Staying Healthy As a Teen

Staying Healthy As a Teen

Right Decisions, Healthy Teens

Healthy Bodies

  • Get outside and play. With all the electronic attractions (TV, computer, cell phone, video games) inside, you will tend to be idle in the evenings after school. Fight this and get outside. Go for a 30 minute walk/jog each day, play a sport, join the school band, cut or rake the yard, help a neighbor build something, etc.
  • Limit fast food eating. These foods are processed and fatty. Eat vegetables and fruits as often as you can. When you do eat out, don’t “super size.”
  • Take a multivitamin. This is a good idea, unless you regularly eat vegetables and fruits everyday.
  • Drink milk daily. You need the calcium and the vitamin D in milk for your growing body. Did you know that drinking more sodas and less milk causes weaker bones? You need 3-4 dairy offerings a day. If not milk, eat cheese or yogurt.
  • Drink more water and fewer soft drinks. Limit soft drinks to 0 or 2 a week. Drinking a lot of sweet drinks can lead to overeating. The easiest way to begin loosing weight is to drink more water. Also, the caffeine in these drinks can cause headaches, sleep problems and stomach aches.
  • Always eat breakfast. In the rush to get ready for school, breakfast can be easily missed. Research has shown that eating a nutritiousbreakfast improves memory, improves attentiveness, and reduces depression, anxiety and hyperactivity. Ideally, a healthy breakfast should contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein and healthy fats (primarily omega 3’s). Examples of healthy breakfast foods include whole grain cereal, fruit, eggs (scrambled, fried or boiled), granola cereal, yogurt, oatmeal with nuts/raisins, bagel with cream cheese, banana with peanut butter and whole wheat pancakes or waffles.

Healthy Minds

  • Turn off the screens on school day evenings. For a healthier mind, read more and watch TV less. TV, video games, and the computer quickly consume your time in the evenings and leads to wasted time and late nights. Limit TV and recreational computer time (games, Facebook, etc.) to 1 hour on school day nights, and no video games on weekday evenings.
  • Be Internet cautious. Invite your parent to help hold you accountable on the Internet. Parents, consider the following measures to protect your child.
  1. Place the home computer(s) in a public area; not a child’s bedroom.
  2. Program your browser to block Pop-ups
  3. Install an Internet filter program. This is easy to install and costs about $50 for up to 3 computers. This filter is different from an anti-virus program. These programs allow a parent to limit a child’s access to certain Internet content. See a list of suggested programs below.
  4. If you allow your child to use Facebook or MySpace, enroll yourself as a user and view your child’s page at least monthly.
  • Choose your movies wisely. Going to the movie theater can be fun, but don’t watch justany movie. Movies will influence your mind and most of the time you won’t even realize it. Avoid movies with lots of violence (this leads to careless attitudes towards others), explicit sex (this is tempting and stirs up lust), and bad language (you’ll find yourself talking like them). Movies make risky behaviors look harmless; don’t be fooled. Go to orgor comfor a review.
  • Have a reasonable bedtime on school day nights. Adequate sleep is a key ingredient for a healthy mind and body. Too little sleep can lead to poor concentration at school, forgetfulness, depression, hyperactivity, and general loss of energy. Life can be very busy and school studies can be tough, but plan your evenings to get to bed on time. Start your homework before supper, limit screen time to 1 hour, and turn your cell phone off after 9:00. Don’t play video games on school day nights. Get that TV out of your bedroom; this is associated with trouble sleeping and poor school performance. Avoid drinking caffeine-containing drinks with or after supper. Read a book for the 10-15 minutes prior to bedtime to help you fall asleep. A reasonable target bedtimefor a middle school child is 8:00 to 9:00, for a junior high child is 9:00 to 9:30, and for a high school child is 9:00 to 10:00. Homework or an extracurricular event may occasionally push this time later, but keep the target time in mind.
  • Get Involved. Play a sport, develop a hobby, plant a garden, join a club, take a part-time job, or serve in the community. Develop an extracurricular activity that leads to interaction with others.
  • Delay datinguntil you are ready to find a husband or wife. One-on-one dating just for fun often leads to broken hearts and risky situations of intimacy. Have fun with friends of the opposite sex in group settings, without “going steady.”
  • Worship. Your spirit needs nourishment as well. Regularly attend a church, youth group, and/or Sunday school. Research has shown that being involved in these activities is associated with happier living. Read the Bible; it is the instruction manual for life, written by our Creator for our good.

Computer Resources

  • Safe EyesParental Control Software at
  • BSecureOnline Family Protection at
  • K9 Web Protection at

Teen Resources

  • SO YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE A TEENAGER
    by Dennis & Barbara Rainey
    Thomas Nelson Publishers
  • WEBSITE FOR TEENS ABOUT LIFE ISSUES.

Parent Resources

  • MOVIE GUIDE

A website that evaluates and rates current movies at the theaters

  • AGE OF OPPORTUNITY. A BIBLICAL GUIDE TO PARENTING TEENS
    by Paul Tripp, P & R Publishing
  • PASSPORT 2 PURITY

A CD & Workbook Seriesfor teaching teens about sex and dating
by Dennis & Barbara Rainey

  • QUESTIONS KIDS ASK ABOUT SEX
    by The Medical Institute for Sexual Health (

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