How to stay healthy for teen

The teenage years are very important for starting healthy habits that will last a lifetime and help boost confidence. Here are some tips for teenage girls who want to start and stay healthy.

Start off right away with drinking more water. Keeping your body hydrated with eight glasses of water a day will help regulate metabolism and purify your body. A good rule of thumb is to take your weight and divide in half to find out how much water you should be drinking daily. i.e. If you weigh 100 pounds, you need to drink half that weight in ounces (50 ounces) of water every day. This will also help you to urinate, which helps you lose weight and flush your digestive system of any foreign substances. Plus, it can improve your skin and boost your immune system.

Maintain a regular sleep pattern. With projects, extra-curricular, tests, and friends or IM, you might not get to bed until after midnight every night, but don't get in the habit of staying up late and skipping out on valuable sleeping time! This can lead to the development of insomnia. The average teen needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep is a major factor contributing to how healthy you are. Getting enough sleep raises your alertness during the day, and minimizes anxiety.



Eat breakfast every day. Breakfast is the most important meal, because it provides your body with its first fuel of the day. Good breakfast foods include fruit, eggs, milk, cream of wheat, oatmeal, or toast. Starting with a good breakfast will also keep you concentrated during the day, and you will have fewer cravings.


Avoid junk food. This isn't limited to just the foods served at fast food restaurants, all foods with limited to no nutritional value qualifies as junk food. Think of it as littering your body; your body can't do anything productive with junk food. Stick to healthy foods that are high in protein, vitamins and minerals; your body will be able to use these things much better than junk food.

Replace unhealthy foods with healthy foods. You can replace white bread with wheat bread. You can even replace salt with kosher salt. Kosher salt is healthier, but it is bigger.

Eat meals slowly, and stop eating when you are full. This is the most basic principle of good eating habits, yet many people feel they must finish what is on their plate. Hunger is your body's way of letting you know that it needs fuel. Fullness, or satiety, is your body's way of letting you know it doesn't need any more food. If you stop eating when you are full, you will get hungry every couple of hours, which is a good thing, this means your body is using what you give it.

Snack healthfully. Eat a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, some celery, or a piece of cheese. Anything healthy as a snack will help maintain your energy level throughout the day. Choosing anything low-fat, low-sugar, or low-sodium is better than anything full-fat, full-sugar, or full-sodium.

Exercise at least three to five times per week. Each time you should be exercising enough to work up a sweat for at least twenty minutes (preferably more). But don't limit your physical activity to you work outs at the gym: by walking/biking more places you'll get more sunlight, which boosts your mood, and you'll also get some less strenuous physical activity. Go for a run, a bike ride, or a challenging hike. If you don't like to exercise on your own, join a fitness club, find a buddy to work out with, or join a sports team. Keeping active will make you stronger physically and mentally.

Stick to a hygiene regimen. Wash your face in the morning and at night before you go to bed to keep your skin healthy and clean. Brush your teeth two to three times a day for a clean and fresh mouth. Taking care of your appearance will also make you feel better about yourself, which really is the most important thing.

Keep good posture. Don't slump during class! Hold yourself straight. There are many exercises that can help. If you have a laptop, work at a desk or with your back propped up.