i-Teen-Changing lifestyles

Eat right, exercise right. That’s the easiest, and only way, to lose weight healthfully.

Many people think they have to go to dramatic measures to attain the desired size and weight they wish to acquire. It is not, however, a major change we must make, but rather a lasting change. If we develop good habits, we will become healthy.

Every day a teenager needs to receive at least an hour of aerobic exercise. Unlike these programs you see on TV, and Internet Web site suggestions, it doesn’t matter if you’re just getting active in a sport, instead of going to a gym. If you’re getting exercise you’re losing excess weight.

As a matter of fact, many people don’t keep their commitments to the gym and in turn don’t find the consistent results they desire. People on sports teams tend to have better success because they in fact have an obligation, and because of that they have the motivation.

You need to have a healthy balance of building strength and flexibility in whatever activity you choose. It’s OK to break up the sessions of exercise you get, as long as in the long run you are getting active. Faster results can be found in pushing yourself, but often can result in feeling pain due to activities that test your endurance. But if your wish is simply to get healthy, then just commit yourself to regular activity.

Healthy snacks prevent you from overindulging, as well as provide you with an energy boost. It is very helpful for people with limited time to do a stress-relieving activity such as yoga, or they can jog, bike, roller blade, or even walk the dog for at least 15 minutes a day.

Luckily we are forced to walk from class to class, and go out to our car in the parking lot, as well as go upstairs and downstairs between courses. You can walk, take the stairs, bike, park far from your destination (not too far, you don’t want to be late), vacuum, sweep, mow, and the most enjoyable exercise, dance. It helps to find a friend to do these things with you.

Participate in things that interest you. Try out an activity that increases your heart rate and makes you sweat. Diets are dumb. They don’t work because we can only stick to them for a short period of time.

A food plan, on the other hand, will work because unlike diets, a food plan does not state that some foods are OK to eat while others are not. All things in reality are acceptable as long as you do not overindulge. Obviously some foods are not as good as others, but some do not taste as good as others so if we are normal human beings we must balance or cravings with our need to consume healthy food.

‘ Choose water over soda.

‘ Cut your carbs in half. That’s a great start.

‘ Five servings of veggies and fruit.

‘ Encompass all food groups when forced to eat fast food.

‘ Eat when you’re hungry, not when you have nothing better to do.

‘ Find balance: make healthy snacks that taste good.

‘ Make convenient snacks to avoid temptation.

‘ Eat breakfast, like it or not.

‘ Don’t eat while watching TV. You don’t pay attention to portions.

Find fun ways to encourage yourself to be healthy. Take your dog for a walk, order a salad instead of buffalo wings, put a picture of the person your crushing on next to the Oreos. Whatever it takes, get active. Be proactive, not reactive.