Troubled Teens Resources

Boot camps of a different sort, but none the less valuable, are fitness boot camps. A fitness boot camp directed at teens can benefit in numerous ways, but for the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the emotional and psychological issues pertaining to body image.

Teen girls are very susceptible to the absurd and unreal images of waif-like creatures that the media parades in front of them. All troubled teenagers can suffer greatly from obesity and there are no end to the stories of overweight teens who have compensated for rejection and low self-esteem with drugs. Any teen help for getting fit is extremely beneficial.

Joyce Hoffmann has put together an excellent program directed at teen girls. Inspired by her own emotional eating as a teen, she has dedicated her life to working with overweight kids. She teaches teens to take control of their body and image via exercise, nutrition, yoga and counseling.

And all of that goes a long way towards circumventing the potential for teenage drug abuse. If you feel good physically, emotionally and mentally, getting “high” will bring you down. Not to mention the value of the physical and mental discipline that comes with exercise.

” Ms. Hoffmann customized a summer weight loss program for teen girls that was equal parts boot camp, phys-ed class and Dr. Phil therapy session…

“None of the girls missed a day, and they were never a minute late…After working out, the girls and Ms. Hofmann had group counseling, where they just talked — about themselves, dieting, body image, boys, whatever was on their minds….
[…]
Many of the girls realized they were emotional eaters, meaning they made a beeline for fattening foods, whether they were happy, sad or any mood in between.”

(Source)