How to Encourage Your Teenage Son to Exercise and Eat Right

Written by Wood Creek Academy

 

Are you concerned about the health of your teenage boy? Are you worried that he might not be exercising enough or eating right? Humans of all ages need regular exercise to maintain healthy bodies and minds. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that regular physical activity builds and nourishes healthy bones and muscles. There are mental health benefits as well. Regular exercise often promotes self-esteem, diminishes anxiety and depression, and may improve concentration and attentiveness in school, leading to better academic performance. When combined with a healthy diet, the results of physical activity can be powerful.

 

Yet in 2013, a survey of high school students found that only 36.6% boys engaged in 60 minutes of physical activity every day the preceding week; conversely, 15.2% of students did not engage in any physical activity at all. That the majority of high school-aged boys do not get enough physical activity means that many are underequipped to deal with its attendant problems. Negative self-esteem, which can be strongly correlated to anxiety about one’s physical appearance, is linked to depression, anorexia, bulimia, and drug and alcohol abuse. Deficits of self-esteem are only exacerbated in teenage years, when boys simultaneously go through the awkward stages of puberty and are further exposed to the “perfect” physical appearance often championed by entertainment media.

 

If your teenage son falls into this category, don’t worry. There are many ways you can encourage your son to start exercising and eating healthy. One way is to sign him up for a teen wilderness program.  The rigorous yet reasonable outdoor exercise and nutrition programs at some of the leading outdoor boarding schools in the nation aim to empower and improve boys by teaching them the values of self-reliance and hard work.

 

What does this type of program entail? At a typical teen wilderness boarding school, boys engage in a minimum of three hours of outdoor activity every day. They do calisthenics, play football, and hike around the property. Upper level students may use a weight machine. At the more adventurous end of the spectrum are winter activities (such as snowboarding, skiing, and snowshoeing), and summer activities (such as swimming, camping, and fishing).

 

Additionally, boys will learn competence in both the kitchen and their personal nutrition. They learn how to cook and store food, clean up after themselves, create a diet and a grocery budget, and set their own exercise goals. Such opportunities aren’t offered at a boot camp for teenagers, where boys are taught to endure punishment rather than develop new skills.

 

Boys also perform volunteer work—much of which is physical—in the area. In service, the boys may cut wood and deliver wood to those in need, clean up local highways and roads, build projects for locals, and load and distribute food, among other activities. Researchers have found that engaging in volunteer work curbs antisocial behaviors, improves communication skills, raises political and civil knowledge, and enhances cognitive thinking and problem solving abilities. Other therapeutic boarding schools for boys do not usually involve students as much in community service.

 

Communion with nature, whether through hiking, fishing, swimming, or camping, has been known to bond people of all ages to their physical, emotional, and spiritual well being. Untold creativity and enthusiasm lie dormant in boys, who need to go outside to awaken it.

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Wood Creek Academy is a licensed therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 13 to 18. The school offers a variety of programs for troubled youth that incorporate exercise and eating well.