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rather than, a balanced diet, in good shape, within minutes, go jogging, up to, for fun |
American government suggests that children and teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity every day. But less than half of children and just 10% of teens meet these suggestions. What's the deal?
It's reported that about 44 million US kids participate in organised sports (such as baseball, softball, soccer). But a new study says just one quarter of kids get the governmentrecommended amount of exercise when they show up for team practices. The study, published online last month in a medical journal, says younger kids do better than teens.
The study looked at 200 kids aged 7 to 14 who played on soccer, baseball and softball teams. The kids wore sensors (传感器) to measure their activity during practices.
During each practice, kids averaged 30 minutes of downtime (休息时间). "It is not clear how much physical activity is provided by youth sports practices，" said the Californiabased authors of the study. "Much of the time may be inactive, such as receiving verbal (口头的) instructions and waiting for turns."
What's a parent or coach—or kid—to do? The authors of the study suggest increasing the number of practices, extending the time of practices and changing it up during practices. For example, the coach could give each player a ball at the same time. Rather than focusing on one player's skills, it's best to get the whole team moving.
But, the study says, the bottom line is that team sports aren't enough exercise. For a child to meet the US physical activity suggestions, the kid will have to do more than just join a team. Exercise is also necessary during breaks, during physical education class, after school and even on the way to school.
Keeping fit often means sharing a busy pathway with cyclists, runners and walkers, but imagine facing the task of doing it all without being able to see or hear. It is a challenge many disabled athletes face, unless someone agrees to be their eyes and ears.
Newly formed group Achilles Brisbane pairs visionand hearingimpaired (受损的) athletes with a person who would like to guide them.
"When we go out, we're always going out into an unknown course," said Achilles Brisbane president Jane Britt, who is both visionand hearingimpaired. "It's much less frightening to have someone beside you that has full hearing to listen for you and tell you what's there."
Ms Cullen and Ms Britt meet up most Saturday mornings to take part in the free fivekilometer Southbank park run. Their partnership is built on trust, but Ms Britt said that it took time to develop.
Ms Britt said it took an unexpected storm for her to trust Ms Cullen completely. "There was violent rain, my glasses were broken and we were walking together," she said. "I suddenly had to tell her I couldn't see anything, and I was going to have to completely trust her. From that time I knew it was going to work because she was so good about dealing with the special situation we both found ourselves in."
Isabella Allen and her seeingeye dog Tatum are two new additions to the Achilles program. Ms Allen kept active by running and cycling, but found it difficult to keep going as her vision became worse. After nearly giving up completely, she worked up the courage to ask Brisbane to find someone to share a boat with her.
Ms Allen said the fear of not finding anyone to row with almost stopped her from reaching out to Achilles Brisbane. "But, they found people and matched me to them," she said. "It's the best thing I've ever done."
Of course, she wasn't really my aunt and, out of fear, I never called her that to her face. I only referred to her as "My Aunt Fannie" because the name always made my father laugh quietly and gave my mother cause to look strictly at both of us—at me for being disrespectful of my elder and at my father for encouraging my bad behavior. I enjoyed both reactions, so I looked for every opportunity to work the name into as many conversations as possible.
As a young woman, my mother worked in the kitchen of a large Victorian farmhouse. During those years, my mother helped Aunt Fannie make the best blueberry jam ever tasted by anyone in Glenfield. She was wellknown for her jam and for never sharing the recipe with others. Even though my mother knew the recipe by heart, as long as Aunt Fannie was alive, she never made the jam without Aunt Fannie in the kitchen.
Each August, my mother would prepare me for Aunt Fannie's visit. One year, after I had helped with the jam process, Aunt Fannie gave me a coin and then made me promise that I would never spend it. "Hold onto this coin，" she said, "and someday you will be rich. I still have my very first coin, given to me by my grandmother." So, I kept the coin in a small box and waited to become rich.
I now have the blueberry jam recipe and the coin from Aunt Fannie. In people's eyes Aunt Fannie's success resulted from that secret recipe. But to me, it was just a common recipe. Neither have made me become a rich person, but I keep them as reminders to hold onto the valuable things in life. Money can make you feel rich for a while, but it is the relationships and the memories of time spent with friends and family that truly leave you wealthy. And that is a fortune that anyone can build.
Why play sports? You might say "to get exercise" and you'd be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more. According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just being fit.
Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up your study time. Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom.
Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goalsetting skills. When working with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.
Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis (骨质疏松症).
Playing sports improves selfconfidence. Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feelgood activity because they help girls get in shape, keep a healthy weight, and make new friends.
Playing sports can reduce stress and help you feel a little happier. How? The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood. Friends are another moodlifter. And being in a team creates tight bonds between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you both on and off the field!
A. Exercise cuts the pressure.
B. Sports teach girls valuable life skills.
C. Regular exercise increases quality of life.
D. In fact, there are at least five more reasons.
E. Girls who play sports feel better about themselves.
F. Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits.
G. But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't.
My name is Miranda Gibson. I have been at the top of a tree for five months now. Some people might wonder1on earth I would choose to do that.
I have walked through this forest many times. On 12 December 2011, 2 rolled into the forest and the destruction (摧毁) began. I couldn't 3 the thought that these forests would be 4 forever. So, on 14 December 2011, I packed up my life, 5 of my job plans, and climbed 60 meters to the top of this tree. I have been here ever since.
Life in the tree tops can be 6 at times. I have times when I feel frustrated (沮丧) and wish I could 7 , to anywhere, just have a 8 of scenery for a minute! There are times too, when I feel terribly 9. I miss my friends and family. 10 these times, I find myself loving the 11.
Living on the tree has been inspiring. I am willing to 12 up here for as long as it takes, 13 I honestly hope it won't be too 14before I can put my feet on the ground below and stand in a forest that will never be 15.
My dad is an enthusiastic runner who (great) influenced me when I was young. So I was very sporty before the age of 14. However, when my family moved, my new school didn't pay much attention sports and had no afterschool activities like football or running. Over the next few years, I (stop) exercising apart from during Physical Education lessons at school. I looked (health); however, I was not.
One day, I was late for a bus, tried to run after it and in under a minute was out of breath! This made me realize how unfit I was. (help) myself get in shape again, I made a (decide) that I would take up a kind of sport.
A friend of mine suggested a swimming pool she goes to a few times a week. Now, I'm a swimming lover! I find swimming in the pool very (relax). I swim for hour three times a week. I hope that I will soon start to feel the benefits of regular exercise, and will become (fit) than before.
