佚名/Anonymous
It goes without saying that exercise is good for your body, but what many don't realize is that it's also good for your mind. No, we don't mean that weight training will suddenly turn you into an Einstein—but study has found that working out regularly improves your mood, boosts your sense of self-esteem and even enhances the function of your brain.
As with other aspects of the health connection between mind and body, scientists are only beginning to understand why physical workouts also provide a mental and emotional boost. But many possibilities are already known, and new research is continually going forward. For those in search of mental as well as physical motivation, here are 12 extra reasons to begin a workout program for the new millennium.
1.Working out can give you a sense of exhilaration andaccomplishment, and the increased self-esteem that results from doing something you know is good for you.
2.Exercise causes your body to produce endorphins, the chemicals that dull pain and help produce what's known as the exercise high.
3.Weight-bearing exercise particularly raises your testosterone levels, which can help improve your mood, especially if your levels are naturally on the low side.
4.According to Harvard psychiatrist John J.Raety, M.d.，coauthor of a book on psychological disorders called Shadow Syndromes, a single workout can raise your brain's levels of antidepressant chemicals, such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.
5.If you are feeling down, exercise may help pick you up. Although researchers disagree on this issue, one review of past studies found that long-term exercise, especially when it includes long-lasting, strenuous training sessions, has about as much of an effect on depression as psychotherapy.（Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't seek therapy. If you believe you may be suffering from depression, the first thing to do is to consult a mental-health professional.）
6.Working out helps you deal with stress in your job, relationships or any area of life—possibly because exercise is a form of stress itself and helps condition your body to deal with it. When Australian researchers compared people who did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week to those who practiced progressive-relaxation techniques, they found that the former group responded better to acute stress and had lower blood pressure.
7.Even a little exercise can make you think less anxiously, Studies have shown that any amount of exercise, from a brisk 10minute walk to an intense aerobics or weight-lifting session, seems to decrease feelings of anxiety.
8.Aerobic exercise may make you think better. Over time, cardio exercise（coupled with a healthful diet）improves the flow of blood that carries oxygen and nutrients to your brain.
9.Working out regularly may make you smarter now and lessen the possibility that you'll lose brain function as you age. According to a recent animal study at the University of Illinois, exercise can actually help the brain develop new cells.
10.In several studies, regular weight training or aerobic exercise was shown to improve the quality and duration of sleep. Naturally, this can make you less fatigued and be able to function better during the day.
11.Like meditation, hobbies or any other leisure activity, exercise gives your mind a needed break from everyday thoughts, responsibilities and commitments.
Finally, there's one more reason to keep exercising. When you work out regularly（but don't overstrain），your body simply, functions better—you are better, healthier and less likely to suffer painful physical conditions. And that just plain feels good.
眾所周知，鍛煉有益於身體健康。但是，許多人並沒有意識到鍛煉對智力也有好處。當然，我們不是說，練習舉重會一下子把你變成另一個愛因斯坦——研究表明，有規律的鍛煉能改善心境，提高自信心，甚至增強大腦的功能。
就像身體和頭腦在健康方麵的其他關聯一樣，科學家們開始了解到，鍛煉身體為什麽能提高智力、改善情緒，但也知道了更多的可能性，新的研究還在繼續進行。對於那些致力於促進頭腦和身體不斷發展的人，這裏有12條新千年開始鍛煉計劃的附加理由。
1.鍛煉能給你帶來愉悅和成就感，並且，做某件明知對自己有好處的事，會增強你的自信心。
2.鍛煉會使身體分泌內啡肽，這種物質能緩解痛苦，有助於產生所謂的運動快感。
3.練習舉重最能提高你的睾丸素水平，這樣有助於心境的改善，尤其是如果你的睾丸素水平天生較低。
4.哈佛大學精神病醫生、醫學博士約翰·瑞特是一本關於精神錯亂的、書名為《影子綜合征》的合著者。他認為，一次鍛煉就能提高大腦中抗抑鬱物質的含量，如多巴胺、血清素和去甲腎上腺素等。
5.如果你情緒低落，鍛煉能幫助你重新振作。盡管科研人員對此並非一致認同，但有一份回顧過去多種研究的報告表明：長期鍛煉，特別是長時間持續進行的高強度訓練，對治療抑鬱症的效果，同心理治療幾乎一致。（當然，這並不意味著你不應該尋求心理治療，如果你覺得自己遭受抑鬱症的痛苦，谘詢心理健康專家是首要之事。）
6.鍛煉能緩解你的工作、人際關係和生活中其他方麵的壓力——可能是因為鍛煉本身也是一種壓力，有利於自身調節。澳大利亞研究人員作了這樣一個比較：把每周做三次30分鍾有氧健身操的人與進行逐漸放鬆練習的人作比較，他們發現：前一組更能承受較大壓力，血壓更低。
7.即使是少量的鍛煉也能減輕你的焦慮。研究表明：任何強度的鍛煉，從10分鍾的散步到劇烈的有氧運動或舉重練習，好像都能減輕焦慮。
8.有氧運動有助於思考。日積月累，心髒鍛煉（加上健康的飲食）會改善血液循環，給大腦輸送更多的氧氣和營養物質。
9.有規律的鍛煉可以讓你思維敏捷。大腦功能隨著年齡增長，日益退化的可能性也隨之降低。根據伊利諾伊大學動物實驗的最新研究，鍛煉其實有助於大腦產生新細胞。
10.多項研究證明，有規律的舉重練習或者有氧運動能改善睡眠質量，增加睡眠時間。自然，疲憊感也會隨之減少，白天的工作會更有效率。
11.如同沉思、愛好或其他休閑活動一樣，在日常思考、承擔責任和義務之餘，鍛煉會給你的大腦提供所必需的休息。
最後，還有一條堅持鍛煉的理由。當你有規律地鍛煉時（但不要過度），你的身體一定會更好——更強壯、更健康，更少遭受疼痛，那種感覺好極了。
心靈小語
早睡早起會使人健康和聰明。
W詞匯筆記
millennium[mi'leni?m]n.千年期；千禧年
例 What does a millennium mean to you?
一千年對你來說，意味著什麽？
exhilaration[iɡ,zil?'rei??n]n.愉快；令人高興
例 I felt the strangest sensation of fear and exhilaration.
我有一種既害怕又快樂的感覺。
psychotherapy[,psaik?u'θer?pi]n.心理療法；精神療法
例 The doctor said that she needs psychotherapy.
醫生說，她需要心理治療。
aerobic[,ei?'r?ubik]adj.需氧的；增氧健身法的
例 She started aerobic classes to build her endurance.
她開始進行有氧課程來增強她的耐力。
S小試身手
許多人並沒有意識到鍛煉對智力也有好處。
譯________________________________________
做某件明知對自己有好處的事，會增強你的自信心。
譯________________________________________
如果你情緒低落，鍛煉能幫助你重新振作。
譯________________________________________
P短語家族
But study has found that working out regularly improves your mood.
work out：算出；製定出；解決
造________________________________________
Researchers disagree on this issue, one review of past studies found that long-term exercise.
disagree on：對……持有不同看法
造________________________________________