Adolescence as a Unique Opportunity to Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle

First crushes, going out with friends, the need to be liked and accepted, raging hormones, rebellion … I think many of you remember what it’s like to be a teenager. Adolescence is one of the most difficult and interesting stages in human life. Some people go through it gently, others in a more stormy way. The changes adolescents go through are not limited to appearance and behavior. Their way of thinking and perceiving the world is also changing, and there is a process of shaping their personality, self-discovery and willingness to try new things.

So is puberty a good time to adopt a healthy lifestyle? It definitely is! Every stage of life is good for that, but the sooner the better, because it will be easier to change bad habits and patterns of behavior. What’s more, young people want to learn new things, they are flexible and quite quickly adapt to new reality?

 

Why is a healthy lifestyle so important during adolescence?

According to the research, the eating behavior formed in childhood and adolescence largely determines your diet habits for the rest of your life and is more difficult to modify later on. Healthy eating has a huge impact on the proper growth and development of the adolescent’s maturing body. Rational nutrition meets not only physiological needs, but also mental and social ones. In contrast, inappropriate food choices are a direct cause or risk factor for many diseases. The most serious of these include obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and colon and stomach cancer. As estimated by the Food and Nutrition Institute, the problem of excess weight and obesity in Poland occurs in about 22% of adolescents up to 15 years of age. You can read more about the effects of junk food HERE.

When it comes to physical activity in young people, it prevents and corrects posture defects, affects the proper mineralization of the skeleton, increases the vital capacity of the lungs and the depth of breathing, and strengthens the heart. In addition, physical exercise stimulates the maturation of motor centers in the brain and increases the speed of conduction of nerve stimuli, and also reduces depression. Recommendations for physical activity according to WHO can be found HERE.

We should also remember that a healthy lifestyle is not only about proper nutrition and an appropriate level of physical activity. A healthy lifestyle also means undertaking health-promoting behaviors, such as personal hygiene, adequate sleep, taking care of mental health and emotions, maintaining contacts with peers, as well as performing preventive check-ups.

So how do you help teens to adopt a healthy lifestyle during adolescence?

 

First of all: tone at the top

If you are parents or guardians of teenagers, who, if not you, is supposed to show them and, above all, provide them with knowledge on how to lead a healthy lifestyle? During this period, young people look for authorities they can follow and draw inspiration from. However, if you eat processed food, avoid vegetables and fruits, do not drink water, your growing children often see you tired, sitting in front of a TV or computer, and your only activity is going to the car or to the store for shopping, do not be surprised when they do exactly the same, when they don’t like vegetables or don’t want to be physically active. 

Fortunately, not all is lost ? You can read about where to start healthy eating HERE. There are also several ways to encourage your teenagers to lead a healthier life. For example, it is a good idea to prepare healthy meals together or arrange for your adolescent to prepare one healthy meal a week. Of course, it does not have to be a two-course dinner but why not start with a nutritious smoothie. Your children will surely be proud that they managed to prepare something on their own. Spending time actively cycling, going to the swimming pool or walking is another great solution, thanks to which you will not only provide yourself with the right dose of exercise, but also strengthen mutual relationships. In addition, you can organize various types of challenges, for example a week without sweets, one meatless lunch a week or 30 minutes of activity every day. These are just a few examples, but there are many options and it is up to you how you use them. After all, teens love to compete and learn new things. You can read more on how challenges help build habits HERE.

 

 

Secondly: health education makes sense!

According to a review by British scientists from the University of Southampton, the results of which were published in the journal PLOS ONE, the practical teaching of adolescents about healthy lifestyle is particularly efficient and has a positive effect. 

The program aimed to encourage students, aged 13-14, to engage in education related to aspects of public health. In addition, the program included the development of health awareness and decision-making skills as well as a sense of control over one’s own life and future. Young people were made aware that they had a real impact on their health and life by making the right choices.

As it turned out, participation in the program led to an increase in health awareness among adolescents, and thus they made better health choices. Additionally, it is pleasing that adolescents made a more critical assessment of their health behaviors compared to students who did not participate in the program.

This experiment is a good example that various types of school programs and community campaigns aimed at health education of young people can effectively involve young people in learning, leading to permanent changes in health habits and behavior. There is also mounting evidence that adolescence is the perfect time  to build and consolidate lifelong health awareness, potentially providing long-term health benefits and increasing the chances of good habits being passed onto future generations.

 

Summary

As you can see, there are many reasons why it is worth educating young people about a healthy lifestyle. Health education can bring many benefits to adolescents, not only here and now, but also in their future adult life and even for the generations to come. Increased health awareness will contribute to making the right food choices that will result in good health and well-being. Remember that to a large extent it is you and the immediate surroundings of your children who have an impact on what kind of people they will become in the future and what choices they will make.

Start with small changes that will bring you health for a long time! I keep my fingers crossed for you! ?