Between countless hours of studying and keeping up with extracurricular activities, how could there be time for physical activity? After all, motivation to implement a routine poses an obstacle, not to mention staying consistent. 

Adolescents often overlook the importance of exercising due to busy schedules, excessive screen time and lack of encouragement from peers around them. Despite the seemingly endless to-do’s, obtaining sufficient hours of physical activity a week is vital to leading a healthy lifestyle. 

By maintaining habits at a young age, you are able to manage weight, improve mental health and boost overall confidence.

Benefits

Not only is maintaining healthy weight manageable with regular exercise but also improves overall mental health. Establishing a routine to follow every week boosts confidence and focuses your thoughts on physical movements. Rather than scrolling through social media, replace break times with exercising. By starting at an early age, building habits can carry into the later stage of life. 

Personalizing a practical plan

Prior to jumping into creating a routine, decide how much time you want to dedicate and what you hope to achieve. Setting specific goals helps motivate yourself to stick to your routine. 

For example, if your goal is to build stamina for cardio, a reasonable goal could be investing an hour every other day. If your goal is to be more flexible but only have minimal time each day to stretch, consider setting aside 15-20 minutes at the end of the day. Everyone’s schedule varies depending on their goals and how much time you are willing to set aside.

After deciding your goals, locate where you will do your workouts. Whether you want to pay for a membership at the gym or utilize a nearby community park, exercising can be versatile in terms of cost. When starting, choosing a lower-cost gym membership plan or sticking to the outdoors is adequate to begin. 

While searching for local parks and gyms, choose a location around your usual commute to ensure fast and easy access. Not only does this maintain consistency because of the close proximity, but you are more likely to be reminded to complete your workout rather than going somewhere else. Persisting to show up for every workout one day at a time inches you closer to reaching your goal.

An example

Here’s an example of a workout for staying active:

• Warm-up: Light Jogging for five minutes and dynamic stretching (ex. leg swings, arm circles)
• Lower Body
  • Squats: 20 reps, three sets with 20 seconds rest 
  • Lunges: 20 reps, three sets with 20 seconds rest
• Upper Body
  • Dumbbell Rows: 10 reps per arm, three sets with 15 seconds rest 
  • Concentration Curls: 10 reps per arm, three sets with 15 seconds rest 
• Cardio
  • Running: 15 minutes, increasing speed by five minute intervals
• Cool-down: slow down running for five minutes, eventually ending with walking

Using this 30-minute routine every weekday already sets you above the recommended minutes of physical activity per week. Within this routine, exercises are interchangeable, especially if your goal is to target a specific muscle group or if you add variety to your routine.

Tips for consistency 

Gathering motivation to carry out a written routine alone can be challenging. Whether online or in-person, having a partner or group allows for accountability and disciplining each other to stay consistent. If you are looking for connections online, modern-day apps such as Nike Training Club or Strava can also allow you to collaborate with peers. Support and encouragement from others can help you to maximize your shot to meet fitness goals.

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