Provided by Planet Fitness.
Ever since the pandemic began, most people have been less active physically, especially teens who attend online school. This is less than beneficial to their health.
In fact, there are multiple ways working out during the pandemic can help. Here’s some research showing why teens should workout during quarantine:
According to a scientific study called “School sport participation during adolescence and mental health in early adulthood:”
- “Teens who play sports gain confidence, critical-thinking and judgment skills, as well as increased cognitive function.” Working out as a teen helps them grow physically and mentally, and it helps them be more active and fit.
- “One consistent finding from research studies is that the benefits begin with as little as 60 minutes a week. Research shows that a total amount of at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, consistently reduces the risk of many chronic diseases and other adverse health outcomes.”
- Working out and or playing sports helps teens have better interactions with people. “Physical education and sports can help build a young person’s confidence and social interactions’’ and “students build an appreciation for the positive personal and social values associated with the game with each lesson.”
- Evidence suggests that increasing physical activity and physical fitness may improve academic performance and that time in the school day dedicated to recess, physical education class, and physical activity in the classroom may also facilitate academic performance.
- Available evidence suggests that mathematics and reading are the academic topics that are most influenced by physical activity. These topics depend on efficient and effective executive function, which has been linked to physical activity and physical fitness.
Other sources corroborate the Jewett study. For example, The Boys & Girls Club of America resource on “Staying Physically Healthy & Active During COVID-19” talks about the benefits of teens staying active. Similarly, a kids sports program called First Tee says ”Experts agree that physical activity is essential to young people.”
I spoke with Karolina Le, a student from Irvington High School about how working out has helped her. “Sometimes I do enjoy working out,” she said. “It helps distract me with things that I don’t want to be thinking about and it could push me more to work harder. It does help mentally and, if anything, it’s a good coping mechanism instead of doing anything negative.”
In conclusion, there are multiple ways to still gain the benefits of working out as a teen during the pandemic.
Aansh Sharma is a junior at Washington High School. He grew up in Munich, Germany and Mumbai, India and then Fremont, California. This is his first year at the Hatchet. His interests are running the Gaming Club and reporting on the local news. He also likes to play video games. He would like to get a job in Computer Science to allow him to support himself. While Computer Science seems boring, he will try to have fun with it despite that, and also distract himself with gaming sometimes.