Print edition: 
Breathing is one of those things your body does that you don't have to think about. But we think you should pay attention to it every now and then or you'll miss out on some major health benefits, especially for your lungs. That's because deep breathing:
* Brings oxygen deeper into your lungs
* Moves more nitric oxide (which widens blood vessels) to your lungs, which helps your blood vessels and lungs work better
* Removes toxins by getting lymphs moving
* Calms you
Here's a quick test: Stop reading; inhale and exhale normally, looking down as you do. If you don't see your belly moving, your breathing is short and shallow. Now try this:
1. Lie flat on the floor, one hand on your belly, the other on your chest.
2. Inhale deeply and slowly as you count to five. Your belly button should move away from your spine and your chest should widen and rise slightly as your lungs fill with air.
3. Exhale slowly to a count seven. Your belly button should pull toward your spine.
4. Let your belly button be your guide. When you deeply inhale, feel your belly button go out as your lungs fully expand with air. When you deeply exhale, feel your belly button suck in as you blow out old air and carbon dioxide.
Take 10 deep breaths like the one you just practiced morning and night.
Saving money on sunscreen
Cheap is chic these days. But if you're thinking that you can save money on sunscreen by using a body lotion with an SPF 15, we've got some bargain ways to give your skin more protection against burns, wrinkles and cancer.
First, think generic. Unless you have super-sensitive skin or you're buying sunscreen for a baby, drugstores have plenty of good generic SPF 30s (the minimum you should use). Most generics now offer solid UVA/UVB protection, just like boutique-priced designer brands. Next, check your health plan: Some flexible spending accounts cover sunscreens of SPF 30 or more.
We like formulas that use physical sunscreens, like nanoparticled zinc oxide. Why? Not only does zinc work instantly and stay put well but, unlike chemical sunscreens, it isn't absorbed — there's been some recent safety concern about absorbable chemical sunscreens. Until the data's clear, we're sticking with zinc.
Why we love salt
All taste buds are not alike, but chances are yours are a lot more like your parents' than your neighbors'. That's because a taste for salt is in your genes, and genes are why some people just can't stop eating those chips while others can pass them by.
Chip-and-pretzel lovers, Penn State researchers recently discovered, are supertasters. (Not just of salt; also of bitter, sweet, fizzy and spicy flavors.) If you're a salt-loving supertaster, not only do you like salty foods more than "nontasters" do, but you need salt to block out what you taste as bitter undertones in certain foods (like cottage cheese). In taste-bud land, salt balances bitter. You may not realize you're doing this; you just do it. To you, these foods taste bad without salt.
So whether you're a supertaster or a nontaster, like most Americans you're probably getting two to three times the salt you need. That's like waving hello to high blood pressure and stroke. Simple fix: Cut back. Eating a little less than 1 teaspoon of salt a day lowers your stroke risk by 23 percent and could add years to your life. Avoid highly processed foods (they're sodium swamps).
Eat whole, fresh foods and swap mustard, herbs, curry and balsamic vinegar for that table salt, which you will now take off the table. You can even use curry on popcorn.
Stiff, achy joints? Get a move on
Ever accidentally turn on your windshield wipers on a sunny day? That rubbing sound is so awful that you can't wait to turn the wipers off, right? It's similar to what happens in your joints if they're not well lubricated.
Even though you can't hear them, joints that aren't oiled with thick, slippery fluid become as creaky as rusty hinges on an old screen door. While you make less of that lubricating fluid as you age, these three steps can help keep your joints moving smoothly:
* Move it. Working out pumps more lubrication into your joints and releases more water into your lubricating fluid so it spreads over the cartilage surfaces more easily. Regularly moving your joints through their full range first thing in the morning covers the cartilage nooks and crannies with fluid.
* Feed your joints healthy fats. The same omega-3s that curb inflammation in your blood vessels calm it down in your joints, too. Get 'em from salmon, trout, olive oil, nuts, avocados and supplements high in the DHA form of omega-3s.
* Supplements with a combo of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin may help on two fronts: They increase lubrication and decrease inflammation (and thus pain). Over the long run, they may even repair some osteoarthritic damage. We recommend 1,500 mg daily of Triple Flex, Osteo Bi-Flex or Cosamin DS — brands that we know have 80 percent to 100 percent of this dose.
No rocker wants this heavy metal
When heavy metal music bombarded the airwaves, we were in the early stages of our careers and had no time to embrace it. Besides, the heavy metal we were concerned about was lead because of the brain damage lead-based paints caused kids who chewed on painted furniture or toys.
Today we have even more reasons to avoid the heavy metal: Adults can suffer brain changes, too — from mild memory loss to depression, seizures and odd behavior or crazy thinking — if you inhale lead dust or swallow particles. How could you?
There's a risk of drinking bits of lead if you speed water-boiling time by starting with hot tap water. (Cold water doesn't pull lead from pipes easily.) Exposure also occurs when doing hobbies like metalwork, mixing pottery glazes, refinishing furniture or working jobs like construction, welding or auto repair. Living with someone who brings lead dust home on clothing can lead to toxic exposure, too.
If you work with lead for fun or profit, wear a mask with an HEPA filter. And follow these guidelines:
* Get a blood test for lead before beginning to work with it.
* Then get tested once a month for three months.
* After three months, get tested every two months.
* If your tests stay safe, test every six months.
If you lose your appetite or feel tired, weak, irritable and/or have insomnia, stomachaches or nausea, get a blood test.
