But there are a few things teens can do to prevent a sport injury:

1. Get in shape. If you’ve spent the last year in either a desk chair at school or a computer chair at home, you might need to work up to a full hour and a half soccer game or a 5K.
2. Know the rules of the game and follow them. Many rules are there to keep you safe; like how to navigate a paraglider. Some rules in soccer help you so you don’t kick somebody in the shin or, even worse, the head. Follow the rules.
3. Survey the playing field. Don’t play on a field with a bunch of holes or ruts. That’s a good way to break an ankle. Think about the playing surface. A cushioned track or a wooden basketball court are more forgiving then concrete.
4. Wear the appropriate protective gear or equipment. Tackle football isn’t very fun when you’re getting carried out on a stretcher because you thought you were too cool for a helmet. Same with biking. Protective gear keeps you safe so wear it.
5. Make sure you have proper shoe support. I made this a separate point because kids don’t always realize how important it is to wear the right shoes. And wear shoes that fit them. My son once got a small fracture in his foot because his soccer cleats were a little too big and his foot slide around in them. Shoes are important.
6. Always warm up before playing. Your muscles need to ease in to activity. Take a few minutes to stretch and run in place before starting an activity.
7. Make sure there is adult supervision if necessary. In some situations it is best to have supervision. For example, make sure there is a lifeguard on duty at the pool or the beach. Accidents happen. Make sure there is somebody there to help you if you need it.
8. Rest. Don’t play when you’re tired. [I mean really tired. Not just using tired as an excuse to be sedentary.] You aren’t doing yourself any favors by working yourself too hard. Take a couple minute break every 30 minutes or so.
9. Stay hydrated. Drinking water (or a sports drink) is so important to keeping yourself healthy, especially when it’s really hot out. Dehydration is not fun and can land you in the hospital.
10. Cool down properly afterwards. Cooling down reduces your chance of dizzinesses or fainting. It reduces your adrenaline and helps your heart rate get back down to normal. Just like a warm up, take a little walk or jog or do some stretches.

Post from: Blisstree

Preventing a Sport Injury

Or maybe your son plays football in the fall, but has nothing in the winter. My daughter has dance and gymnastics all year long, but my boys only play one sport each. One plays golf in the fall and the other plays soccer in the spring. Neither does anything in the winter, unless you call marathon Call of Duty playing a sport.

What else can tweens and teens do to stay active? Lots of things. What are their interests? Are they creative? Charitable? Shy? You don’t have to be an athlete to be active. You just need to get off the couch.

• Ride a bike.
• Get the neighborhood kids together for a game of baseball, football, or soccer. It’s more fun without coaches and umpires. And screaming parents in the stands.
• Head to the YMCA for a game a basketball.
• Go swimming.
• Go for a run. Too cold? Jump on the treadmill.
• Get a gym membership and workout there.
• Play a parent/child game of racquetball or tennis.
• Volunteer to coach little league sports.
• Like video games? Work out with the Wii Fit.
• Don’t want it to feel like a workout? Play Wii Sports. I always work up a sweat with the boxing and tennis.
• Go skateboarding or snowboarding.
• Go sledding. Maybe it’s because I’m older, but climbing back up that hill sure gives me a workout.
• Lace up some skates and go roller skating, roller blading, or ice skating.
• Take the dog for a walk.
• Don’t have a dog? Volunteer to walk to the dogs at the pound.
• Parent won’t chauffeur. Walk to the destination.
• Go for a hike.
• Participate in a photo walk.
• Get in the garden with a parent or grandparent.
• Help paint the house. Or your bedroom.
• Volunteer to help an elderly person around the house or spoon out food at a soup kitchen. It not only gets you off the couch but it also warms your heart.
• Paint a mural.
• Take a dance class.
• Embarrassed to dance in public? Turn the radio up really loud and dance in your living room.

What suggestions do you have to get kids active?

Post from: Blisstree

Activities to Keep Teens Active

But we need to encourage (if not force) our kids to get off their rear ends and start getting some exercise. We’ve already talked about how exercise can help improve grades, but there are many other benefits as well.

In fact WebMD has found 10 perks for teens who exercise:

• Active teens are less likely to have unprotected sex (or sex at all).
• They tend to stay away from cigarettes.
• They are less likely to get drunk regularly and drive drunk
• They are more likely to stay away from illegal drugs.
• They have less school absences.
• They are more apt to wear their seat belt.
• They have high self-esteem.
• They are more likely to get ‘A’ grades in math and science
• They usually get more sleep; 8 hours a night.
• And they are more likely to do housework and have summer jobs outside the home.

How can exercise do all that?

Exercise helps you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Of course, you also need to eat healthy to keep a healthy weight, but exercise really helps burn those calories.

Exercise can eliminate health problems. On The Biggest Loser you see people come in taking tons of medication and after just a couple weeks they’ve stopped taking their high blood pressure pills and some of their diabetes medication. Exercising can even cut a teen’s risk of breast cancer.

Exercise helps you feel less stressed. Endorphines are released that can really help relieve that stress many teens feel at school. It can also stop you from feeling depressed.

Exercise may boost confidence. With less stress and a new sexy body, why wouldn’t you have a little more confidence?

Exercise can help you make new friends. When you get out from behind the computer monitor or television screen, you have time to get out in the world and make new friends. Teens who participate in team sports, dance teams, etc are more apt to make new friends then those sitting at home playing video games.

Exercise decreases a teen’s chance of partaking in risky behavior. Studies have shown that teens who exercise are more likely to stay out of trouble. You don’t want to smoke, do drugs, or drink when your feeling healthy. Plus such risky activities could get them cut from the team.

So get your teen off the couch and in to some activity. He’ll thank you later.

Post from: Blisstree

The Benefits of Exercise for Teens

Belinda Miller wrote a great post about her experiences at the Driving Skills for Live event in Chicago. She goes in to great detail about how to come out of a skid. It’s a great read for your teen driver.

Sribbit tells us what to do when your child lies. I could have used this a week ago when my oldest lied about his homework.

Does your teen know how to behave on a date?

Depression is on the rise in teen girls. “Depression is the leading cause of suicide, which in turn is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds in the United States.” Get the facts and protect your teen. WebMD has some tips on spotting depression in your teen.

Get your teenage girls active. Exercise in teenagers may protect them from breast cancer later in life.

Talking to your teens about sex.

One teen who felt like the legal system wronged her, went to YouTube to talk about her rape. She says she was raped by her 23-year-old boyfriend, but the prosecution dropped the case saying it was consensual.

Teens need to be aware that their right to free speech does not give them the right to defamation. Pranks on Facebook and MySpace can, not only get them in trouble, but could be against the law.

Are your teens sexting? “Privacy may be part of the appeal, but what many teens don’t realize is how easily the message or pictures they send can be forwarded to dozens of unwanted recipients.”

How does your city fare on Allstates list of cities with the highest rates of deadly crashes?

The weak dollar is causing some students to rethink their study abroad options.

If your teen doesn’t graduate from high school or get his/her GED you may face jail time. At least that’s what happened to one father in Ohio.

Kids with glasses are more intelligent and honest.

Vanessa Van Petten has some great tips to teach teens how to drink (or not drink as the case may be).

Does your teen have a curfew? Here are 10 tips on setting a curfew.

Is the next thing in texting nagging? Soon doctors may be texting teens to remind them to take their medication for anxiety, ADD and other ailments.

Now teen girls can charge up their cell phones with their bra. Um…ok.

Even good moms can have teens on drugs. How can you tell and what can you do to prevent it? BlogHer tells us.

How much do you tell your kids about what you did when you were a teen? What do you say when they ask you tough questions like “how old were you when you have sex?” and “have you ever smoked pot?”

Are social networks to blame for teen suicide?

One school banned single girls from the prom. What?!?

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading