Two ways to encourage adolescent students to make healthy decisions are:

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1. By taking the time to talk to & inform them

- For females especially it is important to educate them on the effects of media, and that the "ideal" body type portrayed in that medium is not accurate and merely a ploy of commerce, sales, and marketing(discussion on this point found in McMahan and Thompson, 2015 p.43).

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- More mental preparation is proven to help a teen better adjust to changes happening to their body(McMahan and Thompson, p.50). If they know in advance some common experiences that adolescents go through during puberty, they can proactively think about the best way to handle it and. For example, informing young girls that  gaining weight is normal, and explain the evolutionary reasons and importance for why this happens so that a teen girl doesn't resort to unhealthy behaviours in order to compensate. If she has no idea that the weight gain is normal at puberty then she might start obsessing about what she eats because she thinks that she can stop it from happening. 

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- Educate students about proper health choices with food, show them the effects in the long term so they can see the compound effect of their choices (McMahan and Thompson, p.70).

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2. Use ways in class and outside to encourage more physical activity 

- Give the choice to use physical activity while learning. For example, by walking to a fieldtrip that is close by or by rewarding them with time playing dodgeball for 15 minutes because they used their time wisely in class. 

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- Offer participation marks. For example, as a homework assignment if a student wished to increase their mark then they could choose to go around their neighbourhood looking for specific concepts like geometry or ecology, photographing examples of these subjects. This will get them walking around outside and get them more engaged in their learning process inseta.

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- Lead by example. If your students see you bike to school, they may pick up on this behaviour you as a teacher exhibit if you are someone that they look up to, respect, and learn from. 

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sources:

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http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/alt/images/eating-nutrition/healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/food-guide-aliment/food-guide-aliment

 

McMahan, I. & Thompson, S. (2015). Adolescence: Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson.

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http://www.westernhealth.nl.ca/uploads/Addictions%20Prevention%20and%20Mental%20Health%20Promotion/Body%20Image%20Tool%20Kit%202012.pdf