“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”, emphasised founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin. In recent years , more teenagers are undoubtedly choosing to lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Ranging from an indulgence in social media entertainment to a dire lack of physical fitness, an unhealthy lifestyle is slowly creeping into a teenager’s way of living and fast becoming a norm for many of them. A study done by the Health Promotion Board in Singapore showed that 68% of teenagers are at risk of being diagnosed with early stages of diabetes due to overconsumption of calories and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. As compared to the past, most teenagers do not put any emphasis on a healthy lifestyle as it is commonly believed that so long as they do not fall ill, they are healthy. As a result, many teenagers continue to lead an undesirable lifestyle where some contract debilitating illnesses. While it is not possible to eradicate unhealthy habits in teenagers completely, it can be better controlled if teenagers realise the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the severe consequences they may have to bear.
Indeed, it is a common phenomenon for teenagers these days to stay up late for social media entertainment which many find amusing and relaxing. However, this may cause them to suffer from mood fluctuations and behavioural problems. According to lead study author Dr Shirley Li from the University of Hong Kong, poor sleep may negatively affect one’s ability to regulate emotions and decision making. As a result, the growing addiction to social media platforms has contributed to a higher risk of developing mental and behavioural health-related problems among teenagers.
Moreover, it is increasingly prevalent for teenagers to relinquish physical exercise nowadays. Due to overwhelming loads of homework, tuition classes and co-curriculum activities, many teenagers claim that they are unable to fork out any time to exercise. Yet, teenagers who do not exercise regularly are vulnerable to diseases as well as poor emotional health. A news report from the World Health Organisation warns that as least 1.4 million teenagers are putting themselves at risk for early stages of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases due to low levels of physical activity.
However, teenagers may gainsay that they do lead a healthy lifestyle in general due to exacting school demands. In schools, teenagers have to undergo compulsory physical education as part of their curriculum. Teenagers are also exposed to a myriad of sports co-curriculum activities. Last but not least, the school canteen also plays a key role in enforcing a healthy diet by serving healthier food options such as brown rice and low fat meals. Still, this argument is not always valid because only a minority duly complies with such school institutions. The majority of the students hold a facetious attiude physical education as well as sports co-curriculum activities. Moreover, many prefer to eat outside of school for lunch as they find school food neither appealing nor appetizing. Worse still, large hordes of teenagers choose to play with their mobile devices rather than engaging in physical activities during recess time.
All in all, leading an unhealthy lifestyle is certainly detrimental to a teenager’s well being. As such, a multi-pronged approach is essential to counteract the inimical routines of teenagers. For a start, every teenager should play their part by being open to constructive feedback and change for the better. Besides that, if no concrete actions are taken to make teenagers realise the grave situation they are in, they may have to bear the severe consequences. On the contrary, understanding the advantages of a healthy lifestyle is likely to benefit teenagers’ well being wholesomely. In a larger context, instilling self-discipline in teenagers is key as external intervention from parents or teachers may still not be effective in ridding teenagers’ stubborn bad habits. Therefore, it is no surprise why the words of Benjamin Franklin remain wise till this day.
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