1 . What to look for when finding the perfect workout partner

There are a ton of benefits to having a great workout partner that pushes you to reach your goals. But it can initially be a little difficult to find the right person to work out with.     1    

● Your best friend might not be your best partner. While you and your friend may get on well outside the gym, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make great workout partners. One of the best reasons is that there can be a level of competition, which pushes both of you to work harder.     2     It could push your friendship into some awkward places that end up hurting your relationship.

●     3     Common sense tells us that we should work out with someone who’s at a similar place in hitting the same goals! But that isn’t guaranteed to be the best matchup. In fact, you might do better partnering up with someone who’s better than you.     4     For you, working out with someone who’ s faster or stronger could add a level of competition that causes you to push your limits. For your partner, they’ll have someone who’s motivated to keep up, which is great for them, too.

● Get on the same schedule.     5     You could be perfectly in step with someone, but if you’re never able to work out together, there’s no point. That’s why it’s important to take scheduling into account right from the start.

4 . About one-third of adults globally have high blood pressure, which increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke (中风). Physical activity is known to lower blood pressure. However, many people have trouble keeping to exercise plans.

Yoga tends to be more sustainable (可持续的) than other forms of exercise because it is gentle, can be done with others and helps to relax the mind. Several experiments have found that yoga lowers blood pressure. However, these experiments have typically involved several sessions a week, which may not be achievable for many people.

To find out if yoga helps to reduce blood pressure in the real world, some researchers conducted a new study and analysed the electronic health records of 1,355 people aged 18 to 79 who practised yoga at least once a week. They compared each of these people with at least three other individuals. They had similar characteristics in terms of things like age, gender, and body mass index (BMI), but had no mention of practising yoga in their records. On average, the people who practised yoga had systolic blood pressure (收缩压) that was 2.8 mmHg lower and diastolic blood pressure (舒张压) that was 1.5 mmHg lower than those who didn’t.

This blood pressure reduction probably wouldn’t make a huge difference to most people in the study, since they tended to be young and healthy. They already had normal blood pressure. But at a population level, if average blood pressure declined by this much, it would prevent a significant number of heart attacks and strokes. For example, a 2018 study found that a population-wide average systolic blood pressure reduction of 2 mmHg among middle-aged adults in the US would prevent more than 12,000 heart attacks and 7,000 strokes each year.

Based on the new study, we can’t say for sure that yoga lowers blood pressure, because there may be other explanations for the findings. People who do yoga may have lower blood pressure because they tend to have better diets, not because of the yoga itself. And yoga shouldn’t be seen as the replacement for blood pressure lowering medicines. Nevertheless, yoga is likely to assist in lowering blood pressure if it encourages sedentary (久坐的) people to exercise. “The greatest benefit is getting the exercise-shy to do something rather than increasing exercise in someone who does it regularly,” an expert says.

5 . “Age is just a number” is a saying that some people might disagree with, but for healthy and fit great-grandmother Anne Sheppard, nothing could be more true.

At 100 years old, Anne can kick, crunch and do full push-ups. And she is always exercising with other fitness fans who are almost 70 years her junior in the gym. South Melbourne-born Anne worked at the local clothing factory while her husband Max was away at work with the army. When the couple retired in 1981, they signed up to their local gym, where Anne is still a member 40 years later. “I feel stronger and fitter than before!” Anne says in an interview from her gym in Melbourne. She has just finished a rigorous training class — one of five group courses she attends throughout the week. “I just love it and I want to keep going as long as I can,” she smiles. “It’s part of my life now — my husband has passed away and now I’m on my own. The gym is my second family and I’d be lost without them.”

“Anne is a superstar —no matter where she goes, everyone is attracted to her! I know she inspires us to do whatever we set our minds to. We’re all jealous because we want to get to 100 years old and be like her,” says Jan, a friend of Anne in the gym.

Exercise has always been an important part of life for Anne. Despite going to the gym three days a week, Anne also keeps active in other ways, and regularly walks to and from the local supermarket. Life has now slowed a little bit for Anne. As for her next personal best, her goal is to keep going to the gym. That’s how Anne enjoys her life.

8 . 81-year-old Erika lives in Langenfeld, Germany, with her husband. She never used to be ________, but after her two kids grew up and left the ________, she found herself bored.

________, her daughter signed her up for a gym membership. “The first five years, I was not as ________. Then, I slowly started to do more and ________ took part in rowing competitions,” Erika said.

It has been 20 years since Erika first ________ that gym. These days, she works out twice a day. When COVID-19 began, she had to find a new way to ________ her workout desire. That's when her daughter ________ some technology-related apps to her!

She ________ participating in various workout challenges online, and it didn't take long before people ________ her. As her Internet followers grew, Erika has become a perfect ________ for the young to keep active for the benefit of their ________.

“If I can change people's stereotypes(刻板印象) about the old, it makes me very happy,” she said. Meanwhile, she often ________ younger folks through her social networks, trying hard to ________ the joy of fitness.

“I would have never ________ to get this many inspiring ________ and followers,” Erika added. “These apps have helped me to stay up-to-date with ________ and what the younger generations are ________ these days.”

Erika is showing everyone how ________ it is to grow and evolve in our lifetimes. Twenty years ago, she ________ imagined that she would be motivating people half her age on social media Now she's made it.

9 . Recently, science has been uncovering a link between walking and a lower risk of dementia (痴呆), proving that walking is even good for your brain.     1     Maybe you already love to walk, but you’re getting tired of following your same old route day after day—or maybe you’re new to walking and aren’t sure how to get started. Either way, it’s time to embrace the idea of walking with a purpose.

To get started, sit down with a map and make a plan. Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of walking aside from the health benefits? Do you want to meet other people? See new places? Get out into the wilderness or explore a city?     2    

Making friends and socializing is your goal.     3     Ask your friends where they like to walk and go there, since this will introduce you to new places. Look up your local malls which have groups that come every day, or every weekend, to “walk the mall”. These groups are always happy to include one more walker!

    4     Ask about local hikes that get you out of town and into the wilderness or countryside. Folks who are touring in an RV or car can stop to ask about scenic spots that will get them off the beaten path.

Headed to a new city?     5     Many of our great historic cities offer detailed and well-planned walking tours. You can follow the famous painted red band through Boston’s historic landmarks or walk your way through the sites of Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

From the benefits, walking is just plain good for you. Pick up a map and start walking.