An increasing number of Chinese are jogging to get and stay fit. Most joggers will run alone, but some will jog with friends or even coaches.

The Beijing Olympic Forest Park is one of the most popular spots. It is packed with runners in the afternoon, usually after work, and at weekends.

Jogging after a whole day’s work can be a way to unwind. It is true for He Wenjun, whose workplace is right near the forest park. She discovered her athletic gift at the age of seven, when she began playing tennis. Then she turned to jogging, and she has persevered with it for 10 years. “I come to jog almost every day after work, whenever I have time. I think jogging is good for my health. And for me, a girl, it helps me to achieve to keep slim,” she said.

She says she prefers jogging alone, so she can focus better. She loves jogging, even during Beijing’s smoggy days. “If the smog is severe, I’ll hold off jogging for a while. But if I really want to get away from work, I’ll wear a mask, or just ignore the smog and go on jogging,” she said.

For those who are not so athletic, jogging also has its attractions.

Wu Houbin started roughly two years ago, when he was severely obese（病态肥胖的）. Within two months, his weight dropped from 82 kilograms to 64 kilograms. The success helped him recover health, and he has made friends. “Jogging does not require speed, but perseverance. If you want to stick to the game, you need to take it as a task, a habit, and then eventually a hobby,” Wu said.

Jogging is beneficial to heart-lung function, and the skeletal system, but doctors say improper technique damages the joints, especially the knees and ankles. “Excessive jogging wears down the body, and harms one’s health. Poor technique harms the muscles and skeletons, and can cause secondary injuries. And, jogging in a bad environment can cause circulation problems,” said Lu Zhiyong, attending doctor, Sports Hospital, General Administration of Sports.

Dr. Lu has some tips for joggers, and those who are thinking of taking it up.

He says people should first evaluate（评估）their physical condition, to decide the amount and type of exercise, and jogging in the open air is better than running on a running machine. It is recommended that joggers jog three or four times a week, and 30 to 60 minutes each time. The best time to jog is 4p.m. — 5 p.m.

Running is the best way to get fit.

There’s no best method to get fit. You have to enjoy your exercise or you will find reasons to quit. Nobody can get fit or lose weight or build a muscle in an instant. Fitness requires time and patience, and you get rewards as you go along. If you are looking only at running or at instant success, you are looking for trouble!

If you don’t exercise an hour a day, six days a week, you do nothing.

Don’t believe in this all-or-nothing way. Even if you exercise as little as three times a week for half an hour you will benefit from it. However, if you want to get fit for sport, you may have to work out five to six days a week.

Warming up before working out isn’t necessary if you’re careful.

Warming up is a must before you exercise. Warming up and stretching not only help you avoid injuries but also prepare your heart and body to accept the shock of an increased workload.

No pain, no gain.

Pain means that the body is showing that there is something wrong. If you feel painful when exercising, either slow down or stop the exercise. To gain from exercise, you may have to make do with a bit of discomfort, but pain is different. If you continue exercising with pain you may damage a muscle or tendon forever.

Taping (用绷带包扎) an injury prevents further damage.

If you are injured and you tape it for support, chances are that you will aggravate the injury further. What’s more, you may injure other joints because of the limited flexibility (灵活性) that the taped knee or ankle allows.

   If you cut down on the time you spend sitting，you might live longer. New research shows that sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years.

【小题1】 But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. Sitting is something we do all the time and everywhere. We sit while we're eating，we sit in the car and we sit while we are watching TV. And many of us sit for many hours at work. So on average，Americans report that they sit between four and a half to five hours a day.

Exercise is important. But so is not sitting.

You may exercise often. But it does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. 【小题2】 Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day，what goes on in the other 23-and-a-half hours a day is also very important，according to a study on how sitting all day affects the length of life. It shows that cutting television time to less than two hours a day could add one point four years to life.

【小题3】

Change is already coming to some offices，especially in the design of desks. A "standing desk" lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the "treadmill（跑步机）desk". A treadmill is an exercise machine that lets you walk in one place. Even some U.S. schools are beginning to experiment with desks that are part bicycles to keep children moving.

Exercising while working.

【小题4】They may have got five "standing desks" for their employees or a "treadmill desk". Some other companies may not buy one for everybody but they'll have a bank of these desks where people can go for an hour a day and answer their emails or talk on the phone. People are really trying to limit the amount of time spent sitting at the desk.

Suggestions for sitting less.

If you work in an office or have a sedentary（久坐不动的）job，scientists suggest a few simple changes. Get up from your desk as often as you can. 【小题5】 Instead of emailing colleagues，walk to their offices and talk directly. If you are sitting down reading this，stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes，if you can. Do anything but sit.

All these activities may help you live longer.

   All of my five children played team sports in middle school and high school, and four of them in college. 【小题1】

Teenagers may get into bad habits. 【小题2】 According to a study in Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, a survey of more than 14,000 teenagers found that those who had taken part in team sports were less likely to smoke or have unhealthy eating habits.

As children get older, they naturally develop their own lives and there will be fewer ways for parents to be involved (参与). Some teenagers shut their parents out of their room. 【小题3】

Sports build strong and healthy bodies. Children who compete know that they are only at their best if they eat and rest well. 【小题4】 In sports, strength and speed are wanted. Team sports help kids avoid obesity (肥胖) problems even better than activities like running or biking.

【小题5】 The joy of a sports season stays with us long after the season is over. Our children may forget who was in their English class or which math teacher they had in the 10th grade one day. But they will never forget their sports teams.