SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more

Fitness Articles  ›  Family & Lifestyle

Kids Need Exercise Too!

Discover Your Child's Fitness Needs

-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor & Health Educator
SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more

Adolescents (13+ years old)
Developmentally, adolescents are experiencing puberty and bodily changes as they mature into young adults. You'll likely notice them grow much taller and stronger.

Experts recommend 30-60 minutes of physical activity for adolescents. By this age, allow your teen to choose their own activities, based on their interests—but make sure they're age-appropriate. Some ideas include jogging and running, competitive sports, fitness classes, gymnastics, bicycling, and exercise videos.

As a parent, be a resource and support your child's activity choices. Try to provide her with the equipment and transportation necessary to reach her goals. Ensure that your teen exercises vigorously at least 3 days per week.

Now that you know how much activity your child needs, the following articles will help you get started:

Exercising with Your Pet
Fun Family Fitness
Geocaching: A Family-Friendly Activity
Help Your Loved Ones Stay Healthy
Workout Tips for Stay-at-Home Parents
Click here to to redeem your SparkPoints
  You will earn 3 SparkPoints
‹ Previous Page   Page 2 of 2   Return to main fitness page »

Related Content


About The Author

Nicole Nichols Nicole Nichols
Nicole was named "America's Top Personal Trainer to Watch" in 2011. A certified personal trainer and fitness instructor with a bachelor's degree in health promotion and education, she loves living a healthy and fit lifestyle and helping others do the same. Her DVDs "Total Body Sculpting" and "28 Day Boot Camp" (a best seller) are available online and in stores nationwide. Read Nicole's full bio and blog posts.

Follow Coach Nicole Online:
Follow Me on Pinterest

Member Comments

  • NJ_HOU
    When my children were babies, I was given by the docs a series of exercises for them to do from like 6 weeks on..... helping them stretch their arms, doing the bicycle with their legs, etc. That was 35 years ago I wonder what happened. I even taught my children to swim as I had done in my Y class I taught for Mommies & Babies. - 5/3/2010 2:17:12 PM
    Report Inappropriate Comment
  • JIBBIE49
    When I was a child I was always outside playing. - 6/4/2008 12:34:40 AM
    Report Inappropriate Comment
Popular Calories Burned Searches: Wii Bowling  |  Wii Baseball game  |  Wii Tennis game