I’m a walker, logging an average of 9000 steps a day several times a week around my neighborhood. On recent trips to Copenhagen and Stockholm, I noticed tall, fit Scandinavians (斯堪法尼亚人) walking along on city streets with poles, as if they were cross-country skiing without any snow.

It was a surprise to learn that the addition of the poles makes it a more vigorous, full-body exercise than simply walking — and, as a 76-year-old looking to stay healthy while enjoying the outdoors, I decided to give it a try.

There’s plenty of help online for the new Nordic (北欧的) walker: stand tall, swing your arms out as if to shake hands, and plant your poles with vigour. Then there’s the little matter of the strap (带子) on the pole. This allows the walker to grip the pole when thrusting forward and then relax that hand as the other hand pushes forward — a skill of coordination that builds stronger muscles.

For a warm-up, I started slow: Nordic walking down the hall that extends from my front door to the deck. Keeping balance wasn’t my only problem. The novel use of my arms and upper body was surprisingly demanding. After half an hour, my heart was pounding and I was sweating, but I still wasn’t much good.

Still, I carried on because there’s no arguing with the exercise’s benefits. Nordic walkers’ upper-body exercise increases their heart rate significantly more than walking without poles. And according to cardiologist Dr Aaron Baggish, with poles “you’re engaging 80 to 90 per cent of your muscles.” It also helps people with Parkinson’s, says Burrill. “We put poles in their hands and it’s amazing because they start walking with real rhythm.”

After a few clumsy days of being convinced I would never succeed, suddenly everything clicked. Not only was I able to coordinate the movements, I was aware that my heart, arms and core were getting a workout. Nordic walking is a form of exercise I expect to enjoy for years to come.

Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence(证据)is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways: 

【小题1】

Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient(成分)in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.

Better blood pressure

Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces(盎司) of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.

Muscle magic

.【小题2】.In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks. 

【小题3】

German researchers found that chocolate helped protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.

One of the best-known sayings must be “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wisdom”. The promises of health, wealth, and wisdom to those who join the teams of early retirees and rises must be particularly pleasing to many people in our modern society.

Q: The underlined word “ retiree” here refers to_________.