Getting your teens outside, moving, and exercising is simple during the summer months. They go swimming with their friends, or they sign up for seasonal sports leagues or camps to keep themselves entertained. They might change their behavior now that the weather is turning colder. In your home, they appear to be staying put rather than venturing out into the surrounding area. And you’re well aware that this isn’t the healthiest option available to them.
It is possible to maintain good health throughout the year, and this is a lesson your teenagers should learn. Creating a foundation for healthy choices now will help them stay healthy throughout college and their lives after graduation. To assist them in staying active and healthy even in the cold weather, provide them with the following four suggestions:
Prevent Unhealthy Cravings From Developing
The cold weather has a tendency to encourage us to snack on sweets or carb-heavy snacks. Why? Our serotonin levels are raised after eating these treats, which improves our moods and reduces our stress. This side-effect is especially pleasant during the winter months when approximately 9 million people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (SAD). Some people may experience a temporary depressive state as a result of a lack of sunlight. A carbohydrate-based boost in serotonin, on the other hand, sounds particularly appealing.
If you notice that your teen is consuming these types of snacks, encourage them to eat more healthfully by providing them with a hearty breakfast, to begin with. A high-protein meal will keep them feeling fuller for a longer period of time. Help them choose meals that will keep them satiated and focused during their pre-school breakfast and mid-school lunch periods. After-school snacks should follow suit, as well – hummus and pitta chips, rather than cookies or potato chips, would be a better choice for your teen, for example.
Encourage The Use Of Hand Washing
You’re probably thinking to yourself, “I’ve already gone through this with my kids when they were potty training.” When it comes to hand washing, your child is most likely familiar with the fundamentals. Nonetheless, washing should be done more thoroughly in the winter. Each time your teen uses the bathroom, as well as after they sneeze and before eating, they should wash their hands.
Make certain that your teen washes thoroughly as well – a quick run under the faucet will not suffice in this case. Instead, they should lather up for 20 seconds, making sure to wash between their fingers as well. After that, pat yourself dry with a clean towel or place yourself under an air dryer. The germs have been destroyed, and sickness will be kept at bay for the time being.
Put a bottle of hand sanitizer in your teen’s backpack to encourage them to continue their immune-boosting hand-washing routine during the school day. If they want to get rid of germs while in class, they can do so quickly and without interrupting a lesson in order to wash their hands.
Encourage Your Teen To Be Physically Active
No matter how chilly the weather is outside, your teen should continue to get in their daily exercise. At this age, your child should participate in a variety of activities that are both aerobic and muscle-building in nature. Although some experts recommend that your teen spend an hour a day participating in such exercises, even a 30-minute session can provide them with a slew of health and fitness benefits. When you are asking them to be physically active outdoors, make sure you wrap them up in something like duck camo jackets, hats, and gloves.
The physical benefits of exercise for teenagers are usually self-evident. Among other benefits, they help to strengthen their muscles and bones, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce their risk of developing cancer. Your child will also benefit from the experience in terms of mental health. They will aid in the reduction of stress and elevation of their mood, as well as the enhancement of their self-image and self-esteem. The ability to maintain such a state of mind is critical to the success of a high-school-aged student at any time of year.
Maintain Regular Bedtimes
It’s a well-known story: parents try to put their teenagers to bed, but they refuse to do so for various reasons. Because of this, they continue to stay up late browsing their phones or watching television on their iPads. They are then exhausted and unable to concentrate when it is time for them to wake up for school the next morning. Once the week is over, the cycle continues until the weekend, when the teenager sleeps for hours and hours to make up for a lost time during the week.
Sleep becomes even more important during the winter months. Our bodies repair and rejuvenate themselves while we are sleeping. For example, while we sleep, the immune system releases cytokines, which help to fight infection. When we have infections or inflammation, these proteins step in to help; however, if we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies are unable to produce enough. The same is true for infection-fighting antibodies, which are produced in large quantities when we get enough sleep.
As a result, establishing and maintaining a healthy bedtime for your teenager, particularly during the winter, can be extremely beneficial. As it turns out, the majority of children their age require 8 to 10 hours of sleep each evening. As a result, remove iPads from their bedrooms at night and require them to charge their smartphones outside of their rooms. They should be able to get the rest they require to prepare for a productive day at school if there are no distractions. Their bodies will be more resistant to bugs and colds during the winter months, as well.
Maintain Your Health Throughout the Season
Winter does not have to be a time of inactivity for your adolescent. Instead, they can make healthy choices to ensure that they remain healthy, fit, and focused all the way through to the beginning of spring. What they learn now will influence the healthy choices they make for the rest of their lives; all you have to do now is show them how to live a healthy lifestyle during the winter months. And now you know exactly how to go about it.
