1 . A young female athlete in the Philippines recently won many gold medals during a sports meet despite not having proper running shoes. Rhea Ballos, an 11-year-old student of Salvation Elementary School in Balason, Iloilo, was only wearing bandages around her feet when she competed at the Iloilo Schools Sports Meet.

Facebook user Valenzuela posted pictures of the girl with her feet wrapped in bandages bearing the famous Nike logo. Ballos even wrote the word “NIKE” on the sides of her “shoe” to complete the “Nike running shoes” look. The bandages were tightly wrapped around her feet, creating a thin protective layer against the track. While she was actually barefoot during the races, she was still able to defeat her competitors who all more proper footwear intended for running,

According to the post, Ballos bagged the top awards in the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, and the 1500-meter run in the girls' categories in the inter school sporting event held in Iloilo, central Philippines.

When pictures of her “Nike” footwear become popular, Flipinos on social media praised her. Many noted that instead of falling into self-pity, she was even able to make light of the situation by drawing the Nike logo on her “running shoes”. Some of the commenters of Valenzuela's post expressed how the girl deserved to be recognized by Nike and that the brand should actually give her a new pair of real Nike shoes. Others started getting in touch with the American sports brand, as well as local basketball specialty store Titan 22.

It did not take long for Titan co-founder and Alaska Aces head coach Jeffrey Cariaso to take notice of Ballos' outstanding achievement. Cariaso immediately made an effort to get in touch with the young track runner. The seven-time PBA champion has since talked to the student as well as her coaches in an apparent bid to help her out.

3 . British anthropologists (人类学家) Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham, after studying the results of one-on-one boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling matches at the Olympic Games, conclude that when two competitors are equally matched in fitness and skill, the athlete wearing red is more likely to win.

Hill and Barton report that when one competitor is much better than the other, colour has no effect on the result. However, when there is only a small difference between them, the effect of colour is enough tip the balance. The anthropologists say that the number of times red wins is not simply by chance, but that these results are statistically significant.

Joanna Setchell, a primate (灵长目动物) researcher at the University of Cambridge, has found similar results in nature. She studies the large African monkeys known as mandrills. Mandrills have bright red noses that stand out against their white faces. Setchell’s work shows that the powerful males — the ones who are more successful with females — have a brighter red nose than other males.

As well as the studies on primates by Setchell, another study shows the effect of red among birds. In an experiment, scientists put red plastic rings on the legs of male zebra finches and this increased the birds’ success with female zebra finches, Zebra finches already have bright red beaks (鸟喙), so this study suggests that, as with Olympic athletes, an extra flash of red is significant. In fact, researchers from the University of Glasgow say that the birds’ brightly coloured beaks are an indicator of health. Jonathan Blount, a biologist, and his colleagues think they have found proof that bright red or orange beaks attract females because they mean that the males are healthier. Nothing in nature is simple, however, because in species such as the blue footed booby, a completely different colour seems to give the male birds the same advantage with females.

Meanwhile, what about those athletes who win in their events while wearing red? Do their clothes give them an unintentional advantage? Robert Barton accepts that “that is the implication” of their findings. Is it time for sports authorities to consider new regulations on sports clothing?

4 . Until quarantine (隔离期) ends, we are left picturing what sport we might do: working out at the gym, playing on a competitive sports team, swimming, biking, or rock climbing. However, we don’t often think of martial arts as possible activities; instead, we rule it out because we think it’s dangerous, uncommon, and even, impossible. Martial arts aren’t considered a sport, right?

Well, here’s some good news: you’re wrong! Martial arts aren’t much more common than people think, and you can start learning at any age. Practicing martial arts is a great way to keep in shape, both physically and mentally. They’re much less boring and much less arduous sport than they’re usually described as in movies, so do not worry that they need a lot of effort.

Martial arts generally require you to focus on the position and movement of every one of your legs and arms, sometimes even your breathing too. Think about it: when you leave the gym, your mental state has improved and you are much calmer. This is because you’ve only paid attention to one activity. It is a great way to clear your head. And practicing it can help you learn to stay more focused, which is the greatest advantage of martial arts training.

Martial arts also improve your coordination (协调性), and greatly improve your posture (姿势). I have personally seen students go from slouching (没精打采) to walking tall with their shoulders back in just a couple of months.

There are many styles and countless kinds of martial arts. Whichever one you like better, know that all of them are good choices.

5 . If you think that running marathons will help you live a long and healthy life, new research may come as a shock. According to a recent scientific study, people who do a very strenuous workout are as likely to die as people who do no exercise at all.

Scientists in Denmark have been studying over 1,000 joggers and non-joggers for 12 years. The death rates from the sample group indicate(暗示) that people who jog at a proper pace two or three times a week for less than two and a half hours in total are least likely to die. The best speed to jog at was found to be about 5 miles per hour. The research suggests that people who jog more than three times a week or at higher speeds of over 7 mph die at the same rate as non-joggers. The scientists think that this is because strenuous exercise causes structural changes to the heart and arteries(动脉). Over time, this can cause serious injuries.

Peter Schnohr, a researcher in Copenhagen, said if your goal is to decrease risk of death and improve life expectancy(预期寿命), jogging a few times a week at a proper pace is a good strategy. Anything more is not just unnecessary, and may be harmful.

Moderate forms of exercise such as tai chi, yoga and walking may be better for us than “iron man” events, triathlons and long-distance running and cycling. According to Jacob Louis, Marott, another researcher involved in the study, “You don’t actually have to do that much to have a good influence on your health. And perhaps you shouldn’t actually do too much.”

6 . Exercising regularly not only helps you keep slim, but also improves your overall health and well-being. Different exercises produce different results, as they focus on alternate parts of the body. There are four broad exercise categories: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Many people often only focus on one exercise type, but including all four in your workout will produce better results and reduce your risk of injury.

Endurance

Endurance exercises increase your breathing and heart rate. By doing endurance exercises, you are working to keep your heart, lungs, and blood-flow system healthy while improving your total fitness. Over time these activities will make everyday activities seem easier.

Strength

If you want to build up your muscles, then strength exercises, which are also known as "resistance training", are right for you. Even the slightest increase in strength can make a huge difference in your ability to carry out daily tasks. Developing strong muscles also reduces your risk of weak bones.

Flexibility

Flexibility exercises help stretch your body's muscles. This allows for more freedom of movement for other exercises and can also improve your range of motion, posture, ability to breathe deeply, and blood flow. Also, it reduces the muscle tension caused by stress.

Balance

Balance exercises help prevent falls and are especially important to older adults, helping them stay independent. Most good balance exercises are ones that keep you constantly moving with your feet on the ground. Heel — to — toe walking and standing on one foot are simple ways to improve balance.

Yours,

Li Hua

9 . If you're looking to maximize the amount of fat burned in your next workout, think about having a coffee half an hour before you get started.     1    

Researchers found that 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight can raise the rate of fat burning during aerobic exercise.    2    The coffee dose was shown to increase maximal fat oxidation rate (MFO，脂肪氧化率) by an average of 10.7percent in the morning and 29 percent in the afternoon.

The recommendation to exercise on an empty stomach in the morning to increase fat oxidation is common.    3     It is still unknown whether this increase is due to exercising in the morning or due to going without food for a longer period of time.

    4    Caffeine is often associated with improved athletic performance, though the science behind this link isn't as comprehensive as it could be. In later cycling tests after the caffeine had been given, the fat-burning capability of the body was measured, showing the impact that caffeine had made on MFO.Maximum oxygen uptake was also raised,as was the intensity of exercise.

The results of the study showed that acute caffeine intake 30 minutes before performing an aerobic exercise test increased MFO during exercise regardless of the time of day.    5     Overall,these results suggest that a combination of acute caffeine intake and exercise at moderate intensity in the afternoon provides the best scenario(方案) for individuals seeking to increase whole-body fat oxidation during aerobic exercise.

10 . Reasons Why Running Is the Easiest Exercise

Some people think that running is hard. I once thought that too.     1     Here's why it is such an easy activity to start and stick to.

☆It can be as easy or hard as you want.

Many people start running by going out and running as fast as they can for as long as they can. That is not so fun.     2    But easing into it is a different story. Start slowly and cover a short distance. Then gradually work your way up. In this way, running can be pain-free and actually wonderful.

☆    3    

Classes at the gym are great but they always end up never working for me. With a busy life, I find it hard to attend a class. On the other hand, with running, you just need to find the time whenever you can, here and there, and change it around.

☆The gear (装备) is simple.

    4     However, that's really just about all you need. There is no gear. Expensive sport-specific clothes are available (可用的) but not required. If you fall in love with running, you may think you need some seasonal running clothes. Even so, that will be cheaper than bike gear.

☆You can do it anywhere.

You can run in the city. You can run in the county. You can run on a track, in a park, on the steer even on the beach. You can run at home. You can run when you travel. And in fact, running around new cites when traveling is great fun.     5