Archive for the ‘Fitness for kids’ Category

If you’re unfortunate enough to need help fighting obesity in adolescents, in this case overweight teenage boys, then you may need an appropriate diet plan that will meet the nutritional requirements of the obese teenager in question. While society focuses more on girls having to be skinny and ’sexy’, the fact is that many teenage boys are also overweight, even athletic teenagers like rugby and baseball players can experience weight issues. Overweight teenage boys can be found anywhere, it’s not just those who live sedentary lifestyles and munch out on junk food that have this problem. It doesn’t matter what cultural background they have, how fit they are or what they eat, overweight teenage boys are found in all walks of life.

Perhaps like many others, you have the incorrect stereotypical opinion that all obese adolescent boys sit in front of the television playing video games for hours on end and fail to get the appropriate exercise needed to maintain healthy body weight. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case. Even teenage boys who actively participate in sporting events can still be obese.

Finding an appropriate diet plan to fight obesity in adolescents can be very challenging. Even after finding an appropriate exercise plan for particular teenagers, it may not be sufficient. You could resort to alternative methods like diet pills, but that may not necessarily the best way to go as it may interfere with the delicate balance of nutrients required for adolescent growth. Sometimes the solution can be much simpler (and cheaper) than resorting to chemical aid like diet pills. You may find the solution is as straightforward as using several methods in conjunction to help the adolescent drop those excess pounds.

To fight obesity in adolescents you should first ensure that they have a healthy diet. If necessary you can reduce the amount of ready made, packaged foods and substitute extra fruit and vegetables. Keep in mind that teenagers are still growing. This means that they require more energy than you may think. The recommended calorie intake for a 16-18 year old male is 3000… compared to 2800 for an adult male. Of course, at this age your adolescent male is bulking on muscle as well as fat so it’s important that their protein consumption be a little higher than it was when they were younger. These factors make it difficult to determine how many calories are too much. However, with time, patience, and some luck, most people will eventually determine the right balance for their teenager. Keep in mind that you should pay attention to both portion size AND content. Adolescents require a wide variety of nutrients. Vitamin supplements can ensure that your teenager is receiving all the vitamins and nutrients he requires, though it isn’t recommended that you depend entirely on them to the exclusion of a healthy diet.

Remember, to fight obesity in adolescents you should reduce the amount of high calorie and high energy foods while substituting nutrient rich foods like fruit and vegetables to allow your adolescent to fill up on foods that won’t convert to fat so easily. Stay close to nature… give them something in it’s own skin rather than something out of a plastic packet!

After pinpointing an appropriate diet for your teenager, encourage him to engage in some form of exercise that he enjoys to help ensure that he is active. Even if this means playing Wii sportz… there are those who have lost significant amounts of weight based solely upon this type of exercise. If he’s an active participant in sports, and makes healthy changes to his diet, it will help ensure that he starts losing weight. You’ll be amazed how much difference dieting and exercise can make to a teenage boy’s energy and self image. Using diet plans to overcome obesity in adolescents could be the perfect way help your teenager feel better about himself.

Does your teen come home from college with tear streaked cheeks because of their weight? Do they rush to their bedroom because they do not want to talk about it? Do you cry with them because you understand and feel their pain? It doesn’t have to be that way for either of you. Read on for more information on simple weight loss for teens.

Recent studies show that teenage obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Most studies indicate that not only do body structure, DNA, diets of fast foods and overeating contribute to the weight issues, but the lack of physical activity by today’s adolescents may be a primary cause. A disturbing fact revealed in these studies is that most adolescents have less than thirty minutes of exercise per 24 hour period.

Parent who don’t practice healthy eating and exercise habits are contributing to tennager’s dangerous exercise habits and obesity. A smart way to help yourself and your offspring to create healthy habits, is to find an exercise program you can both take part in. It does not have to be boring repetitive type of exercise, it could be loaded with fun. However, there’s one thing you must do before starting any exercise program.

If you and your teen are both overweight, you should consult with your family doctor to have a physical checkup before committing to any weight loss or exercise program. This checkup can rule out any underlying health problems which may be causing the weight gain. It will also confirm if you’re each healthy enough to take part in an exercise program to lose weight.

Weight loss for teens doesn’t need to be complicated. You can start off with a walking program. To help make it bearable for your adolescent, permit them to take along their I-pod or other music player. But it’s also a great time for you guys to spend quality time together

It’s a good idea to take this slowly and talk with them concerning things that they’re interested in. Don’t use it as a time to preach at them or they will simply block you out and you will kill whatever interest they have started to build in exercise.

Another fun exercise for the entire family cycling. Remember how much fun you had riding a bike as a child? This exercise is one of the best to form a habit for both you and your children. It does not take long before it becomes a nice habit for both of you.

One of the real advantages from bike riding is that the way it will assist you to shed those extra pounds while building muscle at the same time. In time, both you and your teenager will have more shapely legs and a firmer butt. In addition it elevates your heart rate, which will benefit your body with increased oxygen saturation as well as forcing you to consume extra energy.

Another fun exercise to participate in is swimming. Obviously not everyone has the luxury of a private pool, In which case you can attend a local public swimming pool or gym… or get friendly with someone who has a backyard swimming pool.

You need to face the fact that as a parent, it’s your responsibility to ensure your child’s welfare and overall health. By encouraging them to develop healthy eating and exercise habits now, while they are still young, you are setting them up for life.

Easy weight loss for teens, doesn’t have to be exhausting, nor must it be boring. It simply needs to be done.

Being overweight is difficult. Especially for a child.

Other kids tease them, tell them they’re fat, and simply don’t understand.

Most people just assume an overweight kid is a glutton, that’s not always the case.

There are many causes of obesity in kids, with just a few being mental health issues which in turn may stop kids from exercising or playing with their friends, kidney issues can cause excess weight, and some medications can plow on the weight as well. And these are just a few.

Rather than judging, we need to be more mindful of the problem, and find creative ways to help alleviate it.

One way to do this is to exercise as a family. Here are a few ideas:

Cycling: plan a bicycle trip where the whole family goes along. It doesn’t have to be anywhere too far away, and in fact, it’s better to start off with a very short trip. Start off with (say) a ten minute trip, and gradually build on that. After one or two ten minute trips, build it up to fifteen, then twenty minutes and so on.

It’s better to build up over time rather than start off with a long trip where everyone is exhausted and has aching muscles. By building up gradually, there’s less likelihood of this happening.

Perhaps you can find a nice park as your destination when the trip is a little longer. Pack a picnic lunch and carry it in backpacks. That way not only is the trip healthy, it’s also a cheap outing for the entire family.

Walking: this is a great activity, especially if the overweight person is also unwell (which is often the case), or some of the walkers are ‘more mature’. Walking has much less impact on the body than running or jogging, but is very effective.

Like cycling, it’s a good idea to start off with short walks, and build on the distance. It’s much better to take a short walk around the block, than to try for a longer distance on the first effort. When you are confident enough to go further, give it a shot.

Keep in mind failure to complete is a big problem for many overweight children. If they are unable to ‘make the cut’ they’re less likely to try again.

Playing Ball: believe it or not, the simple act of throwing a ball around can have an impact on the fitness of an overweight child. Although relatively low-key, it’s still exercise and will help lift the child’s fitness levels.

Fit Ball: although at first glance it may not seem possible, these unassuming balls can do a lot to help tone and also lift fitness levels. They are a great choice for anyone who is very overweight, because they make the exercise less stressful on the body. Fit Balls are relatively cheap – starting at $20 – but depending on the quality can be much more expensive. They generally come with their own set of exercise sheets.

Each of these exercises will have a low impact on your child’s body, but will contribute to their fitness level.

They are all fun activities, and in many cases, your child won’t even realize they are exercising. Keeping it fun is the key to guiding your child to a more active (and therefore fitter) life.

In modern society, the most common way for doctors to determine whether a person is overweight is by calculating their BMI. What is BMI I hear you ask?

BMI is the abbreviation of ‘Body Mass Index’. BMI is a measure of an individuals weight compared to their height. It is used to provide an estimate of how much body fat an individual has. It can also indicate what risk factors a person has of suffering from obesity related health issues such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure.

There are four main levels of interpretation of BMI results in adults, although these can also be split into six:

1) BMI below 16 – Severely underweight
2) BMI of 16-18 – underweight
3) BMI of 18-25 – Healthy weight range
4) BMI of 25-30 – overweight
5) BMI of 30-40 – Obese
6) BMI over 40 – Morbidly Obese

While the calculation of BMI in children is the same as it is for adults, the interpretation is different because children are still growing. BMI results for children are broken down into BMI for Age and BMI for sex. A childs BMI is calculated and compared to other children of the same age and sex and displayed as a percentile. In children, it is possible to have a BMI of 18 and still be classed as obese depending on their age and sex. The breakdown for children is

1) Lowest 5% of BMI – underweight
2) Within 5-85% of BMI – Healthy weight range
3) Within 85-95% of BMI – overweight
4) In top 5% of BMI – Obese

How to calculate BMI.

There are two ways to calculate BMI depending on whether your system of measurement is imperial (pounds and inches) or metric (kilograms and metres):

In the Imperial system of measurement the formula is weight (lb) divided by height (in) divided by height (in) x 703

So if you weigh 198.42lb and are 66.5″ tall then the formula comes out as 198.42 / 66.5 / 66.5 x 703 = BMI of 31.54

By Metric the formula is weight (kg) divided by height (cm) divided by height (cm) x 10,000

So using the same figures converted is 90kg / 168.91 / 168.91 x 10,000 = BMI of 31.54

It should be noted that it is possible to have a high BMI without being overweight because BMI is calculated on overall weight and does not distinguish between the weight of fat or muscle. Therefore, a person who is extremely fit or does weight training can have a high BMI without being overweight. In such cases doctors also use tests such as the skinfold thickness measurement to determine whether a person is carrying unaceptable amounts of fat.

Children with high BMI for their age must also undergo other testing (such as the skinfold thickness measurement) for doctors to determine whether they are in fact overweight. It should be noted that it is unadvisable to put children on low fat diets since they need higher fat intake for growth and development.

So while BMI is not an exact science, it provides a good indication of whether a person is overweight in the majority of cases.

If you believe that yourself or your child may be overweight it is recommended that you consult your family doctor for advice.