Many parents will understand the frustration of coming home from work to find their teens slumped on the couch, staring at their phone or the television.
This is not unusual, and dozens of studies have shown that physical activity levels decrease over the course of the early years. In Australia, less than 10% of older teens get enough physical activity.
Adolescence is also a period when there is a peak in mental health problems. It’s a key period of human development characterized by rapid psychological and biological changes due to the onset of puberty and associated hormones.
During this time, young people develop a sense of identity and independence by coming of age and establishing health-related behaviors. Introducing your teen to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one way to get them moving and feeling better.
What is High Intensity Interval Training?
High-intensity interval training is a time-efficient form of exercise that involves relatively short but intense bouts of activity combined with rest or low-intensity activity.
Exercise intensity should be around seven to nine out of ten on a perceived exertion scale.
What are the benefits?
In our recent study, we found that two to three high-intensity interval training sessions per week, each lasting about eight minutes, improved students’ aerobic and muscular fitness over the six-month study period. . Exercises included things like shuttle runs (back and forth between two lines) and push-ups.
After the program, students who participated completed an average of four more laps on the shuttle run test and experienced small increases in the number of push-ups performed. They also had reductions in the stress hormone cortisol, which we measured in their hair.
There is also emerging evidence that participating in high-intensity interval training may have short- and long-term benefits for young people. Mental Health and Cognitive function.
We also conducted a study review on high-intensity interval training and found that participating in just one HIIT session can improve how young people feel.
There is emerging evidence that participating in HIIT can improve Cognitive function. In this New Zealand study, children participated in video HIIT workouts five times a week over a six-week period. Compared to a control group, the research team found significant improvements in cognitive control and working memory in the children who participated in the HIIT sessions.
How to get started and make it enjoyable
1) Start simple: a good starting point is to do 30 seconds of exercise followed by 30 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. We found it effective and enjoyable for teenagers in a number of studies
2) incorporate variety: we recommend teens do a variety of aerobic activities (such as shuttle runs, running in place or burpees), and resistance exercises (such as push-ups, squats, or lunges) designed to increase heart rate. And while high-intensity interval training can be done in the living room, switching up the exercise setting can also help satisfy your teen’s need for variety. For example, doing a session on the stairs at the beach or in the park can be more motivating than doing the same session in the garden.
3) change the intensity: as teens improve their fitness, they can increase the duration of the work interval, decrease the rest interval, or increase the total number of intervals performed in a session to ensure that they get a good workout
4) make it enjoyable: play music and practice with friends and family are strategies that can make high-intensity interval training more enjoyable. Although most people don’t feel well in the middle of a strenuous exercise intervalthere is evidence that they will feel good about 20 minutes after completing the exercise. We have found that participation in high-intensity interval training increases vibe and vitality (energy and alertness). Remind teens to think about how they feel after participate in a training session helps them feel the psychological benefits
5) use technology: Wearable technologies (such as activity trackers and heart rate monitors) can help increase engagement during exercise, as they can provide you with real-time heart rate data to see how hard you are working hard. Although these can be expensive, lower cost options are available. If you don’t want to design your own sessions, there are thousands of fitness apps and online training videos to choose from.
Participate in various physical activities
High-intensity interval training is a great way to get teens moving and interested in physical activity, but it shouldn’t be the only type of physical activity they undertake. Rather, it should be part of your teen’s physical activity assortment including:
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active transport (walking and cycling)
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team and individual sportssuch as swimming, football, netball, basketball
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resistance training like free weights, bodyweight exercises, or exercises using elastic resistance bands to improve muscle fitness
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other forms of recreational activities, such as dancing, surfing, skiing and mountain biking.
If we want our teens to be active now and in the future, we must provide them with the motivation, confidence and knowledge to engage in a wide variety of physical activities.
