For some parents, it can feel like a constant uphill battle to encourage your teen to stay active and healthy. Perhaps increased hours spent locked away in their room have you feel concerned about their energy levels and general fitness.
How to Encourage Your Teen to Be More Active
Here are some factors to think about when you’re trying to get your teen up and at ‘em.
Try to Understand Why They Might Be Avoiding Activity
To help create a more motivated atmosphere, you should first take steps to understand what’s stopping your teen from being active. Do they just appear to be generally lazy? How about struggling with motivation? Do they have any friends to do activities with? Are they acting withdrawn or seeming to struggle with low moods? If it is the latter, this could be a sign of mental health issues, such as social anxiety, which may be stopping them from socializing and wanting to leave the house.
You can speak to your teen about this and seek the right professional support to alleviate any social anxiety teenagers may have.
Consider Moving Home
This may seem like an extreme option, but if you’ve been considering a home move soon regardless and have noticed that your teen simply doesn’t have enough to interest them in your current area, moving to a more stimulating location may be the best for everyone.
If it gives your teen the opportunity to make new friends, try new activities or be in a location with more nearby for them to explore, it may entice them to get more active and involved. You can always speak to them about it beforehand before making a big decision like this.
Think Carefully About Family Vacation
If your teen is going to be joining you on a family vacation, allow them to have a say in what kind of trip to choose. It’s a good idea to find a location which offers many different activities, like bike riding, swimming or sports. Your teen is more likely to get involved with these activities when they are away from home. It may ignite an enjoyment in them that they didn’t know they had. Meaning they’re more likely to want to continue the pastime when they return back home.
Be a Good Role Model
You’re not going to inspire your teen to get out more if you spend most of your time as a parent lounging around the house. To be the best role model for your teen, make sure that you prioritize an active lifestyle, too. Always offer prompts and opportunities for your teen to join you in activities or take a walk outside together.
Get a Family Dog
There are, of course, a lot of things to consider before deciding to get a dog, but if your lifestyle would allow for a dog, this is a great way to have your teen get out of the house more. Have your teen play a fundamental role in the dog’s care. Including the daily walks. Chances are your teen will want to walk and play outside with their new best friend anyway.
