FitTEEN helps teens stay healthy during the summer months.

Lady of America, a full-service chain of female-focused fitness centers, is offering teenage girls ages 13-19, the opportunity to workout for FREE at any participating Lady of America or Ladies Workout Express Center during the summer months. The FitTEEN™ workout program, now entering its sixth year, runs from June 1 through September 1, 2009.

Toni Negas, Lady of America Franchise Corp. National Marketing Director, says:

“Give teens a place in the summer where they can begin a health and exercise plan in a supportive, non-competitive environment, and help them to begin a long and healthy relationship with their overall health and self-confidence. It’s not hard to make exercise a part of your everyday life when you start young.”

Here are some tips for teens to keep in mind when beginning a fitness plan:

1. Don’t be embarrassed. So what if you can’t run a mile? Who cares if you can barely complete a full push-up? You must start somewhere and no one begins at the level of a professional athlete. The important thing is to not let embarrassment prevent you from beginning an workout routine.

2. Start small. Nobody expects you to run 10 miles or bench-press 200lbs on your first day. You need to work up to these things. In fact, if you do too much too quickly you’re likely to either burn out or seriously injure yourself. Set small, manageable daily or weekly goals, and chart your progress in a journal.

3. Do both cardio and weights. Many people do one or the other, but for faster results, you should do both cardio and weight training. If you’re a girl, lifting weights will NOT make you ‘bulk up’ like a bodybuilder. In fact, weight training is crucial to help keep you healthy and strong.

4. Don’t overdo it. Muscles need time to repair. Don’t exercise the same group of muscles two days in a row, including abs. So while keeping a regular schedule is important, too much of a good thing is still too much.

5. Find a buddy. Things are easier when you’ve got someone to help you along the way. Team up with a friend and exercise together. Even when you can’t find the time to workout together, you can still motivate each other to stick with it and stay active.

For more information on the summer health and exercise plan, FitTEEN™, visit www.ladyofamerica.com. To participate in FitTEEN™, please bring along a parent or guardian  for initial consent.

Coke looking for teens to join Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay

Not often would parents and teachers encourage teens to miss a few days of school, but when a once-in-a-lifetime experience is the reason, there’s no need to worry about detention or losing driving privileges.

Next January, Coca-Cola will offer 10 lucky teens in the U.S. a unique “show and tell” opportunity to share with their friends and family – carrying the Olympic Flame. Coca-Cola is searching for teens who exemplify positive living in their community to carry the Flame in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay when it visits Calgary on January 18-19, 2010.

“Coca-Cola is committed to making a positive difference in the world by rethinking the way we live and work,” said Bill Kelly, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Trademark Brands, Coca-Cola North America. “As a presenting partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, we are using this opportunity to recognize some outstanding teens who personify positive living and serve as sources of inspiration to their friends, family and community.”

Joining the 10 teen torchbearers in Calgary will be Olympians and Coca-Cola “Ambassadors of Active Living” Shawn Johnson and Steven Lopez. Johnson is a four-time medalist in women’s gymnastics from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and Lopez has medaled in men’s taekwondo in three consecutive Olympic Games. Both athletes will participate in the Relay and meet with the teens to share their Olympic experiences and speak about the importance of living positively.

Selection Process

For the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola is seeking potential torchbearers who champion positive living, which is defined in the following ways:

• Balanced Living – staying active and physically fit while having fun with family and friends
• Community – working to make good things happen for people throughout the community
• Recycling – helping the planet by recycling or donating time to a recycling program in the community or school

To participate, nominators can visit www.livepositively.com and submit an essay that expresses, in 200 words or less, why the nominee is a champion of positive living. Nominations will be accepted through May 31.

All eligible entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges, and torchbearer selections will be based on how the candidates exhibit positive living through:

• Showing leadership to inspire others to a make a positive difference
• How the nominee’s work has inspired others to live positively or created sustainable results
• The breadth and depth of the impact of the nominee’s activities on the community

If you’re not yet ready to compete in the Olympics, this could be the next best thing. Or if you know someone who’s a champion of living and deserves the honor – be sure to nominate them.

Blogderby Book Edition: Sporty reads for teens

Sports fiction for teens: As an athletic fanatic and sporty young adult author, I’m always on the hunt for an amazing book that features an athletic main character. And guess what? Some of the best teen and tween novels on bookshelves today feature a sporty protagonist.

Born to run? There’s a ton of great sporty books out there for cross-country and track lovers. Eileen Cook’s (http://www.eileencook.com) What Would Eileen Do? follows Emma on her quest to snag a track scholarship with some major boy bumps along the way. Pheobe in Tera Lynn Child’s (http://www.teralynnchilds.com/) sensation, Oh My Gods, is a die-hard cross-country runner. Even best selling author, Megan McCafferty’s (http://www.meganmccafferty.com/) main character Jessica Darling (Sloppy Firsts) runs cross-country in high school.

 Performancing enhancing steroids isn’t just for boys anymore. Kathy Mackel (http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/blogs/guest-author/boost-kathy-mackel) tackles this controversial subject and more in her eye-opening basketball book, Boost.

 If soccer is your game, you’re in luck because soccer books are booming. Liz Tigelaar’s (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471527.Liz_Tigelaar) Pretty Tough is filled with plenty of soccer action, both on the field and off. Parker from Tina Ferraro’s (http://www.tinaferraro.com/) The ABC’s of Kissing Boys thinks she’s a sho-in for the varsity soccer team after two long years on junior varsity except she doesn’t make it. 

Are you a fastpitch fanatic? After moving to Texas, Ella learns to fit in through the softball team in Weezie Mackey’s (http://www.weeziekerrmackey.com/) Throwing Like a Girl. Keri Mikulski’s (http://www.kerimikulski.com) Screwball series follows superstar pitcher, Ashley Clarke, as she attempts to juggle serious softball with school, sports, and a social life, including a new boyfriend.

 Teen sports fiction doesn’t stop with softball. Alexa Young’s (http://www.alexayoung.com/) Frenemies series features gymnastics. Chris and Winston go on a post graduation cross-country bike trek in Shift by Jennifer Bradbury (http://www.jennifer-bradbury.com/). Boxing is Taylor Lucia’s sport of choice in Taylor Morris’s (http://www.taylormorris.com/) tween book, Total Knockout. And Liz Tiglear (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471527.Liz_Tigelaar) tackles football in the second Pretty Tough series novel, Playing for the Boys.

 Can’t find the sport you’re looking for? Or am I missing a great book? Let me know at www.kerimikulski.com. Keep reading.