Sick as a dog! When I am in a car and have to sit in the back seat, I feel super-nauseous. Help!

Ick--motion sickness is especially common in girls ages 10 to 13. It happens when your senses get all out of whack. Your inner ear, which keeps you balanced, tells your brain you're moving. Meanwhile, your eyes only see the back of your brother's head, so they send signals that you're not going anywhere. The result? You feel like you might throw up, your mouth waters, you get dizzy, and your skin turns pale. "The front seat is better because you can see your surroundings move," explains Dr. Rachel Rosen, "so your inner ear and eyes stay in synch better." If you can't sit shotgun, try these tricks: Roll the window down, focus on faraway objects, listen to headphones while looking out the window, don't read or play video games, and avoid greasy foods before riding. If you're still queasy, take an over-the-counter med like Dramamine before buckling up. Be warned, though, that Dramamine can put you to sleep. Some people get relief from special pressure-point bracelets, such as BioBands.

I'm 11 and want to get contacts. My mom says I'm too young. She thinks contacts will ruin my eyes. Is this true?

Your mom has the final say, but "most kids start wearing them around age 11 or 12," says optometrist Jonathan Goulart, Northwest Eyecare, Freeport, Ill. "As long as you're committed to following the care instructions, they are perfectly safe," he says. True, dirty contacts or ones worn longer than recommended can cause infections and even scratch delicate tissue. Your mom might worry that you're too young for the responsibility, but a three-year study at Indiana University found that kids ages 11 to 13 handled contacts carefully and understood how important it is to keep them clean. Everyone, kids especially, needs to see an eye care professional to be fitted. Web sites offer contacts, and some drug stores even sell them. Stay away from these. Ill-fitting lenses can scrape corneas, while the wrong prescription can make your head hurt. Want color-changing or wacky-pattern contacts? Those are cool as long as you get them from a reputable center. More good news is that stories about contacts getting "lost" in your peepers are purely myth. Plus, the prices keep getting cheaper--glasses and contacts now cost about the same. Maybe that'll have Mom seeing things your way.

I hate school sports! I've tried a bunch and don't like any of them, so I know I don't get enough exercise. Plus, I need to lose weight. I have aerobic workout videos that look fun. Will they do the trick?

Lots of kids are more comfy curling up with a magazine than winding up to hit one out of the ballpark. Luckily, gym teachers have finally realized that only bullies dig dodge ball, so they're incorporating activities that are less competitive and more appealing to everyone. When planning your own exercise program, "it's important to do what you like," says Wayne Westcott, fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass. He also reminds us that to keep a healthy bod and weight, we all need at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity three to five times a week. Non-competitive stuff can be just as fun and as good for you as dribbling a soccer ball down the field. Walk, ride your bike, or chase your dog in the snow. And, yes, workout tapes can be gold-medal material. Just press "play."

FACT or FICTION

Milk--it does a body good. FACT!

Santa loves it. Your cat laps it up. Mom's a huge fan. And the Dairy Council's ad line is not just hype. Milk is packed with calcium, which is necessary for building strong bones. And researchers have found that wrist fractures in kids have increased over 50 percent since 1969. Up to 90 percent of you aren't getting the recommended three to four servings of calcium-rich foods per day. If you're not into having a milk mustache, get calcium from other sources--cheese, yogurt, ice cream, broccoli and kidney beans. Down a daily dose of at least 1,300 milligrams of calcium--the equivalent of four 8-ounce glasses of milk.

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