William Purkey, a well-known professor of education, once said, "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like it's heaven on earth." It seems like the perfect life philosophy (哲理)---and one I've learned to apply to running over the year.

But I didn't always feel this way. In my early days, when I weighed 240 pounds, I ran like everyone was watching---and judging. If I was on a run and saw a car approaching, I'd stop and pretend I was looking for something I'd lost. I bought the high-tech gear and clothes that I thought would make people believe I was a runner. And I didn't know if the expensive shoes I was wearing were the right kind for me---I just wanted to look like I fit in with this group.

To be honest, I felt a certain satisfaction in believing that someone was watching. I really thought that other people cared about my performance. The best example of this was a combined, two-lap marathon(马拉松长跑)in Florence, Italy. As I approached finishing line, the crowd began to cheer. I was surprised. Here I was, thousands of miles from home, and the Italians were shouting for “IIPenguino.”

About 20 yards from the finishing ,the truth set in when the winner of the full marathon went past me as I was finishing the marathon No one was cheering for me. no one probably even noticed that I was finishing. I couldn't help but smile at my own illusion of self-importance.

That's when I realized I had been running for every reason except the right one. I ran to make other people happy, ran to live up to their expectations. But no one was watching---no cared. So I decided I was going to run for me---just me---and gained a new enjoyment from the sport I hadn't truly experienced yet. I've learned to run like no one is watching.

So if you see me at race, and I look like a 60-year-old guy wadding(蹒跚) along, don't worry. I'm fine. The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

According to a recent report, about 15% of the people in the UK are members of gyms. But are they more likely to be fit?

A study found that gym members were 14 times more active than people who didn’t belong to any health club. Gym members did six hours more exercise a week, and this activity did make them fitter than non-gym members. They also spent less time sitting down every day than non-gym members. The results were the same for men and women.

The study included 405 people between the ages of 30 and 64, and the main characteristics of those who were gym members were the same as those who were not. “But gym members did more training than non-gym members,” said the lead author, Elizabeth Schroeder of the University of Illinois.

While it might seem clear that gym members exercise more and are healthier than non-gym members, Schroeder says this has not been directly shown before. However, the study is only designed to show a tie between gym membership and more exercise. It may be that active people like to join gyms. In the study, people who exercised as much as gym members were also in good health.

You can get the same benefits wherever you exercise. This study shows a gym membership can make you do more exercise, but other research shows that exercising outside has other help. Outdoor activity can make you feel happy about life, especially if you run through a forest.

Outdoor exercise is also more interesting than going to the gym. The first five minutes of outdoor exercise is especially helpful in making people feel good. But Schroeder says that a gym may also encourage greater exercise because it can be social and fun.

I was speaking to the faculty (全体教师) at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Canton, Massachusetts, a couple weeks ago. I arrived early and decided to take a walk.

There was a Little League field nearby. I spotted a sign on the fence .

The sign, posted by the Canton Little League, read:

PLEASE REMEMBER

·These are kids.

·This is a game.

·The coaches volunteer.

·You don’t play for the Red Sox (an American professional baseball team).

I had to laugh, especially at the joke about the Red Sox. But I think the sign is a good reminder to everyone connected with youth sports－kids, parents, coaches and the folks who run the leagues－what is important about the games.

First, kids who play are just kids. They are not mini professional athletes. So youth sports leagues and coaches should take it easy on them. Kids don’t need long schedules and lots of faraway games or high-pressure tournaments.

Adults should try to set up youth leagues so more kids play with and against kids from nearby schools and neighborhoods. They should make it easier for kids to play a sport for just a few months so that they can try other sports. Kids shouldn’t play one sport year-round.

And everyone should stop worrying about which team wins or loses. A friend of mine who coached a lot of youth teams once told me, “When you coach kids, it’s not how many you win or lose, but how many sign up for next season.” According to the Aspen Institute’s latest “State of Play” report, fewer kids are signing up. Research indicates a smaller percentage of kids ages 6 to 12 (37 percent) are playing team sports on a regular basis than in 2011 (42 percent).

The aim of youth sports should be to have fun, learn some skills and enjoy being part of a team. When we lose sight of those simple goals, the games suffer, and the kids stay away.

Maybe in 2021 every field or gym where kids play should have a sign like the one in Canton. All you would have to do is change the name of the team.