A lot of hormonal changes happen during the adolescence phase and thus a lot of attention must be paid on one’s overall physical and psychological fitness. Over the past couple of decades, most teenagers have been found to consume junk food excessively while rarely engaging in physical activities.
This has led to the high percentage of obese and overweight teens today. Being overweight most teenagers have to deal with low esteem issues, social isolation, and verbal abuse in addition to a myriad of other health complications like sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, stroke and so on.
Fortunately, adolescents can tackle these issues with the most basic teenage weight loss option i.e. having a balanced diet coupled with regular exercise.
A balanced diet ensures one’s immune system is at its best and the body’s system is functioning properly. To lose weight while ensuring a proper intake of the required nutrients then high fiber foods, high iron foods, calcium-rich food, fruits, and vegetables should be on your shopping list.
Teenagers require an adequate amount of calcium approximately 1200mg per day for the right bone development. Milk and its products such as yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, and hard cheese can be used as substitutes for soft drinks as they are heavy in calcium.
Fruits and vegetables are a huge source of vitamins and minerals and must be included in your daily diet. Fiber-rich foods such as whole grain cereals will not only keep you going for longer but are also low in calories. Drinking the recommended 6-8 glasses of water per day also goes without saying as water is extremely vital in our bodies.
Regular Exercise
Performing simple tasks like squats, crunches, dips, lifting weights, walking, dancing, swimming and/or running on a regular basis can help you lose weight successfully. Even simple 3-5days per week exercises can help any teenager burn the excess calories effectively.
Some studies have shown that just a one-minute-walk can burn about 6 calories, therefore if you can gradually increase the walking distance day after day then losing weight will be a walk in the park.
Other healthy practices
Losing weight can also be achieved by turning simple healthy practices into a daily routine, for instance, getting enough sleep, eating without distractions, reducing liquid calories, drinking more water and so on.
Today’s lifestyle will see teenagers and adults alike, binge on watching television shows overnight at the expense of getting enough sleep. Health experts highly recommend that one should get about eight hours of sleep per day. This coupled with a daily plan will immensely reduce the urge to reach out for unhealthy foods and snacks.
Teens can also embrace a more relaxed setting while having meals for example totally disconnecting from your phone and instead set a couple of minutes for meal times. This will foster a good eating habit in the long run and better control on what one eats.
Smoothies, coffee variants, sodas and processed juices mostly constitute of a lot of sugar and high calories which mostly leads to weight gain and overeating. To address this seemingly minor issue you can trick yourself with drinking of water with say lemon slices, orange slices or even frozen berries.
Regular intake of water ensures that your body is well hydrated and plays a huge role in the removal of toxins. On the other hand, smoothies can be included in the diet as healthy drinks but in moderation. You can also replace your bottled sweet teas for something a bit healthier like green tea, which actually helps in weight loss.
One misconception that has been floating around is that skipping meals or fasting is effective in losing weight. Starvation in a bid to lose weight is a very short term and unhealthy way to go about it with the same going for skipping breakfast.
These methods are counter productive as they induce and eventually cause one to overeat. Instead, you can try to have smaller portions of your meals in 3 to 4-hour separations since it effectively lowers your blood sugar levels plus it ensures you have enough nutrients for general growth and development of your body.
Extreme measures for weight loss
Most daunting tasks simply require a change in attitude, motivation and a supportive team. Therefore parents can take up regular exercise sessions with their teens to offer support in their journey. Teenagers trying to lose weight may also join groups or camps working to achieve similar goals.
In severe cases, teenagers may consult their doctors on other weight loss methods such as gastric bypass, diet pills and bariatric surgery among others.
These methods are mostly very unhealthy and can lead to a lot of harm to one’s body. They disrupt the proper functioning of the body system leading to deficiencies in nutrients and consequently a decelerated growth in teenagers.
While it might not be easy going with the balanced diet plus regular exercise combo, the results are usually worthwhile as you will also adopt healthy habits from your teenage life and into adulthood. Take charge of your life today and follow a healthy approach towards weight loss.
The post Which Is The Best Teenage Weight Loss Option? appeared first on Weight Loss and Wellness for Today.
