Summer Weight Loss Plans for Teens

Summertime for teens means being out of school and having a lot more free time. You can turn this free time into something positive and learn to live a better, healthier lifestyle. Losing weight as a teen can be fun, especially if you get a friend to join you in the weight loss challenge and work out together.

Exercise Outdoors

• The summer season brings excellent weather and allows you to spend more time outdoors. Mowing the lawn and helping your parents around the house can help burn calories. Helping to plant flowers or pick weeds from the garden burns calories as well, and burning calories helps you lose weight.

  Hiking, taking walks in the park or jogging will give you a good cardio workout and will also help build strength. Remember to always wear comfortable and appropriate shoes for these activities. Biking in state parks or on bike trails is also a good outdoor exercise that will provide muscle building and calorie burning.

  Summertime will also allow you to swim, which is an exercise that will work out your entire body and burn calories. Swim in a friend's pool, your own or at a local community pool.

Go Produce Shopping

• The summer season also brings an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits. Your parents may already visit a farmer's market or outdoor stand for the freshest produce that is in season. Join them when they go produce shopping and pick out fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and more. All of these can be washed and eaten raw for maximum vitamins and nutrients. You can even eat them as snacks in place of chips or fried foods such as french fries.

Always Remember To Eat

• Remember that to lose weight, you do have to eat. Starvation and skipping meals are weight-loss plans that don't work and can be harmful to your body.

  Not eating causes your metabolism to slow down, as your body starts to worry about starvation. As the body tries to protect itself, it starts saving the food as fat on your body. Slowing your metabolism down will make it harder to lose weight rather than easier. Loss of energy can also result from food deprivation, which will make it harder for you to have the energy to work out.

  Instead of having three large meals, eat six small meals a day. This includes grabbing a fresh apple and a piece of cheese as one meal, and a small garden salad as your second meal. Avoid high-carbohydrate foods such as bread and pasta when planning small and frequent meals.

Increase Water Intake

• Water is very important for teens who are trying to lose weight, because during the process of weight loss a lot of waste needs to be removed from the body. Drink eight glasses of water daily to flush out waste and toxins from the body, as well as control the temperature of the body. Cooling your body down with water will help deal with hot temperatures, and you never want to be dehydrated while exercising outside.