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See all polls and resultsHow often do you get an annual checkup?
Questions, Answers and Resources for Teens
May 8
HIT Week 2013 Video Contest
Posted By iamincontrol | May 8, 2013
Looking for something to do this summer? Or do you just want to win a cool prize or gift certificate to your favorite restaurant or shopping mall? The HIT Week 2013 Video Contest might be your chance!
Health Insurance for Teens (HIT) Week is a campaign to increase awareness about the importance of health insurance for teens in Iowa. HIT Week 2013 is August 11-17. Create a video about why health insurance is important to you and submit it by July 31st for a chance to win.
Here’s everything you need to know about the contest:
HIT Week 2013 Video Contest Rules
Consent and Waiver Form
Share this contest with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest using the share buttons above. You can also print the attached flyer and hang it up at school or around your community to spread the word.
HIT Week 2013 Flyer
Jun 18
The Key to Health and Fitness: Believing in Yourself
Posted By iamincontrol | June 18, 2013
By Kalli
BELIEVE! As I was growing up and in high school, I was involved in many different sports and on my school’s dance team. I was able to stay in shape year round because I was always very active. However, I have always been the type of person to not like my body figure, even though I am about at the right weight that I should be for my height and body type. I am someone that says “I am fat,” or “I wish I didn’t look like this.” But as I grow older, I have realized that I have been given this body and am lucky to have it. I need to know that I can only make things better or worse for myself with my thoughts. I know that I am not overweight, but it’s what I see in the mirror that I worry about, which should not be the case!
I have now learned that I can relieve any stress that I may have by working out. The more stressed I am, the longer I work out. This is a very good way for me to get everything off my mind. I usually run or workout with my cell phone and listen to music, but when I am extremely stressed I will leave my phone at home and leave everything behind while I am working out. I now know that being healthy is a major part of my life and should be in everyone’s. I do not mean go out and start dieting because traditional dieting with very few calories is not as healthy as most people make it out to be. I just mean make healthy nutrition and exercise choices.
Jun 11
Body Image Ups & Downs
Posted By iamincontrol | June 11, 2013
By Jessica
All through my high school experience, I had a hard time with my body image. I have always been heavier than I should be ever since I was in middle school. This led to many body image issues and confidence problems I had in high school. By the time I got to high school, all my friends had lost their baby fat and had become taller and skinnier, while I stayed the same. It wasn’t until I was a junior in high school where I became really self-conscious about myself.
When I was a junior in high school, my friends began to go out more. They began to go to dances and parties. They all would wear skirts or tight dresses. I felt like I couldn’t wear the same types of clothing since my body type was different than theirs. After this I became super self-conscious about my body image. I wasn’t obese, but just a bit bigger than my friends. My friends would also go shopping, and it got to a point where I didn’t want to go because I wasn’t able to get the same styles of clothing as them because we had different body shapes.
Jun 6
DRUGS! They Determined My Life
Posted By iamincontrol | June 6, 2013
By Noraa
When I was younger, I was a normal kid. I went outside, hung out with my friends, and just had fun. I had yet to realize that drugs had taken a toll on my life. I remember one day seeing a lady and a man walking down the street. I was playing jump rope with my friends as these people approached us. They greeted me like they knew me. Of course I knew of them, but I didn’t know them. She would tell my friends she was my mom, and I would run in the house embarrassed. All my friends knew this woman walked the streets day and night, looking for what she needed to survive. That day was the day my mom told me that I was adopted. The lady I had been seeing was a drug addict. I was kind of saddened, but yet I still didn’t understand. I had been taken away from my mother who could not take care of me. She chose drugs, something that didn’t last very long and that could kill her, instead of her kids. I tried to understand the why in all of this. All I knew was that I didn’t want any part in it. I promised myself that I would never go down that road no matter what struggles I went through.
Jun 4
Top 10 Reasons to Get a Summer Job
Posted By iamincontrol | June 4, 2013
The results are in! Last month’s poll was:
Is having a summer job important to you?
You said:
- Definitely. It keeps you busy and helps your bank account. (87%)
- I’m too busy with summer sports to have a job. (0%)
- Nope. I’m going to hang out with my friends all summer. (0%)
- No way, summer is for sleeping and watching TV. (13%)
We definitely agree and think summer jobs are really important. Here are some of the reasons why you should be looking for a job this summer.
Top 10 Reasons to Get a Summer Job
- Add to your resume. – Future employers and colleges are going to be looking for previous experience.
- Learn interview skills. – Knowing what it takes to ace a job interview will come in very handy later. You might not ace your first one, but every bit of practice helps.
- Learn to deal with rejection. – Even if you don’t get the job you wanted, you will learn what it’s like to be rejected for a job. This won’t be the only time rejection happens in your life, so the earlier you learn to cope, the better.
- Read More
May 30
Coping with Grief
Posted By iamincontrol | May 30, 2013
By Anonymous
They say time heals everything, but what they don’t say is how much time. How long does it take to get over losing a loved one? Or is it all a myth and in fact, time doesn’t heal but actually hurts?
I lost my pride and joy, my grandma, on September 6th, 2012. When I received the news I screamed. I cried out a scream so powerful I think an actual part of my soul departed with it. I mentally prepared myself for years that someday her day would come, but no one can ever prepare him or herself for losing someone that meant so much.
The hardest thing I have had to come to terms with was that I was with her the day before her passing. We talked, laughed, she bragged about me to the nurses, and then the next day she was gone. In a matter of twenty-four hours my life changed. I went from the happiest girl in the world with everything at her fingertips to a girl I didn’t even know. I heaved and cried to the point where it was a miracle I could still stand. I laid in her bed and cuddled in her sheets where I had just slept the night before and breathed in our memories.
May 29
I-STEP ‘The Choice is Yours’ Summit
Posted By iamincontrol | May 29, 2013
Do you like to have fun? Hang out with friends? Meet new people?
Do you know someone in your family who smokes? Are you worried about their health? Do you want to help other people avoid tobacco? Do you use tobacco and want to quit?
If you answered yes to any of these questions or if you just like free food, read on!
Iowa Students for Tobacco Education and Prevention, or I-STEP, is hosting a FREE summit on June 12, 2013 in Ankeny, IA. The summit will include learning more about I-STEP, stopping tobacco, speakers, friends, food, sharing your story in a candle light vigil, and much more. This would be a great way to spend a day of your summer vacation with your friends, and I-STEP will even be sending buses to a town near you to pick you up and take you home (learn which towns here). Awesome.
To learn more or sign up, please visit: http://
This is a great group of people you definitely want to get to know, so join in! You are in control of making the most of your summer.
May 28
A Journey of Highs and Lows
Posted By iamincontrol | May 28, 2013
By Sarah
I think we have all felt a little self-conscious about our appearance or had low self-esteem at some point in our lives, right? This time for me was when I started my eighth grade year of junior high, and it hit me hard. I was always a little chunky, so I felt unattractive in my own skin. Things started to get worse and worse that year, so I decided to make some changes. Finally when I was in my sophomore year of high school, I was down to a healthier weight and feeling great. I was at a high point in my social life and had a ton of friends. But when junior year arrived, I started gaining weight like I could not believe! And of course, feeling bad about myself was back… again. I thought nothing could get worse at this point. I was really struggling with my self-esteem. I got my physical to play golf in high school, and my doctor told me I had hypertension (high blood pressure). I remember sitting there thinking, “Great, now I am gaining weight AND I have high blood pressure.” Not only did it hurt to gain weight, but it hurt knowing that I was in high school and was unhealthy enough to have high blood pressure already. What a mess.
I knew I had to make a turn around because my mom told me that at 17, I could make a change that would affect the rest of my life! I started working out, and we started eating healthy as a family. I finally reached a weight I was happy with. I was prescribed blood pressure medication to help keep it under control; life was finally going good again.
May 23
Waiting for Sex: Why It’s GREAT
Posted By iamincontrol | May 23, 2013
By Anonymous
SEX.
Does anyone NOT have it? Because it seems like everyone around me does.
We hear about sex ALL the time. Sex is a big part of movies and conversations with friends. What’s the big deal?
I think waiting for sex has been one of the better decisions that I have made in my short lifetime.
WHY?
As crazy as it sounds, I like being able to look forward to sex.
I like being able to have the mystery in what that might be like.
It creates suspense. Fun suspense.
May 21
Finding My True Friends
Posted By iamincontrol | May 21, 2013
By Meggie
I learned a lot of things in high school. Of course I learned about American government, chemical reactions, and how to properly cite sources for a paper, but the most important thing I took from those four years was what I learned outside of the classroom. Within those four years, the main thing I learned about was who my true friends were. It didn’t take too long to figure out that my group of friends was changing, and fast. My best friends at the time found a couple new interests, which were upper classmen and partying. It was then I realized I was in the wrong circle of people. But how was I supposed to find the right group when the circle I was in and the circle of people I was looking for didn’t cross?
At this time I found myself discovering who I was without depending on others. This experience was really eye-opening and rewarding. However it was not as easy as it sounds. Throughout the process I had to stand against my former friends and their decisions I did not approve of. I formed friendships with my classmates who I always knew but didn’t hang out with before then. I started to spend more time with them, and I realized not everyone was concerned with being popular and going out drinking every weekend. I realized these are the people I want to be associated with.
