teenage.me

Could too many sweets really cause breakouts? Maybe! What has long been thought to be a myth–that sugar causes acne–is now being reconsidered. I read in The New York Times that a recent study links foods that have a high glycemic index to breakouts. Foods with a high glycemic index raise your blood glucose levels rapidly, which releases a flood of insulin and hormones that scientists think might stimulate oil production and inflame the skin. But it’s not just sweet treats like candy, sugary breakfast cereals and doughnuts that might cause zits; foods such as pretzels, pasta, white bread and potatoes are also high on the glycemic index. Worse still, all these tempting snacks also increase your risk for heart disease, sap energy levels and cause weight gain. Try a diet that’s rich in oats and whole grains with plenty of fruits and veggies to stay healthy and banish bumps!

Shawn Johnson is, no joke, one of the most amazing girls I’ve ever spoken to. And talk about driven! At 17, she’s an Olympic gold medal gymnast, a competitor on Dancing With the Stars, and is so down to earth. I was thrilled (and a little starstruck!) when I got the chance to talk to Shawn about her training schedule, lazy day habits, and beauty routine!

1. How did you get started in gymnastics?
When I was 3 my parents put me in gymnastics because I was a bundle of energy and they just didn’t know what to do with me! They put me in a Tots class and I just fell in love with it.

2. If you weren’t a gymnast, what would you be doing?
I used to dance when I was little and I loved that… so I guess I would love to dance. I also did track and I loved it! I’m a very physical person, so it would have be something physical and active.

3. At what point did you know that gymnastics was more than just a casual sport?
Every year I just kept going back to gymnastics, but I didn’t start out training 10 hours a day. When I turned 10 or 11, I got more serious and I focused a lot on making it to the elite level, and from there I just kept going.

4. Who are some of other athletes you really look up to?
I’ve always admired the icons of gymnastics like Mary Lou Retton, and Kim Zmeskal is my favorite! Outside gymnastics, I think Lance Armstrong is amazing and really a true inspiration.

5. Leading up to the Olympics, what was your training schedule like?
I was training Monday through Friday for 4 hours a day because I was still going to public school, and then I trained all day Saturday. Sunday I was supposed to have off but I would go in anyway and do some extra work.

Love sports? Love (or wish you could!) to interview big name athletes? Then you’ll DEFINITELY want to check out Nike’s new contest to become a Field Reporter! One lucky girl will win the chance to travel across the US to chat with talent across the country. A VERY cool gig, I’m tempted to apply myself! Visit Nike’s site for the complete rules and more information!

Rita Simons’ ‘EastEnders’ character forces her to stay in shape.The soap actress said she is very careful to exercise three times a week and eat properly because she wants to look good in the sexy costumes she has to wear for her bad girl character Roxy Mitchell.Rita said: “Roxy’s outfits are way too revealing for me to let anything go!”She added …

‘Britain’s Got Talent’ contestant Shaun Smith claims he’s not good enough to win ‘The X Factor’.The 17-year-old singer - who wowed judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan with his version of Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ on Saturday (09.05.09) - decided against entering Itv’s other talent show as he wouldn’t stand out. He said: “A l…

John Thomson will become embroiled in a bitter love triangle when he returns to ‘Coronation Street’.The actor’s character, Jesse Chadwick will get caught in the feud between half-sisters Eileen Grimshaw and Julie Carp, when he ditches former lover Eileen for her stepsister.A source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper: “She thought she had finally f…

Martin Clunes has hit back at John Cleese for claiming modern British comedy is no good.The ‘Doc Martin’ actor said the former ‘Monty Python’ star could also be accused of losing his sense of humour, as he has hardly produced anything funny in the last twenty years.Martin, 47, said: “John Cleese certainly hasn’t made any good comedy since the 80s. …

Every conventional superhero film begins the same way. Whether it’s blinded by chemicals, bitten by a spider or speeding to earth in a crystal space pod, the one thing we, as an audience, need to see is how a seemingly ordinary individual becomes special enough to save the world when all else fails. Perhaps that’s why it’s not sur…

It’s hard to believe that it’s the Cannes Film Festival time of year again as films from around the world compete for the Palme d’Or.Last year Hollywood breezed in in the form of Kung Fu Panda, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and Changeling as well as hard hitting movies such as Waltz with Bashir which stunned audiences and critics. But it was …

A bowl of wholegrain cereal is as good as a sports drink for recovery after exercise, new research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sport Nutrition has shown. It found that this readily available, tasty and inexpensive breakfast food is as effective as popular, carbohydrate-based ‘sports drinks’. The researchers …