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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

Maintaining fitness levels in your teenage children is extremely important. Obesity is on a rise like never before. It is easier to combat and prevent obesity if a proper fitness regimen, and a pro- fitness attitude is established early on. But convincing your teens to embark on a fitness routine can be a tough job, especially with all the distractions present at their age. You need to take a very strategic course that not only ensures that your teens achieve their fitness goals, but actually enjoy doing it. Here are some tips to help you along the way.

Keep it fun
As an adult, you obviously realize that it is hard for teenagers to focus on issues like fitness. Teenagers have extremely fickle attention spans and it is hard for them to maintain focus and discipline, especially regarding fitness, something that even most adults do not have the ability to do. You need to make sure that your teens are actually enjoying the activities that they participate in. Include activities such as aerobics classes, dance lessons, swimming, rock climbing and others in their weekly routine. These activities are not only enjoyed by teens but are also great cardiovascular exercises that will help them stay healthy and fit, physically as well as mentally. While they do this, you can also encourage your obese teenagers to burn belly fat.

Including their friends during their workouts sessions is also a great idea. Talk to other parents and work out situations where your teens can work out along with their friends and peers. This not only increases their interest level but also motivates them to do better. Peer acceptability is of immense importance to teens and they will always want to perform better than their peers do.

Manage time
What with homework, friends, school and various other activities characteristic with teenage, finding the time for fitness can be hard. Make sure you perfectly incorporate the fitness regimen without tiring them out too much. Encourage your teens to wake up and do yoga or go for a jog or walk in the morning with you. Actively participate in the activities with them to maintain their motivation. Encourage them to take small study breaks or other breaks throughout the day to do short fifteen-minute workouts every couple of hours.

Encourage a healthy body image
It is important to encourage the growth of a healthy body image and not set unrealistic goals for your teens. Tell them that they do not need to focus on dramatic weight loss. There is plenty of time later to get in shape. The fitness regimens now should be directed at maintaining a healthy and fit body and healthy heart and other systems while maintain a healthy and suitable weight. Focus on developing muscle tone and a good internal capacity rather than on shaping and toning the body or on washboard abs. focus on eating healthy and leave junk food out of their system. Eating junk food is one of the main causes behind teenage obesity. If you get your teen to eat healthy, it is half the battle won.

Encouraging your children to take to fitness may be hard, but it has tremendously positive results in the future. The earlier you start, the better it is!

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want their teens to pursue fitness.

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