Juggling school, homework and after-school activities-not to mention a social life-may seem like enough balls for your teen to keep in the air, but current studies reveal it’s also important for him/her to make time for at least an hour of moderate to rigorous levels of exercise each day.
According to the American Council on Exercise, only 38 percent of teens get the proper amount of exercise at a time when their bodies especially need it. Research available through the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports suggests the amount of physical activity by teens declines during adolescence, especially in girls, at the same time they are at the peak development period for things like bone mineral density. Even dividing an hour’s worth of exercise into smaller segments, i.e. 15 minutes, throughout the day has significant health benefits.
The Fit Choices program from Medica recently developed new online tools for teens who want to learn more about how to make personal fitness a regular part of their lives, even if they are already involved in individual or team sports. Called Teen PHIT (Personal Health Improvement Training), the interactive site offers virtual instruction on flexibility, speed and resistance exercises, courtesy of an animated-and enthusiastic-instructor.
Molly Noel, 15, of Eagan gets more than her share of exercise each week as a member of her high school soccer team. “I go to Teen PHIT to learn more about lifting weights, how many reps I should do, and how I can plan out my exercise schedule,” she says. One of the features of Teen PHIT allows teens like Molly to track progress not only in exercise, but when it comes to nutrition and eating sensibly each day. Molly says she now packs granola bars, graham crackers, and an apple to snack on after school is over and before she hits the practice field. “I also drink a lot of water. I try to stay away from pop as much as I can,” she says.
Teen PHIT also contains articles on a variety of health and wellness topics. One online story about eating disorders reminds teens that movies and magazine covers promote “unreal airbrushed images of girls and women”, adding “let’s throw out those make-believe images and talk about reality.” There’s also a Life Skills section featuring short articles on subjects like friendship, self-esteem, stress, generosity, and forgiveness.
Teen PHIT (and also Kid PHIT, a similar online resource for kids ages 6-12) is available free to Medica’s fully insured members and as an option to self-insured members as part of its Fit Choices benefit program. Originally targeting adults, Fit Choices was created in 2003 to help Medica members make improvements in their general health. In partnership with local fitness clubs like Life Time Fitness and three YWCA locations in Minneapolis, Fit Choices has attracted over 10,000 members to join gym programs and 6,500 to its online My ePHIT resource.
Soon after the soccer season ends, it will be time for Molly to start basketball. She says she wants to keep working on the TeenPHIT program as much as she can. Her virtual fitness instructor has some great tips on scissor crosses that just might come in handy.
