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

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  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    My teens both lift with me at the gym and are very active as they see me being active.
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    I'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.

    Ha, my friend left her almost two year old for like 2 minutes to grab a quick shower. The two year old got her phone from her purse, activated it, made a video of himself making faces at it, and posted it to facebook. Granted he doesn't know what facebook is and probably didn't mean to record himself or post, but he sure knew how to get the phone and activate it.
  • GottaluvFood
    GottaluvFood Posts: 65 Member
    Screen time aside.

    Teens sleep needs increase back to those of a toddler--9 or 10 hours. Most don't get it & therefore have little energy. Sleep needs aside, teens lounge & move slow. They lumber.

    I took my two kids, & their friends, to a Fall festival thingie. The 8 & 9 year old girls were a blur in motion the entire time. The 12-13 year old boys moved from one lounging spot to another. These boys are all scouts & most are atheletes. They are outdoorsy. Even when they go camping, they'd be happy just to lounge & play cards. They don't get that option, but they'd be happy to do so.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    The underlying study for this article is behind paywall or requires log in - can't be bothered with that but I suspect that although the mean activity levels to teenagers is equivalent to that of 60 year olds the devaition from that mean is much greater for teenagers than 60 year olds.

    Additionally, @Packerjohn - you're an outlier. But, one which I aspire to mimic in a few years time ;)
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    i would assume because starting at 19 most people are out of high school and starting a job or starting college and are new to managing their time so they skip out on exercise.

    And the decline starting in elementary school, hmmm, could it be because 2nd graders have standardized test and hours of homework?
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I'm actually surprised if activity levels start increasing after age 19. I spent most of my college years in the library or chained to my computer... and not for video games. English Lit involves multiple papers, often starting at 10 pages per essay. I'd've expected the low levels to persist until at least mid-twenties.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    nevadavis1 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    I'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.

    Ha, my friend left her almost two year old for like 2 minutes to grab a quick shower. The two year old got her phone from her purse, activated it, made a video of himself making faces at it, and posted it to facebook. Granted he doesn't know what facebook is and probably didn't mean to record himself or post, but he sure knew how to get the phone and activate it.

    I heard a very similar story except the video was of the shower...
  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
    praykathy wrote: »
    Screen time aside.

    Teens sleep needs increase back to those of a toddler--9 or 10 hours. Most don't get it & therefore have little energy. Sleep needs aside, teens lounge & move slow. They lumber.

    I took my two kids, & their friends, to a Fall festival thingie. The 8 & 9 year old girls were a blur in motion the entire time. The 12-13 year old boys moved from one lounging spot to another. These boys are all scouts & most are atheletes. They are outdoorsy. Even when they go camping, they'd be happy just to lounge & play cards. They don't get that option, but they'd be happy to do so.

    Yes, I think you said what I wanted to say, but better. :)
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    Teens are also the only group who technically need 12 hours of sleep for best health and emotional well-being. I think teens are largely exhausted. Especially from the emotional, social, and hormonal pressures they endure. I don't think it's unusual to have to kick them outside and tell them to get some fresh air. Even if they're not exercising, a good book sitting in the sun or a leisurely bike ride is often plenty during this exhausting phase in life.
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    The YouTube thing... lol. My 13 year old does this while group-chatting and it used to concern/annoy me... but then I remembered how after school I'd get on the home phone and spend hours making sure I talked to each best friend(and arguing with my parents over it). It's really not much different.

    And I think it's good they can group-chat and watch videos... it's just like when we'd hang in a friend's basement and do the same thing. Except they're at home where we can see them. I think parents hover and worry too much, often forgetting their own teen years.
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    JeepHair77 wrote: »
    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.


    Same here. I was very inactive as a teen, and into my early 20's. I didn't get serious about exercise until I was 25/26.



  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    #meh. i remember how much tv time people used to put in, before there was internet.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    My 80 year old mother in law is more active than my kids.

    I'm not even kidding B)

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