OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Healthful Routine Does Not Weigh on Teens’ Lifestyles

Exercising regularly and following a healthy diet have become a lifestyle for many teen-agers.

Five students from Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton--all June graduates--tell why they work out. Each student’s health-consciousness varies in degree, but none said they feel it is a burden.

Katherine Kranz

Kranz’s idea of a good time is riding stationary bikes, logging miles on a treadmill and climbing steps.

“I just love to work out,” said Kranz. “Like guys like football, I like working out.”

Kranz said a good workout energizes her, even if she arrives at the gym feeling sluggish.

“I can go to the gym (feeling) kind of lazy, and (exercising) pumps me up,” Kranz said.

Before she started exercising regularly, Kranz had another method of dealing with her fatigue: “I used to come home and take a nap--every day,” she said. “Now I go to the gym.”

Kranz’s workout routine generally runs a little over an hour. She walks on the treadmill for 30 minutes, rides the bike for 20 minutes and uses the Stairmaster for 20 minutes.

When she’s not in the gym, Kranz exercises at home. “I bought a little step, and I work out with that,” she said.

Kranz is something of a fitness connoisseur after having watched ESPN’s “Body Shaping” program for five years and Ms. Fitness America Kathy Smith’s exercise program “Walk America.”

Kranz said she makes a point of getting at least some exercise every day, even if it’s just doing stretching exercises while in front of the TV.

“If I’m going to sit in front of the TV, I might as well stretch out,” she said.

Kranz said she is able to eat a lot but has never had a weight problem. However, she does monitor what she eats.

“I don’t eat greasy food at all,” she said. “I eat a lot of rice and salads. I eat a lot of bread. I can polish off a whole loaf of bread.”

Jerusha Redford

“I don’t work out to try to work something off,” said Redford, who exercises to build muscle, increase her energy and relieve stress.

“I never felt like I needed to lose weight,” Redford said. “I just wanted to be more toned.”

Redford uses aerobics to tone up the muscles she uses for dancing.

She does most of her exercising at home and only goes to the gym if she wants to lift weights. At home she uses step-aerobics and aerobics tapes and does calisthenics.

“I try to work around the rest of my schedule,” Redford said. “I don’t do it all in one segment.”

Nor does she allow herself to get into a routine. “I get really bored easily if I’m in a routine,” she said.

“I like to be strong,” Redford said. “It’s a lot better to have strong muscles.”

Karah Oliver

In her household, exercise is a family thing, Oliver said. “Everyone in my family surfs,” she said.

Between volunteer work and baby-sitting, Oliver finds time to exercise for one to two hours, three times a week, at the gym. She stair-climbs for 40 minutes, runs for 10 minutes, lifts weights for 30 minutes and takes a step-aerobics class.

“I feel like an idiot jumping up and down (in the class), but it’s fun,” Oliver said.

Jennifer Keller

Keller joined a fitness club last year and started watching what she eats in an effort to replace the exercise she had gotten taking dance classes for 10 years.

“I was cutting down on the dance (classes), so I thought I needed more exercise,” she said. “I don’t want to be overweight and out of shape when I’m older.”

At the gym, Keller rides the stationary bike for 25 minutes, uses the Stairmaster for 20 minutes and lifts weights in between. “Sometimes I’ll take a step class,” she said.

Keller says she doesn’t find it too difficult to resist fattening temptations.

“I eat three meals a day,” Keller said. “When I snack, I try not to eat junk food.”

Kelly Clodfelter

Clodfelter said she has no excuses for not exercising--she works at a fitness center. “It helps because I’m already there, so it’s easier to work out,” she said. “I don’t have to feel like I don’t want to get off the couch or I don’t want to drive down there.”

Clodfelter keeps in shape with an hourlong gym workout.

Although she has a weakness for an occasional ice cream cone, Clodfelter watches what she eats.

“If I’m eating cookies, I’ll eat . . . something low-fat,” she said.