1 . A new study shows that getting half of American 8-to 11-year-olds into 25 minutes of physical activity three times a week would save ＄21.9 billion in medical costs over their lifetimes.

The increase from the current 32 percent to 50 percent of kids taking part in exercise, active play, or sports would also result in 340,000 fewer overweight teenagers.

“Physical activity not only makes kids feel better and helps them develop healthy habits, it’s also good for the nation’s bottom line,” says Bruce Y. Lee, executive director of the Global Obesity Prevention Center at Johns Hopkins University. “Our findings show that encouraging exercise and investing in physical activity when kids are young pays big dividends as they grow up.”

The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, suggests an even bigger advantage if every 8 to 11-year-old in the United States exercised 75 minutes over three times in a week. In that case, the researchers estimate (估计), ＄62.3 billion in medical costs over the course of their lifetimes could be avoided and 1.2 million fewer youths would be overweight. And the money would increase if not just current 8-to-11 year olds, but every future elementary school child joined their game.

Exercise at least 25 minutes a day, three days a week, is a guideline developed for kids by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. An overweight person’s lifetime medical costs average ＄62,331. For the overweight person, these amounts are great.

“Even a little increase in physical activity could cause billions of dollars in savings,” Lee says. He also says there are other benefits of physical activity that don’t affect weight, such as improving bone density, improving mood, and building muscle.

Lee says “We need to be adding physical education programs and not cutting them. We need to encourage kids to be active, to reduce screen time and get them running around again. It’s important for their physical health and the nation’s financial (经济的) health.”

2 . Various sports attract fans for different reasons: Spectator sports draw even more fans who just love to watch. Here are some of the most beloved sports worldwide.

Hockey-2 billion fans

Hockey, both on ice and on a field, wins a following of two billion enthusiastic fans worldwide. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while ice hockey is particularly popular in Canada and the US, where kids grow up playing pond hockey. Unlike ice hockey, field hockey usually does not involve body contact in the form of checking and hitting.

Football-4 billion fans

Football, better known as soccer in the US, is by far the most popular sport in the world. Experts estimate that the origin (起源) of football may go as far back as two thousand years, beginning in ancient China during the Han Dynasty. One major reason for football’s global popularity is that unlike other sports that require expensive equipment, all you need to play football is a ball and your feet.

Volleyball-900 million fans

Volleyball pits two teams across a high net, each attempting to smash the ball onto the opponent’s floor. A popular variant, beach volleyball, is competed on sand by pairs rather than the regular six players per team. The crowd appeal of beach volleyball has grown greatly in recent years.

Tennis-1 billion fans

An estimated one billion people worldwide follow professional tennis tournaments and matches. In tennis, players on both sides of a net try to hit a ball with a racket so that it either goes past their opponent (对手) or bounces twice on their opponent’s side of the court to score points. Tennis superstars like Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams are now household names around the world, with huge international fan bases.

3 . Doing fitness routines is challenging and sometimes boring. Here is some advice on how to make exercise as fun as video games.

When you’re playing a game, there’s always an objective. It helps us focus on the task at hand and motivates us to keep playing until we win the game.     1     Create a clear fitness goal. Aim to walk 10,000 steps a day, for example, or try to run a total of 6 miles every week.

Adding an element of competition to your exercise routine can actually help you work out harder. If you’re seeking a similar motivation, look into fitness programs that encourage friendly competition. The app Zwift, for example, is a good choice.     2    

Getting a group to work together toward a common goal was also an effective way to increase physical activity. You can try to recreate this dynamic by working toward an exercise goal with other people, particularly those who you have a close relationship to.     3     So grab a close friend or family member and bring them to the gym with you.

Some people love video games because there’s a lot of unpredictability and surprise.     4     You can recreate this sense of playfulness in your own exercises. For example, you can take photos of at least 5 different flowers on your neighborhood walk. Ride your bike from one friend’s house to another.

    5     If exercise makes you feel slightly happy or adds some kind of meaning to your life, that’s great.

5 . Home workout

As long as there is a space at home, we can move. It will take time if we go outside as time is precious, especially in this fast- paced age. So many people like to exercise at home. However, without trainers, getting good exercises at home can be difficult.     1    

Avoid over-training. Nowadays, a lot of people prefer to do some popular programs they see on social media. But a lot of these programs are high-in-tensity (高强度的) and designed to make you feel tired.     2     Training beyond your power can result in injury. “You might develop tendonitis (肌腱炎) in the knees; you might hurt an ankle,” said Clifton Hempstead, a well-known personal trainer.

    3     A lot of home workout programs that don’t need equipment include exercises such as planks (平板支撑),squats (深蹲) and sit-ups.     4     “When doing squats, your knees and toes should be pointed in the same direction so that, long term, your knees don’t suffer. If you can’t do an exercise, find a way to reduces its tensity so that you have less pain,” he said.

Do yoga in a suitable way.     5     But if you’d rather learn yoga through videos, it’s important to take it slow. Many video classes don’t offer any changes of poses that might make them work for different bodies. “If something doesn’t feel right, and you’re taking a video class, please quit,” he said. “Don’t go as far.”

6 . Playing tennis might add years to your life, according to a new study of Danish men and women. The study found that adults who frequently participate in tennis or other racket (球拍) and team sports lived longer than people who were spending a lot of time sitting down. They also lived longer than people who took part in activities such as jogging, swimming and cycling. The results raise interesting questions about the role that social interactions might play in enlarging the benefits of exercise.

No one doubts that being physically active improves our health and can extend our longevity (寿命). But whether some activities might be better than others remains in argument. One widely publicized 2017 study of more than 80,000 British men and women found that those who played racket sports like tennis tended to outlive those who jogged.

The researchers widened their inquiry and looked at a variety of sports and their associations with life. To start, they turned to the same data resource they had used for the jogging study, the Copenhagen City Heart Study. The study’s participants had all completed health exams and lengthy questionnaires about their lifestyles and whether and how often they took part in some sports common in Denmark, including cycling, swimming, running, tennis, soccer and, perhaps unexpectedly, badminton.

According to the data, cycling added an average of 3.7 years to riders’ lives, compared to sedentary Danes. Running added 3.2 years while tennis 9.7 years. These associations remained unchanged even when the researchers controlled for people’s education, socioeconomic status and age.

“Why and how some sports might add more years to people’s lives than others is impossible to know from this kind of observational study,” says Dr. James O’Keefe, a study co-author. “But we know that social support probably has unique effects on helping people get more benefits from the exercise.”

For now, people who run or ride alone might consider finding a group or partner to work out together. “Raising your heart rate is important for health,” he says. “But it looks like connecting with other people is, too.”

10 . Top running routes in the USA

Holidays for some people are all about relaxing on the beach but for others, it’s important to be out and about. Walking and running holidays allow travellers to explore the beauty of a country and get plenty of fresh air without spending too much money. Here are some of the most beautiful running routes (路线) in the USA — you may want to give these a go.

An area favoured by athletes from all over the world, Mammoth Lakes offers amazing views and plenty of trails (小路) along with a healthy running community for active travellers to explore. Well-known track coaches Joe Vigil and Bob Larsen brought marathon superstars to the area in 2001 and ever since, it has trained 12 Olympians who have earned two Olympic medals as well as three major marathon wins.

Perfect for runners who like a bit of variety on their route, the Three Rivers Heritage Trail offers 24 miles of path going through a number of neighbourhoods, popular shopping and entertainment districts (娱乐区) and green space providing the perfect guide to the city on two feet.

Naples is well-known for its high-end shopping, world-class culture and high-class dining. The best running trail is along Gulf Shore Boulevard and Gordon Road, with views of the white sandy beaches and water, and some of Naples boutique hotels and holiday homes.

The Barr Trail is a trail that began as a way to enter mining (采矿) areas on Pikes Peak and later developed into a tourist trail. It starts in Manitou Springs, a little tourist town just west of The Springs, and climbs to the top of Pikes Peak in about 12 miles and 7,400 feet of vertical (垂直的) gain. This is not an easy route so be sure to pack the right supplies and rest when you need to.