FIT Teens

By Jenna Hanington

One of my teachers once told me that to be “bored” is to be “boring.” Talk about some eye-opening advice.  Luckily, I’ve found that boredom is just about the only one of life’s problems that has an easy solution.

Have you ever found yourself wandering around with nothing to do? In middle school, this was a regular thing for me. Sure, I played soccer and did homework after school just like every other kid, but between activities I was—well, boring. When I finally made the transition from middle school to high school, I decided that boredom had to go.

At first, I spent a few boring hours trying to figure out how to not be boring. Then, I decided to get involved in some activities at my school. I’d always been pretty good at soccer, so I tried out for the soccer team. I was a decent runner, so I went out for the cross country team too. Student Council? Sure, why not? And while I was at it, I might as well join the yearbook club and the volunteer club too. All of a sudden, all of those hours that I had spent being bored dwindled down to nothing. I was constantly occupied, constantly entertained and constantly enthralled by this newfound “lack of boredom.”

Do you see how simple it is? Whenever you find yourself caught in a fit of boredom, it’s as easy as finding a way to occupy yourself. Try joining some clubs or teams at school, make a goal to finish a certain number of books by the end of the school year or call up some friends to hang out. Try not to spend idle hours in front of the TV or lying in bed. There are always things to do—it’s just up to you to go find them.

Jenna Hanington is a student at Georgia Tech studying Communications and Literature. She loves being physically active and spending time outdoors.

Did you know that for some people, too MUCH focus on losing weight – the number on the scale – can actually make them more likely to GAIN weight? A much better approach to getting healthy is to follow these rules as often as you can, and allow yourself days to cheat without feeling guilty.

• Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables each day
• Eat 3 meals a day, no skipping breakfast!
• Keep screen time to less than 2 hours a day.  Yes, that includes texting!
• Be active doing something you love at least 1 hour a day

Drink almost none of the sugary stuff.  All you need is plain old water and milk.  Everything else is a treat.

Sarah C. Armstrong, MD is the Director of the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke University. The program focuses on empowering kids and families with the skills and knowledge needed to live a life of healthy eating and active lifestyles.

By Hansa Bhargava, MD

I love Halloween. When I was a high school student I really looked forward to dressing up, going to parties and having fun. There was always a big Halloween bash at our school, and my friends and I would go find costumes together and have a blast at the party.

I remember a girl that didn’t seem to enjoy our school celebrations very much. She sat in front of me in English class. She wore glasses, was slightly overweight, and always knew the answer when a teacher asked a question.  I’m sure that she got straight A’s, but she didn’t look very happy.  She was always alone, and I often saw her walking home all by herself after school.

One day, I found her sobbing in the girls’ bathroom.  I didn’t really know her, and I wasn’t sure what to say. So I sat down beside her and after a few minutes she started talking. She hated school and hated her life.  Her parents were going through a divorce and she didn’t have anyone to talk to. It turned out that she was really lonely and didn’t feel like she had any friends.

I felt really bad. Here I was, enjoying my friends, my family, shopping, and parties; meanwhile this girl sitting right next to me was going through a really difficult time. That day, I invited her out to the mall with my friends. We got to know her, and do you know what? She was really nice and a lot of fun.

Do you know someone like this in your class? Someone who may be lonely and feel left out of things?

Try reaching out to them—you may end up helping someone out, and could make a good friend in the process.

What are you supposed to do if you’re stuck at home and the weather’s too bad to go outside?  It’s easy to spend most of the day sitting watching television, on the phone, or playing video games.  But you can be active!  You can work up a sweat and get your heart beating with activities in your house just like if you go outside or play basketball with friends.  Here are some good indoor activities:

• Dance!  Turn up the music (hide in your bedroom if you’d like) and dance!  You can get better exercise dancing than playing outside if you really get into the music.

• Turn on a workout DVD or video, or find the exercise channel on cable, and join in.

• Hula hoop or jump rope.  It depends on how much space you have, but you can even make friendly competitions out of them.

• Make up active games inside the house with the rest of your family.  For example, create relay races.

These are just a couple options of how to spend a day in the house that can be both active and fun!

Diana Dolinsky, MD, MPH is a pediatrician with the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke University. The program focuses on empowering kids and families with the skills and knowledge needed to live a life of healthy eating and active lifestyles.