Introduction
As technology develops and ordinary lifestyles change, people tend to be less and less active. Sedentary lifestyles as well as sedentary habits spread rapidly and become an emerging trend. Moreover, current circumstances, including pandemic-related restrictions and lockdown conditions, exacerbate the fragile situation. Physical training and regular exercise may be crucial for health maintenance. People of all ages should do exercise training in order to stay fit and healthy. It may be particularly important for children and adolescents. Implementing various training programs and techniques at a young age may contribute to the development of an appropriate mindset. Adolescents, who understand the benefits of physical exercise, may view training as an essential part of their daily routine and lead a healthier lifestyle in older ages. Furthermore, exercise may be significantly beneficial for growing bodies. It may lead to bone strengthening, muscle development, and a significant decrease in heart disorder risks.
A sedentary lifestyle and lack of activity are proven to cause approximately twenty-five percent of global mortality (Romero and Prado 567). Such a lifestyle may lead to the development of severe disorders, including diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. Physical fitness in childhood and adolescence is an essential indicator of the possibility of the manifestation of these diseases. It may be necessary not only to develop specific frameworks to encourage adolescents to do exercise but also to use physical fitness characteristics to provide proper care and treatment. Overall, training exercises may be an inseparable part of human well-being. It may be especially relevant during childhood and adolescence as it has a positive impact on the process of growing up.
Preventing and Overcoming Obesity
Obesity may also represent one of the dire consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. Excess weight in adolescence is closely linked with lack of activity and may result in several disorders such as diabetes or metabolic problems. In some cases, diet and proper nutrition may not be sufficient measures to prevent obesity. However, a combination of dietary guidelines and regular exercise programs was proven to provide long-term positive effects (Archer 203). Obesity may also have a considerable influence on happiness and mental health. Some studies have shown that there is a correlation between weight and happiness (Archer 203). Regular exercise training, healthy nutrition, lack of bad habits, and even spare time activities may positively affect health and psychological well-being. Moreover, overcoming obesity, conducting regular training, and staying in the recommended BMI range may increase performance in non-physical activities, including studying.
Health Improvement
Physical health is closely linked with the proper operation of every process in the human body. Training exercise may be an indispensable method of physical health improvement and maintenance. It may not only contribute to staying in the recommended BMI range but also improve neuroimmune functioning, disorder recovery, increased endurance, and muscle strengths. Physical exercise also leads to the development of beneficial substances, which improves motivation and grants life satisfaction. Day-to-day exercise is also proven to affect academic performance in adolescents positively (González-Hernández et al. 4535). Therefore, it may be crucial to develop training regimes for adolescents and introduce them at schools. By encouraging children and teenagers to implement training exercises in their daily routine, it may be possible to improve health on the national level significantly. It is also critical to evaluate existing programs and provide an individual approach in training as excessive exercises may be harmful. Furthermore, some adolescents have health issues, which makes specific training programs unsuitable.
Resistance Training for Adolescents
Resistance training is a well-known and widely applicable form of physical exercise. It has some significant advantages over its alternatives and even provides some unique benefits. It is an inseparable part of various training regimes and school physical education classes. As mentioned before, lack of activity leads to health issues and disorder development. Hence physical training and particularly resistance training, is becoming more and more popular.
Resistance training may benefit adolescents in several ways, including health improvement. First, it may not only increase strength and maintain endurance but also increases motor skill performance and provides valuable knowledge regarding training techniques. Teenagers who are introduced to resistance training are less exposed to physical injury and are able to recover faster. Second, as adequate regular training provides health benefits in general, resistance training is considerably beneficial too. It may improve fitness and particularly cardiovascular fitness, increase bone mineral density, and even maintain psychological health. As mentioned before, obesity is an emerging problem related to increasing sedentary lifestyles. Resistance training may dress that issue too, as it is highly suitable for various levels of physical fitness and may be effective in terms of burning fat. Third, it may serve as a starting point for spontaneous activity as it has low barriers to entry and encourages adolescents to lead an active lifestyle.
Resistance training may be beneficial not only for adolescents but also for children and even older generations. Nonetheless, it may be necessary to implement the proper technique and conduct resistance training under professional supervision in order to achieve that goal. The duration of a resistance training program may also have a significant influence on its efficiency. Programs lasting for twenty-three weeks and more were proven to be the most effective (Stricker et al. 2). Resistance training fatigue recovery in adolescents is relatively fast, and sixty seconds of rest between sets is recommended. Overall, there are clear and effective frameworks for implementing resistance training at schools. By following these techniques, significant health improvement and fitness development may be achieved.
Flexibility Exercise for Children and Adolescents
Flexibility is closely linked with joint health and muscle maintenance. Therefore, flexibility exercise may significantly improve health and fitness. Every joint has a particular range of motion, and flexibility is related to the skill to access that range. Decreased flexibility in certain joints may lead to lower performance in everyday activities and especially sports. It may also cause the development of various joint-related disorders, back pain, and frequent muscle strains (Kolimechkov 70). It may be necessary to implement regular and sufficient flexibility exercises to prevent such consequences. Moreover, adolescents and children are more capable of developing flexibility than the older generations. Hence, it may be rational to introduce such training as soon as possible to avoid future difficulties.
Conclusion
In some cases, emerging technologies and lifestyle trends may have a devastating effect on standards of health. People tend to develop sedentary habits and avoid any form of physical training. It may be necessary to introduce regular and systematic exercises to adolescents in order to improve the fitness of future generations. Numerous studies have shown that activity may be beneficial for both physical and mental health. As distance education and self-isolation are closely linked with the current pandemic, it becomes especially critical to encourage physical training. Conclusively, training exercise may be highly beneficial in terms of health and fitness in adolescents and should be implemented widely.
References
Archer, Trevor. “Health benefits of physical exercise for children and adolescents.” Journal of Novel Physiotherapies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2014, p. 203.
González-Hernández, Juan, et al. “Perfectly Active Teenagers. When Does Physical Exercise Help Psychological Well-Being in Adolescents?” International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 16, no. 22, 2019, p. 4525.
Kolimechkov, Stefan. “Physical Fitness assessment in children and adolescents: a systematic review.” European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, 2017.
Romero Zarallo, G., and Prado Suarez. “Physical Exercise practiced by Adolescents Students.” Palliat Med Care, vol. 6, no. 1, 2019, pp. 566-570.
Stricker, Paul R., et al. “Resistance training for children and adolescents.” Pediatrics, vol. 145, no. 6, 2020.