Jess Weiner blogs about body image on Seventeen.com, and she does a great job of cutting right to heart of the self-esteem issues young girls face. Now, I'm a far cry from 17-years-old. Heck, I have sweatshirts that are older than that. But as I was watching Jess's videos, I realized that a lot of those teenage body image issues stick with us through our very non-teenager years.

I know that I engage in negative self talk sometimes. A while ago, I was shopping with my sister and I tried on a skirt that I knew was flattering. Instead of simply saying I liked it, I asked her if it made my butt look big. I don't really know why ... maybe I was fishing for a compliment or maybe saying things in the negative is just a bad habit. Jess has some tips for breaking the negative thinking:

• Stop making negative comments about yourself because you're seeking attention. Negative comments, even when we know they aren't true, usually come from a lack of self-esteem. Put negative thoughts of yourself out there and they'll come back to you.
  
• Don't define yourself by your size. Find better adjectives about your health, your talents, your intelligence and your positive qualities.
• Cut off negative comments. If you have people in your life who are critical about your appearance, directly tell them that their comments are hurtful and that you need them to stop.

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Enrolling your kids in sports can improve their self esteem, get them in shape and help them develop a life-long habit of being active. These are some very good reasons to get them on some sort of team, yes? But there's another good reason they should get on the playing field -- playing ball as a teen can help keep their bones healthy for up to 40 years.

According to recent studies, sports like basketball, baseball, volleyball and soccer can help keep kids' bones strong well into old age, even if they don't keep the activity up. That's not to say they should give activity up as they age, but it goes to show that what you do in your teenage years can have lasting effects on your health.

So come spring, get your teenager active -- if you can, that is.

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Tweens and teens may seem to be constantly on the go. But while they're go, go, going ... are they really being physically active? Encourage them to be more active this holiday season with gifts that either inspire physical activity or generate it.

When choosing active gifts for the younger set, keep fun in mind. While a pedometer might be a great tool for kids of any age, it's not exactly thrilling for a teenager to open a handsomely wrapped gift and find a pedometer inside. So look for items that not only promote physical fitness, but also generate some excitement. Check out the gallery for some activity-inspiring gifts for the tweens and teens in your life.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz, My name is Sarah and I'm almost 16. I have always been involved with sports including: hockey, basketball, soccer and you name it! Now that I am older, I have slowed down a bit and only play basketball for high school and travel. This is what is bothering me: I can't seem to run as long as I used to. I get tired easily and run out of breath. I'm not fat or anything, and I am even really fast. But by the time I run one length of the court I'm pretty much dead. What am I doing wrong and what do I need to do to change this? It seems like I get more out of breathe each season. Thanks, Sarah

A. Hi Sarah, Thanks for writing. I have two thoughts on what may be happening with you, the first being more probable than the last. Most likely, you've just become out of shape. That doesn't mean you're obese or in horrible shape, it just may mean you're not capable of doing as much as you were two years ago when you were involved in three sports! You take pride in the fact that you run fast. That's great! But, the fact that you like to go all out probably makes you more likely to suck wind at the end of one lap.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz. I am 12 years old and am a little chunky. I have love handles and wish to get rid of them, but I don't know what I should do! I was trying sit ups and crunches, but they don't work. Now I want to know what really works and how I can keep my body in shape without body fat . Everyone says that I'm not fat nor skinny, I'm just chunky. I want to get rid of all the chunky parts, but I don't know what I should do. Please help! Jellybean

A. First of all Jellybean, I want you to change your focus. I know it's hard to be young and uncomfortable in your skin. I too, had that issue before I was a teenager and ended up with a traumatic eating disorder. Trust me ... it brought me only bad things, never good. Don't go there. Instead of focusing on your so-called "flaws", find something about your body you like. I bet your body is loaded with treasures.

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Teenagers are notorious for their sleep habits -- they stay up too late when they have to get up early, and when they have nothing to get up for, they might sleep the whole day away. Is this natural? eDiets recently did an article on this subject and their verdict is that yes, it is normal, but it's not necessarily healthy.

Because of the influence of the infamous teenage hormones, teenagers are programmed to go to bed later -- that much is natural. But they're still required to get up early for classes, which means they're not getting enough sleep usually--which is why they catch up on weekends. And since it's unlikely that schools are going to change their start times, it's important that teenagers have a specific bedtime that allows them the adequate amount of sleep. It's also important that they're not surrounded by electronic equipment that hinders their sleep.

Want tips on how to get your teenager to get enough sleep? Click here.

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Although dating is about as natural as possible when those awkward teen years show up, there are still guidelines for safety that every parent must think about. The world, as they say, is a different place than it was a generation ago.

Although I would not latch onto the modern media's obsession with bad news and sensationalism these days, there are still things that need to be brought up, like getting to know someone at school or over the phone before arranging a date -- and then, in public.

Here are some other tips from the U.S. Department of Health.These are very basic, but very important.

• Encourage fun and safe outings, like a picnic, a trip to the mall, or the movies.
• Talk to your child about the importance of speaking up about what makes her comfortable and uncomfortable.
• Make sure she -- and her date -- both understand what time she is to return home.
• Be sure that your child tells you where she's going, who she'll be with, and how you can reach her.

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In another effect of a harebrained media in the U.S. (probably) a new survey shows that half of teenage girls are eating fewer calories than suggested under current nutritional guidelines.

It's hard to imagine that 45 percent of 14- to 18-year-old girls surveyed were eating less than 1,200 calories a day, but over 33 percent of that same group stated they had just finished a diet or were still on one.

By contrast, just 14 percent of teenage boys in the same age group admitted to dieting, but 25 percent of those surveyed said they are 800 calories a day or fewer. That's crazy, but I have to wonder if that age group even knows the definition of "calorie" and how to measure it. Less than 1,500 calories per day seems like a dangerous situation to me for anyone in that age bracket.

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Recent research out of Florida has found that teenage girls who start dieting are nearly twice as likely to start smoking on a frequent basis. This compared with girls who are not dieting at all.

Is smoking in this young female population due to replacing food with some other pleasure? Perhaps. Interestingly, teenage boys who tried dieting but who gave up on it are at the largest risk for taking up smoking. Talk about opposites, yes?

The study was performed to see if a desire to lose weight was an important factor in the decision to start smoking. With so many teenage-focused media garbage these days portraying teen girls are super-thin and bubbly to a fault, no wonder so many of those girls who are influenced turn up smoking at the same time.

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There seems to be two different camps among parents when it comes to teenage drinking. There are those who, like my parents, are completely against their kids drinking before reaching the legal age limit (21 years-of-age in the United States and 18- or-19 years-of-age in Canada depending on the province). There are also parents who feel that the trick to raising a young adult with a responsible attitude toward alcohol is to allow them to have a glass of wine with dinner and make sure that if their kids are drinking, they do so at home where they can be monitored.

As Vicki wrote in a blog earlier this year, teenage drinking is on the rise making the discussion an important one. Many school districts and parent groups out there are discouraging kids from drinking at all, citing a number of valid reasons including the fact that alcohol has a different affect on their still-growing brains, as well as the greater likelihood of teens being in a deadly drunk-driving accident.

Still, there are those that think allowing teens to drink at home is the answer and the study reported on here backs this up, reporting that teens who drink at home are less likely to binge drink. I admit that I don't know which of these is the right answer. I don't know if there even is a right answer. So what does everyone out there think? What was your experience growing up?

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There is no question that getting drunk has risen in popularity on college campuses and also in high school. Teenage drinking is so common that over fifty percent of high school seniors reported drinking heavily. If you visit a college campus on Friday or Saturday night, you will find an assortment of drunks. If you attend some high school functions like ball games or dances, you will discover drinking in bathrooms, parking lots and cars. A typical example of Monday morning conversation among American teens and young adults includes these statements. "I got so drunk Friday night I blacked out." "You should have seen me Saturday night, I couldn't even walk." I put down a six-pack and three shots in a half an hour and then I puked my guts out" I got so drunk I didn't even know where I woke up but it was great."

Many people get drunk for the fun of it and many others get drunk in order to escape reality. They may have impressed their mates, but men may be in for some embarrassment in the bedroom after drinking ten beers. Researchers think they know why inebriated people sometimes pass out. When people stand up their blood pressure drops and a sober body responds by tightening blood vessels. After knocking back a few too many, this built in body system no longer works, which is why standing up to leave can induce a faint. Large quantities of drinking cause a similar effect to general anesthesia and can lead to lack of consciousness and even death. There are 155,000 alcohol related deaths annually. Is that really funny?

If you or a teen you love is having problems with drinking, a recovery center may be the solution. At Treatment Referral, there are specific programs tailored to special needs of an adolescent. Youth-tailored programs are more successful than general population treatment and show better long-term effectiveness of treatment.