Teenagers and Health
Trying to deal with teenagers and health is as easy as trying to deal with teenagers and anything. In so many ways, it’s not easy at all. Teenagers are young and reckless, and think they’ll live forever. On top of it, a good number of them are rebellious, and as soon as you tell them something’s good for them and they should do it, they want to run in the other direction.
At the same time, though, what people do in their teenage years will often carry on into adulthood, either as overall states of health, or as habits. So it’s crucial during those years to help teenagers make the most of their health, and to guide them towards developing good habits, since they’ll be developing habits anyway.
The trick to working with teenagers is understanding that during those years, they are often closer to their friends and peers than they are to anyone else, and that they crave acceptance from their social circles. Working with them means giving them their space and letting them do things on their own, without withdrawing from their lives entirely.
Teenagers are more often than not reckless about diet and exercise. Their bodies are still young and growing, and they don’t realize the impact of those two things. Getting them to realize health is important can be tricky; getting them to do something about their health is a little easier. Again, looking at diet and exercise, give teenagers their space (don’t force anything on them), and make it relevant to their lives and their peers (find something they can do with their friends).
For example, teenagers like to hang out together and go out to eat; let them do that, but offer them healthier alternatives. Either provide healthy snacks for get-togethers in the home, or take them out to eateries with more nutritious menu items. They'll get accustomed to that type of food and learn to love it best. But don't prevent them from a little indulgence either, as forbidding foods can be the the surest way of making them desirable.
In terms of teenagers' exercise, there’s no need to call it exercise. Get them onto a sports team, or involve them in any sort of sporting activities that they enjoy. Keeping teenagers busy with things they enjoy and that are good for them is the best way to help them maintain their health in their youth, and well into their adulthood.