1 . In an ideal world, we would be able to devote as much time to sports as we feel we need. But in reality, with growing demands in both work and family, we can only jump at the chance for our physical exercise when we can. Making the most of that time to practice Yin Yang yoga, which mixes the dynamic and slow-paced elements of yoga, helps keep you active and relaxed.

Yin and Yang are the Taoist concepts representing a balance of opposite forces which are also interconnected. Yin is inactive, cooling, and negative, associated with the female force. Yang is active, warming, and positive, associated with action and movement. They are complementary to one another, as one cannot exist without the other.

Yin Yang yoga is a combination of high-energy movement which builds energy, increases strength and promotes stamina (耐力), followed by the more restful practice of Yin to give us a deeper stretch (拉伸) and calm the nervous system.

If you have a busy and active life you may feel more in Yang, so taking some cooler, slower Yin yoga practice into your routine may help you feel calmer and more balanced.

If you are practicing for an hour, divide the time in half, Warm up with sun salutations (拜日式瑜伽), continue into a dynamic flow and then move on to some standing postures. After half an hour your heart will be pumping, muscles tighten up and you are hopefully feeling energetic, but ready for a rest. Then pick five Yin postures to hold for 3-5 minutes, or even longer if you are enjoying them!

As ever with yoga, if you are a beginner or have health issues, always attend a class with a trained instructor first to guide you safely through the yoga practice and avoid injury.

3 . A gym membership can be nice.     1     All you need is a little bit of time and space at home for yourself. But before everything, you need to create an at-home fitness routine.

Spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up before every workout. Not sure what to do? Try jumping jacks, leg or arm circles, or even dancing. Just get your blood pumping. Do a progressive aerobic (有氧的) activity that uses the same muscles you want to work out.     2    

Do strength training twice a week to build muscles. Strength training, also called resistance training, makes you stronger and builds endurance (忍耐力).     3     This helps you do a harder workout every time you exercise.

    4     You might be eager to just stop your workout when you’ve finished your last set of activity, but take a few minutes to do low-intensity exercises that lower your heart rate. You might drop your run into a walk or slow down your cycling, for instance.

Set achievable goals that you can break into smaller tasks. It’s one thing to say you want to get fit, but that means something different for everyone.     5     It should be specific, realistic, and meaningful. Then, break down the goal into small, actionable steps so it feels like you’re making progress regularly.

4 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.

“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.

It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.

8 . Winning the silver medal at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League in the United States, on Sunday, the Chinese women’s volleyball team enjoyed their best result in the tournament (联赛), with the key to the breakthrough being their unity and never-say-die spirit.

“I just feel that our team is more united than ever,” said Yuan Xinyue, Team China captain. “We support and help each other on the court. This is the most important reason behind our success. All of us should shoulder the responsibility of winning.”

She continued to say, “ We have firm determination, and we will keep moving forward. We cherish the road that we have walked. We will summarize events, and we will keep tackling the problems. We will also try hard and hold onto our dreams and the belief that the Chinese women’s volleyball team can be the best.”

Team China was one step away from gold, but the Turkish women’s team showed greater momentum (势头) in the final beating China 3-1. As the Chinese team only finished sixth at last year’s VNL, the second-place finish was a surprise to Chinese fans.

Sunday’s final attracted huge media attention and generated a series of trending topics on social media. While many joined in heated discussion about the final, many more expressed congratulations on the fast rise of the young women’s team.

“Although the Chinese women’s team wasn’t able to stand on the highest podium (领奖台) at the Volleyball Nations League, they still produced the best possible result by fighting together. Hand in hand, Team China players march forward together,” reported by China Sports Daily. “Team China was not among the favorites to reach the final of the VNL, but the team still managed to pocket a silver medal, which is huge progress compared to last year’s result. They proved all the doubters wrong, and they showed the world what a united team they are.”

9 . 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.

Teenagers sometimes turn to extreme methods to slim down quickly in a society where being thin is often seen     1     being beautiful. According to a recent survey of senior high school students’ lifestyles, almost one fifth of teenagers     2     (regular) skip meals, one in ten over-exercise and four per cent even take weight-loss medicine. Experts are concerned about     3     (them) health. They are increasing their efforts to educate teenagers about the side     4     (effect) of losing weight too quickly. They have also warned them       5       using such extreme methods, which are harmful.

It is normal for teenagers to be slightly overweight and there is no reason     6       they should be worried. However, for those who are dangerously overweight, it is very important that they try to lose weight properly.

Therefore, it is important to have a healthy     7     (balance) diet since teenagers are still growing and their bodies need a lot of nutrition       8     (function) well. What’s more, they should keep regular hours and get plenty of exercise to stay     9     (energy) and fit. We strongly encourage teenagers to follow these lifestyle tips, because living well is the     10     (safe) and most effective way to get into shape.