If you think that running marathons will help you live a long and healthy life, new research may come as a shock. According to a recent scientific study, people who do a very strenuous workout are as likely to die as people who do no exercise at all.

Scientists in Denmark have been studying over 1,000 joggers and non-joggers for 12 years. The death rates from the sample group indicate that people who jog at a moderate pace two or three times a week for less than two and a half hours in total are least likely to die. The best speed to jog at was found to be about 5 miles per hour. The research suggests that people who jog more than three times a week or at higher speeds of over 7 mph die at the same rate as non-joggers. The scientists think that this is because strenuous exercise causes structural changes to the heart and arteries(动脉). Over time, this can cause serious injuries.

Peter Schnohr, a researcher in Copenhagen, said, “If your goal is to decrease risk of death and improve life expectancy, jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace is a good strategy. Anything more is just unnecessary, and it may be harmful.”

The implications of this are that moderate forms of exercise such as tai chi, yoga and brisk walking may be better for us than “iron man” events, triathlons and long-distance running and cycling. According to Jacob Louis Marott, another researcher involved in the study， “You don't actually have to do that much to have a good impact on your health. And perhaps you shouldn't actually do too much.”

On a hot July day in Fairfax, Virginia, the couple team Christopher Pei and Zhang Guifeng are training their students while observing their emotions before their USA Wushu Kungfu Federation National Team Trials (选拔赛).

“They are so nervous because they are experiencing competition anxiety, ” says Peigy, co - founder of US Wushu Academy. “The anxiety allows me only an hour of sleep every night during the competition.”

Wushu is a sport that combines elements of performance and martial arts. The USAWKF National Team Trials happen every two years. Coaches and students get up at 7 am each day to practice for the trials. For 30 years Pei and Zhang have been working in Wushu education.

Pci, who is in his 60s, moved to the United States from China with his family in 1972. “When we moved to Vestal, New York, I did not know any English and started learning English from alphabets,” Pci says. “So I figured it might be a better idea to start learning Wushu in case I got into a fight and could protect myself.” He later realized Wushu is composed of two Chinese characters, “zhi” (止) and “ge” (戈) which means to stop fighting.

The couple opened their first academy in Virginia in 1988. Students start as kindergartners and many continue all the way to college.

Chinese culture emphasizes mastering both literacy and martial arts in order to become a complete person. Zhang believes Wushu helps youth develop concentration because its two main principles include focus and respect. “Many parents who grew up in the U. S. as second - or third-generation Chinese need their children to not only learn traditional Chinese culture but also the correct way to become a better person,” Peigy says.

They devote six days of the week to Wushu education. Sunday is the only day when their attention is not on their students. “Learning Wushu is difficult, Peigy says. But the students don't easily give up. ”

Personalized Exercise

As the start of every year, many of us promise ourselves that a certain number of times a week we will go to the gym or attend an exercise class. But finally many of us just struggle to fit exercise into our lives, or start off well and then give up. Why do we have a good plan at the beginning and fail to achieve it in the end? How can we deal with the problem? 【小题1】

It is important to determine your motivation first. Are you mainly interested in de-stressing or in getting fitter? If your goal is relaxation, then ask yourself if you want to do it energetically. 【小题2】 If you have a calmer style, you can do something quite different. You could choose solitary exercise, such as walking the dog or doing some gardening. 【小题3】 There are quite a lot of them, such as walking and running groups, dance classes, etc. On your own, you could go horse riding or swimming, or just download fitness exercise programs and do it at home.

【小题4】 If you have free time at the weekend, you could book some time with a personal trainer, who can come to your house, or you could meet him at the gym. If your life is not as regular, you could choose the next couple of minutes you have to try an exercise DVD, or put your running shoes on and run for any length of time.

As you see, everything counts when you are doing exercise. Whatever your lifestyle is, you will be able to have something that suits you. 【小题5】Just sit down with a cup of tea, read this article again, and have a think about your options. Then finish the tea, get up, get going, and don’t stop.