1 . A lot of people assume the more work they put in at the gym, and the longer and harder they push themselves, the better their results will be.     1     But if you want to get the best gains, the key is to focus on the quality of the work rather than the quantity.

Your body is capable of making only tiny adaptations and improvements at any one time. Once you've given it enough push to make these changes, any additional work you do after that point won't be making you any better.     2     This is because you'll need longer to recover afterwards. Besides, you won't feel fresh when you start your next session. Ideally, it's just enough to do the smallest amount of work required to promote growth in every workout.     3     Thus the minimum amount of exercise brings the maximum physical gains.

    4     For example, if a new gym-goer wants to get stronger, he might start a squat (深蹲) workout, which is made up of ten steps, each having five repetitions. In theory, it's a sensible way for building strength. If he's only attempted three steps in his previous exercise, it's far from enough. The fourth step would push him past his previous limit and force adaptation. But the subsequent steps are meant for more professional people.     5    

As a general rule, regardless of your experience, aim to only increase the volume of any exercise by one step from workout to workout.

2 . Entering competitions can be fun, and it’s a good way to hone（磨炼）your skills. While you can’t expect to win every time, you can increase your chances of winning with the right strategy and preparation. These are general tips that can be applied to your competition of choice.

Research and choose the right competition.     1     Choose a competition at which you’ll excel, and make sure it’s far enough in the future that you have plenty of time to train effectively. Do some research into the judges and organizers as well to see what they look for in a winning competitor.

Don’t psych yourself out. Plenty of people get scared off by a competition’s requirements and don’t enter in the first place.     2     Since you’ve done your research, you can be confident in your choice to compete and your potential to win. So, stand strong even when you have your doubts and when others may be dropping out.

Learn your competition. Remember that you’re not competing with everyone in the competition. There may be many applicants and candidates, but there will only be a few contenders（竞争者）and finalists.     3    

Make a checklist. Everyone has different productivity styles. If it helps, consider making a training checklist.     4     A checklist is what weightlifters do, for example, to keep track of the exercises they’ve done, the number of reps, and the weight. With a written checklist, you also have one less thing to think and worry about.

    5     Leave sticky notes on your mirror or car steering wheel. Write down anything motivational to keep you inspired. It doesn’t have to be specific. It can simply be, “You OWN the track today!” or “35.5 IS my time!”

3 . Is walking good exercise?

For exercise to really count, it has to be hard or complicated, or leave you totally wiped out with muscle pain for days-right? Not at all! While high-intensity activity certainly has its place, so does the most basic, accessible form of exercise: walking.    1    

One of the biggest reasons walking is so popular is because it’s a low-impact exercise. It doesn’t put nearly as much pressure on the joints(关节)as running or any sort of jumping or hopping movement.     2     It’s a gentle way to get the blood flowing and circulate oxygen and nutrients(营养物质)to muscles.

For people just getting started with fitness, walking is a wonderful form of aerobic exercise(有氧运动).    3     Just get up and walk, and you’ll get your heart and lungs working. Unlike other forms of cardio-like running, biking, dance workouts, or boxing-walking isn’t frightening, and it doesn’t require lessons or special equipment.

Enhanced blood flow is going to improve recovery and help ease muscle pain. Although it is not going to completely heal it, it can help reduce it and accelerate the muscle repair process.     5     Chemicals that are released in the body when our cells create and use energy to power through a tough workout may further boost recovery.

4 . The basics of running aren’t hard to master. Mostly, you need comfortable shoes, sports clothes and steady speed. But sometimes we make things more difficult than they really are.

If you expect to cover today’s three-mile training run faster than last week’s three-mile training run, you’re doing it wrong. Yes, you’ll run the same distance faster over the long term, but that doesn’t mean constantly trying to break your past time record.     2    . Think of a race like a test. Then, training is studying.

If you start with a run-walk program, you may think that walking is to have a rest, which are not running. But when it comes to the fitness they build, walking and running are the same thing, just at different speeds. Walking isn’t a rest at all, but it’s part of your training.

It may make you run for a while and stop to rest for a while.     4    . If you must mix running with walking on your easy days, make it a easy walk and a slow run.

This may be the biggest mistake you’re likely to make as a new runner. You’re annoyed that you’re slow, so you push yourself to go faster than you’re ready for. But the way you get faster is by training at a pace that is appropriate to your current fitness.     5    .

5 . The summer heat and humidity can make even the most dedicated outdoor runner feel un motivated. For those who want an alternative to running on the roads without losing their fitness, deep water running, or aqua jogging, could be a useful cross-training exercise. Many runners turn to deep water running as the last resort when they are injured because aqua jogging is not weight-bearing.     1    .

To get into this exercise, you will need access to a pool that is deep enough so that your feet don’t touch the ground. The depth of the water should be at least five inches less than your height.    2    There are different kinds available to purchase or rent online and at swimming pools. Wear one that feels comfortable.

The best way to aqua jog is to imitate running on land. The movement of your arms and legs should look similar to land-based running. Everything except your head and the top part of your shoulders should be underwater.    3    But practice a running motion once you feel more confident in your balance and core control.

    4    Runners should treat the first three sessions as a learning experience rather than a hard workout. Workouts can be continuous, easy running or a combination of short bursts at a comfortably hard pace followed by brief periods at an easier active recovery pace. The sessions can be as short as 20 minutes.

As helpful as it is, aqua jogging is not meant to replace all of your regular running. Your heart rate will be slightly lower while aqua jogging for the same level of exercise on land.    5    .

7 . Three stretches (伸展) you should do every day

For one who doesn’t get much physical activity, a sore and achy back is a common problem.     1    . What are the basic stretches everyone should try?

Here are a few simple moves that anyone can fit into their daily exercise.

    2    

Slowly rolling your neck in one direction, then the other, is a simple but effective way to relax some of your muscles. When you’re done, move on to rolling your shoulders forwards and backwards. They may seem simple, but these are really good for reducing stress and tension in the body. Most people hold a lot of tension in their shoulders.     3    .

Forward folds (弯曲)

Even if you can’t touch your toes, folding your body forwards is a great move for loosening up your back.     4    : you can stand up and bend down towards the ground, sit down with your legs in front of you and reach towards your feet, or even just bend forwards in your office chair.

Butterfly poses

It’s great for you to stretch your back and inner thighs.     5    . If the pose is new to you, don’t worry about making the stretch very deep — you can move your feet further away from your body to make things easier, and stay seated straight up.

9 . Helping Your Kids to Be Interested in Sports

Being active and moving is something that is so important for us all, especially for children.     1     However, some parents can feel shocked when they see that their child isn’t interested in sports. So how can you encourage them to have ago?

It is such a good idea to lead by example when you are a parent. This is true for a variety of aspects, but especially forgetting children involved in sport.     2     So you need to be someone who is interested and active, if you want any hope of them doing so too. If you lay on the couch all day then they will just learn to do that too.

    3     Although they can choose who they want to support, seeing your enthusiasm for a particular player or team can be just what is needed to start their journey. You could look for a team uniform store to get them a sports shirt with their name on for example, as well as see the team play at one of their games.     4    

If something is dull, it will be hard for children to be enthusiastic about it. This will make them resent(讨厌) it, which is not a good thing for later in life. If they show particular skill and learn to play sport, then more practice and training can come in.     5     When they can enjoy what they do, they will only see it as something fun to do, rather than what we as adults might see it as, such as a chore to burn calories.

Whatever sport your child chooses to play, encourage them and make it fun, and then it will be something that they will want to carry on doing as they go about the rest of their lives.