Fitness Activity for Teens is Crucial for their Future Health
Thursday, June 23, 2022

by Liz Bonis, WKRC

Access full video HERE

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – A new study shows it might not take much for teens to stay in shape, but given how much sitting time we’ve had in the pandemic, experts have a word of caution.
The team at OrthoCincy wants to remind us that the pandemic has led to a sedentary lifestyle for many teens, and getting kids back to regular sports and fitness activities has likely never been more critical to their future health.

Braylon is a high school freshman and an active football player. OrthoCincy orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Fritch wants to keep Braylon in the game, especially given a new study that found, when it comes to heart health in teens: “Vigorous physical activity for 20 minutes seems to be adequate,” said Dr. Fritch.

However, the fitness researchers also found that: “The benefits seem to plateau after that 20 minutes or so,” said Dr. Fritch. But Dr. Fritch says he’s more in favor of previous guidelines from the American Heart Association and others that recommend 60 minutes of exercise every day, vigorous or not.

“It’s about overall wellness,” he said. “Getting your kids out of the house, getting them away from screens, getting them involved in physical activity with friends where they can build social skills, motor development. ”That may be even more important now than ever, as a second study found recently that in preteens, each additional hour a child spends on any kind of a screen is associated with a higher weight in relation to their height.

Researchers followed 11,066 nine to 10-year-olds for a year. They found a jump from 33.7% of the kids being overweight to 35.5%. They say it was directly linked to more time spent watching TV or YouTube, playing video games, or texting.

The conclusion was that this screen time took away from time to be active -- something Braylon and his medical team say also raises the risk for injury and future health complications.

If you have questions about sports and exercise for teens, you can reach out to the team at OrthoCincy HERE.