1 . My fitness journey started when I couldn’t fit into my coats and weighed 176 pounds. This was my wake-up call. I was overweight, unhappy, and struggling to get back to health and happiness. I needed to be healthy again, so I decided to lose weight and regain control of my life.

I started working out and lost 40 pounds in two months. I was 33 with two kids. My journey started but I had much more to do. I ran marathons but grew bored of them, so I stepped up the challenge: and competed in triathlons (三项全能) for the next five years. I thought I discovered my passion. I’m a fierce competitor and enjoy racing even more. At 38, I was unable to compete and train at the level I desired. I was fearful of being lost and unhappy again.

As I was leaving the weights area one day, a girl asked if I competed in body building. I told her I didn’t and she said I should. This was the start of my new passion. I approached a bodybuilder at the gym and asked him about the sport and he convinced me to train for my first figure show.

I won every class I entered. I demanded a great deal from my body and aimed to improve before every competition, I maintained 10-11 percent body fat all year round. I have added 10 pounds: of muscle in the past four years.

Women over 40 needs to know that it’s possible to achieve our dreams. It’s about choices. Age isn’t a factor. If you want it, you have to work for it. If it were handed to you, it wouldn’t be sweet or unique.

3 . The Games are the world’s largest sporting event and almost 10 million tickets are set to go on sale for the 2024 Olympics, with 2.8 million for the Paralympics. Spectators will experience the 2024 Games alongside the greatest sporting champions in a unique atmosphere―celebrating with the whole world.

A number of different options for attending the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be available, but they will all be sold via a single site. For the first time in the history of the Games, ticket sales will be online only and accessible worldwide.

Tickets for the Olympic Games are now available without any draw(抽签). Tickets for various sessions may go on sale at anytime up until the Olympic Games, so stay tuned! For the Paralympic Games, single tickets and day passes for several Paralympic sports are on sale.

The Summer 2024 Olympic Games will take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 and the Summer 2024 Paralympic Games will take place from 28 August to 8 September 2024.

Please note that Paris 2024 reserves the right to modify or adapt its sales policy for tickets and hospitality at anytime. By buying tickets or hospitality packages (贵宾套票) outside the official channels, the buyer runs the risk that tickets or packages are not delivered to them or the access will be denied by the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee in accordance with the terms and conditions, In addition, all buyers are informed that unauthorized sale or resale of tickets outside the official channels, constitutes(构成) an offense under French law.

6 . “Second place is just the first loser” is a well-known saying from the legendary NASCAR champion Dale Eamhardt. Or as my father put it jokingly, “It’s not enough to win. Your friends have to lose too.” We may not want others to know our thoughts, but many of us think this way, because we are born to compete with each other. However, if left unmanaged, this can create disagreements between ourselves and others. Fortunately, there is a way to solve this problem: instead of always going for gold, aim for the bronze (铜牌) .

To expand on the wisdom of Earnhardt, let’s put it another way: although second place may be the first loser, third place can be the real winner, at least when it comes to happiness. A 1995 study discovered that bronze winners appeared happier on average than silver medalists, while another research in 2018 studied U.S. athletes in the Olympics from 1904 to 1936 and found that those whose best performance was silver lived to 72 on average. Gold medalists beat this by living to 76 But the first prize went to the bronze winners, who lived to 78.

The social concepts of upward and downward comparison help explain the difference. Silver medalists see themselves as the first loser because they compare themselves only with the champions. However, the bronze winners compare downwards with those who have never made it onto the podium at all. Therefore, they feel better about themselves and thus, happier. The feeling shows up in improved health. In fact, researchers have found that comparing ourselves with the unfortunate ones can help prevent a negative mood. The comparison is not from a feeling of ill will, but because rewards in life are relative (相对的).

The worldly happiness strategy of working for gold every day is foolish. Stop spending most of your time feeling like a silver medalist or always relying your happiness on a single result. Rather, aim for healthy competitions in which you do your best without the expectation of being the top winner.

8 . There’s a reason why so many people love running early in the morning.     1     Not only do you begin your day more relaxed and refreshed, but you’ve already started things of with an accomplishment. If you think you’re ready to take advantage of the benefits of a morning run, here are five suggestions from the professionals.

●Find a friend, and be gentle with yourself

Finding a partner to run with will give you someone to be responsible for, and make it much harder to blow off the run. It’s also important to remember that this is a process, and you can’t expect to do it perfectly from the beginning.     2     “Once you get into the habit, it becomes natural and actually jump starts your day,” says Sheri Piers, top American finisher at the 2012 Boston Marathon.

●Embrace the movement

“The first few steps or blocks will be tough in the morning. They always are,” says Dr. Jordan Metzl, who has over 32 marathon finishes under his belt. With a practice of more than 20, 000 patients, Metzl’s days are jam-packed, so early morning runs are a must.     3     “Sometimes you have to just do it, and remember that the motivation will come later.” he says.

●Stay warm

    4     “If I go to bed in my sports wear, all I need to do is throw on the outer layers and head out the door. At least that takes away some of the inconvenience,” says Tina Muir, a half-marathoner. She also leaves her alarm on the other side of the room to help push herself up.

●     5    

“I view waking up early like tearing off a Band-Aid,” says Michele Gonzalez, a running coach. “It’s gonna hurt for a bit.” Her advice is relatively simple. “You just have to set the alarm early and start doing it,” she says. “After a few days, you’ll be tired earlier at night and will start going to bed earlier. This makes the early alarm feel a bit more manageable.”