Goal Setting for Teens

It doesnt matter whether your big or small, from time to time we all have to deal with weight problems, in one form or another. The media puts to much emphasison overweight individuals, and obesity,which is a serious health problem especially in teens.Being as criticle as it can be, there’s still other weight problems that dont get that much attention but can be just as serious, such as anorexia,and bulimia. There’s always room for improvement, whether your big or small,by a balanced diet and exercise.One of the most important things Ive noticed about myself,is not looking in the mirror,and focus on my problem. We have a mental and physical responsibilityto take care of ourselves period. Its hard to do sometimes, but if we cantrainourselves to focus on the solution instead of the problem, it can make the challengemore do-a-ble.

People have role models they want to look like or be like,and this can be a goodmotivational tool to inspire us, however dont set your expectations “TO HIGH” andset yourself up for failure, just follow a good plan, be persistent, consistent andgradually you will see results to be proud of, thats the real motivation that willinspire you to work diligently towards your desired goal.We need to “love” ourselves more and take of our bodies, however this is easier said than done sometimes, with the busy lives we lead. It just takes a few minutes a day to exercise, and we have to eat ,so forming a new habit to eat healthier and regularly can be a fun challenge and very rewarding. You will soon find out that these new habits,can come as natural as taking a shower or brushing your teeth etc.The desired outcome of your health depends on the advise given in this article and other resources not listed here. Just stay focused and take consistent action on your exercise and eating regimen and you will feel and look better in no time.

Sharon Brantley takes pride in taking care of herself inside and out, overcoming weight problems by dealing with them directly, feeling better and looking better,enjoying life to the fullest.

Weight loss is all about burning more calories than you eat, but what’s the best way to do that? Knowing the basics of how to lose weight, how to exercise for weight loss and how to motivate yourself are essential for creating a program that works for you.If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know it can be a difficult process. But, there are ways to make it easier. Understanding exactly what you need to do to lose weight is your first stepDespite what you may think, losing weight isn’t a mysterious process. In fact, weight loss doesn’t even have to involve strange diets, special exercises or even the ‘magic’ of pills or fitness gadgets. Want the secret to weight loss? Make small changes each and every day and you’ll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds.Rules of Weight LossTo lose one pound, you must burn approximately 3500 calories  over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. 1.  Calculate your BMR  (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing, digestion, etc. 2. Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. 3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. Use a food journal to add up what you eat and drink during the day. If you’re eating less calories than you’re burning, you’ll lose weight. Setting weight loss goals is probably one of the more difficult things to do when you embark on an exercise and/or diet program. How much do you need to lose? That question is hard to answer and often based on your particular goals. If you’re losing weight for your health, your goal might be more modest, say 5-10% of your current weight. But what if you have something more specific in mind like a certain clothing-size you want to fit into? How do you set a reasonable goal for yourself?The key to setting weight loss goals is to follow the standard of goal setting. It needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible. Your first step is determining if you really need to lose weight.Do You Need to Lose Weight?If you talk to most people, you’ll probably find that everyone feels like they need to lose weight, even people who appear to be at a healthy weight. Often our weight loss goals are based on what we think we should look like rather than what’s reasonable for our bodies right now. In general, a candidate for weight loss may have the following characteristics: * A BMI of more than 25 * A Waist-Hip ratio of higher than .8 for women and higher than 1.0 for men * An Abdominal Girth measurement of more than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men Of course, those aren’t the only clues that tell us we need to lose weight. There are those annoying indications like tight clothes, getting out of breath doing simple activities, or stepping on a scale for the first time in awhile. But, before you set goals based on what you think you should weigh, make sure you really need to lose weight.Set Your GoalsIf you’ve determined you do need to lose weight, your next step is to set a reasonable weight loss goal for yourself. You can base your goals on any number of  factors, but a great place to start would be the general recommendations set out by the American College of Sports Medicine which are 5-10% of body weight or one to two pounds per week.

Healthy Weight Loss

It is common knowledge that excess fat in your body puts you at risk with many health problems. If you are an overweight teenager looking to reduce those risks and prevent disease, you should device an easy weight loss plan suitable for teens.

Your plan should include both short-term and long-term goals. These goals must be reasonably easy for you to achieve and sensible, meaning no fad diets or extreme exercise regimes. This will greatly increase your chances of attaining your target effective and more importantly in a healthier manner.

Below are some guidelines, from various experts which you can adopt for your easy weight plan for teens.

1.  You have to be realistic about your goals. Do not be too ambitious. Aim for targets you can easily achieve for your short-term goals, like maybe you may want to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week initially. Then, gradually work towards 3 to 4 pounds or more per week. Your long-term goal should be based on your BMI or body mass index. This is a good indicator of what your ideal weight should be. And, it should be between 19 and 24.9. Anywhere above is considered overweight. While, any number above 30 is considered obesity.

2.  As mentioned above, start slow and build on it bit by bit. If you have never exercised before, it is advisable to start with easy ones like walking. Look for interesting routes around your neighbourhood or park. Then, plan to walk through them at least 3 to 4 times, for 30 minutes each time, per week. Your eventually aim is to do it everyday.

3.  Change your diet to a healthier one if yours is not. Learn to whip up some tasty treats using weight loss recipes. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Take more small meals (5 to 6) everyday rather than few big ones. Cut down on oily and sweet stuffs.

4.  Stay focused on your exercise and diet routines. Rather than focusing on how much weight you going to lose this week. Focus on how much exercise you are going to do and what food you should be avoiding and what you should be eating. This will help make your easy weight loss plan for teens, even easier.

5.  Do not be too hard on yourself. If you fail to achieve your target this week, there is always next week. Even if you lose just 1 pound this week, it is better than gaining 1 pound. Motivate yourself by thinking along this line. An all-or-nothing attitude can only set you up for failure. Constantly re-evaluating and improving on your exercise and diet plans is the way to go.

6.  In fact, keeping a positive outlook and staying confident in your weight loss plans is the most important aspect of your plan. This way you will not give up easily, and eventually make your goals reality.

The bottom line is, losing weight need not be a stressful thing. It should be done in an easy and relax manner. By following the above guidelines, you will have devised for yourself, an easy weight loss plan for teens.

With television shows like “The Hills” and “90210″, teens are looking at their favorite star, and wondering why their body isn’t like the actors and actresses on these shows. They look at these people as their idols, and want to look and be just like them. It is important to educate our teens on the dangers of certain diets, and what it takes to lose weight in a safer, and more health conscious way.

A teen’s healthy diet plan shouldn’t be any different than any average adult. The right foods combined with a good fitness plan can help mold their body into a fit and healthy form.

Education: Start by educating yourself. Find out what a proper diet and fitness plan for your teen should consist of. Speak to your family physician; see what he or she feels is the right course of action. Ask about a dietitian, a dietitian can help plan a menu that will be conducive to the type of lifestyle your teen leads. Also, educate yourself about fad diets, and eating disorders.

Make a Plan: You then need to find out your teen’s intentions for themselves. Do they want to lose a large amount, or just drop a few pounds to fit into that prom dress? Whatever their intention, make sure to sit down with them and discuss goals, and timeframes. They are not going to lose 50 pounds in a week, make sure they realize this. Use what you have learned to set up a plan that will work for them.

Family Fun: Once you have set into place a plan, the next step is to do it. Make it a family activity, take walks together after dinner. Set up activities that involve everybody. Go to the park, on a hike, or a leisurely bike ride. Whatever you choose, do it as a family and enjoy yourselves.

Just remember, teens, just as any other child learns from what they see. In these formative years, it is important to teach our children what is right and wrong. A healthy lifestyle instilled into the mind of a growing youth can stay with them for the rest of their life.

Body Image is an issue which can be of primary importance to teenagers. It not difficult to see that this is priority due to the medias unrealistic interpretation of how a typical female or male is meant to look like. We frequently see these size 0 women and incredibly masculine men in TV shows, covers of magazines, Music videos and practically all types of image related  advertising all of which teens have impressions on everyday.

What is important for teens to understand is that these Bodies are usually that of highly paid fitness models who dedicate their lives to achieve their physique. While it is possible to achieve this physique with a lot of work it is not realistic for most teens. For example, just because your a swimmer doesn’t mean you have to swim like Michael Phelps!

Personally, during my teenage years, I disliked my body. I had a fixation with getting a big muscular physique. Of course I made Loads of mistake but eventually after about 2-3 years I achieved a lean 210 physique. Was I happy?! No! I felt like I had too much Body Fat. As a result, I spent some time losing the excess Body Fat. Was I content now?! No! My chest was too small, I couldn’t see my lower abs, my shoulders weren’t in good proportion to my arms… I could go on… Are you starting to see my point!

Eventually, I realized that I would never be 100% satisfied with my body. There would always be something I wanted; a bigger chest, lower abs, Bigger Biceps etc. At that point I began to look at the bigger picture and say;

“Hey, I have a great body, I’m proud of it and I’m not going to spent my whole life being obsessed with it!” 

This is exactly what I want teens understand. Your never going to be totally satisfied with your body. There will always be something.

While there’s nothing wrong with trying to achieve a better Body Image, don’t strive for a cover model Body unless your willing to put in years of effort and sacrifice a lot of your youth. Strive to lose a few pounds of fat or to put on a few pounds of muscle.

My message to all you teens is that you should be proud of your body, and if your not, set a realistic goal where you you WILL be proud of your body!

Of course, The most important thing when setting your Health and Fitness goals is Information and Knowledge. Without Information and Knowledge of the three aspects of Dieting, Exercise and lifestyle the effectiveness of you losing weight or building muscle is going to be severely hindered. So get the right Know-How!

With so much information bombarding us from TV, magazines, radio, supermarkets etc. telling us to eat this and to follow that program it becomes difficult to see the underlying, simple truth behind Fat Loss.

As a Final Note…

If your a teen, don’t let low self-esteem due to your Body image restrict aspects of your life in anyway. Life’s too short!

All the Best,

Kieran from Body2Shape 

Body2Shape provide Free, Impartial, tired and tested Body Image Advice.

http://www.body2shape.com/