I am really proud of myself-- for the past week, I've kept my promise to myself of doing daily exercize. Today, after 14 minutes on the treadmill, I felt like I was going to collapse! This shows you how out of shape I am. Unfortunately, I belong to a large group of teens in this country who are not as physically-- 15% of American youth, in fact. Did you know that...
- about 1.2 billion people in the world are overweight and 300 million of them are obese?
- people are less active today than they used to be because of increased usage of TV, computer and videogames filling their time?
- fat deposits have been detected in children as young as 3 and high blood pressure exists in 5% of children?
Luckily, there are ways to keep yourself out of these statistics! One way is to maintain a healthy diet. This means cutting back on high-fat meats like hamburgers and hot dogs, eating more fruits and vegetables, and replacing over-intake of sugary drinks and sodas with water. Additionally, doctors reccommend up to 60 minutes of daily exercise. This can include anything from tae kwon do to jogging to swimming to hiking.
Healthful eating and exercise habits are not only beneficial physically, but emotionally, as well. - Alina