Training "smart" is more important than the amount of daily practice.

Too often an athlete believes that the more he or she practices, the more proficient he/she will become.【小题1】It can also be harmful to achieving the desired outcome. Athletes who practice frequently and hard without an overall plan will be more likely to suffer the effects of over training rather than actually improving performance.【小题2】Yet, by developing a set of specific goals and a plan for reaching those goals, athletes can more effectively use their practice time and even reduce the time required in practice to attain their goals. Obviously, this does not mean that the martial artist can achieve rank or win tournaments with little practice.【小题3】

Setting performance goals is beneficial for a number of reasons.【小题4】when the martial artist is able to observe progress towards a goal on a daily or weekly basis, he or she is more likely to remain interested in achieving that goal. If instead, he/she engages in routine practice towards a belt rank that is six months away, it is easier to become discouraged. In addition, goal setting helps the athlete know what is expected which allows for greater attention to a particular skill that needs to be developed.【小题5】Finally, setting realistic, achievable goals increases the athlete's self-confidence which is crucial to the ultimate outcome of success. Self-confidence increases because his/her attitude regarding-success becomes more positive as goals are accomplished.

Going to Tai Chi classes for 12 weeks greatly reduced symptoms of depression. The meditative practice, which has been used for more than 1,000 years, combines deep breathing and slow and gentle movements.

Fifty volunteer Chinese-American participants were accepted to take part in the study. They all had depression and were not receiving any other forms of treatment then. They were placed at random in three groups. The first took part in Tai Chi, the second received educational treatment and the third was the control group. Those given Tai Chi were taught basic traditional movements and practiced three times a week. All 17 volunteers in Tai Chi reported obviously greater improvement in depression symptoms than the other two groups.

Follow-up assessment after six months showed continuing improvement, the report published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry states. Lead author Professor Albert Yeung said if the findings are confirmed in other trials, it could be used as a primary treatment. He added, “Finding Tai Chi can be effective is particularly important because many adults of Chinese-American ethnicity decide not to seek help with depression and tend to avoid conventional psychiatric treatment and Tai Chi is culturally accepted by this group of patients.”

Previous research has shown Tai Chi makes the brain bigger and improves memory and thinking — possibly postponing the onset of dementia (痴呆症). Tai Chi has also been linked with reducing high blood pressure and relieving symptoms of cancer, heart failure and other diseases.

Sodas such as Coke or Pepsi are responsible for adding to health problems like tooth problems and obesity (肥胖). So health leaders have recommended teens cut back on sugar-sweetened sodas. However, their push may have had an unplanned result. Many of the advertisements aimed at teens show fit athletes having sugar-sweetened sports drinks. They make sports drinks look like a healthy choice for teens compared to sodas. As a result, teens are turning to this kind of drink.

Scientists at Harvard University in Massachusetts focused on teens, who are considered more likely than younger kids to buy their drinks. In 2015, 22,000 high school students were surveyed, and almost 6 in 10 of them reported having at least one sports drink in the past week. That was up slightly from 2010. The Harvard study found that almost one-third of teens drank one to three sports drinks in the previous week. Just over 1 in10 reported having four to six drinks. Teens who played on sports teams were likely to have one or more sports drinks each day. Boys were more likely than girls to have the drinks, scientists found.

The same was true for teens who watched more than two hours of television. Scientists say they are concerned because of ties between TV watching, ads, and obesity. Experts say that many children don’t need a sports drink that is full of carbohydrates (碳水化合物) and sweeteners. This especially applies to children sitting in front of a TV. The better option is water or unsweetened drinks.

“There is no reason to have carbohydrates in sports drinks unless you are in a high-level game, said Nyree Dardarian, the leader of the Center for Integrated Nutrition and Performance. “Someone on a long bike ride or in an all-day race might want to have one. If children are playing for 20 minutes, they just need water.”

There are other choices. Water and oranges would provide all of the recommended amounts of vitamin C for kids. Other ideas include flavoring water by adding fruit to it. Kids can also add a small amount ofjuice.