To think it’s difficult to maintain fitness in teens unless they are elite level in something

[Uyhko]

my kids aren’t really that competitive and not terribly sporty but enjoy being active. It’s really hard once they hit 12 and are not good enough for swim team. Not good enough for football team etc etc. we try to bridge the gap I do a lot of bikes runs etc with them at the weekend but it’s hard to find activities that really increase fitness. I am not cut out for park runs due to an injury. I suppose I could send them round park runs on their own although I don’t think they would massively enjoy. They would like to join a swim only for fitness team. But such a thing doesn’t seem to exist.

I learnt to swim as a teen at adult swimming lessons as part of my DoE award. Being the only teenager there took a thick skin to even go to somewhere dominated by people that were 60+, and more so when they regularly complained about me swimming lengths down the middle of the pool... the instructor did defend me that I couldn't swim down the edge as they suggested because they spent most of the time loitering there chatting rather than swimming! I kept going because I needed to collect the certificates for the award and have an official mentor/ instructor.

Teenagers want to be with their peers so first there's the issue of being allowed to do an activity, then there's having the social confidence to do it. Regular structure helps with motivation as does progression.

We've got a good cluster of 11-14s at our junior parkrun and they're not all up the front. As much as I'm a fully committed member of the parkrun cult, I wouldn't have gone near it in my youth having been firmly been convinced by bully PE teachers that most forms of sport were for humiliation purposes not any kind of pleasure.
I'm hoping that having been brought up with parkrun, that my two always find running an accessible sport through their teens and into adulthood.

Horse riding/mucking out
Scuba diving
Geo cache
Skate boarding
Parkour
Climbing
Water sports
Litter picking groups involves walking & socialising
Yarn bombing
Secret gardening