2 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New research found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia (失智症) in later life-and if they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.

Lead researcher Dr.Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said: “These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people’s cardiovascular (心血管的) fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia.”

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were tired out to measure their peak (最大值的) cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level with a capacity of 120 watts or higher. While 92 women were in the medium fitness category; a total of 59 were of low fitness level, with a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their tests stopped because of health problems.

These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

“However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association,” said Horder. “More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important.” She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were from Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.

4 . It’s easy to talk yourself out of exercising. Even when you have the best intentions to work out, excuses are so easy to find — “I’m too tired”, “I’m busy” or “The weather is bad”. Don’t worry!     1    

※ Take baby steps.

You’ll never try to run 10 miles just in a single day, right? When you do too much too soon, you’ll end up injured and discouraged. Take it easy as you get stated. Maybe you only run a quarter of a mile during your first week.     2    

※ Show the clock who is boss.

Health experts say that you should aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, plus weight training at least twice a week. If you work too late to get to a gym, keep a set of weights at home. If you can’t do 30 minutes at once, break it up into 10 or 15 minutes’ sections.

※    3    

Your workout should be just as much a habit as brushing your teeth or eating breakfast. When it’s part of your routine, you won’t even have to think about it. In a few months, fitness can be regular in your day.

※ Keep it real.

You’re not going to shake off 30 pounds in a week.     4     Gradually, you should increase your workout schedule from 2 to 3 days a week, or exercise for 15more minutes each time.

※Celebrate.

It takes weeks to see real changes. Therefore, even a pound of weight loss or a pound of muscle gain is the reason to reward yourself.

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6 . Fitness Magazine recently ran an article titled “Five Reasons to Thank Your Workout Partner.” One reason was: “You’ll actually show up if you know someone is waiting for you at the gym, ” while another read: “    1    ”   With a workout partner, you will increase your training effort as there is a subtle (微妙) competition.

So, how do you find a workout partner?

First of all, decide what you want from that person.     2     Or do you just want to be physically fit, able to move with strength and flexibility? Think about the exercises you would like to do with your workout partner.

You might think about posting what you are looking for on social media, but it probably won’t result in a useful response.     3     If you plan on working out in a gym, that person must belong to the same gym.

My partner posted her request on the notice board of a local park. Her notice included what kind of training she wanted to do, how many days a week and how many hours she wanted to spend on each session, and her age. It also listed her favorite sports and activities, and provided her phone number.     4    

You and your partner will probably have different skills.     5     Over time, both of you will benefit—your partner will be able to lift more weights and you will become more physically fit. The core (核心) of your relationship is that you will always be there to help each other.

7 . Exercise could not only benefit your body, but also improve your memory, researchers found recently. In their paper published on Monday, researchers from the University of California in the US and the University of Tsukuba in Japan introduced their experiment and conclusion.

Scientists invited 36 volunteers who were in their early 20s to do 10 minutes of light exercise before taking a memory test in which they were shown pictures like broccoli (西兰花) or picnic baskets and asked to recall them later. The same experiment was repeated with the same group of volunteers without exercising. “The memory task was really quite challenging,” said Michael Yassa, co-author of the study and a neuroscientist (神经科学家) at the University of California. “We used trickily similar items to see if they would remember whether it was this exact picnic basket or that picnic basket.”

Researchers also scanned some of the brains of the participants during the experiment. They found that the brains of those who exercised strengthened their ability to remember things. This suggested that just 10 minutes of light exercise like walking, yoga or Tai Chi might increase memory.

As all the volunteers in the experiment were relatively young, researchers are still working to look at the effects of light exercise on older people. “Our future goal is to try to develop an exercise prescription that can be used by older adults who might have disabilities or limited movements, but can still take very simple exercise and be able to, perhaps, put off the reduction of cognitive (认知的) skills slowly,” said Yassa.

8 . Exercising regularly not only helps you keep slim, but also improves your overall health and well-being. Different exercises produce different results, as they focus on alternate parts of the body. There are four broad exercise categories: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Many people often only focus on one exercise type, but including all four in your workout will produce better results and reduce your risk of injury.

Endurance

Endurance exercises increase your breathing and heart rate. By doing endurance exercises, you are working to keep your heart, lungs, and blood-flow system healthy while improving your total fitness. Over time these activities will make everyday activities seem easier.

Strength

If you want to build up your muscles, then strength exercises, which are also known as “resistance training”, are right for you. Even the slightest increase in strength can make a huge difference in your ability to carry out daily tasks. Developing strong muscles also reduce your risk of weak bones.

Flexibility

Flexibility exercises help stretch your body’s muscles. This allows for more freedom of movement for other exercises and can also improve your range of motion, posture, ability to breathe deeply, and blood flow. Also, it reduces the muscle tension caused by stress.

Balance

Balance exercises help prevent falls and are especially important to older adults, helping them stay independent. Most good balance exercises are ones that keep you constantly moving with your feet on the ground. Heel-to-toe walking and standing on one foot are simple ways to improve balance.

10 . Lawn Games for Adults That’ll Make You Feel Like a Kid Again

Experts say that engaging in playful activities through adulthood can help lower stress, improve cognitive functions, and build social bonds with others, which is so much more than what your phone can do for you. So what are you waiting for? Round up the family, grab one of these lawn games for adults, and let the good time scroll.

Spikeball Game Set $59.99

The flexible, hula-hoop-sized net stands on its foldable legs and can be taken to the beach or the park to give four players plenty of space to run around. Start the two-on-two game by bouncing a ball off the net, sending it flying toward your opponents—they have three passes between them to send the ball back over to your team. When they miss, you score, and the first one to get to 21 wins.

The Pocket Shot $25.00

Who doesn’t love lining up cans and shooting them down with a slingshot? It’s demanding yet thrilling. The Pocket Shot is a super powerful slingshot that shoots at two or three times the rate of a regular slingshot. It’s super tiny, so it fits in your pocket.

Giant 4-Connect-In-A-Row $79.99

Two players at a time try to insert their red or blue coins into the wooden frame to form a vertical or horizontal line of all the same color. It’s way more challenging than you’d think.