Sure, you have a teenager who is moody. This can be identified as typical behavior from nearly all teens at one point or another. However, how do you ensure that your teen is as healthy as they can be? Let’s take a closer look.
Substance Abuse
The teen years are a time when many kids experiment with a variety of substances. This can easily lead to an addiction. This is bad for your teen’s health, both mentally and physically. By getting your teen into one of the great rehab facilities like this teen therapy program near Santa Ynez if you’re in the area, you’ll be getting them the help they need.
Manage Weight
Be careful how you do this because you don’t want to overdo it and cause your teen to develop an eating disorder. That said, eating healthy is critical for the proper growth and development of teens. You need to make sure that they eat well-balanced meals that include foods from each of the food groups. You should also ensure that they’re getting all of the vitamins and nutrients they need.
Encourage Activity
Exercise offers a wealth of health benefits. Something that’s as easy as walking briskly for half an hour each day can dramatically reduce the risk of things like several types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
A lifetime of exercise on a regular basis will improve the function of the brain, which allows people to be both independent and active when they get older and can add years to their life span.
Screening and Shots
Take the flu shot – for example. Nobody should need to be reminded that getting a flu shot can dramatically reduce the risk of coming down with the flu and having to deal with its potentially life threatening complications. But, what about the rest of the vaccinations? Keeping your teen on track with all of their recommended vaccinations can help in the prevention of many debilitating and even deadly diseases.
Health screenings on a routine basis are also invaluable. Knowing what your teen’s levels of things like blood pressure and cholesterol are is critical when it comes to reducing the chances of your teen developing heart disease. Additionally, tests that screen for cancer have also been shown to catch some forms early enough to make sure that they’re eliminated.
Let Them Find Their Joy
Maintaining a circle of good, supportive friends, and enjoying life are both a large part of having good health. In fact, when it comes to preventing heart attacks, having friends might just come in second to not being addicted to cigarettes. This is because people who have social networks that are extensive will be less likely to develop calcification in their arteries, which is a risk for the development of heart disease.
One last thing. While you’re making sure that your teen is as healthy as possible, don’t forget to take excellent care of your health too. Your health is just as important as theirs. They wouldn’t want to grow up without you.
