为什么运动是明智选择

张恒

Youve probably heard countless times how exercise is “good for you”. But did you know that it can actually help you feel good， too？ Getting the right amount of exercise can increase your energy levels and even help improve your mood.

你可能已经无数次地听过运动如何“对你有好处”。但是你知道它实际上真的可以帮助你感觉健康吗？进行适量的运动可以增加你的活力，甚至有助于改善你的情绪。

Rewards and Benefits

回报和成效

Experts recommend1 that teens get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous2 physical ac-tivity each day. Here are some of the reasons：

专家建议青少年每天进行60分钟或更长时间的中度至剧烈运动。有以下几个原因：

Exercise benefits every part of the body， including the mind. Exercising causes the body to make chemicals that can help a person to feel good. Exercise can help people sleep better. It can also help some people who have mild depression3 and low self-esteem. Plus， exercise can give people a real sense of accomplishment4 and pride at having achieved a certain goal—like beating an old time in the 100-meter dash.

运动有益于身体的每个部位，包括头脑。运动会使身体产生可以帮助人们感觉良好的化学物质。运动可以帮助人们更好地睡眠，还可以帮助一些患有轻度抑郁和低自尊的人。此外，运动可以给人们一种真正的成就感，并为实现某个目标感到自豪——就像在100米短跑中击败过去一样。

Exercise can help you look better. People who exercise burn more calories and look more toned than those who dont. In fact， exercise can help keep your body at a healthy weight.

运动可以让你看起来更健康。运动的人比不运动的人燃烧更多的卡路里，看起来更健康。事实上，运动可以帮助你保持健康的體重。

Exercise helps people lose weight and lower the risk of some diseases. Exercising regu-larly5 decreases a persons risk of developing certain diseases， including obesity， type 2 diabetes， and high blood pressure.

运动有助于人们减轻体重，降低患某些疾病的风险。定期运动会降低患某些疾病的风险，包括肥胖、Ⅱ型糖尿病和高血压。

Exercise can help a person age well. This may not seem important now， but your body will thank you later. For example， osteoporosis （a weakening of the bones） can be a problem as people get older. Weight-bearing exercise—like jumping， running， or brisk walking—can help keep bones strong.

运动可以帮助一个人健康老去。现在这可能看起来不重要，但是你的身体会在以后感谢你。例如，随着人们年龄的增长，骨质疏松症（骨骼减弱）可能成为一个问题。负重运动——如跳跃、跑步或快走——可以有助于保持骨骼强壮。

The three parts of a balanced exercise routine are： aerobic exercise， strength training， and flexibility training.

一套均衡运动的三个部分是：有氧运动、力量训练和灵活性训练。

Aerobic6 Exercise

有氧运动

Like other muscles， the heart enjoys a good workout. Aerobic exercise is any type of exer-cise that gets the heart pumping and gets you breathing harder. When you give your heart and lungs this kind of workout regularly， they get stronger and are better at getting oxygen （in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells） to all parts of your body.

灵活也有助于提高一个人的运动表现。有些活动，如舞蹈或武术，需要很大的灵活性。但增加灵活性也可以帮助人们在其他运动中表现更好，例如足球或长曲棍球。

Sports and activities that encourage flexibility are easy to find. Martial arts like karate， bal-let， gymnastics， and yoga are good choices. Stretching after your workout will also help you im-prove your flexibility.

加强灵活性的体育活动很容易找到。空手道、芭蕾舞、体操和瑜伽等都是不错的选择。锻炼后进行拉伸也有助于提高灵活性。

Whats Right for Me？

什么运动适合我？

One of the biggest reasons people drop an exercise program is lack of interest： If what youre doing isnt fun， its hard to keep it up. The good news is there are tons of different sports and activities to try to see which one inspires you.

人們放弃锻炼计划的最大原因之一是缺乏兴趣：如果你正在做的事情并不好玩，那就很难坚持下去。好消息是有很多不同的体育运动和活动，试试看哪一个能激发你的热情。

When picking the right type of exercise， it can help to consider your workout personality. For example， do you like to work out alone and on your own schedule？ If so， solo sports like run-ning， biking， or snowboarding could be for you. Or do you like the shared motivation9 and com-panionship that comes from being part of a team？ School sports， intramural10 leagues， club teams， and pick-up games are great ways to stay active with others.

选择正确的运动类型时，有助于仔细考虑你的运动特性。例如，你是否喜欢按照自己的日程安排独自锻炼？如果是这样的话，像跑步、骑自行车或滑雪板这样的单人运动可能适合你。或者你喜欢成为有共同动机、和睦相处的团队成员吗？学校体育活动、校内联赛、俱乐部队和接球比赛是与他人一起保持活跃的好方法。

You also need to plan around practical considerations， such as whether your chosen activity is affordable11 and available to you. （Activities like horseback riding may be harder for people who live in cities， for example.） Youll also want to think about how much time you can set aside for your sport.

你还需要围绕实际考虑进行规划，例如，所选择的活动是否可以负担得起，且对你是可用的。（例如，对于居住在城市的人来说，骑马等活动可能会更困难。）还需要考虑你可以为运动留出多少时间。

Its a good idea to talk to someone who understands the exercise， like a coach or fitness ex-pert at a gym. He or she can get you started on a program thats right for you and your level of fitness.

与了解运动的人交谈是个好主意，比如健身房的教练或健身专家。他或她可以帮你开始一个适合你和你健康水平的运动计划。

Doctors know that most people benefit from regular exercise， even those with disabilities or medical problems like asthma. If you have a health problem or other concern （like being over-weight or very out of shape）， talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise plan.

医生们知道，大多数人都能从经常运动中受益，即使是残疾人或有哮喘病的患者。如果有健康问题或其他问题（如超重或身体状况很糟），请在开始运动计划之前咨询医生。

Considering the benefits to the heart， muscles， joints， and mind， its easy to see why exer-cise is wise. And the great thing about exercise is that its never too late to start. Even small things can count as exercise when youre starting out—like taking a short bike ride， walking the dog， or raking12 leaves.

考虑到对心脏、肌肉、关节和大脑的益处，很容易看出为什么运动是明智的。运动的好处在于，任何时候开始都不会太晚。当你刚开始时，即使很小的事也可以算作运动——比如骑自行车、遛狗或扫树叶。