The Percentage of Healthy Louisiana Teens is a Total Surprise

Everybody knows that regular exercise is critical to young people’s physical and mental health. The standard recommendation for youngsters six to 17 participating in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is at least 60 minutes a day.

Experts say this level of activity will not only result in higher fitness levels and lower risk of obesity but also better academic performance, but lower incidences of depression and anxiety. But despite the evidence of exercise’s benefits for teenagers, only around a quarter of teens today are meeting those recommended levels.

The rapid spread of social networks, video games, smartphones, and other technology has led to more leisure time being spent on sedentary activities. One recent study found that a typical US teenager today gets no more exercise physical than the average 60-year-old.

And what about Louisiana teens? A study by media website Hot Dog reveals that only 21.0% of Louisiana teens report exercising every day, and just 33.3% report exercising 5 days per week. And more not-so-good news: 25.5% report not exercising at all. Out of all states, Louisiana has the 10th fewest teenagers who exercise daily.

So, where do we rank compared to the rest of the USA? Well, when looking at all the data, comes in 35th. So depending on your point of view, when it comes to exercise and health, we're either at the bottom of the middle group, or the top of the bottom bunch.

The most interesting - and ironic - fact found in the study: The state with the teens that exercise the most is South Dakota (51.1% exercise 5 days a week), with probably the worst weather in the US. And who's last on the exercise list? That'd be the state with the best weather of all, Hawaii (33.3%).

To see the complete study results, including statistics for every state, geographical region and economic group and more details about Louisiana kids exercise habits, JUST CLICK HERE!