How much exercise do you need to undo the harm of a life spent sitting down? 每週鍛煉2.5小時可抵消終日久坐的危害

Vocabulary

sedentary: 久坐的

deleterious: 有毒的，有害的

Exercising for as little as two-and-a-half hours a week can undo damage done by sitting down all day, a study has found. 研究發現，每週僅需2.5小時的鍛煉，就可抵消終日久坐帶來的危害。The study by the University of Leicester found that even moderate activity can be enough for a health boost.這項由英國萊斯特大學主持的研究發現，適度鍛煉足以保持身體健康。

Sedentary behavior – any waking behavior with low energy expenditure while in a sitting or reclining posture – has been linked to ill health.久坐行為指清醒狀態下任何坐著或靠著的低能量消耗行為，這種行為與不佳的健康狀況直接掛鉤。But medics are concerned as many British adults now spend between half and nearly three quarters of waking hours sitting.

然而，令醫療工作者擔心的是，如今許多英國成年人二分之一到四分之三的清醒時間都是坐著的。

Dr Thomas Yates, who worked on the study, said: "It is possible for an individual, over the course of a day, to have high levels of physical activity and still accumulate large amounts of sedentary time." 湯瑪斯·耶茨博士參與了此次研究，他表示：“個體可以在一天中既進行高強度的運動又保持長時間的久坐。”The study published in BMC Public Health used data from the 2008 Health Survey to paint a representative sample of English adults. 這份發表在《英國醫學會公共衛生》期刊上的研究報告引用了《2008年健康調查》中的資料，列舉了英國成年人的代表類型。

They were grouped as "Busy Bees" – physically active with low sedentary levels; "Sedentary Exercisers" – physically active with high sedentary levels; "Light Movers" – physically inactive, had low sedentary; and "Couch Potatoes" – physically inactive, high sedentary. 研究物件被歸為四個類型，他們分別是：“忙碌蜜蜂”——運動充足且久坐時間短；“久坐鍛煉者”——運動充足但久坐時間長；“輕量行者”——缺乏運動但久坐時間短；以及“沙發土豆”——缺乏運動且久坐時間長。

Dr Yates said: “Overall, adults who engaged in at least 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, including 'Sedentary Exercisers', had more favorable health profiles compared to 'Couch Potatoes'.耶茨博士表示：“總的來說，包括'久坐鍛煉者'在內的成年人每週至少進行150分鐘中高等強度的運動，就能擁有比'沙發土豆'更加理想的健康狀況。”

“By suggesting that being physically active may offset some of the deleterious consequences of routinely engaging in high levels of sedentary behavior, this study further emphasizes the importance of physical activity in the promotion and maintenance of health. “運動可以抵消日常久坐帶來的消極影響，通過揭示這一點，此次研究進一步強調了運動對保持和促進身體健康的重要性。”

PhD student Kishan Bakrania added: "This research is significant because it demonstrates yet again why physical activity and exercise is so important.基尚·巴克讓尼亞是一名在讀博士生，他補充道：“這項研究意義重大，因為它再次證明了運動鍛煉的重要性。”

"It shows that people who spend large amounts of time not moving either through work, leisure or lifestyle can counteract some of the negative effects of sedentary behaviour by regularly exercising." “它表明人們即便在工作或閒暇時不經常活動，仍能通過定期鍛煉抵消久坐帶來的消極影響。”

Exercise, less sitting time, linked to better sleep 少坐多動 或可改善睡眠

A boy tries out a treadmill at a promotional event in Beijing, China on April 29.
一名男孩四月二十九日在中國北京試用一款跑步機。

Photo: EPA
照片：歐新社

Insomniacs looking for a good night’s sleep may want to hit the treadmill, take a walk or play a game of golf or tennis, because a new report released on March 4 shows that exercise promotes good sleep, and the more vigorous the workout the better.

Just 10 minutes of exercise a day could make a difference in the duration and quality of sleep, the survey by the non-profit National Sleep Foundation showed.

“We found that exercise and great sleep go together, hand in hand,” Max Hirshkowitz, a sleep researcher and the chair of the poll task force, said in an interview.

“We also found a step-wise increase in how vigorous the quality is, in terms of how much you exercise. So if you say you exercise a lot, we found better sleep quality. For people who don’t exercise at all we found more sleep problems.”

Earlier research studies have shown the impact of exercise on sleep, but Hirshkowitz, who is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the survey is the first to detail the benefits of exercise in a nationally representative poll of this size.

People who described themselves as exercisers reported better sleep than their more sedentary counterparts, although the amount of sleep, an average of just under seven hours on weeknights, was the same.

(Reuters)

想要一夜好眠的失眠患者或許會想在跑步機上跑步、散步、打高爾夫或網球了，因為三月四日公布的一項研究報告顯示，運動可以改善睡眠，且強度越大，功效越明顯。

非營利組織「全國睡眠基金會」的調查結果顯示，每天只要十分鐘的運動時間，可改善睡眠時間長度與品質。

負責該項調研小組的睡眠專家馬克斯‧赫許可維茲在採訪中指出：「我們發現，運動與高品質的睡眠，息息相關。」

「我們同時發現運動量與睡眠品質兩者的關聯呈逐步增加的方式，因此運動較多的人睡眠品質更好一些，而一點都不運動的人，則面臨更多的睡眠問題。」

此前已有研究顯示運動對睡眠有影響，而目前在休士頓貝勒醫學院擔任教授的赫許可維茲表示，該調查是第一個具有全美國代表性、詳述運動好處的調查。

相較於經常久坐的人來說，將自己定位為愛好運動的受訪者普遍睡眠品質較好，而這兩個群體的平均睡眠時間則大致相等，在週間夜晚均為略少於七個小時。

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. vigorous adj.

激烈的 (ji1 lie4 de5)

例: Vigorous activities help you burn more calories.

(激烈運動有助消耗更多卡路里。)

2. step-wise adj.

逐步的；循序漸進的 (zhu2 bu4 de5; xun2 xu4 jian4 jin4 de5)

例: It is a step-wise method.

(這是一個循序漸進的方法。)

3. sedentary adj.

不常運動的；久坐的 (bu4 chang2 yun4 dong4 de5; jiu3 zuo4 de5)

例: I’m bored with sedentary work.

(我對久坐的工作已膩了。)

Prana Pulse Flow

63:18 

Intermediate

This Shiva-Rea style flow is challenging, fun and full of energy. Tianne livens it up with her enthusiastic guidance.