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Jump On!
Get Your Teen on the Healthy Family Bandwagon
By Kim Seidel
Choose exercising over television watching. Dr. Kulze and Fleming agree that limiting screen time, including television, computer and video playing, is a huge factor in achieving a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Kulze recommends keeping personal screen time to one hour per day.
"Research has found that children and teens that have more than two total hours of screen time per day are much more likely to be overweight or obese," Fleming says. "Overweight teens are also more likely to have a television in their bedrooms, which increases the average viewing time by 30 minutes."
"Children and teens respond better to doing what is good or right versus avoiding or refraining from what's wrong or bad," Dr. Kulze says. In other words, focus on the positive when discussing health issues with your teenager. Say things like, "Fruits and vegetables are important. Work on eating more of these in your diet." Avoid statements like, "I don't want you to eat French fries any more."
The importance of healthy eating and exercising now for teenagers will affect their lives far into their adult years. Yet for teens, their mortality is too far removed from their reality. "Teens are motivated by feeling great, having energy and having better academic and sports performance," Dr. Kulze says. Parents need to learn "what pushes their buttons," and speak to their teenagers in terms of what would motivate them to eat better and to exercise more.
