Many boys find all the changes coming their way confusing. You might be worried that if you don’t change at the same time – or in the same way – as other kids, that you might get teased or feel like a freak. It’s true that it’s not easy to be seen as different from the other kids around you, but there really isn’t much you can do about it. Your body will develop when it’s ready.
One thing that will help is to have a parent or other trusted adult to talk these things over with. There are also books like this one, as well as internet sites where you can find helpful information about your changing body and your changing life. You can even check out the resources section in the back of this book for some books and websites that might be helpful. Remember, though, that you’re the expert on your own body and if something doesn’t seem right or feels weird or painful tell an adult you trust. The more you can learn about your body and the way it works, the better your lifelong relationship with your body will be!
You might not want to hear this, but eating right—and we don’t mean potato chips for breakfast, cookies for lunch, and candy for dinner—is really important at this time in your life. Your body is working hard to grow stronger and it really needs healthy food to do what it needs to do. Try to eat three healthy meals a day, starting with a nutritious breakfast. Eating fruits and vegetables at every meal will also help you keep at a weight that is good for you and will give you the energy you need to do all the fun things you want to do and even the boring stuff you need to do.
Healthy Foods For Boys On The Move
Here are some foods that are easy to grab when you are heading out the door and need a snack:
Granola Bar
Nuts
Apple
Navel Orange
Baby Carrots
Banana
Pretzels
Grapes
Crackers
Cheese Stick
Yogurt
Cereal
Graham Crackers
Peanut Butter on Celery
Toast
Mini Whole Wheat Bagel and Cream Cheese
Every time you turn on the television, you’re likely to see an advertisement for some new diet pill, diet system, or contraption that will help people lose weight or keep them from getting fat. The reason there are so many of these systems, pills, and contraptions is because very few of them work in the long term. If you are concerned about your body size or weight, the answer is definitely not fad diets, pills, or starving yourself.
Instead, what you need is to get good nutrition and the right amount of calories to keep growing and keep going. Dieting makes food the enemy. Food isn’t your enemy. Food is fuel and it should be fun. Learning to make good choices can be part of the fun.
Work with your body, not against it to keep healthy. Your body sends signals that say “I’m hungry” and it’s important to know what hunger feels like for you. When you are eating because you’re hungry, instead of just because you’re upset or bored, it’s easier to make healthier food choices.
Also, try to make food choices based on how you feel after you eat certain foods. For example, when you eat potato chips do you feel good afterwards? Do you feel like you have a lot of energy? Is it easier or harder to concentrate in school if you’ve had oatmeal for breakfast instead of a donut? Do you find the zit monster attacks after you’ve eaten oily foods? Does eating a banana before practice keep you from feeling hungry all the way through practice? What if you eat an chocolate bar?
BOYS SAY:
SPINACH IS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD WHEN MY MOM COOKS IT WITH GARLIC AND OIL. I DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD BE BUT I TRIED IT AND I LIKED IT!
-Nathan, age 13
As a little kid, you naturally moved around a lot. If you have a little brother or sister you might get tired just looking at them running around. However, as we get older, we spend more time in school and doing homework and less time (unfortunately!) moving our bodies. Sometimes the only time school age kids only get to jump and run around is a very short recess!
Team sports are one way to work your muscles, keep your body active, and have fun. But they definitely aren’t the only way. Sometimes boys feel pressure to be good at sports. Sometimes this pressure comes from family members, parents, coaches, or friends. Sports might seem like the only way to be popular at your school. Playing a sport well is great, but your goal should be to enjoy yourself. Only a few boys will grow up to be pro athletes, but every boy can enjoy being a part of a team. Some reasons to play a team sport:
• Have fun.
• Get exercise and enjoy what your body can do.
• Learn skills (like how to pass and dribble but also self-confidence, self-discipline, and teamwork).
• Release stress and pent up energy from sitting still all day.
The Expert Says
Good sportsmanship—learning how to be both a good winner and a good loser—is an important part of playing sports.
Notice how “win every game” wasn’t listed as a reason to play. Yes, winning is fun, especially compared to losing, but if there is too much emphasis placed on winning, sports actually become less fun. If the only thing that makes sports fun is winning, and only one team can win, that means only half the players get to enjoy it!
Would you and a bunch of your friends get together for a movie you knew half of you would hate? It would be a waste of time and money. Sports are the same way if the only goal is winning.
If losing is particularly hard for you, you can set personal goals for each game that don’t depend on winning. For example, if you’re an outfielder, you goal could be to catch 80% of the fly balls that come to you. If you struggle to support your team-mates, maybe your goal could be to find five things to compliment other players about.
Sometimes adults push kids too hard in sports. While pushing yourself a little can be good, pushing yourself and your growing body too much can lead to permanent injuries. If you are feeling so much pressure that sports have lost some of their fun for you, it might be time to talk to your parents or the other adults in your life about this.
BOYS SAY:
YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR COACH WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL WELL. OTHERWISE HE DOESN’T KNOW TO PULL YOU OUT SO SOMEONE ELSE WHO FEELS OK CAN PLAY.
-Brendan, age 12
Team sports are definitely not the only way you can enjoy your body and build your health. If you don’t like any team sports offered at your school or in your community, there are still individual sports that might be more your style. You could take up running on your own, or get your older cousin to teach you how to play tennis, for example. You can ride your bike or a skateboard or a scooter or a combination of all three (with protective equipment of course) and you’ll be having so much fun you won’t even know you’re exercising! Dancing is fun movement as well, and so are some video games, the kind that make you jump, run in place, or dance around.
You can also go for walks, or hikes (a hike is basically a walk where there are a bunch of trees) or play the active games from when you were a little kid, like tag and red rover. Don’t forget swimming on a hot day! Most big cities and even small towns have public pools and swimming is a good choice if you haven’t been able to do a lot of movement for a while, because it’s easy on the joints.
