Article: Teenagers are as sedentary as 60-year-olds by age 19

nevadavis1
nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/06/26/teenagers-are-as-sedentary-as-60-year-olds-by-age-19/?utm_term=.6962761c1652

Teenagers are as sedentary as 60-year-olds by age 19

Highlights:

"In an eye-opening study involving 12,529 Americans ages 6 to 85, researchers mapped how physical activity changes over a lifetime. The participants, part of the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, wore accelerometers, devices that measure movement, for seven consecutive days. For the purposes of the analysis, researchers counted all types of movement, not just exercise."

"The first thing to note about the results, published in the August issue of the journal of Preventive Medicine, is that physical activity appears to be at its highest at age 6. If you've ever seen a squirmy kindergarten class that shouldn't be a surprise."

"But according to the new data, there seems to be a sharper-than-expected decline during childhood — starting in elementary school and continuing through middle school and high school. By age 19, the average American is as sedentary as a 60-year-old."
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Replies

  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    That's true in my experience. I started losing weight when I was 19 years old, but before then, I was *very* sedentary. I have always had an interest in yoga and all things related to flexibility and bodyweight strength, but I never did anything for a meaningful period of time. I became increasingly sedentary as I grew up until I crossed the threshold into obesity. My favorite leisure activity was to lay in bed, eat, watch anime and surf the web. It's no longer my favorite thing, but I still do pass time doing these activities, but I cut back on the food and I walk around as I do them now.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    i'm 50 and really really active and i can barely get my 18 year old off the couch. its because hes so into gaming and the internet.
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,710 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot of these kids are just mirroring their parents. This is one of the reasons my wife and I make it a point to exercise and be active...our kids think it's the totally normal thing to do.

    Exactly. And this is why screen time needs to be limited and monitored and adjusted with age. Screen time of any kind: TV, phone, video games, etc.

    Now, I don't agree with the guy who's trying to get a law passed to ban cell phones for kids 13 and under. That's unrealistic and it's up to parents to properly set boundaries for their kids in that respect.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot of these kids are just mirroring their parents. This is one of the reasons my wife and I make it a point to exercise and be active...our kids think it's the totally normal thing to do.

    Yep, we did that with our kids. 2 sons, one is 29 6'4" about 210 lbs other other is 6'2 220 pounds, both with 6 packs.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot of these kids are just mirroring their parents. This is one of the reasons my wife and I make it a point to exercise and be active...our kids think it's the totally normal thing to do.

    Exactly. And this is why screen time needs to be limited and monitored and adjusted with age. Screen time of any kind: TV, phone, video games, etc.

    Now, I don't agree with the guy who's trying to get a law passed to ban cell phones for kids 13 and under. That's unrealistic and it's up to parents to properly set boundaries for their kids in that respect.

    It's scary. We went out to dinner with a couple that had a 2 year old. The 2 year old had no problem working an iPhone. The mom has a masters in psychology and is a school psychologist, know the issues and let her daughter have very limited time with the device.

    Others without the same background, who knows what happens.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    I'm studying for a professional certification exam and go to a nearby junior college library to get away from distractions at home. They physical condition of many of the students wandering around there is very sad.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    I'm surprised that the 6 yr olds were considered that active given that around here it's becoming rare to see even a toddler without some kind of electronic device in hand.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    19 was when I first dealt with depression, and I was away at college focusing on not having a mental breakdown. My physical activity was limited to walking from my dorm to my classes. So yeah, I believe it.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Yeah, I wasn't very active when I was 18-25 or so. First I was in college and stressed out with exams and figuring out what I was going to do, then I had my first desk job. It was that inactivity that led to me becoming overweight for the first time. Now at 44 I'm more active than I ever have been because I finally realized it was the key to all sorts of good things in my life :)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    i'm 50 and really really active and i can barely get my 18 year old off the couch. its because hes so into gaming and the internet.

    Yep. I have a 10 year old. Youtube is huge with kids now. It's baffling to me that kids watch videos of other kids playing video games but that is super popular. Just sit in a chair and veg out and watch some other stranger play videos so you don't have to move a muscle.
  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    i'm 50 and really really active and i can barely get my 18 year old off the couch. its because hes so into gaming and the internet.

    Yep. I have a 10 year old. Youtube is huge with kids now. It's baffling to me that kids watch videos of other kids playing video games but that is super popular. Just sit in a chair and veg out and watch some other stranger play videos so you don't have to move a muscle.

    Right? Minecraft itself is bad enough, but I can't get over watching videos of OTHER people playing minecraft.

    That's not new to this generation, though. I was incredibly lazy as a teenager.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    19 also corresponds with the end of high school, and since relatively few high school athletes continue playing in college, a decrease in activity is sure to follow. They don't call it the Freshman 15 for nothin! That's been the case since before everyone carried a computer in their pocket.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    19 also corresponds with the end of high school, and since relatively few high school athletes continue playing in college, a decrease in activity is sure to follow. They don't call it the Freshman 15 for nothin! That's been the case since before everyone carried a computer in their pocket.

    This is a good point....

    And also, screen time in some form or another has been around a long time. When I was a teenager I spent my fair share of time vegging out with some t.v...but I was also involved in athletics from about 2nd grade through my senior year. I went into the military after high school so I remained pretty active...when I went back to school, I was still pretty active as I didn't own a car for much of that time so I walked or biked most places and I also worked a retail job during the school year and landscape construction in the summers.

    I didn't really have any issues until I graduated college and started working 12 hour days, 6 days per week at a CPA firm and traveling 25 weeks out of the year.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    The study also showed that 19 years was the nadir, however, until you became a senior. It showed that people in their 20s are the most active, except for the really little kids.
    But, that said, even for the 20-somethings, the activity levels are pathetic for all of us.
    We've got to work on it. We've got to shut off the computers a bit more, because, even if it is not the sole cause, it certainly is making the problem of sedentariness much worse.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,136 Member
    edited June 2017
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot of these kids are just mirroring their parents. This is one of the reasons my wife and I make it a point to exercise and be active...our kids think it's the totally normal thing to do.

    Good for you and well done, but you can't apply that reasoning to everybody.
    My parents were very sedentary and I was always very active. As an older individual I studied dance, karate, kick boxing, aerobics, yoga, etc. My mother was probably turning in her grave. RIP!
    I am 73 years old now and still workout 4 times a week at the gym and take fitness classes, and I had two shoulder surgeries, a TKA 7 months ago, and I have another knee that is ready for retirement, but I keep going because I love to exercise. Not everybody does.
    My kids were active while growing up but one is now sedentary due to his job and lack of interest. His kids, on the other hand, are playing sports and the oldest is heading for a Physical Therapist major at college.
    My other kid is supper active and so are his children but none of my daughters in law care much for exercises and neither does my husband. Although when he was younger he was way more active.
    As a parent, you can try to influence your children and people that you care about but that is not always possible.
    Another thing to consider is safety. When my kids were young they use to ride their bikes and they played outside with their friends without much worry. Now you must watch them like a hawk so they don’t get abducted, and if they play outside without supervision a neighbor may call social service and label you an unfit parent. Time have change a lot and sometimes not for the better.

  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    Believable. My 1,3,5,&7 yo boys are pretty active (although the 7 yo would rather read than play sports for very long, but that's a combo of temperament, a medical condition, and being really small)--they're actively playing indoors or out for hours a day and rarely rarely sit still otherwise.

    But they are homeschooled, so we have frequent breaks to run around or ride bikes, they naturally prefer to stand to do work, and walk/pace during read alouds or when they give oral narrations. They also rarely watch tv (mostly when I'm sick, or the occasional sports event or Star Wars with dad) and have no devices or screen time. That kind of all day movement just isn't possible in most schools, and I'm assuming it gets worse as they get older--more hours of homework and extra curricular activities means less active play.

    The lack of screen time is harder too if they have a device for school and everyone else has them too. None of my children's friends do, so no fights about missing out. Those times of boredom or random bits of free time are spent reading or going outside to swing/jump/play soccer...but would probably be swallowed by a screen if it were available.

    I was pretty chubby and inactive until late hs when I picked up running, and college when I rowed, ran, and kickboxed. I don't remember being too over scheduled, but no one else in my family was active at all, so it took meeting someone with an active and healthy lifestyle to show me what that even was.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot of these kids are just mirroring their parents. This is one of the reasons my wife and I make it a point to exercise and be active...our kids think it's the totally normal thing to do.

    Good for you and well done, but you can't apply that reasoning to everybody.
    My parents were very sedentary and I was always very active. As an older individual I studied dance, karate, kick boxing, aerobics, yoga, etc. My mother was probably turning in her grave. RIP!
    I am 73 years old now and still workout 4 times a week at the gym and take fitness classes, and I had two shoulder surgeries, a TKA 7 months ago, and I have another knee that is ready for retirement, but I keep going because I love to exercise. Not everybody does.
    My kids were active while growing up but one is now sedentary due to his job and lack of interest. His kids, on the other hand, are playing sports and the oldest is heading for a Physical Therapist major at college.
    My other kid is supper active and so are his children but none of my daughters in law care much for exercises and neither does my husband. Although when he was younger he was way more active.
    As a parent, you can try to influence your children and people that you care about but that is not always possible.
    Another thing to consider is safety. When my kids were young they use to ride their bikes and they played outside with their friends without much worry. Now you must watch them like a hawk so they don’t get abducted, and if they play outside without supervision a neighbor may call social service and label you an unfit parent. Time have change a lot and sometimes not for the better.

    Oh yeah, for sure...there are no guarantees, but in my experience at least, kids will gravitate more to the kind of lifestyle the parents lead...if parents eat a certain way, kids will tend to as well...if parents are not active, kids will tend to be sedentary as well.

    We also make our kids a part of that lifestyle...I routinely have my kids join me for a recreational ride. My oldest does Jiu Jitsu and the youngest will be shortly once he gets a bit older. We're also members of a rock climbing gym and my kids love that and are becoming quite the climbers. We also really enjoy camping and hiking and being in the outdoors.

    None of this guarantees that my kids will remain active forever, but it gives them at least some positive direction and regular exercise isn't something foreign to them which I see with a lot of people.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I do believe this because I see it. When I'm out power walking in the park or on a trail if young people aren't playing organized sports, I notice most are on their phones, taking pics, snacking or walking really slow with a friend. I just focus on myself and continuing getting my 3+ miles in daily.

    When I was 19 I was working hard taking 5 classes in university, working on campus part-time and volunteering. I wasn't active either.

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