2 . Endless studies show the physical, mental and longevity-based benefits of working out, while plenty suggest that avoiding activity is bad. But headlines about someone collapsing after a row always stick in the mind. So, how risky is training too hard?     1    

The NHS recommends that healthy adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity — but doesn’t suggest where to stop. This is because the ability to handle excess exertion (过度努力) depends on many varied factors.

The exact cause of “overtraining”, in the sense of doing too much over an extended period, is still being debated.     2     Others suggest the intestinal microbiota (肠道菌群) are involved. Whatever the case, it can hurt the rest of your life, making you moody, tired, or injury-prone.

The best advice is to pay attention when you lack energy or feel unwell and back off a bit. If you are a runner, this can also help with the common complaint of shin splints (胫骨骨膜炎), or more serious stress fractures, which are tiny cracks in the bone itself. The latter, which can be due to a sudden increase in training intensity, won’t heal until you ease off.     3    

“The obvious risk factors are linked to impact and exertion,” says Steve Hoyles, a personal trainer and gym owner. “Running is a high-impact activity and analysis shows that inexperienced runners suffer an average of 17.8 injuries per 1,000 hours, whereas in gym users the average is 5.3 injuries per 1,000 hours.     4     Combining these with a form of resistance training would be helpful. Strong muscles, bones, and connective tissues are more resistant to injury than weaker tissues, so prioritise some form of strength training, regardless of your exercise of choice.”

    5     By easing in and increasing the difficulty gradually, you will learn to listen to your body, which can help to warn you if something does go wrong. By not thrashing yourself from the start, you will learn to love exercise — and do it for the long haul.

3 . In recent years, studies have suggested how the bisphenol A (BPA) in some food-packaging plastics has been linked to various health problems including heart disease and developmental difficulties in children. Scientists are thus developing a more harmless alternative, and it’s made from tomato waste which would otherwise be got rid of.

However, BPA is still widely used in the plastic coatings which are applied to the inside of metal food packaging such as cans. These smooth waterproof coatings help protect the metal from corrosion (腐蚀), plus they keep the food from sticking to the inside of the container.

Building on previous studies, an international team has researched a type of agricultural waste known as tomato pomace. This material typically consists of tomato skins, seeds and stems, which are left over after the fruits have been processed for use in foods such as sauces or juices. Ordinarily, the pomace is simply dumped in a landfill, burned, or at best composted. It may also be used in animal feed, although it doesn’t have much nutritional value.

The scientists started by drying tomato pomace — first in the sun for three days, then in a 60℃ oven for 16 hours — after which they grounded it into a powder. That powder was subsequently mixed with a sodium hydroxide solution (溶液), which was then heated at 100℃ for four hours. After repeatedly filtering that solution to remove the sodium hydroxide, the researchers were left a lipid. That lipid was then mixed into an ethyl alcohol solution which was sprayed onto samples of some metal. Once the spray had dried and the samples had been heated in a 200℃ oven for 10 to 60 minutes, the result was a polymerized lacquer coating which proved to be very effective at protecting the metal.

The scientists now plan on testing the coating on actual cans. “We would take tomato sauce, and other foods that are usually sold in cans, and we would sterilize them, put them in tins and check if they withstand real conditions,” said a scientist.

Life Skills Show

5 . It’s been three decades since The Color Purple (1985) brought Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel to life. The 1985 film earned 11 Academy Award nominations with its heart-wrenching yet inspiring story of a young Black woman getting through the hardships of rural Georgia in the early 1900s. The Color Purple 2023 film is a musical adaptation with a different vibe, though according to award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter, it’s still “a timeless story of love, friendship and power.”

Oprah Winfrey—the film’s producer—has encouraged viewers to wear purple when seeing the movie, referring to its holiday release as a “purple Christmas.” In a video posted to her Instagram account in May, she said, “OK, y’all have seen the trailer, and I’m giving you six months to get your outfit together for opening day. All things purple. What you gonna wear? Color purple.” And she’s led the way to promote the movie at press events, award shows, talk shows and early screenings.

But beyond pure marketing, purple holds a greater meaning here. According to cultural critics, it’s a symbol of power, ambition and luxury, as well as creativity, independence and peace—things the movie’s main character, Celie, does not have due to years of domestic violence. Thus, it’s very much a cultural moment when people wear purple in solidarity(团结一致) to support the movie and embrace this theme of empowerment, just like wearing pink to see Barbie (and black to see Oppenheimer, for that matter).

Thirty-three years later, The Color Purple continues to attract audiences, especially Black women. It’s these themes of sisterhood, spirituality and self-discovery that make the book and its adaptations so timeless. “Shakespeare can be performed so many times and in so many forms,” Porter says. “This is a classic text that has the same power.”

6 . T. S. Eliot wrote of “Distracted from distraction by distraction /Filled with fancies and empty of meaning.” T. S. Eliot never had a smartphone.

Neither did I for a long time. No Facebook account; not even email. But according to my date of manufacture, I’m supposed to be a digital native. Perhaps it’s because by the age of 20 I was living in the Welsh countryside with no signal and no Wi-Fi.

When I finally fell into the digital world, I fell hard. Unlike my friends for whom social media and mobile technology had grown and flowered around them, for me it was a sudden immersion. I got Facebook, Twitter and Gmail accounts at the same time that I got an iPhone 4. I would check my phone; five minutes later I would check my phone again. I was addicted and it started to affect my relationships with friends and family

One night, without a word, I abandoned my iPhone and bought a Nokia 3310 and became the talk of the town. Soon I became aware that not only had I stolen secret time back from the hurried days, but somehow a secret space as well. I could stretch out, free to think again, to be wholly creative and to learn meaningfully.

But, wherever I went I got bloody lost. Wandering blindly around London, only to miss appointments, became a frequent pastime (消遣). What did we do before Google Maps? I was useless. The change was worth it, though. I’ll sound like an overstatement but I think it changed my life. My choices are broader and healthier because I’m not being screamed at all day.

I bought a new Samsung phone last week. I had been scared of the rate of progress, crying: “Stop the train! Stop the madness.” But I want to be part of building the future, and to do that, you’ve got to swim in contemporary waters. Rejecting the modern world doesn’t help anyone. It slows you down and I need to be efficient. Time will tell whether I’ve mastered the wisdom to reject constantly checking my phone.

10 . Picking the right hotel for your trip is very important for tourists in Athens as it’s a fairly sprawling city with a lot of different neighborhoods to choose from. To help you choose, here’s my list of the best hotels in Athens:

A. Athens Center Square Hotel

In Plaka, this hotel has a minimalist design with welcoming pastel colors throughout, and most rooms have a view of the Acropolis (雅典卫城). Rooms are simple but decently sized, with flat-screen TVs, desks, mini fridges, air conditioning. The delicious buffet breakfast is complimentary and quite expansive, featuring Greek and American cuisine. There’s also free coffee and tea in the lobby all day long.

B. Athensdot

This newer property is in Psyrri, has a cool, pop-art design throughout, with large scale drawings on the walls and bright bursts of red everywhere. Rooms vary from internal rooms with no window to rooms with a balcony and views of the Acropolis. While there’s no breakfast served at the property, there’s a cute 24-hour café just a few doors down that serves food at all hours.

C. Coco-Mat Hotel

This design-forward 4-star hotel, run by the mattress company Coco-Mat, is in the heart of Kolonaki, a quiet neighborhood renowned for its upscale boutiques and art galleries. All rooms are equipped with high-quality mattresses, and you can even choose your pillow from a menu with 12 different pillow types. There’s a fantastic Greek breakfast buffet in the mornings.

D. Plaka Hotel

Comfortable and friendly, Plaka Hotel is (you guessed it) in the heart of Plaka. You’ll find the majority of ruins and tourist attractions here. This simply decorated hotel boasts the starry scenery of the Acropolis from both in-room balconies and the rooftop terrace bar/restaurant. There’s also a complimentary (and huge) buffet breakfast featuring local specialties.