I just read that teenagers need nine hours of sleep a night.  Yes, you read that correctly, not nine hours of sleep a week, nine hours of sleep a night.

So this is why I’m so tired all the time…

But my question is: what teenager gets nine hours of sleep a night and what is your secret?  Do you do your homework?  Do you have homework?  

If I were to get nine hours of sleep a night, I would have to go to bed at 10 p.m.  On most nights, I’m lucky to get to bed by 1 a.m.  

It’s not that I don’t want to go to bed at 10 p.m.  Actually, I would love to; my body is begging to.  But, with soccer, homework, etc., there’s just no way.

I don’t have any solutions for getting nine hours of sleep on school nights other than to have someone surgically remove procrastination from my brain or for teachers to start laying off the homework.  The latter option seems like it might be a little easier for everyone, but, hey, either way.  

Anyway, it’s just something to think about – whether it’s realistically possible or not.

Nine hours… that’s a lot.

If you haven’t seen the commercial for Reebok’s EasyTone shoes, here it is:

If getting toned is as simple as walking around in this pair of shoes, I’m in. 

Some friends and I tried to get these shoes before Christmas, but they were sold out everywhere and I haven’t tried looking for them since.  I would still like to get a pair, but, for $100, I want to know if they actually work first.  When my friends and I walked into Dick’s Sporting Goods, the salesperson said he sold a pair of the EasyTones to a woman and she wore them to work for seven hours the next day and was so sore the following day that she had to call in sick.

That’s a little intimidating.

According to Reebok’s commercials, Reebok’s EasyTones are “proven to tone your butt up to 28 percent more and your hamstrings and calves up to 11 percent more than regular sneakers.”

Here’s how they work: balance pods are built-in under the heel and forefoot of the shoes and are designed to create natural instability with every step which forces key leg and glute muscles to adapt and encourages toning.

^^ Here’s an up close picture of the shoes.

So, they’re not the coolest shoes in the world, but if I can be “working out” while I’m walking around at school or at home, it doesn’t get much easier than that.  I want a pair, but I want to know if they work.  I want to know if what they say, “better legs and a better butt with every step” is actually true.

I read an article yesterday titled “What You Eat When Nobody’s Watching” that I have to encourage you to read if you have ever waited until no one was home to start devouring everything in sight, been caught digging in a secret stash of food or if you have ever buried food wrappers to hide the evidence.  It’s hilariously true.

Health.com surveyed its readers and

86% said they wait until they’re all alone to eat their favorite indulgent foods.

46% said they have been caught digging into a secret stash.

71% said they’ve buried a food wrapper deep in the trash to hide the evidence.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of all three, my last offense being last night as I gazed into the trash can beside my computer, piled high with candy wrappers, and quickly rearranged the trash so my brother wouldn’t come in and exclaim, “You ate ALL that candy!?”

I once watched the Tyra Banks Show where she encouraged her viewers to eat – all the time – like you would in front of other people.  I guess she must know something about this secret indulging.

If you’re going somewhere sunny this spring break, the most important thing to remember is to wear sunscreen at all times. 

Even if you’re going for that beautiful bronze, still put a little on.

The sunburn and possible skin cancer just aren’t worth it in the long run. 

In the words of Baz Luhrmann:

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

Have a wonderful, safe and healthy spring break.

The legend is true: drinking ice water really can help burn calories.  

The science is this: ice water must be warmed up in the stomach, which causes the body’s metabolism to increase. 

According to an article on Ezine @rticles, “A person who consumes the recommended eight glasses of water a day – and adds in a few ice cubes – can burn around 70 extra calories on a daily basis.”

Simple as that.  Drink up!

Every time I see my 16 year old brother, he has some sort of junk food in his hand.  And I’m not talking just one piece of junk food, I’m talking like three or four Rrice Krispie Treats in hand.  He eats cookies and candy and pizza and fast food, works out occasionally and doesn’t gain a single pound.

And then there’s me who works out every day, watches not only what I eat, but how much I eat, avoids all of the terrible foods my brother eats and my brother is still, somehow, in better shape than I am.

After years of complaints about how boys can eat whatever they want and not gain a single pound, I decided to Google the facts behind this injustice.

In an article titled “10 Reasons Men Lose Weight Faster Than Women,” dietician Leslie Beck asked “Why is it that a woman only has to look at a decadent dessert to feel the pounds creeping on, while all a man has to do is cut back on portions – or hit the gym a few times a week – to watch the pounds fall off?” 

The answer was this: because of their higher levels of testosterone, men are more prone to build muscle mass which leads to a higher resting metabolism.  Estrogen (which women have more of than men) keeps fat on women’s bodies. Men can also lose weight through exercise alone, whereas women must reduce their calorie intake in addition to exercise.

It’s not fair.

As if we really needed another reason to stop drinking pop. 

And yes, that’s Ben Affleck setting a bad example. 

If the environmental, teeth-harming, addictive and sugary reasons weren’t enough to get you to stop drinking soda, maybe the risk of cancer will.

According to an article on Yahoo news, a new study shows that people who drink at least two sugary sodas a week have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to people who do not.

“Pancreatic cancer is one of the most rapidly fatal cancers in adults, with less than 5 percent of patients surviving five years or more after being diagnosed with the illness,” Yahoo news writes.

The study suggests sugar is the “culprit,” but it has not been confirmed. 

Whatever the reason, just stop it.  Stop drinking soda.  Grab a glass of water, milk, orange juice, anything other than pop.  The consequences of drinking soda just aren’t worth it.

To read “Sugary soft drinks linked to pancreatic cancer: study” click here.

The other day, my biology class conducted an experiment to find out where bacteria is living around the school.  We swabbed several places around campus and then incubated our petri dishes for a few days.  

When I went back to class to fill out my worksheet, I didn’t really expect to find anything too horrifying.

But, boy, was I wrong.

I opened the incubator and a terrible stench rushed out.  Not to mention the puffy yellowish specs of bacteria that covered the once transparent bottoms of the petri dishes.  It was disgusting.

We swabbed the piano keys of the piano in the auditorium, the staircase railing leading to the basement of Donnelly and the water fountain above the gym.  The water fountain had the most bacteria, but all three dishes contained gross amounts of bacteria.

All I have to say… wash your hands unless you want that bacteria living on you too.

Dr. Teri M. McCambridge, who practices pediatric sports medicine in Towson, Md., and is the chairwoman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, told The New York Times she believes schools should be proactive in discouraging the use of performance-enhancing subtances.  According to McCambridge, most high school students do not know the importance of a recommended dose, which can lead to harmful side effects if misused.

The New York Times article mainly deals with fitness supplements such as whey protein (which hastens the recovery of muscles after a workout) and creatine (which adds water weight to your muscle so you can lift more and add size quickly), but are sports drinks and energy boosters damaging as well?  I think so.  And if that is the case, many STA students should start being more cautious of what they are putting into their bodies (see senior Kylie Hornbeck’s article: ”St. Teresa’s Academy students use sports enhancers to increase energy, durability”).  

High energy drinks like Rooster Booster cannot be good for you.  They have so much sugar and risk of energy crashes.  As Julie Mohajir, health and wellness counselor, told The Dart, water is far more important than any energy drink.  

Being dehydrated even 2-3 percent decreases your athletic performance level.

Bottom line: I  agree with Dr. McCambridge and Stacey Zimmerman, a 25 year old and avid runner in New York who was also in The New York Times article, that you shouldn’t take things without knowing how they will affect your body.  And as Zimmerman said, “If my body won’t let me [do something] for some reason, then I probably shouldn’t be [doing] it.”

So next time you’re at Quick Trip, put down the Rooster Booster and grab a water.

Click here to check out The New York Times article: “When the Gym Isn’t Enough.”

To stay up-to-date on the latest health issues, subscribe to the health section of a local or national newspaper or magazine.  I subscribed to The Washington Post’s “Lean & Fit” newsletter which I receive via E-mail every Tuesday.  The newsletter contains tips for eating well, moving well and being well, provides answers to  submitted questions and supplies links to health in the news, recipes, etc.

To sign up for The Washington Post’s “Lean & Fit” newsletter:

1. Go here.
2. Click “Health Section.”
3. Type your E-mail address and create  a password.
4. Then, on the left side of the screen, scroll down to “HEALTH NEWS ON THE GO” and click “Subscribe to Lean & Fit Newsletter”.