Here’s how teenagers can take charge of their health

For the teenagers, as they grow older, career becomes a priority and health and fitness take a backseat. They hardly stay active and sleep becomes a luxury. However, that is not how it is supposed to be.

Time is precious, and if you leave health behind, you will find that later in life, it will not only be difficult to get back in shape but will cause a lot of health issues. Staying healthy does not necessarily mean that you must work out for hours in the gym or starve yourself to death. For instance, to increase your growth potential, you can try different foods for height growth. Let me give you a summarized picture of how your body functions and you can take charge of it:

How does your body function?
The human body functions and grows with energy. Calories from different foods and drinks provide the desired energy. Thus it’s high time you must perceive food as your energy booster, just like charging the battery. This is the reason why we eat multiple times in a day, to stay powered up and move. If you learn to balance your meals, it will naturally balance your energy - exactly what is needed to stay healthy and maintain an optimum weight.

What are your calorie requirements?
Now, there is no specified answer to it. The optimal calorie requirement is different for different individuals, so if we say a male requires 1500 calories a day, that would simply be wrong. Factors like age, weight, height and most importantly your lifestyle, must be known to determine your required calorie intake. For example, a sportsperson’s calorie intake will be much more than an office goer.

How to manage and control your weight?
This question is probably asked by every household. The answer might disappoint you but there are no defined rules for it. It is very personal and different people analyze results via different methods. For instance, some benefit from the widely-talked-about Keto diet, while some observe a change by intermittent fasting. There is no right or wrong.

However, one thing is for sure, you have to stay in a calorie deficit. That means, consuming the number of calories which is lesser than your desired count. While on your quench to lose weight as soon as possible, don’t fall for unhealthy alternatives like diet pills and fat burners. They will prove to be very costly for your long term health and fitness goals.

Adopt healthy eating habits
Your health is not just about your weight and figure. It is also about your metabolism, blood circulation, efficiency to digest foods and much more. Everything that concerns your health is affected by what you eat. Thus, I have enlisted some best food items for energy that you must consider in your diet to lead a healthy lifestyle.

1. Fruits and veggies
How many of us will choose a bowl of salad over a burger or pizza? Not many. This is because we value taste over health. Fruits and vegetables contain those nutrients and vitamins, which you won’t get elsewhere. It’s high time you start consuming veggies and leveraging from the unending list of benefits that it has to offer. Eat salads in large quantities and if that is not possible, make a healthy green sandwich. You can also include Tulsi or similar herbs in your daily diet to add healthy nutrition in your diet.

2. Grains
Consume whole grains rather than refined ones. Some of the examples for whole grains are whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-wheat cereal.

3. Protein
RDA or recommended dietary allowance for protein is about 0.8 kg of body weight regardless of age. You can look for organic supplements and if not, rely upon natural vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources.

4. Dairy
All of us are aware of how dairy products help build strong bones. Try to have fat-free or low-fat milk. If you are lactose intolerant, try soy milk or lactose-free milk. You can also consider fat-free yogurt and other dairy products.

Apart from food, you also need to take care of your physical well-being. Don’t miss out on your exercise routine and prioritize sleep. These tiny-little changes in your daily life will help you stay fit for a lifetime. If you are eating healthy, half your job is already done. The rest half needs to be covered with other aspects like physical and mental health. Become a health champion and guide your friends and family to take charge of their lifestyle.