By: Harini Sridhar

As teenagers, we juggle and learn to balance various aspects of our lives, but taking care of your health must be one of your top priorities. You can start taking care of your health by reflecting on the choices you make each day, and when you build a healthy routine with consistency, you can begin your journey of well-being as you proceed through life.

 

Simple ways you can ensure you have a healthy routine are:

 

1. Make the right food choices: Try substituting foods with high quantities of sugar and unhealthy fats with vegetables, fruits, nuts, and protein-rich meals. Try taking your calcium, iron, and sodium intake into account. Make sure to drink enough water throughout the day and limit caffeine consumption to 100 milligrams per day (about 1 cup of coffee, 2 cans of soda, or 1 can of energy drink).

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Tips for a balanced diet

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2. Exercise regularly: Exercise can be playing sports, running, taking a walk, dancing, or working out at home. Just make sure you keep moving because it contributes to bettering cardiorespiratory fitness, building muscles and flexibility, maintaining a healthy weight, feeling better mentally as you take some time off to exercise, staying focused, and getting good sleep and rest.

 

 

 

3. Stress less, live more: Think about how you could lead a less stressful life. You are more efficient in the long run when you manage the stress that comes your way.

4. Get good quality and sufficient sleep. Sleep helps in the development and functioning of the brain. It helps improve cognitive abilities like abstract thinking, problem-solving, reasoning, planning, and clarity in thinking. Sleep aids in building your immune system and speeds your recovery when you get sick. It is advised that teens get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a day, but trying to get as much sleep as possible will be ideal.

5. Take your time. Positive changes can’t be rushed. Reflect on your weaknesses. Do you have habits that you feel you are very dependent on and that might be unhealthy for you? Is there something that is making you resistant to making the right choices, and how can you overcome that? How can you remain motivated and take time out of your day to exercise, plan healthy meals, and get adequate sleep? During this journey, you must be consistent with following through with the plan and remain motivated. It is all right to take breaks (try keeping them minimal) to keep functioning as you figure out how to strike a balance.

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Image Citations:

(1) Kids Helpline ( https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/self-care)