These days, teens are in worse shape than ever.  Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese.  Obese teens are considerably more likely to die before the age of sixty than teens who are in shape.

Obesity is a very dangerous disease, so I am adding my thoughts on how teens should fight obesity.  Also, parents, feel free to use these tips with your kids!

1. Try to get outside for at least one hour every day.  Play a sport, walk around the neighborhood, whatever…  just get off your bottom and start moving around.  Walking around is an exercise in itself.
2. Go running for a mile, maybe two.  All you have to do is walk out the door and put one foot in front of the other. No need for pools, courts, or fields.  You can go with a friend, chat, and have fun during it.  Also, it is a cheap sport.  Buy quality running shoes, but everything else can be cheap (shorts, t-shirts, and sweat or wind pants).   Find a way to figure out how far you’re running, though, because distances are hard to guess.
3. Play a school sport.  At my school, anyone can join the cross-country teen.  At practice, you run two miles.  If you can’t run two full miles, you run as much as you can.  You also get to compete in every home meet there is and the championships.  Additionally, you can challenge yourself to try out for other sports.
4. Start working out.  I am going to weightlifting sessions with my high school’s football team.  I plan to play next year and am on the wrestling team, so it helps a lot.  Plus, it’s an awesome time to chat with friends

Don’t let the concept of working out scare you or be embarrassed to play sports.  Doing these will help you live longer and are fun.  So, get out there and get fit!