GETTING MORE SPORTY

Dear Jellybean,

I had a really bad rep at my old skool cuz i hated sports and that skool was all about sports. And thus, the result of that was always being picked last in gym which really hurt. I used 2 cry over that cuz i thought that i was worthless and so forth. Im really lacking in the physical aspect of skool and i dont want this rep 2 follow me 2 this new skool. Do u no how i can get my hand-eye coordination up? Thanx. ur website is great.
Signed,
Miserably last

Dear Miserably last,

Some people are born naturally athletic. Others have to work hard at it. But for every naturally coordinated person, there are many who just practiced really hard to look that way.

Your solution to improving your physical coordination and sporting ability is: Practice! You need to get active, and let your body get used to doing sporty stuff, so it gets a chance to become good at it. Train enough, and work hard enough, and eventually all this tough stuff will become like second nature to your body. No more getting picked last, then!

Check your local yellow pages for martial arts classes, particularly those that are especially for teen girls. See if you can sign up for a summer session. Martial arts is one of the best disciplines for teaching balance and coordination, since those are the basis of the sport.

Visit your local community center and see what sporty/exercise classes they're overing over the summer months. Get involved in as much as possible, making it your goal to be really active this summer. Throw yourself into learning new things, and don't be hard on yourself if it's tough at first, or if you seem uncoordinated. Everyone has to start somewhere - it's the people who keep at it, who become better at it.

And don't restrict your active time to classes, either! Pick up a frisbee and get outside with a few friends, or your big brother, and toss it around. Hit the local park with buds to shoot hoops at the basketball court. Grab workout DVDs from your local library or rental store, and increase your aerobic capacity. Take every opportunity to practice at being a "sporty girl" - and maybe by next year, you will be one.