Why Teens Do Not Engage in Physical Activities
It is generally understood that most teenagers do not engage in physical exercises. This is the case despite the general health and social benefits that they may accrue from physical activities. Terzian and Moore (2013) assert that very few teenagers get to appreciate the importance of physical exercises because they rarely engage in them. As such, the main reasons behind the physical exercise apathy among teenagers includes lack of role models, misinformation on what counts as physical exercises, the fact that most teenagers do not find physical activities to be fun, lack of information on its benefits, and the technology factor. This paper examines some of these reasons with a detailed analysis on each.
Ward et al. (2015) posit that the lack of role models usually contribute to the physical exercise apathy among teenagers. The main source of inspiration to engage in physical exercises is usually lacking when the parents or guardians of a given individual do not engage in physical activities (Terzian and Moore, 2013). It was established that the lack of exposure to such activities and the fact that their immediate relatives rarely engaged in them mainly contributed to the lack of interest in physical activities. Additionally, it was also established that social factors such as safety and social influence also contributed to the lack of appreciation for physical activities. Most teenagers are likely to point out that the places for engaging in such activities (football fields or remote neighborhood areas) are either unsafe, or their friends, neighbors, and peers rarely engaged in them.
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According to Ward et al. (2015), most teenagers do not understand what exactly counts as physical exercise. Most of them perceive physical exercises as rigorous and often heavily involving activities; where an individual is supposed to break excessive amounts of sweat. This is, however, not true. Physical exercise entails anything that engages the body muscles and increases the rate of heartbeat. These may include climbing a fleet of stairs every day (instead of using the elevator), rope hopping, walking for long distances (instead of taking a cab to school, to the library, to the shopping mall, or to any other nearby area), jogging and engaging in push-ups (Terzian and Moore, 2013). Because of this misinformation, most teenagers develop some level of laziness while others rule out the possibility of engaging in physical activities due to lack of ample time. Increasing their levels of understanding and knowledge on what physical exercises entail could assist in ensuring that they engage in them more.
Most teenagers do not understand the benefits of physical exercises to their body, brain, and overall health wellbeing. They are not sensitized enough to understand the various benefits of physical exercises, which include but not limited to: reduced stress, improved memory, enhanced body fitness, and increased self-confidence among others. In addition, most teenagers find the process of engaging in physical exercises to be boring (Terzian and Moore, 2013). Sensitizing them on how to engage in various fun activities such as rock climbing could assist them in appreciating the fun aspects of such activities. Ultimately, technology plays a critical role in the lack of physical activities among teenagers. Introducing programs and applications that may sensitize and assist them to engage in physical activities would assist in ensuring that technology does not become a hindrance to physical exercises, but an enabler of the same.
In conclusion, most teenagers, especially in the modern world prefer activities that consume little energy as compared to the vigorous and often tiring physical activities. Some of these activities, which are linked to technological advancements, are viewed as a major hindrance to physical exercises among teenagers. Most young people prefer to spend a huge amount of their time on social media and other technology-related activities such as gaming. In the long run, very few engage in physical activities. It would, therefore, be strategic to convert technology into a physical exercise enabler in order to cure the habit of physical inactivity among teenagers.
References
Terzian, M., & Moore, K. A. (2013). Physical inactivity in US adolescents: Family, neighborhood, and individual factors. Child trends, Research Brief.
Ward, S., Bélanger, M., Donovan, D., Caissie, I., Goguen, J., & Vanasse, A. (2015). Association between school policies and built environment, and youth's participation in various types of physical activities. Journal of school health , 85 (7), 423-432.
