My High-Schooler Is So Busy With Homework And Clubs But Doesn't Play Sports. How Do I Get Him Or Her To Exercise?
Keith Ayoob answers the question: 'How Do I Get a Teenager to Exercise?'
February 1, 2009 -- Question: My high-schooler is so busy with homework and clubs but doesn't play sports. How do I get him or her to exercise?
Answer: Many children in high school and upper grades do get very involved in their studies and that's great. They get involved in social activities and clubs, but they often put exercise and physical activity to the side. And that's not a good thing. Remember, physical activity is also about physical education.
And if your child has activities that they like to do, but they don't have time for them, it's important to look at the child's schedule and make enough time for physical activity. Because the benefits are just unsurpassed.
And physical activities are important for certainly burning up calories and being healthy, etc., but it's also important to give kids time to just kind of blow off steam. They need that time, that down time to do fun things that are just away from academics. And when children have a better balance between academics and socialization and physical activity, their grades often go up.
They're also, it's more likely that they'll have a healthier lifestyle in general, and a much more balanced eating pattern as well.
So keep your kids physically active and if you feel that they're not, try to look at their priorities and rearrange their schedule so that at least there's some kind of physical activity most days of the week for them.
