1 . Fitness experts weigh in on whether it’s safe to skip this sometimes annoying step in your exercise routine.

One of the most important steps in your fitness routine comes at the conclusion. Many know the importance of properly warming up and preparing to exercise, but experts say that incorporating a cool down routine is just as important. According to the Mayo Clinic, cooling down allows for your body to recover and return to its normal, _________ state.

Though cooling down isn’t proven to _________ muscle stiffness or soreness, it can prevent dizziness and allow your heart rate and breathing to ease back to a normal rate, Harvard Medical School reports. Phyllis Mammarelli, personal trainer at the Shenango Valley YMCA in Sharon, Pennsylvania, works with each of her clients on a cool down routine as she says it’s a (n) _________ part of exercising.

“Cooling down allows your body to gradually return to a low-intensity activity level, slowly reducing your respiratory and heart rate until it’s equalized and back to normal” she says.

_________ the recovery phase of a workout isn’t proven to be harmful to your body, but Mammarelli warns that without cooling down, the body will take longer to return back to the low-intensity level activity level you began your workout with.

There are also non-threatening side effects that could occur as a result of forgoing a cool down. Mammarelli warns that blood can gather or pool in your lower extremities and lead to dizziness and _________. Additionally, ACE says to keep an eye on your _________ soreness and stiffness. While soreness after a workout is to be expected, _________ onset muscle soreness can occur 24 - 28 hours after your workout and cause “uncomfortable debilitating pain”. Side effects are mostly seen in the elderly or those with cardiovascular disease and can be _________ by warming up and cooling down. Here are some other signs that you might be working out too much.

Allow five to 10 minutes at the _________ of your workout for a cool-down routine. During this period, continue your workout session, but at a much reduced rate. If you’re __________ for time during your workouts or unsure how to allow your body to recover, Mammarelli suggests stretching muscles in a pain-free range of __________. Here’s an easy stretch __________ to try.

Tacking on a few __________ minutes to your workout for cooling down may seem like a(n) __________, but the benefits outweigh the cost of finding extra time in your __________. If you need inspiration for scheduling the time to workout and cool downlook to these women who work out every day.

2 . How Exercise may tame our anxiety

To better cope with all the dispiriting news this winter about rising Covid-19 _________, you might want to get out and play in the snow, according to a new report. The large-scale study of almost 200,000 cross-country skiers found that being physically active _________ the risk of developing anxiety over time.

Science already offers plenty of encouraging evidence that exercise can lift our _________. Experiments show that when people (and lab animals) start _________ they typically grow calmer, happier and less apt to feel sad, nervous or angry than before. Studies that focus on the links between one type of activity or behavior and various aspects of health or longevity, likewise find that more exercise is linked with substantially lower chances of developing severe depression; conversely, being _________ increases the risk for depression. A remarkable neurological study from 2013 even found that exercise _________ reductions in rodent anxiety, by prompting an increase in the production of specialized neurons that release a chemical that soothes over-activity in other parts of the brain.

_________, most of these studies were small, short term or mainly relevant to mice, leaving _________ many questions about what kinds of exercise might help our mental health, how long mood enhancements might potentially last, whether men and women _________ equally and whether it is possible to work out too much and perhaps increase your likelihood of feeling emotionally worse off.

So, for the new study, which was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, exercise scientists at Lund University in Sweden and other __________ decided it would be worthwhile to __________ the long-term mental health of the thousands upon thousands of men and women who have raced Sweden’s famous Vasaloppet cross-country skiing event over the years.

The Vasaloppet, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this winter, is the largest series of cross-country ski __________ in the world, with crowds of racers annually lining up in the woods of central Sweden to fastly move and glide through races __________ in length from 30 kilometers, or almost 19 miles, to 90K, about 56 miles. Because this kind of endurance event requires abundant health, stamina and training, researchers previously have used data about Vasaloppet racers to study how exercise influences cancer risks, heart __________, and longevity.

The skiers, the researchers found, proved to be __________ calmer over the decades after their race than the other Swedes, with more than 50 percent less risk of developing clinical anxiety. Their results indicate the link between exercise and reduced anxiety is strong.

3 . When I was a four-year-old boy,my legs were amputated(截肢).This was my first lesson about the harsh realities of life.But the adversity gave me the _________to persevere when everyone else quit.

The following years zipped by,and seemingly in a single heartbeat,I _________ myself standing at the start line of the 2018 Chicago Marathon.Waiting for the starting gun,I stood there and _________ all that happened to put me on that _________.I started training seriously as a(an)_________ in August 2016.From the start,there was always training to be done and new goals to achieve.The lessons of overcoming and triumphing in the face of obstacles were_________ to me.

The gun cracked,and I _________ to run.The race dragged on ,and with about ten miles to go,my body started to feel the _________ of running for long.I felt slightly _________ as I thought I’d have to run another hour.But I knew this low moment would pass with each _________,so I reminded myself to smile and hang on.________,shortly after mile 22,I was making a right turn when a disaster _________—I stepped in a hole.As my head hit the pavement,my whole world went _________.

I didn’t know if it was seconds or minutes before I _________ myself with volunteers helping _________me off the ground.I felt dizzy.But I managed to_________ by myself and went on racing.When I _________ it to the 23-marker,I considered dropping out.But I knew I was strong enough to finish the race if I just stayed upright.

The _______ 2.2 miles was like a long trip across America.The dizziness was worse,my _________ was blacking out periodically, and my legs felt like lead _________,but I didn’t quit.Eventually, I crossed the finish line in three hours,and three minutes, 22 seconds--a new double amputee world record!

4 . Elsa Desmond knows she is not going to win a medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics. But she is ________ as the first women's luge (无舵雪橇)Olympian from Ireland. She was the 26th to ________ the line in the first run of the women’s race on Monday night, ________ than none of the other athletes. That did not ________ to her. She celebrated with a large smile on her face.

Although she will not win in Beijing, she has already won some ________. She had been given many reasons why she could not compete: she is too short, she did not start ________ at a young age, and she could not balance a(n) ________ job with competing in a sport. The biggest difficulty simply might have been that Ireland did not have a luge organization. So, she ________ one herself; she had to ________.

And now, ________, she is a luge Olympian. “I’m a doctor in general surgery, I have all these really visible challenges, but I think everyone has worked as ________ as they can to be here. ” She has delayed parts of her job to compete in the Olympics, but her ________ gave her the time off. And her co-workers are becoming big luge fans, extremely proud of her.

Desmond has ________ two demanding jobs—sliding a few months out of the year and living a life in medicine. There was a(n) ________ last season when she had to take important medical examinations in hotels in Germany where other sliders were staying. “I had to ________ signs on my door saying 'Do not disturb, exam in ________, 'in about six different languages. ”

Desmond got the ________ of representing her country in Beijing, and being one of two people ________ Ireland’s flag during the opening ceremony on Friday. “I don’t think I can ________ words how excited I was to lead out the team. I really hope that I make my country ________. ”

5 . During high school, athletes’ workout tapes were so popular that even our gym teacher showed us their workouts. But then, I was far from a (n)_________person. My lack of exercise finally _________ me. By the time I was forty-five, I was 252 pounds.

Even at six feet tall, that was too much_________, but I didn’t know how to get out of the _________. So when I had the_________to enter a weight-loss contest to meet Jane, a popular athlete in the tapes, I_________but didn’t hope for much.

_________, I was one of the winners. I thought this was a sign that my luck was_________. I was_________to have the chance to meet her, so I__________my best outfit and brought my best friend Jon along.

Jane was seventy-five then and looked terrific. She really made me feel__________as we discussed the documentary she recently__________in. We posed for a picture together, and I was excited when I received an e-mail the next day with the picture__________. But my excitement soon turned to__________. I was literally twice her size. Jane looked better than me,and more youthful, too.

Jon__________me, saying that anybody’s shape would__________in comparison with a professional athlete. But that photo__________me up. I couldn’t be as__________as Jane, but at least I could start working out.

The next month, I made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get in shape. The way I looked in that photo__________me to keep on going. My fitness journey led me to lose eighty-five pounds. Since I started, I have run over 300 road races. And it all__________thanks to my photo with Jane.

6 . In the sport of track and field, athletes compete not only with one another but against themselves to achieve a new personal best. Aiming to ______ his own record, Cerveny pushed himself hard. However, his legs cramped(抽筋)and ______   him with only 200 meters to go. Determined to ______, Cerveny rose from the ground and continued on, only to fall again after another 50 meters.

______, his coach asked Cerveny if he wanted to stop. He didn't. With great ______ Cerveny pulled himself up and with a(n)   ______ pace, moved forward for one final push. ______, it wasn't enough. 100 meters from the finish line, his legs simply ______ .

Before his coach could ______ him, another runner- Brandon-was at his side to help. His first attempt to get Cerveny up failed, but he   ______ to quit too. With a second pull, Cerveny was ______. At a measured jog, the two completed the final 100 meters of the course, with Cerveny holding Brandon for ______ Brandon even made sure Cerveny crossed the finish line first,securing his______a faster time

In today’s ______ world in which the emphasis in athletics is so often put on breaking records, it was ______ to see that for an athlete like Brandon, the value of true sportsmanship still had legs.

7 . The players begin to move in slow motion，and the cheering around me turns into a mumble（喃喃声）.With every passing minute of the match，my worries and fears_______.Soccer is one of the few things in my life that bring me joy and give me_______.The game has the ability to put me_______，but my purpose and passion were put to the_______ six years ago when my family and I moved to the small town of Park Rapids.

I have played sports for as long as I can_______.It is safe to say that I have participated in a wide variety of athletics._______，the sport that will forever hold a special place in my heart is soccer._______I have been able to walk，there has been a soccer at my feet.I grew up playing soccer，and it_______became my passion.When I moved to the rural town，I_______they didn't have a soccer team，which made me very________.However，on second thought，I came to the________that I wasn't ready to________ soccer.I decided to commute（通勤）forty-five miles several times a week to________with a club soccer team.By________out on school events，time with friends and free weekends，I________many things.I also realized the________of determination.Most importantly，I learned to never give up my passion，________when there were obstacles in my way.

Gradually，I find that my teammates have become some of my________friends and my coaches have become some of my greatest role models. Sports have________me and given me the abilities I need to reach my future goals.

Nowadays,I plan to________a degree in psychology at college. No matter where life takes me,I will keep chasing my passion.

8 . In the early 1970s, the boogie board (趴板冲浪) was born. So was Charlotte Gumbrell’s _________ for riding the waves. Fifty years later, Gumbrell is still at it, as the _________ member of the Newcomers Club of San Dieguito’s Boogie Board group.

Gumbrell, 95, is among a group of about two-dozen women who _________ up to three times a week for board surfing _________ in the San Diego area. The rest of the women who _________ gather are in their 70s and 80s.

“I always _________ better with my brain when I go boogie boarding. I’m sure this sport _________,” said Gumbrell. “Every year I say this is going to be my last year out there, but then I just _________ going.”

Recently, about 20 members of the group arrived for a _________ session of rides on 6-to 8-foot waves at Fletcher Cove. Whenever a __________ would catch a wave, the others cheered with __________. And as they rode into shore, __________ on their bellies, there was always at least one member standing nearby to help them __________.

It’s more than just a sport. Member Pam Shelter __________ the group about six years ago. She had bodysurfing in her younger years and __________ coming back to the sport in a more social way that has introduced her to many new __________ friends. “I never go out __________. In the others I find safety and __________. That’s what makes it interesting,” Shelter said.

Carol German, here for nearly 15 years, said she most enjoys the __________ she’s found among her fellow boogie boarders. “We have so much __________ out there,” German said. “If somebody catches a wave, everybody laughs and celebrates.”

9 . Everybody wants what’s best for their kids, but nobody knows what that is. It might be succeeding, but it might be_________.

Many of us who played youth sports remember the defeats far more_________than the victories. You just don’t _________with teammates after a win like you do after a loss. That’s when you learn to express and accept empathy(共鸣). I’ve_________this as a member of the hockey(冰球) parent. In the course of this second career, I have_________a coach and cheer leader while watching my son promoted.

In his third season, his team_________lost over three straight games, won a gold medal and made a deep_________in the league. There was_________, happiness and boasting(自夸). He improved as a_________but didn’t much change as a person.

For that, you need to__________. The next year his team lost 40 of their first 50 games. For a time, I worried that these setbacks would__________his love of the game that he’d hate hockey and__________. But that didn’t happen. As__________as it got, the losing was clarifying. It__________the kids who were in it more for the__________than for the game. The losing separated__________players from “show ponies”. Besides, the kids were learning the game in a way only losing can__________, appreciating the__________of every position on the ice.

This new team had character and could never be counted out, no matter the__________. They had learned the most important__________: You can lose without being beaten.

10 . In Grade 7, my PE teacher watched me, as I tried to jump up and touch a marker on the wall. And he said: “You're doing pretty well in my ________, for someone like you with no ability at all.”

In high school, I wasn't ________ for a single team. I was bookish and slow, and that self-image-of being better suited to quiet reading and leisurely ________ remained with me for my entire life.

I discovered running in my 20s, and I ________ the feeling of quiet accomplishment-without the fear of ________teammates, but I always prioritized mental pursuits over physical ones.

It was my mental wellness that finally forced me to rethink my fitness. This winter, I found myself extremely tired. I knew ________ had to change. I needed a way to ________ the tension of months of video conferences, on-and-off (不断地) single parenting and virtual school.

I settled on an exercise bike. Since early March, I've hardly ________ a day on my bike. I'm not the ________. But I'm finally learning that movement isn't necessarily about athleticism (运动才能). More importantly, it’s about ________ your mind. It’s the feeling of accomplishment when you ________ something hard outside of your comfort zone.

A handful of people will find glory in athleticism. For the rest of us, the ________ is more personal: better sleep, improved spirits and ________ confidence. I’m not destined (注定) for the Olympics. But this was ________about ability. That's what I wish my gym teacher had told me.

If only he'd said, “You're doing really well in my class. Look at your ________.”