Unlike walking the dog or strolling round the park, longer distance walks offer all the benefits of any fitness challenge. Getting outdoors to stride it out—either in company or alone, will boost your health and mood.
Differ your training
Marathon runners wouldn’t dream of hitting the roads to do the same-old thing.
Get kitted out
Research a route
Finding a long-distance route can be tricky but there are plenty of resources to help. The Ramblers (ramblers.org.uk), for example, offers more than 2,500 routes with written directions.
Start slowly
If you want to stay injury free, steadily increase the distance.
A.Just relax and face the challenge |
B.Or try route app Komoot (komoot.com) |
C.Invest in a comfortable pair of walking shoes |
D.They choose activities that prove helpful to them |
E.As you up the distance, you’ll see the body benefits up |
F.Practise on a regular basis and gradually improve your leg speed |
G.They mix it up with workouts, long-distance sessions and tempo runs |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】After taking a few steps back, Hadj Benhalima rushed toward the building, pushed himself upward with his foot against the wall and stretched out his arm. At the peak of his jump, he flipped off a light switch, and the bright lights of a nearby barbershop went off immediately.
This is what Hadj and his friends have been doing for the past two years: swinging around Paris and switching off wasteful shop signs at night, in an effort to fight against light pollution and save energy. And they are all enthusiastic about Parkour — a sport that consists of running and jumping over urban obstacles.
While climbing other people’s property to turn off their lights may strike some as a form of trespassing (非法入侵), the Parkour athletes insist their activities are only about enforcing seldom-respected rules.
More than a decade ago, Paris City Hall issued orders requiring stores to turn off all signs and window displays from 1 am to 6 am, but they are widely ignored with little consequence. “for 10 years there has been no follow-up, no control, no punishment,” said Anne-Marie Ducroux, the head of the National Association for the Protection of the Sky and the Night Environment.
That is why Hadj and his friends have taken matters into their own hands. The group often gathers in the so-called Golden Triangle neighborhood, in western Paris, which is the center of French luxury.
Enforcing the orders in place of the authorities certainly enters a legal grey area. But the Parkour athletes say all the police officers they have met during their rounds have allowed their action — as long as it causes no damage.
And it seems that their efforts have produced the desired result, because Hadj says he has noticed that in recent months, several shops have stopped leaving their lights on after his group targeted them. He hopes others will follow suit. “At least, I’ll sleep better,” he said.
1. What are Hadj Benhalima and his friends trying to do at night?A.To practice their Parkour skills. |
B.To remove possible urban obstacles. |
C.To turn off unnecessary store lights. |
D.To ensure the safety of their neighborhood. |
A.They are too strict to follow. |
B.They have achieved the desired effect. |
C.They put great pressure on stores. |
D.They are not carried out effectively. |
A.Worried. | B.Supportive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Unconcerned. |
A.Why Parkour is so popular among young people in Paris. |
B.Why it is difficult to fight against light pollution in Paris. |
C.How the lighting of shop signs affects the night view of Paris. |
D.How young people in Paris help save energy through Parkour. |
【推荐2】Children who are overweight are at risk of developing health problems. Children who do not take much exercise are much more likely to become too fat, which can lead to many weight-related problems.
Children benefit from exercise in several ways. They will develop the ability to deal with the physical and emotional stresses of daily life.
Kids should exercise as frequently as possible.
A.Also, exercise burns calories. |
B.All physical activity, even repetitive movement, is beneficial. |
C.Regular exercise can help children stay healthy or get healthier. |
D.Exercise that produces physical benefits should be of certain intensity. |
E.This encourages the continuation of an active lifestyle through adulthood. |
F.Children can participate in many kinds of exercises to build strength and flexibility. |
G.It is suggested that children aged 2 and over exercise at least 30 to 60 minutes every day. |
【推荐3】Simpson is 53, “not sporty” and has suffered from asthma all her life. Two years ago her son Jay, now 10, took up BMX(自行车越野赛). “I enjoyed watching him and thought I’d like to try it,” Simpson recalls. “But I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I hadn’t ridden for over 40 years.”
Then she noticed a session for women and girls at Burgess Park BMX Track in Peckham, south-east London, where Jay trained. This season Simpson raced at the London BMX series and finished third in her category.
“It was the most worrying experience of my life. But it was also exhilarating,” she says cheerfully. “My son is proud of me. We now share a real love for the sport. It has brought us closer together.”
Since becoming part of the Olympic Games in 2008, the popularity of BMX has risen. A program introduced in London in 2011 by the sports development charity Access Sport has seen tracks built in several London regions, backed up with investment in coaching, and the program is being rolled out to Bristol.
Wright’s children Skye, 11 and Xander, 10 are sponsored riders who have represented Great Britain in every world championship since 2014. Wright says she was motivated to start BMX herself out of an interest aroused by watching so much of it. “It’s an eye-opener to share your children’s interests,” she explains. “You comprehend what they go through in a much more direct way. It adds another dimension to your relationship.”
It is also a high-impact sport and the risks are fairly obvious. “I totally get the fear,” says Emma, 51, a BMX exercise coach and cycling instructor. “It’s the fear of doing something new, of getting hurt. But I say ‘Come and give it a try.’ The chance of having an accident is slim, and you can spend time on the flat to improve your confidence.”
1. What can we learn about Simpson from the first two paragraphs?A.She tended to be inactive. |
B.She performed poorly in the race. |
C.She used to feel awkward in public. |
D.She trained at Burgess Park BMX Track. |
A.Annoying. | B.Convincing. |
C.Thrilling. | D.Challenging. |
A.More life skills. |
B.Stronger will. |
C.More confidence in themselves. |
D.Better parent-child relationship. |
A.Risky but actually secure. | B.Demanding but open to all. |
C.Competitive but instructive. | D.Pleasant but time-consuming. |