2 . It’s the time of year when we start hiking. As you pack, remember to bring your smartphone. Whether you’re going on a short walk or a long trip, there are a handful of apps that can help.

This app tracks where you're hiking so you have a map of your route at the end of the hike. It can also track other fitness information like the distance traveled, speed, pace, and even calories burned. You can save the data for your hike, so you can always access the route you look as well as track improvements to your workout.

You don't always have cellphone service when hiking, but you always want to know where you are. The GaiaGPS app provides that information. Download maps of different parts of the world, and access the GaiaGPS app in the middle of even the most remote trails. The GPS function makes using the maps simple, and the app will also point to areas of interest.

One of the worst things is being way out on a trail only to discover you left behind something important. That's why checklists are the best. This checklist app helps you build a customized(定制的) list of things to take with you. Organize different lists based on trail lengths or requirements. Track all your essential items by weight and where you can find them.

Using WildObs, you can record your observations of plants and animals and add them to the database. You can ask the community to help you identify something and keep track of everything you've met, and most importantly, you can become a citizen scientist. By recording what you've seen with this app, you're helping scientists keep track of what's happening to the natural world.

3 . For 365 days a year, come rain or shine, Ruth Rose, 87, has taken a morning swim in Seaford, a small coastal town on the south coast of England. What started as a personal habit has developed into an almost full-time occupation（工作） over the past eight years, with Rose gathering a group of over 150 swimmers each day.

“It's a social event of the day,” she said. “The community needs this sort of grouping of people. We're doing something together and making our lives better.” Rose's group, called the Seaford Mermaids, has grown in number since last year.

While cold water swimming is nothing new in the U.K., its popularity has grown massively over the past few years. According to a recent nationwide study of the popularity of open water swimming, 7.5 million swim in outdoor pools or open water every year. 2.1 million of those say their preference is to swim in cold water. And supporters say swimming in cold water isn't just a form of exercise.

Jo, a recent addition to the Seaford Mermaids and one of the younger members of the group, lost her job last summer. She said that after being encouraged by a friend, swimming each morning had made a “huge difference” to her life.

“While precautions (预防措施) must be taken, especially for first-timers, to enter the water slowly and be well aware of an exit strategy in case muscle movements slow down in the cold water, there may be some potential (可能的) benefits of cold water swimming in treating anxiety and depression（抑郁), though the science is still unclear,” said Dr. Heather Massey, a senior lecturer at School of Sport Health and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth.

“One of the ones that is a bit of a hot topic at the moment is that it may have some potential health benefits,” Massey said. “This is a hugely under-researched area and there's lots of anecdotal(传闻的) evidence that may support an improvement in people's health and well-being, whether that's physical or mental health. However, we don't have the scientific evidence to support that yet.”

7 . In Japan, taking a walk in the woods or “forest bathing” is taken very seriously.     1     The secret is that it does far more than just giving you some exercise and a bit of fresh air. There are some other fantastic benefits.

    2     Not surprisingly, a walk in the woods has proven to be more of an attractive activity to people who are overweight than an hour in a gym. Doctors are now suggesting that walking in the woods is a far healthier way for fat people to exercise than walking indoors.

It can also greatly reduce your blood pressure. In Japan, researchers had one group of subjects take a walk in a wooded area and another group in a built up area.     3     They found the subjects that had taken a walk in the woods had significantly lower blood pressure than those who had walked in an urban area.

Just being near trees can reduce depression.     4     In one study carried out in London, it was found that people who lived near to trees had much better mental health. Researchers discovered that, the more trees that could be found in any location, the fewer the number of people who were being prescribed antidepressants (抗抑郁药).

Walking in the woods has already been shown to improve brainpower. That is why there is currently a trend to site kindergartens in wooded areas. Researchers have found that, children who play in wooded areas develop better cognitive (认知的) skills and are better equipped to be able to assess risks and dangers.     5    

8 . The US government has come out with new advice for Americans about how much exercise they should get each week.

In 2008, the US government came out with its first set of exercise advice, called Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines were based on research by scientists into how people could stay healthy by being active.

Since 2008, scientists have learned more about how helpful exercise is. For example, they’ve learned that being active can make it much less likely that someone will suffer from illnesses. Exercise also makes people worry less, sleep better, and makes their brains work better. So, now, ten years later, after the government has studied the findings, they’ve come up with a new set of guidelines.

Much of the advice is the same as it was in 2008, but there are a few changes. One change is that the government has added activity guidelines for children aged 3 to 5. This was not included in 2008, because younger children were usually very active then. But now, as young children spend more time looking at screens, they are moving less. The government says that children between 3 and 5 should have at least three hours of active play a day.

For children aged 6 to 17, the guidelines have not changed much since 2008. The government says they should get at least an hour of medium to very active movement every day. Most of these activities should be strong enough to raise the heart rate. Children should also do activities that build muscles at least three times a week.

In 2008, the government said that adults should get at least 150 to 300 minutes of medium strength activity every week. But only 20% of Americans actually move that much. Now based on new scientific findings, the government says that even short periods of movement that raise the heart rate are helpful.

The government is starting a program called “Move Your Way”, which it hopes will help encourage Americans to get healthier by meeting these movement goals.

9 . 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.