CCM+ Group Photo of Mentors Jen, Scot, Mentee Jess, & Mentors Beth & Bonnie
Teens and Fitness: The importance of recognizing the effects of daily life on our bodies
Many teenagers in Chaffee County spend most of their summers (or life for that matter) watching TV, sitting around with friends, or talking on the phone. Where’s the activity? Even for those youth not interested traditional sports, our area offers a wealth of both indoor and outdoor alternative activities, including pilates, yoga, hiking, kayaking, rafting, biking.
Mentors Plus seeks to help youth transform their sedentary lifestyles and get more involved in local activities. On Thursday, May 28th, six youth and mentors attended our Body Awareness group activity held at the Salida Pilates Studio. CCM+ Mentor Erin McIntire, who also works with Adventures in Body Awareness with Rebound Therapy, donated her time to teach us how to be more aware of our bodies, stretch properly using core muscles, and relax our bodies when tense. So often we go through the movements in our lives without paying attention. Erin taught the group how to pay attention to the muscles we use throughout the day like bending over to pick up a box or blow drying our hair. The strength exercises we did were subtle but powerful. CCM+ mentor, Jen Walters, said, “What a great activity, the movements were so little, but the next day I was slightly sore!”
The relaxation skills we learned are critical for teens. Most teenagers have difficulty getting to know the effects their habits have on their minds as well as their bodies. Researchers continue to reveal the effects of stress, anxiety, and negativity on the body (for examples, see Insight Journal and StressCenter.com). Many emotional states can have dramatic physical effects on the body. For instance, individuals with unresolved negative episodes throughout their lives may be more likely to get cancer. [Read more at National Cancer Institute and Psych Central.]
So, let’s get those youth out of the house and into great activities like yoga and Pilates to build mental, emotional, and physical fitness. We are thankful to Erin for taking the time to teach our group a few simple ways to be more aware of our bodies in our daily lives and letting us know we are capable of more than normally we do. We look forward to future activities to learn more about body awareness.
Match Beth and Jessica share a moment of core muscle understanding