Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr

If your teen is hanging out with kids who are overweight, you might want to keep a close eye on her eating habits. A recent study found that teens' eating and exercise habits were strongly influenced by their friends, and if her friends are fat, it's highly likely that she'll pack some pounds on as well.

These findings, based on results from approximately 5,000 teens, gives the idea of imitative obesity (subconsciously choosing to do things that cause weight gain because the people around you are heavy) a bit more, uh, weight. And we don't believe for a second that this idea only relates to those not old enough to vote.

Researchers say this could also be that teens might be more prone to hang out with others that are a similar size, but they do seem to be influenced by each other's behavior.

Imagine yourself at your favorite restaurant. If you're there with your trainer or a really fit friend, what do you order? Is it different than what you'd order if you went with someone less concerned about calories? If your dining partner wanted to split the fried mozzarella appetizer, would you have the stomach to say, "No thank you"?

Lemondrop has a series of old advertisements for smoking. They're humorous in an I-can't-believe-they-said-that kind of way. A couple of the ads focus on how smoking can help keep you thin. Yeah, good idea. You'll have stinky breath, smelly clothes and hair, lung cancer, and emphysema ... but at least you'll be thin!

If you still believe the smoke-and-stay-thin myth, you'd better think again. Or somehow time travel back to the 1950s. A recent study suggests that teens who smoke are more likely to be overweight later in life. The researchers aren't suggesting that cigarettes themselves cause you to gain weight (though that might be a more effective deterrent than the Surgeon General's warning). Instead, it's thought that smoking in teenage years just becomes the first in a string of bad habits. Like burgers. And fries. And sugary soda. And chocolate. And, excuse me ... now I'm hungry.



Smoker or not, if you're looking to shed some extra pounds, check out America Takes It Off: Shrink a Size for great weight loss tips.

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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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When it comes to the idea of gastric bypass surgery, I'm like a cork bobbing on water. I'd like to have a firm pro or con opinion, but there are so many things to consider. You just have to read through Karla's posts to hear a very realistic view on life after weight loss surgery. And Dr. Jonny has some serious points to consider as well. So, while a part of me would like to be anti-weight loss surgery, I know that for some people it is a very good choice. I am concerned, however, that the choice for surgery is made too rapidly.

A recent study shows that gastric bypass not only helps obese teens lose weight, it also can halt type 2 diabetes in its tracks. Those are certainly good results and have positive effects on the teens' health. But they're teenagers. And they're undergoing major, life-altering surgery.

I just hope that for everyone -- especially teens -- weight loss surgery is a last resort. All efforts to lose weight naturally should be tried first.

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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.

Kids + soda = bad combination. It's a formula that's accepted pretty much worldwide, considering that soda is made up of everything that is bad for you and your offspring. Banning soda from schools is one way to get it away from children and teens, but does it work?

Nope, says a recent study published in USA Today. Apparently, kids who go to schools without readily-available soft drinks consume just as much of them as kids who do have soda in their schools. There's is a silver lining to this cloud, however -- overall, all kids are consuming less soda, on average.

I think this goes to show that ultimately, it's up to the parents to teach healthy habits to their kids. What do you think?

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What's the big deal about breakfast? Well, I'll tell you -- so you can then go tell your teen (you know, the one who rushes out the door for school every morning without giving as much as a glance to the plate of eggs you left for him or her). It's called breakfast for a reason; it breaks the fast that the body has been on since going to sleep and finally waking up. Try going seven or eight hours without eating while you're awake and see how you feel. Catch my drift?

A recent study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found that teens who start their day by eating breakfast appear to have healthier diets overall, in addition to being more physically active and reporting fewer weight problems.

Not just any breakfast will do, however. Separate studies have shown that eating a protein-rich breakfast (such as eggs) is a better way to satisfy appetite than a breakfast loaded with carbs. This will also help prevent weight gain, for your teen will be less apt to nosh on candy and snacks before lunchtime rolls around.

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I'm on the fence about weight loss camps for kids. Sure they teach healthy habits, but what about the potential for emotional stigma? Are the benefits worth the risk? It probably depends on the child, the family, and the camp and how the situation is handled. What a good weight loss camp can do, I imagine, is take a child out of an environment filled with unhealthy habits and give them time to learn new, healthier ways of living.

What a handful of camps are doing right, then, are inviting family members along for the ride. Though the camper is the one who spends the majority of the time at camp, parents and siblings are invited along for a long weekend near the end of the summer. There, they too learn the joys of exercise and techniques for feeding their lighter and healthier camper.

It makes sense. Kids have a low tolerance for hypocrites, especially when it's their parents who don't practice what they preach. Since research shows that teens and dieting don't mix, encouraging entire families to be more active and focus on healthy foods seems like a recipe for success.

When it comes to weight loss camps for kids, what's your opinion?

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As Jacki pointed out last week, sleep is important for children's health. I can totally relate to her post about strict bedtimes ... we're going through this right now ourselves. After a long summer of lazy evenings spent with little regard to bedtime (and peaceful mornings where the kids slept in!), we now have to be up, at the latest, at 7 A.M. each morning.

Because my kids are still quite young, I know that they still need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. It's not easy getting them to bed early (my goal is 7:30), but I know that if we don't stick to the new bedtime routine, I'll have sleepy, grouchy kids who aren't getting what they need to be healthy.

So how much sleep do kids need? It depends on their age and their individual needs. My girls should be getting 10 to 12, but I know from experience that 12 is really optimum for them. Kids Health has a great article on sleep guidelines for kids. As a general rule:

• 0-6 months: Newborns may sleep up to 16-20 hours a day, split between day and night.
• 6-12 months: Between naps and nighttime, babies this age may sleep 15-16 hours a day.
• 1-3 years: Toddlers need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, including a nap
• 3-5 years: Preschoolers will sleep about 10 to 12 hours a night, and may start to drop their nap.
• 6-9 years: These kids still need about 10 hours a night.
• 10 to 12: Aim for a little more than 9 hours per night.
• Teens: Not quite adults, teens still need about 8.5 to 9 hours per night.
  

Of course, these are only guidelines. There are children who will need more sleep, as well as those who thrive on less. But in general, making sleep a priority will help your child be healthy and alert for whatever their day holds.

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Across the country this morning, kids are heading off to their first day of school. Hopefully, they're hitting the books with a solid, nutritious breakfast in their stomachs. Research shows that not only do breakfast eaters tend to eat fewer calories overall during the day, but kids who eat breakfast are more alert, do better academically, and feel better all around.

Not everyone is a morning person, however, and not everyone is a breakfast eater. That can make getting a good breakfast into a child or teen challenging. One way around a reluctant eater is the smoothie. Smoothies can pack an enormous nutritional punch, are easy to make, and are simple for kids to grab and go.

Diet-Blog has the basics on smoothie-making for beginners, as well as a few easy recipes. Once you get the hang of making smoothies, it's easy to play around with flavor and ingredients. You might even be able to turn a tween or teen on to the process, and before you know it, they'll be whipping up their own smoothies!

If cleaning a blender scares you off of smoothies, consider a product like the Shake and Take blender, which allows smoothie-lovers to mix up a single serving smoothie in a grab-and-go cup with straw and lid.

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Parents are always trying to get their teens to eat healthfully, serving them healthy breakfasts and dinners as often as they can. But what about the hours in between? It's during those times, which typically fall around the normal school lunch period, that many kids make their own dietary choices. And, as a recent CDC study discovered, most high schools aren't offering the type of healthy choices you are at home.

A CDC study of 36 states found that in some states, it's very easy for teens to get unhealthy junk food both in their lunch lines or throughout the day in vending machines.

Amazingly, this is actually an improvement over recent years. In a related study, the percentage of high schools selling junk food during lunch periods dropped from 53 percent in 2004 to about 37 percent in 2006. However, there was not any change in the percentage of high schools selling junk food during non lunchtime hours, such as candy in vending machines or in the school store.

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I remember back when I was in high school (what my son would call the "olden days"). When my friends and I finally scored drivers licenses and cheap used cars, we smelled freedom. Almost every day we'd escape the school's cafeteria and go out to lunch. We wouldn't go home or bring healthy, packed lunches to an off-campus spot to eat. Instead, we'd hit one of the fast-food joints downtown. It was a terrible habit to get into -- unhealthy and expensive.

Not too many years from now, my son will have the same freedom. We live practically next door to the local junior high and high school. I hope, when he has the freedom to leave school grounds at lunch, he opts to come home more often than not. I'd rather have him leave fast-food as an occasional treat, and choose healthful foods more regularly. (Though, if he brings home several teenage friends for lunch, my grocery bills will skyrocket!)

I just read an article which proves that students going out to lunch is a health decision parents and schools worry about around the globe. Short of preventing high school students from leaving the school campus, all we can do is teach our kids the importance of good nutrition from a young age. Then, hopefully, when they're old enough to do so, they make good choices.

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Back-to-school means back to sitting in desks all day, a good time to remind kids about posture.

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"Hi. My name is Maggie and I have insomnia." There's got to be a support group for insomniacs somewhere, right? My guess is they meet at 3 a.m.

I just recently had a bad bout of insomnia where I was only getting an hour or two of sleep a night. My sleep troubles tend to come in fits and starts, however, so the bad stretch has ended and I'm back to sleeping more normally. I do notice that when I'm sleep deprived, my son's behavior changes. I'm less energetic and perhaps a bit shorter-tempered and he starts to react to that. According to a recent study, adolescents can be greatly affected by a parent's insomnia. Not only are the adolescents more prone to insomnia themselves, they're more likely to feel depressed and suicidal.

In the study, nearly 800 adolescents completed a questionnaire. Some of the children had parents with insomnia, others did not. Those who had a parent with a sleep disorder were more than three times as likely to have a sleep disorder themselves. More alarmingly, 17% of children who had a parent with insomnia reported suicidal ideations -- 11.7% more than children who didn't have a parent with insomnia.

To learn more about insomnia, hop over to AOL Body.

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In honor of my city's fifth year as one of the healthiest communities in America, my local gym -- Gainesville Health and Fitness Center -- is offering free memberships to teens ages 13 to 17 for the months of June, July, and August. An $800,000 investment in the lives of young people, this offer provides an opportunity for all teens -- there are 8,000 of them in Gainesville -- to improve their lifestyle, health, and fitness. For a few months, anyway.

This mission of this free program is to take a stab at fighting the obesity epidemic in this country and to ensure that all teens have access to summer recreational activities in spite of current economic turmoil.

Pretty cool, I think. Too bad I miss the age cut-off by about, oh, 21 years.

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