Kristine Vida Louise Gutiza
9F
NUTRITION ON THE GO FOR
TEENS
EXERCISES
Dance and dress. Energize first thing in the a.m. While you're getting dressed for school, crank up the
tunes in your room and dance like nobody's watching. (They aren't.)
Burn some calories before the bus. Don't just stand there waiting for the school bus to arrive. Rock, sway,
move from side to side, or pace. Any motion burns calories. For a bonus, use your backpack as a weight to
do some arm curls.
Stealth strengthening. Walking through the hallways at school, get in a few minutes of core muscle work on
the sly. Pull your belly button in, roll your shoulders back, and breathe in and out deeply. It'll help you look
good, too.
Talk eye-to-eye. After school, give your thumbs a break. Skip texting with your best friend. Instead talk
face-to-face while you go for a walk together. The bonus round? Try going a day text-free.
Do abs during ads. Challenge your sibling or friend to a contest during a TV commercial break. See who
can do the most crunches or sit-ups, or who can race upstairs and back the fastest.
Relay chores. Sneak in more steps while doing chores. Head upstairs and get the trash from one room,
then back downstairs to take it outside to the garbage can. Then go back upstairs and get the trash from a
different room and take it outside. Time yourself and see if you can go faster each week.
Stand up. Stand up while on your phone or watching TV instead of lying down or sitting on the couch or
bed. (Yes, it's that simple.) To mix it up, strike a yoga pose or do a stretch or squat every few minutes, or
every time your friend or an actor says a certain word.
TO EAT
Some foods can help protect your health. Try to focus more on these foods.Fruits and vegetables are packed with
vitamins and minerals. They also have fiber, which helps you feel full and is great for you. Try to fill half your plate
with a variety of fruits and veggies. You can get fresh tips on fun fruits and great veggies.Whole grains have lots of
health benefits, including possibly helping prevent heart disease. At least half your grains should be whole grains.
This includes whole wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice. (It even includes popcorn — just watch out for added butter and
salt.)Fat-free and low-fat milk products are great. They are especially good for a girl during her childhood and teen
years because she needs them to build strong bones. Look for fat-free or low-fat cheese, yogurt, and other dairy
products. If you can't drink milk, try soy drinks fortified with calcium and vitamin D.Protein helps your body heal, gives
you energy, and more. Choose a mix of different protein foods. Good options include fish and other seafood, poultry
(without the skin), lean meats, beans and peas, eggs, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Try to pick fish
and shellfish in place of some meat and poultry.You can get great tips on ways to fill your plate with healthy foods.
TO LIMIT
Some foods are not good for your health if you eat too much of them. Try to have less of these.Solid fats,
which are fats that are solid at room temperature. Solid fats usually are high in saturated fat and trans fat,
and eating too much of them can cause problems like heart disease. Oils that have unsaturated fat are a
much healthier choice. Learn more about the different kinds of fats and the recommended amounts to
eat.Sodium is found in table salt and lots of prepared foods. Eating too much sodium can cause health
problems such as high blood pressure. Get the lowdown on sodium.Added sugars mean you're getting
extra calories without any extra nutrients. Added sugars are often hiding out in your soda, cookies, candy,
and sugary cereals. Read more about sugars and other carbohydrates.Refined grains are grains that have
had some of the nutrients removed. Choose whole grains because they have all the nutrients.Cholesterol
can increase your risk of heart disease. Check the Nutrition Facts label on foods you eat to see how much
cholesterol they have. Try to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day.