metabolism and keep energy levels low. A shake for breakfast containing soy
milk, protein powder, banana and ice cubes can charge up your day. Teens
should also pack a lunch or buy one at school. Complex carbohydrates can
help sustain energy levels. Try to include at least 5 grams of fiber and 5
grams of protein in
every breakfast. Teenagers require an energy intake of 2200 kcal/d and 2100
kcal/d for 10- to 15- and 16- to 18- year-old females, respectively to meet
their growing needs with gradual lowering of
fat intake. Once linear growth has stopped, fat intake should be limited
to 30% of energy and at least 55% of energy should come from carbohydrate.
The energy distribution of the average teenage girl's diet is approximately
15% protein, 50% carbohydrate and 35% fat to maintain a healthy growth and
prevent deficiency of
iron and
calcium.
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 Strength Training:
Two or three times a week can of
resistance training can help teens to build muscle. Joining a health
organization or youth group can help teens with weight lifting activities.
Begin with light weights and build up to heavier ones. Simple exercises like
push-ups,
squats,
lunges
and sit-ups
can go a long way to build strength. The
bench
press helps to build chest muscles. Squats help work leg and back muscles.
Leg extensions
build strong lower body muscles. Teens can perform abdominal exercises
without weights if they choose. Performing sit-ups or bicycle kicks helps build
a strong core. Young women can derive numerous benefits from participating in a
sound, supervised
strength-training program. Some of the more desirable consequences are
improved muscle strength, better local muscular endurance, stronger connective
tissue resulting in increased resistance to injury, enhanced motor performance
in certain sport activities, and a greater appreciation of the value of fitness.
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Saying NO to Soda: Beverages can contribute many calories to the
diet.
Soda and sugary drinks have replaced water and milk as choices, but
these drinks add high amounts of sugar and calories, and may contribute to
weight gain. Energy drinks provide pure sugar with little nutrition value.
These expensive drinks provide caffeine, which speeds up the heart rate.
Drink milk or water primarily. A habit of soft drink consumption actually
robs our bodies of calcium, leading to a condition known as osteoporosis.
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Stop skipping meals: Missing meals can stunt growth. It's
important to keep your metabolism fired up with the right foods at certain
times of the day.
Skipping meals tends to leave people hungrier later in the day, and they
make up for the lost calories anyway. According to a study described in the
December 2007 issue of Metabolism, people who eat only one meal per day are
at greater risk of diabetes and experience higher lever levels of hunger. If
you are the type of dieter who believes that skipping meals is a healthy
weight loss plan and is a quick weight loss tactic, it's time to re-examine
your eating habits and make health a high priority in your life. Making
healthy choices will lead to natural weight loss.
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Learn practical and effective coping skills.
Inadequately managed stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal,
aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or
alcohol use. During stress, production of insulin, the fat storage hormone,
is dramatically increased. Insulin overrides signals from adrenalin to burn
fat, and instead, encourages the body to
store fat (for future
use) in the abdominal region. In order to prevent such things from taking
place teenagers need to take up stress relaxation techniques like
yoga, meditation,
deep breathing exercises.
Stress -- any kind of stress, be it
physical, mental or emotional -- increases levels of cortisol which
in turn encourage the storage of fat, especially around the
belly.
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Decrease negative self talk.
How many times have you criticized yourself in the last 24
hours? Stop for a minute and think about it. What exactly did you say to
the image in the mirror, this morning? "Look at that stomach! Your thighs
are enormous! You'll never fit into those pants you got last month. You look
terrible!" Most of us wouldn't dream of speaking to another human being
like that. But we have no problem routinely addressing ourselves in a
disrespectful, even demeaning, way. And those voices make weight loss, or
any kind of change, difficult or even agonizing. Challenge negative thoughts
about yourself with alternative neutral or positive thoughts. "My life will
never get better" can be transformed into "I may feel hopeless now, but my
life will probably get better if I work at it and get some help." Try this:
Make a list of positive affirmations. Pick one, look at yourself in the
mirror and say it morning and night for 21 days. The affirmation will become
a part of you!
Introduce yourself into a whole new world of Healthy Living.
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