2 . For people suffering from depression, there’s an all-natural treatment they should use — getting more exercise. It could help fight depression, even if people have a genetic risk, new research shows.

For the study, researchers collected information from nearly 8,000 people and found those with related genes were more likely to have depression over the next two years after examining them. But that was less likely for people who were more active at the study’s start, even if they had a family history of depression. Higher levels of physical activity helped protect even those with the highest genetic risk of depression.

Both high-intensity (高强度) exercise and low-intensity activities were associated with a reduced risk of depression. Adding four hours of exercise a week could lower the risk of a new episode (一段经历) of depression by 17%, according to the study. “Our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, being physically active has the potential to remove the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically risky,” said lead author Karmel Choi. “On average, about 35 additional minutes of physical activity each day may help people to reduce their risk and protect against future depression episodes.”

Depression is a common mental illness globally, with more than 264 million people affected. “Depression is so ubiquitous, and that underlines the need for effective approaches that can impact as many people as possible,” Choi said. And mental health and primary care providers can use the findings to advise patients that there’s something meaningful they can do to lower their risk of depression.

6 . A 99-year old Australian swimmer appears to have broken a world record for his age group in the 50 m freestyle. The likely new world record holder, George Corones, clocked 56.12 seconds at an official event in Queensland—a new benchmark for the 100-104 age category. He faded the previous record of 1:31. 19, which was set by British swimmer John Harrison in 2014, by 35 seconds. It will now be affirmed by the sport’s governing body.

Corones, who is quailed for the record because he turns 100 in April, said he was “quite delighted” and “over the world” by the result. He said he had been overwhelmed by the “roaring” crowd on the Gold Coast on Wednesday. The event, in which he was the only entrant (新成员), had been specially staged for him to challenge the record.

Corones was a keen swimmer in his youth but only began to learn swimming again at the age of 80. He gave it up at the beginning of the World War Ⅱ, and he didn’t think he would have a swim of any description until he retired. Then he started swimming again for exercise.

Racing undeniably (不可否认的) challenged him physically, but it was manageable with preparation. On average he swims three times a week, and also fits in gym sessions. “At this age it takes a while to get going... you get exhausted much more easily, but if you do it properly, the rewards are astronomical,” he said.

Corones will challenge the 100 m freestyle record on Saturday night, believing he can beat the current mark of 03:23.10, which was also set by Harrison.

“I’m not a young man by any means, but I am rally looking forward to it and confident I can do it very well,” he said.

7 . Moments after figure skaters finish their program, fans throw gifts onto the ice. There have definitely been some strange ones over the years. As NBC Sports reports, Sasha Cohen was once given sweaters; Canada’s Elvis Stojko and Patrick Chan walked away with lingerie (内衣); Debi Thomas even got a box of Domino’s pizza after her performance at the 1987 world championships because Thomas had wondered why people “don’t throw something good, like pizza”.

The post-program offerings are mostly stuffed (填充的) animal toys. Though it’s not clear exactly how or when this custom began, people really like to use them as gifts. Flowers, once the popular item to throw at skaters, are messy. The cleaners—the kids who skate around to collect all the gifts between programs—have a much easier time to deal with stuffed toys than fighting with every leaf that fell off the flowers.

There’s no global ban (禁令) on sending flowers, but organizations have made attempts to discourage the practice in the past. In 1989 US Figure Skating banned arenas (圆形运动场) hosting national championships from selling flowers.

“Flowers have always been a problem. The flowers and leaves can appear during the course and become a risk. So flowers on the arena are going to vanish. It is just a question of when.” said Larry Kriwanek, chair of the event’s organizing committee. Instead, fans could buy already-authorized stuffed toys inside the arena and show their favorite skaters with those.

Stuffed toys also give supporters an opportunity to choose presents that suit their favorite skaters characters. “We will sometimes get stuffed toys made in custom costumes to match what we’re wearing,” American ice dancer Meryl Davis, who won gold with partner Charlie White in 2014, told NBC Sports. It turns out that skaters often do try to take especially meaningful or thoughtful gifts home with them.

Yours,

Li Hua

National Fitness