As an adult, being overweight is hard enough. But, being overweight or obese as a teenager is even tougher. There is peer pressure to contend with, teasing from classmates or bullies, and that overwhelming feeling of not fitting in. Not to mention how it affects self esteem, confidence and their health. Here are some ways you can help your overweight or obese teen lose weight.

1. Begin by keeping healthier foods in the house. Swap out those little cakes, cookies and ice cream for healthier snacks like nuts, raw veggies and fruit.
2. Challenge your teen to a weight loss competition. If you’re overweight, you two could start a weight loss journey together. Whoever loses the most percentage of body mass over a specified period of time, wins. You two can decide what the prize is, but make it fun and challenging enough to be worthwhile.
3. Ask your teen to start walking with you. Not only is this great exercise, but it’s also a great way to spend time talking.
4. If you can afford it, get your teen and a friend a gym membership together. Working out is always more fun with a friend.
5. Teach your teen proper portion control. We are so bombarded with ads that teach us we have to eat huge amounts of food in order to feel satisfied, but the truth is we only need the actual serving size listed on the package label. One key to succeeding at this is to serve meals on smaller plates and bowls.

Obviously you never want your teen to feel as if you don’t love or accept them the way they are so approaching their weight issue should be handled with care and love. Some of the changes mentioned above can simply be done without saying a word, such as number 1 and number 5. If you’re not sure how to approach your teens weigh issue, you may find it beneficial to get some outside guidance.

The teenage years can be a time of great emotional turmoil as it is the transition from childhood to adulthood. A lot of issues such as peer pressure, search for identity, romantic and family relationships as well as school performance beset teenagers as they undergo this phase. It is inevitable that quite a large percentage of teenagers resort to drug abuse to cope with, alleviate or escape these issues. Teen drug abuse has actually become a common and prevalent phenomenon. Majority of deaths in individuals in the 15-24 age bracket are attributed to alcohol or teen drug abuse. Violent criminal acts that include, murder, assault and rape can be accounted for by teen drug abuse as well.

To combat anxiety and depression, teen drug abuse can also be a temporary coping mechanism for disturbed teenagers. A teenager with a family history of alcohol and drug abuse as well as lack of social skills are those predisposed to serious teen drug abuse, therefore these teenagers must steer clear of experimentation. It is essential that drug abuse by a teenager be prevented by providing emotional security, guidance and education to the child by the family. In fact, there is no telling as even teenagers with no family history of drug or alcohol abuse may also have a predilection to be gravely immersed in teen drug abuse.

Drug abuse if the biggest and foremost concern among children and parents as cited in the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse. The survey was conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (Columbia University). Physical signs of teen drug abuse to be on the lookout for are nagging cough, red eyes and irregularities in eating and sleeping habits. Parents should also be suspicious when their teenager starts to behave aberrantly and becomes aloof to other members of the family. Red light warning signals on the effects of grave teen drug abuse are irritability and violent behavior, anxiety and panic attacks, lethargy and chronic bronchitis symptoms, memory loss and learning problems, frequently recurring chest colds, paranoia, teeth clenching and muscle tension, convulsions, dehydration, hypothermia, brain damage and consequently, death.

Teen drug abuse has consequential effects of the user’s mood and performance. As a result of preoccupation with teen drug abuse, a teenager can have deteriorating performance in school or in college as well as the workplace. This could actually lead to detention, suspension or dismissal. Teen drug abuse can not only negatively affect family and personal relationships but ruin them as well. Teen drug abuse can also be devastating to parents as the problem can get out of hand and their child becomes defiant and can even have deviant behavior. If you suspect your child to be into teen drug abuse, it is wise to seek the help of authorities or reputable private or government agencies that can provide guidance, counsel, support and treatment to your teenager.

Teen drug abuse may not only be a phase of experimentation in a teenager’s life, but it can possibly lead to serious and grim drug addiction until adulthood that can be debilitating and complicated to resolve. Teen drug abuse, when combated in the initial stages can lead to a better quality of life and well-being not only as a teenager, but eventually as an adult as well.

Rose Windale is a Health and Wellness Coach who has been successful with several natural health programs for many years. Rose decided to share her knowledge and tips through her website http://www.healthzine.org
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When you were young, you may have heard the terrible things teens say to each other when they have acne. You know the “pizza face” comments and the poor self-image that goes with it. You want to spare your teen from being called the same names. Try these ways to control acne in your teen and they may not have to hear them at all.

These are some of the ways to control acne in your teen. If you can get them to follow these suggestions, they may have a better chance of having clean, fresh looking skin rather than the alternative. And if they have great looking skin, it will help them feel better about themselves.

Times have changed since you were a teenager as you’ve probably noticed. Teens face so many things you may never have had to deal with. Rather than spending hours outside like you probably did, many teens are sitting in front of the television, computer, or sitting down texting. You want to know how to keep your teenager in shape, right? Well, these ideas may help you.

Did you know that teens in Kenya, Zambia, Malaysia and rural Japan have less acne than teens in Western societies? Studies have shown that increased acne in teens and young adults is primarily due to diet, specifically cow’s milk. You see, most dairy cows are pregnant when their milk is extracted from them, therefore most of the milk that hits the grocery stores refrigerated section is infiltrated with the hormone progesterone. This hormone has been found to cause acne. So, what does all this mean for your teen and their acne? Reduce the amount of milk and dairy products in their diets, and increase the amount of protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts and omega fats.

Another study shows that acne may be caused by an allergic reaction to dairy products. The fat content in dairy may also cause the condition to worsen. Sugar is another culprit linked to acne as it impairs the immune system. Cheese, butter and ice cream also promote acne because of the milk contained in them.

You see, your skin is an organ that excretes waste products through sweating and through acne. Acne is actually one way for your body to get rid of toxins and there are a lot of toxins in dairy products, specifically cow’s milk due to the steroids and hormones they are injected with.

Processed foods are another cause of acne. Processed meats and cheeses, junk food, white flour, white sugar, unnatural foods, such as margarine, contain chemicals and hormones which may trigger acne. So, encouraging your teen to cut back on the amount of processed foods and milk they take in, may actually solve their acne problems. However, please take note that if your teen has hormonal problems, simply changing their diet may not cure their acne.

To test and see if cow’s milk is the culprit to your teen’s acne, try switching to soy milk if they won’t give up milk all together. Some dairy producers may offer milk from non-hormone injected cows, or you can try raw milk, but the best way to see if milk is causing your teen’s acne is to cut it out all together for at least one month. If their acne problem is reduced in that amount of time, you can figure milk is the problem. Be sure they reduce their intake of other dairy products, such as butter and cheese for true and accurate results.

If you have a teen that suffers from severe acne and have done the milk test, please tell us about it. Did reducing milk and dairy intake reduce your teen’s acne? How did your teen react to having to cut milk out from their diet? We’re they happy when they saw the results? We’d like to know!

Resources: Natural remedies for acne, Four Ways Milk Causes Acne