Teen sports & Health
There’s no question that playing sports can improve teen health. Numerous studies conducted in the area generally agree that teens who are physically active and play on sports teams are more satisfied with their life and feel healthier.
Teen sports help build leadership skills, self-esteem and physical co-ordination, and can be instrumental in building school connectedness, social support and bonding among classmates.
Playing sports can also provide teenagers access to entirely new social situations; teen sports bring together people from different backgrounds and communities, all chasing a common goal. Far from being detrimental to academic pursuits, teen sports boost energy and sharpen the mind, and can be a useful exercise in developing organisational skills.
The problem for teachers is that activity levels in young people tend to naturally decline as they hit adolescence – with laptops, iPhones, DVDs and homework all competing for attention, exercise seems to be one of the first things to drop off the list. This phenomenon is particularly common with teenage girls, as social pressure and issues with body image start to take hold.
Getting teens active is not always an easy battle, but it’s certainly one worth fighting – bad health habits formed now are likely to be much harder to change in later life. If you’re having trouble inspiring a teen to embrace physical activity, start by talking to them about their concerns and discuss possible solutions – for example, if body image is the problem, choose activities that can be performed in tracksuit pants and a t-shirt, rather than a bathing suit.
With teens, it’s important to focus on fitness as the main indication of physical health rather than appearance. Most adolescents are very sensitive about discussing their bodies; talk about fitness in terms of stamina, strength and flexibility and emphasise that while physical activity is an important part of healthy, being skinny is not.
If teen sports programs are part of your curriculum, aim to make your sessions fun, diverse, unique and team-based; running laps of the oval – while excellent for cardiovascular health – will probably not be particularly inspiring for most teens.
