2 . The gym has never been the sort of place I like to be. 1 don't have fond feelings for the smell of sweaty bodies.     1     I have long been troubled by arthritis(关节炎).

A few months ago, I had a medical examination. As suspected: 20 pounds overweight and high blood pressure. The prescription? Exercise. The thought of sweating it out in a gym only made me feel more powerless over my body. I felt bad for myself. And then I got angry -----at my condition and my laziness.    2     I decided I wanted to invest in my health. But how?

I was raised in New Jersey and spent summers "down the shore." I had always found water to be healing (治愈的).    3     I loved that feeling, so I decided the pool would be my best bet for exercise. And, not for nothing, the National Institutes of Health says water is one of the best fitness choices for folks with arthritis. So I marched over to the pool during my lunch break.

Three lanes (泳道). Twenty-five meters. Two other swimmers in the water. One was swimming so fast that I thought I accidentally joined a master’s group. The other one was swimming along, carrying tiny water weights. And then there was me. I jumped in and swam a lap.    4     I sucked it up, and did another. Sure, it was hard, but I wasn’t tied to a machine. I was just moving through the water with ease. I fell in love with the water.

I will likely never be the fastest person in the pool.    5     With each swim, I get stronger, more efficient, and more graceful. Exercise stopped feeling so annoying when I decided to work out for my health.

4 . A 70-year-old woman wins hearts with her energetic workouts on Douyin, He Qi reports in Shanghai.

Videos on the social networking platform Douyin—also known globally as TikTok—that show men and women with perfect physiques working out or providing fitness tips are commonplace.

Trying to stand out from the crowd amid a flood of such videos can often be difficult, but a relatively new account, which has only been active since last year, has managed to do easily. The fitness instructor behind this account is not a young woman with a slim, toned figure that would leave viewers green with envy.

The star here is 70-year-old Chen Jifang, a Shanghai resident with 3 million likes on her Douyin videos. She was once even featured on a reality show on China Central Television. According to her trainer, who helped to manage the Douyin account, Chen attracted more than 400,000 followers within just a few months.

“The main group that I wanted to encourage was people at ages 30 to 50,” says Chen. “I think they will be motivated to work out in the gym after seeing that a granny like me can. The message I want to convey is that it is never too late to pursue good health.”

For Chen, her passion for exercising was born out of a need instead of a desire to become famous. According to Chen, her health had been poor since she was a child. She even had to give up her job after giving birth to her daughter because her health was severely affected by the pregnancy. “In the past, whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would lie at home for an entire day,” says Chen, who used to be a saleswoman in a local company before retirement.

5 . About 1.4 billion people around the world do not get enough physical exercise. The world's adult population is about 5.6 billion, so that is tantamount to about one-fourth of the world's adult population.

Researchers looked at 358 population-based studies between 2001 and 2016. Those studies referred to nearly 2 million people in 168 countries.

Regina Guthold was the lead author of the report. She said the study also found a wide range (范围) of physical activity levels for countries around the world. “Inactivity ranges from as low as 6 percent in Uganda and Mozambique to 67 percent in Kuwait. Four countries have a prevalence (普通) of inactivity of over 50 percent. That's Kuwait, America Samoa, Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” she said.

The report shows the levels of physical inactivity are more than two times as high in wealthy countries as they are in countries where people have low incomes. In wealthier countries, people are more likely to spend time sitting in offices. They are also more likely to use computers and electronic devices (设备) for entertainment.

There are actually many things people can do for themselves. If you work in a high-rise office building, take the stairs instead of an elevator. Go for a walk during your lunch break. Take more breaks during the workday and move around. If your workplace offers a gym or exercise classes, make sure to use them. At home, take walks with your family or friends after dinner.