Benefits of Physical Fitness For Teens

Posted 7/08/2009

There are many, many benefits of physical fitness for teens.

One obvious one is to deal with the rise in youth obesity. Simply put, not enough young people are taking fitness seriously.

So, what are the benefits of physical fitness for teens?

Well, let's go to the research. Several studies show that a majority of school children in the U.S. are not getting enough exercise to develop healthier lungs and hearts. It was noted that a number of kids only got about an hour of physical education per week, and not all of that time was spent on physical activity since some of it was for lectures.

In an examination called the Presidents Fitness Test, it was quite alarming to discover that only two percent of the kids who took it passed.

Why is physical fitness important for teens then?

Let's go back to the research to answer that. The studies have claimed that thirty-three percent and fifty percent of boys and girls respectively from six to twelve years old could not run a mile in ten minutes.

Aside from this, forty percent of the kids have shown signs of at least one risk factor for heart disease.

So, to really be able to answer the question "Why is physical fitness important for teens?" we need to re-examine what fitness is. The definition is the peak functioning or performance of muscles, lungs, and the heart of a person. With the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sport Medicine and School Health, physical fitness is determined by examining the 5 components of physical fitness: flexibility, muscle strength, cardio respiratory endurance, muscle endurance, and body composition (degree of fatness).

Therefore, in order to achieve physical fitness, focusing on those components is essential. That's why aerobic exercise is so recommended. It addresses them all.

So what are some aerobic exercises, kids and teens can do?

Bicycling, dancing, walking, swimming, aerobic classes, jumping rope, roller skating, soccer, and many more. They need to be done for 20 to 25 minutes without stopping to truly be considered aerobic.

Each of those activities increases the heart rate and makes breath harder due to the continuous nature of the activity.

The goal here is for consistency. Physical fitness should be a way of life. The benefits will be immediate and long-lasting... So, let's get our kids exercising!

Fit-Teen's Ashley shows the benefits of physical fitness in her workout DVD.