“Boop, boop, boop,” the bell rang.  “Alright guys that’s all we have time for today for cardio, make sure to shut off the treadmills and bikes,” the gym teacher says.  That’s it! That’s all the exercise some kids will get at Norwin until they have a future gym class the next year.  Every teens health is critical and flows down to how active they are, how they eat, and how much they exercise.

Inactivity

Throughout modern society, teenagers are becoming increasingly inactive by doing things like scrolling on TikTok or even playing video games. Such mindless scrolling through social media often presents the opportunity for teens to not exercise and stay sitting or even lying down for periods of time, leading to inactivity. Such inactivity ultimately leads to teens becoming significantly unhealthier in society, and they must revisit ways and points to get healthier as stated in this article.

On average, Norwin High School students spend 82 percent of their time on their phones when not exercising, according to an NHS Journalism poll. Not exercising can often lead to the worsening of teens’ attitudes as gaming is shown to release significant amounts of cortisol, which is known to be the hormone that causes stress.

According to ClevelandandClinic.org., the hormone “cortisol raises blood sugar by releasing stored glucose, while insulin lowers blood sugar.”

Practices such as breathwork and meditation are proven to help calm people down and slow the release of cortisol. So taking a break and walking around for a few minutes every 30 min to an hour that is spent on phones and video games can be key. Key in keeping the blood flowing and warding off the release of hormones such as cortisol, ultimately bettering the health of the teen.

Norwin student-athlete, Teddy Ola claims that “health in Norwin High School is terrible.  And I think that it is because of many really hard classes alongside hours of work, which I think truly lead to students not caring for their health at all because of how inactive students become and bad food habits.”

Nutrition

Another contributing factor to the decline of teens’ health is poor nutritional choices. Teens’ diets, though some are very nutritious, others are not, and whether it’s their fault or not, it is a crucial factor in their health. Teens who consume unhealthy foods can not only struggle from being moody, but their weight can also heavily fluctuate along with their hormone balance.

Simple changes in your diet that can cause changes for the better according to Kidshealth.org  are “protein foods — including lean meat and poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, soy products, and nuts — provide important nutrients and help you feel satisfied.”

Another common issue is the constant consumption of high-sugar sodas and high-sugar drinks. According to NCBI.gov, this common “overconsumption of highly processed sugars contributes to an increased risk of developing persistent hyperactivity and neurocognitive deficits in adulthood.” Therefore a healthy diet in teens’ lives is crucial to their health on a daily basis and for better long-lasting effects on their health. So teens can help cut their sugar intake down by consuming less processed foods, such as ingredient-organic foods like fruit or oats.

Norwin High School Senior Cole Kubistek who has eaten school lunch his whole schooling career stated, “The quality of some school lunches definitely should be improved, and the portion sizes are often too small.”

A simple improvement to the school lunches would be to cut out the unhealthy empty calorie snacks and to add more nutrient-dense foods like vegetables to keep students fuller longer and eating healthier.

Although this poor nutrition and consumption are partially the teens’ fault, it’s also partially the parent or guardian of the teen, as they are the ones purchasing the food and beverages for the teens. A great solution to this is getting a sibling or parent to join you in bettering your diet. This ultimately will make the journey of improving the way you eat easier, as you will have a family member doing it with you. Often eating nutrient-dense foods and staying hydrated will also help in avoiding unhealthy snacks and foods

Exercise

That’s only two-thirds of the battle of teen health. The third and final part is the exercise throughout teen lives. There are varying ways to exercise such as cardio, lifting weights, and even calisthenics (bodyweight exercises).

But some sources say that the best way to exercise is the one that you enjoy.  The key is consistency throughout exercise whether its any type of exercise.  And according to WorkoutBristol.uk, “if you enjoy the type of exercise you do, you are likely to want to do more of it.”

More enjoyable exercise helps you with consistency. However, strength training is found to be teens’ favorite, which can be a mix of calisthenics and weight lifting. The reason being is that you can see your progress easily and as you get stronger you can see built and built muscle. Finally according to NBCNews.com, “researchers found that people in the resistance group experienced significantly greater self-esteem and perceived strength over four weeks.” Furthermore, it allows teens to become more motivated to stay fit, eat healthily, and be active. If interested in any more benefits to strength training in teenagers check out this NBCNews.com article about the “7 benefits beyond building muscle.” Even 86 percent of Norwin High School Students agree that exercising of any sort boosts their self-esteem. Check out here for an easy home workout that requires no equipment except a chair!

Another Norwin student-athlete, Luke Simpson stated, “I think a majority of the high school students exercise enough if they participate in their sport, or go to the gym, and that’s a key part in exercising and staying healthy.”

Whether it’s enjoyed or not exercise is the final key to bettering and keeping teens healthy. Once again something to help you commit to these exercise practices is having a buddy or family member exercise with you. Whether it is walking your dog, going to the gym, or doing a home workout, having a buddy to help you stay committed can be really helpful, as exercise for at least 10 minutes a day is a must.

Overall teen health is key for the future and greatly needs to improve. Ultimately throughout the daily lives of teens whether some are or aren’t healthy, there are always ways to improve your health, and small steps count. Whether it be being active, eating more nutritious foods, or even exercising more, remember to stay healthy.