A Health Writer's Notebook

Think commercial sports drinks are good for you? Well, not only are they pretty much well-branded sugar water, but a new study is implicating them for irreversibly damaging teeth, too.

According to the report, acidity levels in some drinks studied are so high that they caused tooth damage in experiments in just five days. (The experiment involved immersing tooth enamel in the drinks for 15 minutes and then in saliva for two hours, repeated four times daily.)

The truth is, unless you’re a pretty hardcore athlete, you don’t need what sports drinks are trying to give you – and even worse, you’re downing enough calories to negate what you’ve burned. Instead, just have some water (mix sparkling with some real fruit juice if you really need a treat) and a light snack, and for light workouts, just have water and wait for your next meal. And if you must drink sports drinks, make sure to rinse your mouth with water afterward to clean off your teeth.

Any kind of exercise is better than none, but a recent study out of Copenhagen has associated “jogging” (“you should aim to feel a little breathless, but not very breathless”) with significantly longer lifespans – an extra 6.2 years for men and 5.6 years for women.

In addition to increased longevity, joggers in the study – some of whom have been tracked since 1976 – lived better, as well. Health benefits demonstrated by the study include improved oxygen uptake, cardio function and immune function, lower blood pressure, higher bone density and a better overall sense of well-being.

The best part? It’s not about marathon training – according to this study, you only need one to two-and-a-half hours a week, over two or three sessions, to reap the benefits. Three times a week for 20 minutes each time? Sounds to me like something just about anyone can fit in.

How often do you run?

I always like to say I do yoga because it makes me a better person – not just feeling better physically, but calmer and less likely to get upset or angry, too. And it turns out (unsurprisingly) it’s not just me – a new study from the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics showed that teen subjects who did yoga scored better in psychological tests to do with mood and anxiety than control subjects. And since many mental health issues start in the teen years, researchers think that yoga might even have a preventative effect when it comes to mental health.

The trick? Study subjects didn’t just do physical postures – their routines included breathing exercises, meditation and relaxation, as well. So along with working to perfect your handstand, make sure to set some time aside for the less-physical aspects of yoga practice, too.

Photo courtesy Lululemon on Flickr