Being a fit and healthy person is very important for lots of people today. In fact, some people like running and exercising so much that they become obsessed with keeping track of it.

Thanks to fitness apps, people can measure every step they take, what they eat and every calorie they burn. They might wear a special watch on their wrist, shoes on their feet or use different apps on their phone to measure their movements. Importantly, once they have done that they post it on social media. All of their friends can see where they’ve run, what workout they’ve done or what they had for lunch. Sounds familiar?

Doctor Daniel Kraft from the United States makes gadgets(小器具) for people like this. He told the Digital Health Summit that these people, known as “trackaholics”, would become normal in the future.

And I think he’s right. I can see the world of health and fitness changing around me every day.

One of my friends, named Anna Palmer, is always using the latest fitness gadgets. Her favorite is an app called Argus. She uses it on her phone to measure her steps, heart rate and amount of calories she has burnt. She always posts these things, and pictures of herself exercising, on social media. “It’s nice to know exactly how much exercise you have done, rather than guess,” she said. “That way I can keep pushing myself to improve.”

Also, my friends in China use WeChat to compare how many steps they’ ve taken each day. They are very competitive about this!

Ever since the 2012 publication of Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling book, Wild, which records her 1100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Washington state all by herself, many more people have been preparing their hiking shoes.

Hiking is now the fourth most-popular outdoor activity in the U.S., after running, fishing and biking, according to The Outdoor Foundation’s 2018 Outdoor Participation Report. The report noted that 44.9 million people hit the trails (步道) in 2017, up from 30 million in 2006. The biggest jump in participation came between 2015 and 2016.

Trimble, a government official, says in addition to the “Wild” effect, he believes hiking is increasing in popularity because more people are discovering the nation’s various trail systems and learning about the concept of long-distance hiking. “I also think the Millennials, and even Generation Z, are putting a lot more value on experiences than on money and career advancement,” he says. “Cultural changes have played a role in the number of people getting out on the trails.”

Mike Wollmer is a director of the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA), which protects, keeps and advocates for the Ice Age Trail, another one of the 11 National Scenic Trails. Wollmer believes social media has also helped to improve hiking numbers, as it is being used to show the beauty and diversity of U.S. hiking trails, construction projects and more. This is especially true for less famous paths such as the Ice Age Trail, which winds 1150 miles around Wisconsin, presenting the state’s Ice Age landscapes (风景).

The IATA recorded 76 trail completions between the path’s birth in the 1970s and 2012. During the next six years, another 114 people reported trail finishes. The hiking community also created the IATA-specific “Thousand Miler Wanna Bes” Facebook page, aimed at helping people achieve their dream of becoming a “thousand-miler”, a special title the IATA gives to those who have completed the entire trail.

Until quarantine (隔离期) ends, we are left picturing what sport we might do: working out at the gym, playing on a competitive sports team, swimming, biking, or rock climbing. However, we don’t often think of martial arts as possible activities; instead, we rule it out because we think it’s dangerous, uncommon, and even, impossible. Martial arts aren’t considered a sport, right?

Well, here’s some good news: you’re wrong! Martial arts aren’t much more common than people think, and you can start learning at any age. Practicing martial arts is a great way to keep in shape, both physically and mentally. They’re much less boring and much less arduous sport than they’re usually described as in movies, so do not worry that they need a lot of effort.

Martial arts generally require you to focus on the position and movement of every one of your legs and arms, sometimes even your breathing too. Think about it: when you leave the gym, your mental state has improved and you are much calmer. This is because you’ve only paid attention to one activity. It is a great way to clear your head. And practicing it can help you learn to stay more focused, which is the greatest advantage of martial arts training.

Martial arts also improve your coordination (协调性), and greatly improve your posture (姿势). I have personally seen students go from slouching (没精打采) to walking tall with their shoulders back in just a couple of months.

There are many styles and countless kinds of martial arts. Whichever one you like better, know that all of them are good choices.