Following the crowd may not always be in a person’s best interest．But new research suggests that teens who go along with their friends may end up healthier as adults．

Scientists have known that close friendships help boost health．That’s true for both teens and adults．The finding inspired Joseph Allen，a psychologist at the University of Virginia，and his team to study whether experiences during teen years would influence adult health．

So they followed 171 teens，starting when the kids were just 13．They interviewed each one every year for five years，and also spoke to these teens’closest friends，who provided additional information about the quality of their friendships．The same 171 people were interviewed again at ages 25，26 and 27．This time，the questions surveyed each person’s overall health．When the researchers analyzed the data they found a strong connection between a teen’s behavior and adult health．Teens who had close friends grew up to be the healthier adults．Whether teens held back their feelings or expressed them to a close friends also influenced later health．Those who held back were more likely to be sick as adults．The connection held up even after the scientists accounted for other possible influences on health．Weight，family income and drug use were all examined．So were mental health issues，such as anxiety and depression．And in these people，such other factors did not explain adult health as well as teen friendships did．

Going along with the crowd may have benefits，says Allen，but there are also drawbacks．Teens who are more independent tend to do better at school and work．And peer pressure may lead some kids to engage in risky behavior，such as smoking，drinking or using drugs．Dealing with it is an ongoing challenge，Allen acknowledges．“Finding the right balance is the key．Teens shouldn’t lose heart for not finding this easy．”And，he adds，“Parents need to be understanding about the pressures teens face.”

As we all know, sleep is very important and necessary. I would love everyone to develop the following four habits to have better sleep without needing the alarm（闹钟）wake-up call.

【小题1】If you eat much food an hour before you go to bed, your body will hate you, because your body needs time to digest while you are still awake.

【小题2】When I hear on TV that people just need 30-minute exercise a week, I think that’s wrong. Every person should get 30-minute exercise every day. When you exercise, your body uses energy and feels tired. You have to recover from the tiredness. 【小题3】 The harder you exercise your body, the faster it falls to sleep and the better it sleeps.

Turn the TV off. There are a few shows I still watch, but they will never get in my way of (妨碍) sleep. The bedroom is only for sleeping and rest. 【小题4】.

【小题5】A question to ask yourself: If I didn’t have an alarm, what time would I get up? If that time is the time you need to get up, you should probably throw away the alarm. If the time you actually get up is much later than the time you need to get up, make great changes to your way of life and the time you go to sleep. No one should need an alarm.

Improving as a runner is about more than just running all of the time.【小题1】In that case, you can make large improvements as a runner in a relatively short time, no matter what your sport, race, or running habits.

【小题2】It is common for runners to push themselves about the same amount each time, running similarly challenging runs and gradually increasing difficulty. Outstanding runners, however, alternate(交替)an easy, resting run with a very challenging one. It is during these difficult runs，when you really push yourself, that your body snakes the most significant gains.【小题3】Rather, it is helping rebuild and relax the muscles needed for your big runs.

Keep a relaxed but strong upper body to conserve energy efficiently. You want to keep your chin(下巴)up and your shoulders back, with loose, relaxed arm and hand muscles. Your elbows are bent at 90 degrees but swing freely. If anything, the only muscles you want to focus on keeping strong and tight are the ones in your core(核心).【小题4】

Use your light run to work up a light sweat. A higher body temperature ensures your muscles are loose and flexible, and your body is pumping blood effectively throughout. For everything other than easy runs, use the first five to ten minutes to build a light sweat and get your body ready for exercise.【小题5】Slowly pick up speed for short 10 second runs, then return to normal warm-up pace. This helps prepare your muscles for speed.