Overweight teens get mental health boost from even small amounts of exercise

via University of Ottawa

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Overweight teens get mental health boost from even small amounts of exercise

OTTAWA, October 1, 2012 — Being obese at any age is commonly associated with a litany of health issues, ranging from diabetes and chronic fatigue to heart complications. Overweight adolescents are also at an increased risk of body dissatisfaction, social alienation and low self‑esteem, which is why Dr. Gary Goldfield, registered psychologist, clinical researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, set out to discover how exercise might impact these factors in teens, as reported today in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

“In my practice, the first thing I tell teens struggling with their weight and their parents is to throw away the scale,” said Dr. Gary Goldfield. “These kids face enough challenges with bullying and peer pressure today! This new study is proof positive that even a modest dose of exercise is prescriptive for a mental health boost.”

Thirty adolescents aged 12-17 years old were randomized to twice weekly laboratory-based sessions of stationary cycling to music of their own choice or to an interactive video game of their own choice for a 10-week trial. All exercise was supervised and performed at a light to moderate intensity. The music or interactive video game was used as a form of distraction from any perceived discomfort during the exercise, but participants could stop when they chose at any time during a 60‑minute session. The teens then self-reported on measures of psychosocial functioning that included scholastic competence, social competence, athletic competence, body image, and self‑esteem.

Although few physical differences emerged between the exercise groups over time, the teens did self-report improvements in perceived scholastic competence, social competence, and several markers of body image including appearance esteem and weight esteem. According to Dr. Goldfield (citing related research), exercise induced improvements in body image and perceived social and academic functioning are psychologically empowering and may help buffer against some of the weight-based teasing and discrimination and bias that is often inflicted on obese kids and that can have devastating effects on their emotional well-being.

“We’re talking about psychological benefits derived from improved fitness resulting from modest amount of aerobic exercise– not a change in weight or body fat.” continued Dr. Goldfield. “If you can improve your physical activity and fitness even minimally, it can help improve your mental health. By teaching kids to focus on healthy active lifestyle behaviours, they are focusing on something they can control.”

This study was funded by the Canadian Diabetes Association and the CHEO Research Institute.

photo priscylia photobucket

Would you ask your teenager for advice?

Nathan almost 18 in 2001

I vividly remember my teenage years and I am more than a little grateful they are in the distant past.  There are so many things that kids today are aware of and get to learn to "deal with" that I did not have to.  But there are also things that are exactly the same I think.  Much of it is a matter of perception, and an ability to recognize similarities, not just differences.   There is a post in today's Psychology Today Blog, Parenting is a Contact Sport  which asks parents, if they have ever considered asking their teenagers for advice.  Reading it I was so very aware that the five things discussed are things I could have said to my own parents as a teenager.

I believe that much of the communication difficulties that I had as a teenager, were due to my own flawed perceptions; but at the time I believed it was everyone else's perceptions, (including my parents) that were flawed...as many have observed before me: hindsight is 20/20.

I have to share that I am also grateful my children's teenage years are also in the past.  One of my many proud moments was overhearing my eldest son at sixteen tell his friends, "I can tell my mom anything."  Don't get me wrong, the "teenage years" were not easy.  Life is a collection of moments, this is one I get to cherish.

via Psychology Today an excerpt:


"Have you ever thought of asking your teenager for advice?


"What?" You might reply. "Why would I do that? What could she possibly know about life that I don't know better?"


And here's the answer: herself. Your teenage daughter knows herself better than you can know her-what she feels, what she needs and what she'd love to have from you. And your teenage son may be dying to tell you about himself-if only you would ask the right questions, show genuine concern about him and be willing to listen to what he has to say.


Most kids want to have a good relationship with their parents, so it's our job to open the doors forbetter communication and be ready to hear what they have to tell us.


Here's what Vanessa Van Petten, one of the nation's youngest experts on parenting and adolescents, has to say. "Whenever I interview teens, I ask them one important question: 'If you could give me one piece of advice for every parent, what would you tell them?' Interestingly, their tips tend to be quite similar-highlighting the fact that most teens and parents do, in fact, struggle with the same issues. Here are the top 5 tips we hear from teens that they wish their parents knew."  Five things every teen...