DR. WALLACE: I'd like to start jogging to get in shape. All of my best friends are into jogging and I want to join their group. When I mentioned it to my brother, he said he heard that jogging is actually bad for girls. Is this true? — Jill, Mobile, Ala.

JILL: Jogging is one of the best forms of exercise for girls and guys if proper precautions are taken to avoid injury. First of all, the beginner jogger should get a thorough physical exam. If the doctor gives the green light, start slowly — on grass if possible, because it's easier on the knees. Shoes are important. They should fit properly and have a rubber heel.

To receive maximum benefit, you should jog at least three times a week. In case you want to shoot for a record, former Olympic coach Arthur Lydiard estimated that he had jogged 166,530 miles.

If you decide jogging isn't for you after you've given it a try, brisk walking is also an excellent exercise. Start slowly and work up to three miles per walk, at least four times a week. No one said it would be easy, but the results are magnificent!

YOUR PARENTS WERE NEGLIGENT

DR. WALLACE: I'm a very physically, mentally and emotionally mature 17-year-old young lady. I've been dating Jeff for over a year. We met last summer. He was a counselor at our church camp and I was a student. Even though he was 20 at the time, my parents liked him and allowed me to date him. In the past year, Jeff and I have fallen in love and have talked about getting married after I graduate from high school.

Now all of a sudden, my parents don't want me to see Jeff anymore. The reason? They feel he's too old for me. It seems like he wasn't too old for me when I was 16 and he was 20, but now that I'm 17 and he is 21, he's too old for me. I really care for him very much and I know he shares the same feeling about me.

What bothers me the most is that my father called Jeff and told him that he didn't want him to see me anymore because of our age difference, and Jeff, being the gentleman that he is, agreed. Jeff called me and told me that he was going to honor my father's request, so our relationship is over. He didn't even see me face-to-face to tell me the sad news.

Why would my parents allow me to date a guy for a year, and then decide he's too old for me? Please give me your opinion. It's not easy being a teenager when you have parents like mine. — Nameless, Newport, R.I.

NAMELESS: I agree that your parents handled the situation poorly — indeed, they couldn't have made a bigger mess of it if they had tried.

Obviously, they picked up on the fact that you and Jeff were talking about love and marriage, and this brought them to their senses. A 16-year-old girl should not have been dating a 20-year-old guy. Your parents were negligent in allowing it to start; when they finally realized it, they took steps to end it quickly. They were insensitive in not discussing the matter with you before they called Jeff, thus damaging their own relationship with you.

I understand why you feel hurt by this, but I urge you to accept your parents' decision, as Jeff has, and allow time to be your ally. Focus on school, boys your own age, and graduation.

When you're out of high school, you may have plans that leave Jeff far behind. But if the two of you still hold a flame for one another, maybe the romance will have a second life then.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.