Exercise is important for teens

I was recently asked for advice that I would give teenagers about exercise.  Nike already stole my short answer (Just do it!) so I’m going to give a little bit longer one in this post.

For teens who aren’t already exercising: Exercise is the single best thing you can do to help yourself ward off the hazards of being a teenager.  Studies have shown that teens who exercise have higher self-esteem, higher grades, and a lower chance of being obese or becoming obese in adulthood.  Exercise is also an excellent way to ease the emotional pain and angst that are so common in teens.

If you’re already an athlete: My advice to you is not to focus strictly on one sport.  Many coaches will tell you differently, but it’s very important to cross-train.  For one thing, most successful pro athletes played more than one sport when they were young.  More importantly, if you’re only playing one sport, you’re only using one set of muscles.  It’s important to engage in different activities to prevent muscle imbalance.  Having muscle imbalances can increase your risk of injury.

Playing more than one sport also reduces the chance that you’ll burn out on the sport you’re really passionate about.  Plus, it’s more fun to play more sports!

Whatever you do, get moving.  It helps your mood, your physical health, and your grades.  Every bit helps!

If you know anyone who could benefit from this information, please share it using the buttons on the left!

A Peek at My Gear

As a fitness professional, my health is at the center of my life. I have a lot of equipment that most people don’t own, because for me, health equals happiness, so spending time and money on it is a no-brainer.

I’ll start with the less exotic things that anyone could own without breaking their budget:
When I sit at my dinner table, I sit on an exercise ball to keep my core strong and my body stable. It’s a small change once you make the adjustment, but it produces real results over time.

I have a standing workstation where I do all my computer work. It helps me stay moving and avoid the back pain and negative cardiovascular effects of sitting all day.

I have a foam roller that I use on a daily basis that helps me keep my muscles loose and pain-free.

I have a lot of standard exercise equipment, like kettle bells and resistance bands, but I have a few less common ones too, like indian clubs and a BodyBlade.

Now for the bigger investments:
I have a LifeGear inversion table that I use on a daily basis to relieve spinal compression. I also have a Migun therapeutic infrared massage bed that I use for 25 minutes each day.

I have made a lot of nutritional adjustments to optimize my health and stay energetic. I have a wheatgrass machine and a nutribullet, I drink only filtered water, and my diet is all dairy-free, gluten-free, and organic.

Most people are not willing to make a lot of these changes, but as I said, my health is at the center of my life, and the healthier I am, the happier I am, so it’s more than worth the sacrifice.