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.

2 . I used to be bad at playing basketball. Gym class in middle school was the worst. I was always the last kid to be picked. The only reason why I was even picked at all was that I was good friends with the best player in the class.

In the eighth grade, I finally decided I was sick and tired of being a nonentity. I dedicated (奉献) that entire summer to getting better. I spent every day playing basketball, practising for hours in the gym. I remember playing pick-up games with one group of kids until they all eventually got tired and left. Then a whole different group of kids would come in and I’d play with them too.

After months of this devoted routine, something amazing started to happen. People began passing me the ball. They trusted me to take the shot. They even started picking me first to be on their team! The last game of organized basketball I ever played was the culmination (高潮) of all my hard work. Against a team far more talented than mine. I scored 27 points. We still lost, but I walked away from that game feeling like a total champion.

What I learned from those years of rejection and waiting to be picked was that life really isn’t any different. Most of us spend our lives waiting for opportunities to land in our laps. What’s worse, sometimes we feel entitled (使有权) to them. And when things don’t go our way — when no one picks us — we find something or someone to blame.

I could have complained when no one wanted me on their team. I could have convinced myself that I deserved to be picked. But I didn’t. Instead I took matters into my own hands and put in the work to become better.

Should we have our fate controlled by a few people who in most cases don’t even know us? I certainly don’t think so. We have a choice. We can choose to create something meaningful, and so move forward with our ideas.

5 . When it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes, which should come first—changing your diet or becoming more physically active?

Previous studies suggested that providing people with too much information about nutrition and physical activity at once tends (趋向)to be discouraging. That has led to the popularity of advising people to make changes gradually, and set smaller goals.

So the scientists divided 200 inactive participants who were 45 or older into four groups. One group was instructed in making diet and fitness changes at the same time; the second group was taught about diet changes first, and then fitness changes four months later; the third group changed their exercise habits first and made changes in their eating habits four months later; and the final, control group was not instructed in either diet or fitness changes but in how to manage their stress.

The researchers followed the groups for a full year. Compared to the control group, the three intervention (干预) groups made healthy changes in their diet. Those who changed their fitness habits first significantly increased the amount of exercise they received daily compared to the other groups after four months. However, at the end of the year, the group that changed both diet and exercise at the same time was the only one that met the nationally recommended targets for both exercise and nutrition levels, while those who worked on improving their nutrition first were unable to meet the recommended levels of fitness after a year. The researchers suspect that changes to diet are easier to make than changes to physical activity.

The findings show, however, that pairing diet and exercise changes may help to overcome some of the barriers people face in adding more physical activity into their lives. If folks change diet and exercise orderly, the scientists say, they may end up placing more importance on the first set of behavior changes and feel less pressured to address the second set.

6 . When Tony took up running as a hobby, he was 42 years old. Now 42 years later he’s a national champion and a world record holder. He never imagined at the age of 84 this is where he’d be, but then he doesn’t meet many people in their 80s who are out training four times a week. “I can see it’s a bit unusual, yes. But it’s been my life,” he told the reporter.

The retired officer runs at a track near his home in Leeds. At an event in Italy last month, he set a world record in the 80m hurdles with a time of under 17 seconds. But he sees no reason to slow down and his ambition is still to be competing when he passes a hundred.

“I probably won’t be doing a crouch start (蹲式起跑), because it’s only 16 years away,” he joked. Like anyone of his age, he’s had health problems. He’s had a string of severe heart attacks, but doctors have told him as long as it makes him feel good, he should carry on running.

“I can’t let my heart get in the way of my training. When I am running, I have to give it my absolute all. My heart is the last thing on my mind,” he said.

He trains every other day, dances and plays hockey and he recently cuts down on alcohol and chocolate. He said, “I’ve heard alcohol can lead to dementia (痴呆) and I don’t want that. I’ve cut down to one glass of wine every other day. I now have to stay as fit as I can be to keep up my lifestyle.”

Tony’s next birthday is next September. And the first thing he wants to do is become the world’s fastest 85-year-old.

10 . 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.