Wellness

The Centers for Disease Control reported that heat illness was a leading cause of death and disability of high school athletes from 2005-2009.  Fortunately, heat illness is 100 percent preventable with the appropriate knowledge and procedures in place. While about 70 percent of high school athletes who suffer from heat illness are football players, girls volleyball and girls soccer are …

Do you ever notice how the person on the cover of your favorite fashion, teen or celebrity magazine doesn’t even vaguely resemble what most people around you look like?  Retouching techniques, which include airbrushing, create an image of someone that is unrealistic.  Their features become too perfect — unachievable by most human standards.  In fact, it isn’t uncommon for the …

For ages, the squat was the most widely used exercise to improve lower body strength. As the strength and conditioning profession has evolved, the emphasis on many programs has switched to single-leg exercises to improve strength, power, stability and performance. This is not to say that the squat should no longer be a part of your strength program, but that …

A sprained ankle is a very common injury for teens — athletes and non-athletes alike. It happens when the ligaments that support the ankle get overly stretched or torn. Sprained ankles can happen when you step in a hole, slip walking downhill or just put your weight down on your foot awkwardly. Some sprained ankles are minor injuries that heal …

Ashley is a high-school junior and she and her friends use MySpace to communicate, but she’s very careful about the information, pictures and comments she sends and posts — even though her profile is set to private. She knows that nothing is ever really private online. “I know teens who have gotten kicked off their sports teams because of pictures …

  Energy drinks and nutrition bars often make big promises. Some say they’ll increase energy and alertness, others offer extra nutrition and some even claim to boost your athletic performance or powers of concentration. But once you cut through the hype and look past the flashy packaging on energy products, chances are what you’re mostly getting is a stiff dose …

Do you feel like there are too many pressures and demands on you? Do you lose sleep worrying about tests and schoolwork? Do you eat on the run because your schedule is just too busy? You’re not alone. Everyone experiences stress at times — adults, teens and kids. But, there are ways to minimize stress and manage the stress that’s …

Dehydration is a condition that occurs when someone loses more fluids than he or she takes in. Although dehydration isn’t as serious a problem for teens as it can be for babies or young children, it can slow you down. Our bodies are about two-thirds water. When someone gets dehydrated, it means the amount of water in his or her …