8 . Like a lot of people, I started running to lose weight. That was in 2004 when I was in college, battling the 40-plus pounds I’d gained from my diet of pasta, fries and sweets. It took me over five years to lose weight, but I never was able to get super lean and muscular like I had always wanted to be.

As a mother, I have gone through two pregnancies (怀孕), gaining 50-plus pounds during each, and always ran to lose weight. Even running 45 minutes three to four times a week didn’t help me lose those last 10 pounds. Running an hour five times a week and doing long training runs on the weekend just made me super hungry, and I ended up gaining weight.

I gradually gave up running. I wasn’t excited to do it anymore because it wasn’t offering the results I thought it should have. I decided to take a leap and sign up for a month-long program for CrossFit. I started going there five days a week. After one month of CrossFit, I was shocked at how my body had changed. In the first month I was there, I never repeated the same exercise. Before trying CrossFit, I put in a lot of miles running, but my heart rate never got as high as it does doing five minutes of wall balls, box jumps and burpees.

It has been three months since I started CrossFit. I love my new exercise routine (一套动作) because I’m actually excited to go when my alarm goes off at 4:40 am. It’s fun to try a new exercise routine. I’m proud to see what I can achieve and how strong I’m getting, and I also look forward to sweating alongside the same dedicated (热忱的), supportive, and inspiring group of people in the morning.

9 . Having a hobby can greatly enrich a teenager’s life. Hobbies can increase physical activity and social interaction, provide stress relief, teach valuable skills, and of course be a lot of fun! However, many teens are unwilling to try a hobby. So you need to use some insight and gentle guidance to help your teens to explore their interests and find their perfect hobby.

Ask your teens what makes them feel good about themselves. One way to help a teenager find a hobby is to pay attention to their strengths and what makes them feel good. Many teens may only focus on weaknesses or things they have failed in. Instead, emphasize anything that they enjoy doing or that makes them happy. A person doesn’t have to be good at a hobby to enjoy it. Hobbies aren’t necessarily talents. As long as they feel good while doing it, it can turn into a hobby.

Ask your teens what they want to do. Maybe your teen has been wanting to try something for a long time but has been unsure if you would agree to it. However, you might just get a shrug (耸肩) in response (回应). That is normal. Asking “What do you want to do?” is a pretty vague (模糊的) and broad question. Tell your teens to think about it, and then ask them about it later.

Determine if your teen has already taken part in hobbies. Teenagers spend much of their life away from the eyes of parents and don’t always offer up information. As a result, sometimes adults are not entirely aware (意识到的) that teens are developing hobbies. Your child may be developing hobbies away from home, so you may not have to encourage them to take up new ones. Instead, you can support their present hobbies.

10 . Dreams don’t always come true, but when they do, sometimes reality doesn’t live up to your expectations.

As a MA Sports Journalism student at the University of Sunderland, I was delighted when I was offered a three-week placement (实习岗位) at BBC Sport (Online). As a 21-year-old, whose dream was to make it as a sports journalist (记者), there couldn’t have been a better place to learn the tricks of the trade. And not only did my dream of working at the BBC come true, but my time there exceeded (超过) even my wildest imagination.

After a couple of days of training to show me how the Content Production System works, I started writing news reports, helping out with the media monitoring (监督) of various events, including the final of the Uefa Europa League, Roland Garros, Canadian Grand Prix and the test match between England and New Zealand. Not only was I given something to do on every single day of my placement, but also I got to interact with some of the sharpest minds in the industry, who were all easy-going and made me feel at home. I learnt that there were various roles played by a journalist, aside from merely writing articles.

My biggest takeaway from the placement was the media monitoring skills which I developed during my time at Salford. Every day at the BBC gave me fresh insight (见识) into the various aspects of the website and how the content was produced.

I would like to thank the BBC for the wonderful opportunity and would advise any beginning sports journalist to give the placement a try, because the insight and experience of working with some of the best journalists in the UK isn’t something that happens every single day.