Exercise Do's
Experts generally agree that anything that keeps you active and helps you stay active is a good thing. That's a pretty broad scope, so let's narrow it down. What kinds of activities are good for you?
- Vigorous Aerobic Exercise. This includes sports like football, tennis, soccer, etc. It also includes walking, jogging, swimming or running away from your brother after stealing one of his fav CD's. It all counts.
- Strength training. Strength training involves using free weights, machines, or your own body weight to increase muscle strength and endurance. When starting a weight training program, you should start with no weight and get your form down first to avoid annoying injuries. Work with an expert (a coach, trainer, whatever) to help you figure out what exercises to do and the right way to do them so you don't hurt yourself or waste your precious time.
- Regular exercise. Aside from participating in a sport or some type of programmed exercise (like kickboxing or something) you also should just move around occasionally. Sure your X-Box is cool, but sitting around is only going to make it harder to get moving later on in life.
Exercise Don'ts
There's not much out there that you can't do except for power lifting. Strength training is an acceptable way to build a strength and stay healthy, but powerlifting is usually focused on how much you can lift at one time. Lifting too much weight and using improper form can lead to some serious injuries. Experts suggest that powerlifting is not the best idea if your body is still growing. Bernard Griesemer, MD, tells WebMD that "[y]oung athletes should avoid major competitive lifts...They should also be realistic about their expectations. These kids will not bulk up -- that only comes with puberty -- but they will gain strength, which is positive."
So, now you know you should be doing some strength training and some aerobic exercise. But, what you really want to know is how to lose weight, build muscles and get some awesome abs, right? The next page tells you how.
