A Californian woman has become a fitness influencer in her 50s after losing more than 40 pounds and taking up bodybuilding.

Denise Kirtley, 52, was inspired     1     (turn) her life around two months before her 50th birthday after finding that her wedding ring no longer fit on her finger.

“When I     2     (start) my transformation in 2020, I had been sedentary (惯于久坐不动的) for     3     long while,” Kirtley explained. She began lifting light weights in her spare bedroom, saying she was     4     unfit for the first two weeks that she quickly felt     5     (breath) and tired. But Kirtley said the secret to     6     (get) started on a body transformation is     7     (simple) to repeat workouts five times per week because action “often precedes (先于) motivation.”

“Action leads to more action. We can’t wait for motivation to kick in as it usually comes     8     (late),” she said. “If you can start taking action, any action, you will build momentum (推进力). That momentum will push you forward. It DOES get easier.”

The 52-year-old said she’s also transformed her attitude toward growing older. “We really do get to choose     9     we age. It’s all about your mindset,” she said. “Old and aging are very different — there’s nothing wrong     10     aging, and I embrace (欣然接受) my age. I’m aging, but I’m strong and spirited.”

6 . How to Fall Off a Skateboard Safely

Skateboarding is very popular exercise. Learning how to fall safely in the course of skateboarding will keep you safer and relatively pain-free. In skateboarding, falling is a big part. It’s unavoidable.     1    

Roll to land on your shoulder or back instead. When you fall, roll to land on your shoulder or back instead, tucking (收拢) in your elbows. The roll takes the energy out of the fall. If you can, roll with the fall — land on your shoulder and let the force of the fall play itself out with the roll.     2     Keep your limbs loose to absorb the fall. Stiffening up (变得僵硬) increases the risk of breaking bones.

Learn to run out of tricks. This is where you try something thrilling and the board goes wrong and you catch yourself running.     3     But if you do this right, you’ll get out of a lot of falls!

Wear kneepads on ramps (斜坡). If you are skateboarding on ramps, wearing kneepads can keep you safer from injuries. Teach yourself to always fall to your knees and slide down the ramp.     4     Just run up the side of a ramp, drop to your knees and then slide down. Practice like this for a while to get it in your head.

    5     Your instincts (直觉) when you fall are to throw your hands out. But you shouldn’t do that when there’s concrete below you. You could break your wrists. You can buy wrist guards for skateboarding. These can help if you’re afraid of catching yourself with your hands. But it’s better to learn to overlook and control your instincts so you can fall more carefully.

Bicycles have long been     1    (use) for transportation in China. Cycling     2     can be done individually as well     3     in groups has     4    (large) been free from restrictions.

But recently, cycling-the activity or sport of riding a bicycle for exercise-     5    (become) popular among the country’s urban middle class. The pandemic has played     6     part in cycling’s growing popularity as officials moved quickly to close some businesses,     7    (include) gymnasiums.

“With the pandemic... it seems to be the only way for us     8    (run) away from the terrible city life...” a cyclist Yang Lan said, adding, “What you are investing in is     9    (you) own body and a very good workout habit.” Increasing demand and worldwide supply chain problems mean that people wanting to buy bicycles must wait     10    (week) or months to get one.