The answer to the question “how much exercise should a teenager do per week” depends on their age and physical activity levels. However, physical activity is beneficial for many reasons, including improved mental health, reduced risk of obesity, and improved academic performance. For these reasons, teenagers should consider getting plenty of exercise, and physical activity is an easy way to meet that goal.
How much exercise should a teenager do – Exercise boosts mental health

Exercise has a variety of benefits for your mental health, from improving mood to lowering stress levels. While we don’t always know exactly how exercise improves our mental health, we do know that it helps us cope with everyday life better. It increases the production of the hormone norepinephrine in our brains, which moderates the effects of stress.
Physical activity changes the structure of the brain, and the habit of exercise can change your thinking patterns. Exercise helps us cope with mental health problems because it diverts our attention from ruminating on what’s troubling us. Studies have shown that even a mild exercise routine can help us deal with depression.
Exercise can improve our mood and even improve our sleep. It also increases levels of serotonin, a feel-good chemical in the brain that helps us relieve stress. It also increases activity of neurons that fire serotonin, which increases the flow of happiness into the brain.
It improves academic performance
Increasing physical activity levels is a proven way to boost academic performance in adolescents. According to a recent study, exercise improves test scores in both boys and girls. In particular, girls showed a marked increase in performance in science subjects when exercising for 17 minutes a day. The authors of the study say that the results could be due to gender differences in the effects of physical activity on the brain.
Although exercise is important for a teenager’s physical and mental health, few teenagers do it regularly enough to achieve optimal results. Most teens do not get the recommended 60 minutes of exercise daily. Adding even 15 minutes to a day could improve academic performance by as much as a quarter grade.
While there have been no studies in the United Kingdom specifically looking at the effects of how much exercise should a teenager do and physical activity on academic performance, research from other countries has shown that physical activity can improve academic performance. In one study, university students who exercised daily had higher grades compared to their peers who did not exercise regularly. This effect persisted even after controlling for other factors.
It lowers the risk of obesity
Teenagers can lower their risk of obesity by engaging in physical activity. Researchers found that extracurricular physical activity and the intake of fruits and vegetables were associated with a lower risk of obesity. Playing on three or more sports teams was also associated with a reduced risk of obesity.
Parents can help their teens overcome obesity by providing them with healthy food options and encouraging them to exercise. Parents should also limit the amount of time they spend on television, video games, and computers. Screen time should be kept to less than two hours a day, unless the child is working on homework or studying. They should also promote physical activity through organized sports, family hikes, and walks.
Children with obesity are at an increased risk for emotional problems, including depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Teens with obesity often have lower self-esteem and are less popular with their peers.
It boosts confidence
Regular physical activity can help teenagers build their confidence. In addition to building their self-esteem, exercise can make them more healthy and more active. It can also teach them important life lessons, such as how to assert oneself. Encourage your teen to participate in sports. They will learn about sportsmanship and be more likely to be confident about themselves.
A good confidence-building activity for teenagers is to write in a journal. Write down their goals, plans, and strategies. This gives them a clear purpose and allows them to learn from their mistakes. You can also ask them perspective questions about their goals and challenges, and analyze their answers every two weeks. This will help them turn their mistakes into successes and improve their self-esteem.
Another study looked at the effect of aerobic exercise on the self-esteem of Iranian female adolescents. The study participants were 66 orphaned girls, and the girls who had done aerobic exercises showed better self-esteem than the control group.
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