Exercise is an activity practiced by people all over the world, either intentionally or unintentionally. Whether a student is walking to class or participating in an afterschool sport, they are indeed exercising. Many people choose to exercise for different reasons, including “to lose weight, increase endurance, or reach other fitness milestones,” said Barbara Robb from Everydayhealth.com.

Different goals require different amounts of activity and people, especially high school teenagers, need to know what is right for them. If a teen wants to maintain a healthy weight, jogging around the block everyday could help maintain that goal. But if the target is trying to shed off pounds, increased activities like running, swimming and working out daily will do the trick.

According to Kidshealth.org, some teens actually spend too much time exercising, which is actually unhealthy. Pushing one’s body to the extreme often leads to joint and muscle problems in the future and sometimes even during the teenage years. Teens that become obsessed with working out and going to the gym can actually become compulsive exercisers, although “intense workouts everyday may not give your body enough time to recover,” says Mary L. Gavin of Kidshealth.org.

It is not surprising that the average high school teen does not get nearly the amout of exercise they need, but why?

“[It’s] because of TV and video games and all the things that are fun to do that require no physical effort,” said junior Troy Callahan.
Students spend too much of their free time eating, playing video games or sitting at the computer on Facebook. Obviously one cannot make a teen do something they do not want to do, but doctors can try. “I’d say at least an hour or more [of exercise] a day because at our age exercise is really important,” says sophomore Brittani Gonzales.

In February of 2010, The Global Corporate Challenge, or GCC, published a study which claimed that 10,000 steps a day are necessary for the average person to maintain a healthy weight. Special devices called pedometers are objects that can be clipped onto clothing and are used to more easily count and calculate steps taken in an entire day. Although walking is not considered a rigorous activity to some, experts tell us that at least 60 minutes a day should be dedicated to some sort of moderate activity. These activities range from swimming, jogging, biking, working out or participating in sports.

Not only does exercise keep a person in shape, it is actually proven to drastically affect mood. Many doctors have shown that doing exercise releases endorphins that can actually boost mood, while relieving pain and stress. This means that teens that are more active are less likely to get stressed out and deal with depression.

The truth is there is no exact amount of exercise or physical activity that a person needs every day. Each person is different, and every human body varies.