Get Moving! The Importance of Exercise

Adding exercise into your weekly routine can be a fun way to relieve stress and get your body moving. Learn ideas on how to add your favorite types of exercise into your weekly routines.

Why is Exercise Important?

Exercise is important to keep your body and mind in the best shape possible. Exercise is also good for:

• Relieving stress
• Reducing anxiety and depression
• Supporting your immune system so you don’t get sick as often
• Sleeping better at night
• Boosting brainpower to help you learn faster and remember more information
• Maintaining a normal weight
• Losing weight for teens who are overweight

How Often Should I Exercise?

It can be hard to fit in exercise every day, but the ideal amount is to exercise 5-6 days a week for 30 minutes per day. You can also think of this as 2 ½ - 3 hours a week. This way, you can divide up your time exercising throughout the week so it works with your schedule. Remember, some exercise is better than no exercise!

I Need Ideas on How to Exercise. What Can I Do?

You can do anything that gets your body moving! You can exercise alone, with friends or on a sports team in your community or at school:

• Walking or running
• Rollerblading or roller skating
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Zumba®
• Yoga
• Riding a bike
• Playing sports, like basketball, baseball, tennis, lacrosse, soccer or football

A Note For Your Parents...

It’s important for your teen to exercise on most days of the week. The ideal amount is 5-6 days a week for 30 minutes per day. This can be hard with teens’ busy schedules. Your teen can also try dividing up time to exercise throughout their weekly routines.

Regular exercise can also help improve your teen’s mood, sleep better and maintain a healthy weight.

If your teen prefers group activities, group sports in his/her community or at school. Group sports can help your teen be physically active, build self confidence and interact with peers who have similar interests. All of these things can help with your teen’s future successes.

Rev. 8/2016. Mass General for Children and Massachusetts General Hospital do not endorse any of the brands listed on this handout. This handout is intended to provide health information so that you can be better informed. It is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to treatment of any medical conditions.