As a teen girl your life probably gets really busy because you are completely consumed with school, your friends and other activities. Therefore, you likely don’t take much time for yourself to ensure that you are doing everything needed to be the best you that you can be. However, if you don’t focus on yourself, trust me, nobody else will. This said, I took the liberty of outlining ten important tips, a checklist if you will, to help you become the healthiest and happiest teenage girl around – so read on!
1. Eat three meals daily (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and healthy snacks. You’ve heard this before but it really is important to keep your energy up and help you to maintain a healthy weight. As needed, if you are hungry include two-three small snacks a day (i.e. small apple or other fruit, 12 nuts, raw veggies with 2 tbs dip or hummus, a slice of cheese and grapes, etc.). Be sure to eat whenever you are hungry, and only when you’re hungry – not because you’re bored, tired or sad.
2. Do things that you enjoy with people who you like. This may sound obvious, but teen girls often feel forced to hang out in cliques with people who they don’t necessarily like too much. Remember to step-back to evaluate your current friends, so that you can discover who you really are.
3. Eat ‘real’ food, not food from a box, bag or freezer. Foods such as fruits, raw and cooked vegetables, homemade hummus and dips, turkey, chicken, fish, shrimp, and whole grain breads will provide energy and decrease your intake of additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and other chemicals found in most packaged foods. Avoid chips, crackers, granola bars, puddings and all other prepackaged foods. While they may taste great, the chemicals used to preserve and sweeten these foods will surely do you more harm than good!
4. Be good to yourself and think positively. Treat yourself kindly and refrain from comparing yourself to others. Being a teen is difficult because you are forever changing and growing. Try to focus on your strengths, and minimize negative thoughts (about yourself). You can and should embrace your strengths and learn to accept (or change) your weaknesses.
5. Develop an exercise plan that you can stick to. You should find an exercise plan that you can commit to doing regularly. It is best to exercise mild to moderately for 30 to 40 minutes at least three to four times a week based on your stamina. This is important for many reasons. Regular exercise will increase your self-esteem and mood, keep your skin healthy, boost your immune system, maintain your weight, tone your muscles, provide much needed energy, as well as many other benefits!
6. Treat yourself to a gift every now and again. Why not save your allowance, or money from a part-time job to buy that bag or shirt you always wanted? If you do not have any form of income, you can pamper yourself at home by giving yourself a manicure, or pedicure. You deserve it, so indulge every once in a while. Remember you can find trendy and affordable clothes at great prices if you look in the right places!
7. Do your homework. While you might not think this is important, if you don’t, it certainly will affect you sooner rather than later. In today’s society it is hard to get a decent paying job without a four-year college degree, especially if you do not have any trade skills. A bachelors degree is expected for most office jobs. So prepare for the college application process by maintaining at least a B average.
8. Hone your talents. If you are good at talking, get on the debate team. Good at painting? Join an art club. Like running? Sign-up for the track team. If you sing along to the radio, even if you do not think you are that good, join chorus. Have a favorite school subject? Study it more. Discover something that you like doing and build on it.
9. Drink plenty of water. Statistics say that the average person should drink at least eight glasses of water daily. This is important so that your body remains hydrated. Water also flushes your body of unwanted toxins, which is extremely helpful for your digestive system and to maintain or lose weight.
10. Get enough sleep. Did you know that a typical teen girl should average more than nine hours of sleep a night? Without it you run the risk of doing poorly in school and becoming increasingly cranky and depressed. So be sure to get those zzZZZ’s!
There you have it – ten easy tips to help you become a healthier you!
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