How To Make Exercise A Habit That Sticks
Maybe you can relate to this: You are determined to get more exercise. And you do—for a while. But a few days or weeks into a new routine, your good intentions fall apart.
There’s no magic number of days it takes to build a new habit, but the key to habits is repetition. So, give it a month, and research suggests that this can help you build a new routine. Moreover, if you can get that repetition going while you have high motivation, you’re much more likely to have a behavior change that lasts.
Make it social.
Let flexibility be your friend.
The people who worked out at the same time every day, they did actually form a more lasting habit around exercising at that time. But here’s the hidden disadvantage:
Set goals—but don’t let them trap you.
Make sure your exercise objective is achievable and ambitious.
| A．But give yourself a free pass or two if you fail to meet it. |
| B．Commit to about four weeks of daily exercise. |
| C．Combine a real pleasure that you look forward to with your workouts. |
| D．That was the only time they ever worked out. |
| E．Losses are about twice as motivating as gains of equal size. |
| F．Research shows that habits—good and bad—spread through our social networks. |
| G．How do you bridge the divide between intention and action? |
相似题推荐
Hi, Liam!
I'm really happy to be your pen friend. I'm 14 years old and I live in Calgary, Canada. I have two little brothers, Brian and Sam. I'm the only girl.
I'm active in sports and I'm always trying something interesting. I like playing hockey (曲棍球) in winter. It's fun! But summer is my favorite time of the year. I love skateboarding and rock climbing (滑滑板和攀岩) in summer.
Many girls think skateboarding is difficult, but it is easy and fun for me. I often skateboard in the park after school. I'm good at jumping with the skateboard!
Rock climbing is also really fun. I usually climb with my dad on the weekend. We can't do it on real mountains often because we live in the city. We often do indoor rock climbing.
So that's me-Little Miss Active! My friends like to call me that. I like the name. What sports do you like? Please write back soon.
Bye for now
Anne
1. How many children are there in Anne's family?2. What does Anne love doing in winter?
3. What does Anne think of skateboarding?
4. Does Anne often go rock climbing on real mountains?
5. What do Anne's friends like to call her?
【推荐2】How exercising changed their life
Name: Katelyn Block, 19
The problem: At the end of her junior year of high shoo, she fell into a serious eating disorder.
The change: She was an athlete, but while she was sick, she stopped running. Later, she decided to get back into running. She made the decision to build her body back from the ground up. With a few months of hard work and determination, she graduated from high school with a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Name: Amalia Biro, 24
The problem: Amalia was a horseback rider with her sight set on the Olympics, until one day she was thrown off a horse, leaving her left knee badly injured.
The change: She ran a 5K at the request of her friend. Running lets her clear her bead. She found herself staring to turn to running instead of breaking away from her social life.
Name: Sarah Jane Parker, 28
The problem: She had a lot of fear and anxiety about different things. The fear was taking over her life.
The change: She tried indoor rock climbing with her friend's encouragement. When she finally managed to climb to the top, she fell in love with the sport Eventually she used the courage she got from climbing to break away from her fear.
Name: Kimberly Whittaker, 25
The problem: Two car accidents in one month made Kimberly have joint problems in both knees and pain in her lower back.
The change: She joined a gym and worked with a physical trainer three times a week to help her become healthy again. She took spin classes (动感单车课程) the most often because she felt like she was able to focus her energy just on riding.
1. How did Katelyn become healthy again?| A．By running. | B．By seeing a doctor. |
| C．By changing her mind. | D．By focusing on studying. |
| A．They had big goals. | B．They were sports fans. |
| C．They had no self-confidence. | D．They should thank their fiends. |
| A．They were boring. | B．They were tiring |
| C．They were difficult | D．They were attractive. |
【推荐3】The human body is designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. As we know, we’re sitting while we’re eating; we sit in the car and we sit while we watch TV. And many of us sit for many hours at work.
New research shows that sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Peter Katzmarzyk, a scientist at the University of Louisiana in the southern United States, says that sitting is ubiquitous in our lives, meaning it is something we do all the time, everywhere.
However, Mr. Katzmarzyk says that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. He also says you may exercise often, “We can’t throw away physical activity. It’s extremely important. We have 60 years of research showing us that.”
Mr. Katzmarzyk and his colleagues are part of a new generation of researchers studying how sitting all day affects length of life. “Studies that have assessed the relationship between sitting and mortality (死亡率) or television viewing and mortality are very rare. There’s only been a few of them, actually five or six now, in the last four or five years.” They found that cutting television time to less than two hours a day could add one point four years to life.
Luckily, change is already coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A “standing desk” lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the “treadmill desk.” A treadmill is an exercise machine that lets you walk in one place. Even some U.S. schools are beginning to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving. That’s one of the strategies that many companies are using now.
Mr. Katzmarzyk also says studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives.
1. The underlined word “ubiquitous” is closest in meaning to ________．| A．dangerous | B．impressive |
| C．comfortable | D．common |
| A．Sitting long may help people live longer. |
| B．Exercise is important and don’t sit too long. |
| C．People are unaware of the harm of sitting too long. |
| D．Stopping watching TV is a necessary but hard task. |
| A．It’s been ignored by many scientists. | B．It’s a study that begins too late. |
| C．It’s an entirely new area of study. | D．It’s been a hot subject for scientists. |
| A．To give them more comfort. | B．To improve their work efficiency. |
| C．To offer them the chance to exercise. | D．To seek pleasure while working. |
【推荐1】It can be hard to include exercise in our busy lives.
I exercise once a week, and that's enough.
The good news is（bat recent guidelines have removed the need for physical activity to be at least 30 minutes at a time. There is no minimum time（最少少时间）to exercise, so carry out active daily chores, such as carrying heavy shopping bags and doing garden work, to improve your health. Try to do exercise “snacks”, such as climbing a few flights of stairs at a high enough intensity to make you a bit out of breath.
I'm too old to exercise.
This is not true. Evidence shows that aging alone is not a cause of major problems until you are in your mid-90s.
I'm not feeling well, so 1 shouldn't exercise.
If you have a fever, are really unwell or are experiencing high levels of pain or exhaustion, don't exercise.
| A．I am fit, so I don't need to exercise. |
| B．In most other cases, being physically active is safe. |
| C．There are a lot of reasons why people don’t exercise. |
| D．Physical activity decreases the risk of excessive weight gain. |
| E．I need to spend at least 30 minutes exercising at a time. |
| F．The health benefits of exercise won't last if you only exercise once a week. |
| G．Strength, power and muscle mass can be increased, even at this advanced age. |
Reasons to exercise regularly. You’ve been told a hundred times that exercise is good for your health.
You will become more confident.
You will live longer. It’s no secret that healthy living will keep you alive longer. One study found that exercise improves life expectancy as much as quitting smoking.
You will sleep better. If you ever have trouble falling asleep at night, it is a good way to solve this problem with regular exercise. The National Sleep Foundation says that regular exercise can help you sleep better.
| A．You will be happier. |
| B．You will improve your memory. |
| C．It is really true that sitting all day is killing you. |
| D．Both of these are important parts of losing weight. |
| E．It’s true, and it’s good for a lot more than just losing weight or building muscle. |
| F．Obviously, exercise can improve your appearance which can improve confidence. |
| G．The best time to exercise is in the morning or in the afternoon, rather than before bed. |
The “in” look is thin. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, slim executives to sell their image and their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline and self-respect. After all, people think, how can people who care about themselves, and therefore the way they look, allow themselves to become fat? In an image conscious society like the U.S. , fat is “out”.
It is not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed (着迷) with staying slim and “in shape”. The pursuit of youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for America’s obsession with diet and exercise.
Recent research has shown the great importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed very quickly during the course of last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As the result of inactivity and disuse, people’s bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising.
The effects of this new appreciation of the importance of exercise is clear: parks are filled with joggers and bicyclists, physical education programs are enjoying a newly-founded fame and many companies are providing exercise equipment for their employees to use during the work day.
1. In the United States, fat is something ________.
| A．people always talk about |
| B．not regarded as a taboo topic |
| C．people usually pay no attention to |
| D．belonging to the same treatment as other taboos |
| A．Their work helps them to look youthful |
| B．They are energetic and successful. |
| C．Their appearances affects their behavior |
| D．They are lacking in self-discipline. |
| A．Mary does her housework by hand. |
| B．Celia takes part in a marathon |
| C．Cecilia goes to her office by car. |
| D．Margaret plays badminton every Saturday. |
| A．Because these parks are fit for sports. |
| B．Because people are enjoying prestigious status in parks. |
| C．Because people are taking part in physical education programs. |
| D．Because people now recognize they should do more exercise. |
