Should Teenagers Join A Gym?

Getting fit is important for everyone regardless of age - and that includes teenagers. But does that mean that they need to join a gym? Healthy teens become healthy adults, and habits established in the teenage years will carry over into adulthood - whether good or bad. But is joining a gym the answer?

There are pros and cons to teens joining a gym. Keep reading to find out more about making the right decision for your teen when it comes to exercise.

Pros

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1. When it comes to working out, it is more fun and motivating in groups. When you can bring a friend, both of you can feed off each other and get the work done.

The gym setting can be great for that. Those gyms that offer family memberships allow everyone to unwind from their day and exercise together. Larger gyms do offer these memberships and a wide variety of activities to participate in. Not only are there weight machines but also cardio fitness like treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bicycles.

2. Personal training is also a good feature of gyms. For the teen who has never done exercise before or who doesn’t know what to do, a personal trainer can help. They can tailor a program to the needs of someone your teen’s age. Be sure to check to see if they have trainers who are certified to work with young people effectively.

Your child can get individual attention each week to help them combine the right amount of cardio and weights for their health. A personal trainer can also help them to set personal weight loss or fitness goals that they can follow from that point on.

3. Many gyms have a wide range of fun exercise classes. Classroom settings are great because they have done all the thinking for you. For example, if you take a yoga class, your job is to follow the instructor. Depending on your fitness level, he or she will guide your through the moves necessary to achieve success in the class, and your teen may feel less awkward when surrounded by others performing the same activity.

Cons

1. Gym memberships can be expensive. For an individual it can cost around $50 or more. When you throw in a family membership, you are looking at about $100 or more per month. Some families can’t pay that much in an effort to allow their teens to work out in a gym. And, contracts are often for three years. If your teen decides not to go or gets interested in something else, the parents are still paying that fee each month.

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2. Not all gyms are equipped the same. They don’t all have instructors that can teach you how to use the equipment. For a teen, that can lead to walking around feeling bored, or doing a little but not really staying motivated.

3. You have to get there to work out. If your teen doesn’t drive, that means that they have to get mom or dad to drop them off. If it is an inconvenient time, then they won’t get to use their membership that much.

Should teens join a gym? If the family is going regularly, then it won’t be much of a stretch to get your teen participating. How much there is to do will depend on your gym. But, once locked into a contract it will be hard to break if your teen changes their mind later. Assess these factors when looking into joining a gym for your teen, and make sure it is a good fit before you sign anything.

Why Exercise Can Help Fight Teen Depression

Are you a parent who is worried about your teen?  Has their behavior changed recently and you think they might be depressed?  If your teen is depressed, you’ve probably looked into antidepressants and found yourself even more concerned, and you should be.  Drugs designed to fight depression in adults can actually increase the incidence of suicide and other destructive behavior in teens.  There are other options.  While seriously depressed teens should visit a therapist, some symptoms can also be alleviated through regular exercise.  Exercise works directly and indirectly to help relive many of your teen’s depression symptoms.

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While there are other benefits, exercise itself can directly improve the mood of your teen.  Exercising produces chemicals in your system that work to improve your mood.  While the effect is short term, regular exercise can help improve your teen’s mood even when they’re not exercising.  As an added bonus, many children and teens in this country are overweight and obese.  Regular exercise will help fight these diseases and leave your child healthier as well.  And when you’re healthy you feel better and are less worn down.

A major factor in teen depression is low self esteem.  By helping your child improve their physical appearance, you can help improve the way they feel about themselves.  Regular exercise will help your child look and feel better.  Even if physical results are minimal, exercise can help make your child feel better about the way they look.

As I already said, low self esteem is a big factor in teen depression, but it’s not entirely determined by how they look.  A lot of teens opinions about themselves come from how they think others feel about them.  There are plenty of exercise opportunities for teens that involve socializing, such as team sports.  These will allow your child to meet new people and make new friends.  Even if they’re not good enough to make their school’s team, there are plenty of other opportunities through the YMCA and other sport clubs.

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One big factor in determining whether or not a teen will become depressed is whether or not they have a depressed parent.  A teen with a depressed parent may be up to 6 times more likely to become depressed than other teens.  This may be caused by genetics, or simply by becoming depressed through exposure.  Whatever the reason, there’s great news.  All the depression fighting benefits of exercise for teens also apply to adults.  So if you’re feeling a little down, why not take your teen to the gym or out for a run around the block.  You’ll not only be exercising, you’ll also have some quality time to spend with your child. 

So talk to your teen, and then get them up and moving.  With regular exercise, there's a good chance your son or daughter will soon be feeling much better.