Physical fitness isn't always a kick

10/02/2002 - Updated 10:25 AM ET

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

For years, Dionne Lewis, 16, of Washington, D.C., took dance lessons and participated in shows with a company specializing in West African dance. She was practicing three times a week for two hours at a time. But at age 14, she quit. "I got tired of it," Lewis says.

When Katy Montague, 17, was in elementary school, she played soccer and basketball. But by junior high she had stopped, because academics and extracurricular activities filled her schedule.

"There's a lot of pressure to put academics first, and it's hard to make school teams," she says. "Everything is pretty competitive. There are just varsity and JV (teams); there aren't a lot of teams for people who just want to play a game of volleyball. Not everybody is going to be a JV superstar basketball player.

"If it's not something you have a natural ability for or your family is involved in, it's hard to make the time," says Montague, who lives in St. Louis.

A study this summer found that many girls are not as physically active during their teen years. This new research doesn't surprise aerobics video star Donna Richardson, who tours the country encouraging girls, especially African-American and Hispanic teens, to be more physically active.

It's difficult for many girls to be active because parents can't afford to have them in organized sports. And for some single parents, transporting their kids to and from sports and recreational activities is challenging, if not impossible, she says.

In many high schools, opportunities to join teams are limited, so some girls are left sitting on the sidelines, Richardson says. In some cases, teen girls are needed at home to help with younger children, so there's little time left for physical activity, she says.

Richardson encourages those girls who are stuck inside to get up and dance in front of the TV. Once they give it a try, they'll have "so much fun they won't realize they are doing something," she says. Another alternative to team sports is getting together with friends for walks, either in their neighborhood or at the mall, she says.

Teen girls have their own theories about why their peers don't get out and move more. They say girls:

• Are afraid of developing big muscles. Some girls don't exercise because they're afraid it builds bulky muscles and they don't want to look big or fat, says Jamie Lunsford, 17, of Gallatin, Mo. Plus, many girls who are worried about their weight would rather cut back on eating than make time to work out daily, says Lunsford, who is a varsity cheerleader and a member of the varsity golf and basketball teams.
• Have unrealistic expectations. Some girls exercise in hopes of having a body like somebody else's, says Tiffany Lee, 19, a sophomore at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. "Everybody can't look like the girl in the video or in the magazine," she says. "And when their body doesn't look like that, they wonder why they are exercising and eventually get frustrated and quit." Lee didn't become really physically active until she joined the school dance team when she was a junior in high school. Now she's a devoted exerciser who does weight training, elliptical cross-training, yoga and belly dancing.
• Have other priorities. "They've got other things to do, like going shopping," says Catrina Harris, 15, of Washington, D.C., who has being taking aerobics and hip-hop dance classes for two years at a local church. Lewis, who takes the same classes, says: "As young people, we really don't think of (physical activity) as something fun or beneficial. We think of it as time-consuming and maybe not as enjoyable as spending time with friends or going to the movies."
• Don't want to sweat. A lot of girls don't exercise because they "don't want to get their hair messed up and get sweaty," Lewis says.

The price of lack of activity can be high, as Lewis and Montague found out. Lewis says she has gained about 15 pounds since she stopped competitive dancing two years ago. She now takes aerobics classes three times a week at a local church.

Montague says that her weight "skyrocketed" during the three years she was less active and that she knew she had to do something. By her sophomore year in high school she had taken up fencing, and now as a senior she goes swing dancing with friends several times a week.

She likes activities such as dancing and swimming more than competitive sports because they are "so much fun — and nobody cares how good you are."

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