5 ways to turn physical activity for teens into a life-long habit

July 31, 2025 | 5 min read

A few years ago, Olympic champion weightlifter Maude Charron was invited to speak to two groups of young figure skaters who train in her hometown of Rimouski, Quebec, and asked the participants a simple question: What do you like about your sport?

The first group of skaters, between eight and 12 years old, had plenty to say: They liked spinning and jumping, and the creativity they felt while moving their bodies. The second group—this one all teenagers—responded with a very different vibe. They said they were in it because they felt they had to be, because they felt pressure to keep going or because their parents had paid for it. “To me, that was very sad,” Charron, who now trains adolescent girls in her own gym, says. “When you’re a teenager, sports shouldn’t be your job. It should be your hobby.”

The trend of teens dropping out of physical activities and sports is well documented, and especially pronounced for girls. The World Health Organization reports that 85 per cent of female adolescents don’t meet minimum exercise guidelines,¹ and according to Canadian Women & Sport, the share of girls who play organized sport in Canada drops from 68 per cent in the tween years (ages nine to 12) to just 36 percent among young women (ages 19 to 26). For boys, the drop is significantly less: From 70 per cent to 57 per cent in the same age cohorts.²

There are plenty of physical, mental, and social advantages to making a habit of exercise and movement. “ When you move, it brings you calm and focus, and helps you develop discipline and resilience,” says Elise Bourret, a supporter of building health and wellness habits, and Global Head of Fund Services Operations at Manulife Investment Management. “It can get you out in fresh air, improve confidence, and connect you with other people.”

Regular exercise can also establish habits that reduce a teen’s long-term risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. “In the adolescent years, developing healthy lifestyle habits is super important,” explains Geneviève Leduc, Ph. D. and Senior Advisor of Programs and Expert in Physical Activity for Girls for FitSpirit, a Quebec-based charity that operates non-competitive extracurricular exercise clubs for girls between the ages of 12 and 17. (Manulife is a proud supporter of FitSpirit’s work.) 

So, what can you do to get your teenager moving? FitSpirit and Charron have cracked the code – and Charron, who participated in the recent FitSpirit Celebration in Quebec, shares some suggestions below.

Downplay competition

Some teens are motivated by competition. Charron was one of them—and has the Olympic hardware to show for it. But she is quick to point out that most kids aren’t wired that way. Once they hit adolescence—with creeping responsibilities, shifting priorities, and new pressures—many teens prefer physical activity with lower stakes.

“If everything centres around competition, or getting a certain result or qualification, it can be the drop in the bucket that makes a teen drop sports,” Charron says. Exposing teens to non-competitive physical activities (like house league soccer, drop-in dance classes, or extracurricular clubs like FitSpirit) can allow them to get all the benefits of exercise with none of the agitation or stress, she says. “It’s okay to just go for a run for fun.”

Some teens carry a bad sport experience from their childhood with them as they mature. In their minds, “I hate hockey” or “I hate gymnastics” can quickly morph into “I hate sports” or “I hate exercise.” But there are many ways to move, and Charron believes there’s an activity that can strike a chord for even the most reluctant teen. That’s why she recommends teens try as many different sports or classes as possible.

“Pick a sport complex or gym or community centre—somewhere that has a lot of different sports going on—and hang out for a day. Whenever they get that ‘Oh, I want to play too,’ feeling, that’s a good sign!” 

Emphasize the fun factor

As Charron saw first-hand in her conversation with those figure skaters in Rimouski, teens often associate sports with obligation or parent pressure.  “We need to bring back the sense of play-- the joy in it.”

Charron recommends asking a teen to explain one thing they found enjoyable about sport in the past. Maybe they liked the team aspect of soccer, but not the game itself: Perhaps they can try hockey, or basketball, or swimming, instead. Or perhaps they liked the way their body felt during ballet but hated the exams. A recreational hip-hop dance or yoga program might do the trick. “When you can help teens realize their ‘why’ related to activity, it can motivate them,” Charron says.

Lean on community

Experts say that healthy behaviours are far more likely to become habit when people enlist friends or peers to build accountability and provide support.

Teens can find communities in many athletic pursuits: Joining a team, signing up for a club, even by meeting a friend every day to walk to school instead of taking the bus. “It really does help when teens have friends doing an activity alongside them,” Charron says. “It builds community and creates good peer pressure. It could be as simple as just going to a climbing gym together once a week.” 

Start small

Exercise and fitness can seem a bit overwhelming to teens. They may feel pressure to excel right away, or drawn towards unrealistic goals, or discouraged by setbacks. They may also feel their bodies are just not capable of what they see on their social media feeds. Some get tired of it after a few weeks, Charron says, “and then they just quit.”

Frustration is a normal part of any new physical regimen, Charron says—everyone hits a wall at one point or another. For teens, managing expectations from the start can be helpful in transcending the inevitable motivational obstacles that may emerge. “Just because you got a gym membership does not mean you have to go seven days a week,” she says. “It’s much better to start with little goals, and build up from them, than to do something that’s a bit too much.” 

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat a condition. If you have questions or concerns about your specific situation or are seeking medical advice, contact your medical doctor or your healthcare provider.

A note about gender:
While we use the term “women,” “girls,” “men” and “boys” in this article, we recognize that these terms are not inclusive of all gender identities and that the health issues addressed here may be relevant to individuals across the gender spectrum.

About FitSpirit
Aligned to Manulife's Impact Agenda, and focus on empowering sustained health and well-being, Manulife is helping FitSpirit improve engagement and impact in Indigenous communities in Quebec - where there are cultural nuances and traditions driving further barriers to young Indigenous girls' living a healthy and active lifestyle. Additionally, Manulife is proud to be the presenting sponsor of FitSpirit celebrations."