Scientists have found that even adding just an additional 500 steps each day brings significant health benefits in later life,     1     (cut) the risk of a stroke and heart problems.

The new study analysed health data for 452 people     2     used an accelerometer device similar to a pedometer, worn at the hip (臀部),     3     (measure) their daily step count.

    4     (compare) to adults who took fewer than 2,000 steps per-day, people who took about 4,500 were 77 per centless likely to experience a cardiovascular (心血管) event in the 3.5 years follow-up. It means that every additional 500     5     (step) lowered the risk of heart issues by 14 per cent.

“We were surprised to find that every additional quarter of a mile, or 500 steps, of walking had such a strong benefit     6     heart health,” said Dr Erin Dooley, an     7     (assist) professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.

More up-to-date research     8     (find) that health effects can be steady after 4,500 steps, while others suggest between 6,000 and 8,000 is the sweet spot for fighting chronic illness like heart problems and cancer. “Steps are an easy way to measure physical activity, and more daily steps were associated with a     9     (low) risk of having a cardiovascular disease-related event in older adults,” added Dr Dooley, the lead author of the study. “    10    , most studies have focused on early-to-midlife adults with daily goals of 10,000 or more steps, which may not be available for older individuals.”

5 . You’ve probably heard that you need to move more throughout the day, and as a general rule of thumb, “more” is often defined as around 10,000 steps. Many people use the 10,000-step rule as their marker for healthy living. As more people track their steps by fitness-tracking wearable or their iPhones, more of them do that.

But while sitting less is a great idea, the step rule isn’t as black and white as one number.

Dr. Creg Hager, professor at Johns Hopkins, decided to take a closer look at whether the step rule is accurate, and he found asking everyone to shoot for 10,000 steps each day could be harmful to the elderly, or the level of exercise could make it unwise for those with medical conditions. He also noted that those with shorter legs have an easier time hitting the 10,000-step goal because they have to take more steps than loge-egged people to cover the distance.

How many steps can help keep healthy and promote longevity (长寿) on earth?

Researchers found that women taking 4,400 steps per day were about 40% less likely to die during a follow-up period of just over four years, compared to those who took 2,700 steps. Women in the study who walked more than 7,500 steps each day got no extra in longevity. The bottom line is that 10,000 steps may be too many for some and too few for others. Some of that has to do with age but nothing to do with health and longevity. The study included nearly 17,000 women with an average age of 72.

The point of these studies isn’t to say we should abandon step goals and fitness trackers altogether. The key is finding the step goal that matches your individual health according to your doctor or fitness instructor, and then using your fitness tracker and other proper methods to help achieve those goals.

Exercise might seem like a chore sometimes,     1    (particular) when we get told so often that we should exercise more. But we need to get up and start moving. Many of us spend too much time     2     (stare) at screens. Most teen girls don't meet the standards for physical activity. Getting     3     (scold) about this, though, doesn't really help. And that's too bad, because exercise can be both fun and good for the body and the brain.

Exercise is not only good for your muscles,     4     good for your bones. Getting exercise     5     (help) teens build tough bodies. And teens who exercise more often grow up into adults with much     6     (strong) bones.

Exercise can increase how much oxygen and blood gets to the brain, and even how the brain is structured. Working     7     can produce chemicals in our bodies that might help prevent depression. And a workout after learning something can help us form and keep a great number of     8    (memory).

So maybe it's no surprise     9     so many scientists study exercise. There are some scientists, for instance, who study what makes winning runners so fast.     10    (other) study running lizards and astronauts in space to find out how to keep humans healthy both on and off planet Earth.