Setting health goals for teens in 2026

Key Concepts

• Holistic Health: Defining health beyond weight and BMI, focusing on sustaining behaviors that provide energy and well-being.
• Internal vs. External Motivation: Shifting goal-setting from appearance-based desires to feeling-based aspirations.
• Modeling Behavior: The importance of parents demonstrating the habits they wish to see in their teenagers, particularly regarding screen time.
• Self-Compassion: Prioritizing kindness and acceptance towards oneself as a foundation for positive change.
• Nutrition vs. Diet: Framing food choices around nourishment and nutrients rather than restriction.

Defining Holistic Health & Addressing Misconceptions

Dr. Lauren Hartman emphasizes a crucial distinction in understanding health, particularly for teenagers. She notes the frequent conflation of health with weight, BMI, and body size, especially in the context of eating disorders she treats. She provides specific examples of teenagers who, while attempting “healthy” changes like restrictive dieting or excessive exercise, experienced detrimental physical consequences – hair loss, fainting, low heart rates, and exhaustion. Dr. Hartman defines true health as behaviors that are sustaining and energizing, focusing on movement that feels good, adequate rest, and nourishing foods. She explicitly states that any message advocating restriction is counterproductive to genuine health.

Goal Setting: From Appearance to Feeling

The conversation shifts to realistic goal setting for teenagers. Dr. Hartman advocates for a fundamental shift in focus: from how they want to look to how they want to feel. She explains that teenagers often pursue appearance-based goals with the expectation that a certain body type will automatically lead to positive feelings. However, this often results in the opposite outcome, leaving them feeling worse despite achieving their desired appearance. She argues that prioritizing feelings fosters more realistic and sustainable goals.

Screen Time & Family Rules: The Importance of Modeling

Addressing a common parental concern, the discussion turns to screen time. Dr. Hartman delivers a direct message to parents: they must model the behavior they expect from their children. She asserts that it’s unrealistic to expect teenagers to limit screen time if parents are constantly on their phones. Her recommendation is to establish family-wide rules, such as no phones during meals or in bedrooms overnight, and to demonstrate commitment to these rules collectively. She acknowledges the difficulty of this shift but emphasizes its practicality.

The Power of Self-Compassion: A Parent’s Primary Focus

When asked for a single tip for parents heading into 2026, Dr. Hartman stresses the importance of self-compassion. She shares a poignant anecdote about a father who consciously stopped negative self-talk about his body, motivated by his desire for his children to practice self-kindness. She highlights that this shift, though initially challenging due to ingrained thought patterns, can have a lasting impact. Dr. Hartman proposes that approaching goals from a place of acceptance and compassion, rather than striving for immediate improvement, is a more effective strategy. As she states, “What if we were just kind to ourselves as we are and came from more of a place of acceptance and compassion for where we are now?”

Logical Connections & Synthesis

The conversation flows logically from defining health to addressing practical challenges like goal setting and screen time. A unifying theme throughout is the emphasis on internal motivation and the importance of parental modeling. The final point about self-compassion serves as a foundational element, suggesting that positive change begins with self-acceptance rather than self-criticism.

The core takeaway is that supporting teenagers in building healthier habits requires a holistic approach that prioritizes well-being over appearance, fosters open communication, and, crucially, begins with parents demonstrating the behaviors they wish to see in their children, all while practicing self-kindness.