In my old school days, running     1    (consider) boring and painful for me. When I started to work, I realised exercise should be part of my lifestyle. Later, running became my career. Over the years, I     2    (coach) many running teams. Needless to say, running has its benefits. It is believed     3    running can decrease the risk of death. So are you currently not doing it? I encourage you to start now.

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.

    1     physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of     2    ,     3     bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.

MedalMad was created     1     (help) inspire and motivate people to be active. We have built a virtual community that supports each other to achieve their personal     2     (fit) or running goals and ambitions.     3     (take) part in MedalMad virtual runs or challenges is easy with a free virtual challenge app to track your challenges and runs. You can jog, row, cycle, swim, walk or roll your way to your amazing medal. You can even do a combination of all, or any.

With the number of kids who play sports increasing rapidly, teaching good sportsmanship is more important than ever. And understanding how to be a good     1     is a big challenge kids must face in sports. For kids, the goals of sports should be physical activity and social interaction. So it’s important that parents and coaches should     2     having fun and getting exercise. Gotlin, who runs a youth basketball club,     3     that kids, coaches, and parents should have a meeting to go over rules before the game and remind every kid to just play and have fun.

10 . About a dozen women have gathered as their instructor guides them through the moves. “Backstroke!” Jean Bailey directs from her chair, raising her arms high, as the women of Elk Ridge quickly begin arm rotations. Everyone puts in top effort.

Bailey, who is 102, has been teaching them four times a week in the hallway of the second floor for about three years. “When I get old, I’ll quit,” said Bailey. Some of her regulars have arthritis (关节炎) that limits their movements, but they can do the stretching exercises comfortably and benefit from them, said Bailey, who herself often uses a walker.

“After attending the class, we’ve gotten pretty close up there on our floor. One of us would do something for anybody. We really keep track of each other,” Phyllis Black, 87, said. She lives down the hall from Bailey; if she skips them, she feels stiff. “She’s a very nice neighbor, and she’s a good friend also. She’s very talented.”

When her children were young, Bailey became a florist (花匠) — a practice she still enjoys as a hobby. She buys artificial flowers and makes bouquets (花束) for the clubhouse and some residents. Laura Stuart calls her the “queen bee”. “She brings her expertise in floral arrangements and is always doing beautiful arrangements,” Stuart said. “She brings that to us, and it’s just a blessing that she’s still here with us to even do such a complex type of floral arrangement.”

At Elk Ridge, residents can participate in fitness activities like a walking club, tai chi and working out in a fitness room. But Bailey’s ladies seem to prefer her class because of her warm and fun personality, and the gentleness of the stretches for people who have mobility challenges, says Sean Tran, operations director at Elk Ridge. “More than anything, her general outlook on life…is just remarkable,” he said about Bailey. “She’s the nicest, most thoughtful, caring person that I probably ever met. Nothing is going to stop her,” Tran said. “She’s going to keep going, no matter what. And others look at her and think: ‘If she can do this at 102, I can do this at my age, whatever it is.’”