Getting fit in midlife, better late than never 中年保健 亡羊補牢猶未晚

 ◎國際新聞中心
Exercising in your 40’s,50’s and 60’s is like saving for your retirement, experts say. Starting early is money in the bank, but even late bloomers can reap astonishing benefits.
專家說，40、50、60幾歲時運動，就像為退休儲蓄一樣，早點開始，錢就落袋為安，不過即使是晚起步，也可以獲得讓人驚訝的好處。
"The game isn’t over, even if you haven’t been active,"said Dr. Angela Smith, past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. "Aerobic fitness, bone health, agility, you may be able to catch up."
美國運動醫學院前院長史密斯表示：「遊戲還沒結束，即使是你一直不愛活動。有氧體能、骨骼健康、靈活，你可能可以趕上。」
Smith, a physician at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, said studies have shown that even octogenarians can double their strength with weight training. "There’s good evidence that among people who have arthritis, the stronger have less pain, and that getting fit decreases the chance of having cancer," she said.
史密斯是費城兒童醫院的醫師，她說，研究指出，即使是80幾歲的人，也可以藉著重量訓練讓力氣加倍，「有證據證明，關節炎患者之中，較強壯者較不感到疼痛，而且保持健康能降低罹癌機率。」
But if you’re a former high school athlete who became sedentary as your temples grayed, don’t expect your history to save you.
但如果你高中時曾是運動員，但隨著兩鬢花白變成久坐型，別期望你的經歷能解救你。
新聞辭典
late bloomer：名詞，大器晚成的人，英式用法寫成late developer。例句：At school she was a late developer, and it wasn’t until she went to university that her talents became apparent.（她求學大器晚成，直到上了大學才展現天份。）
reap：動詞，收穫。例句：She studied every evening and reaped the benefit at exam time.（她每個晚上用功唸書，考試終於獲得成果。）
temple：名詞，寺廟，指身體部位時，是指太陽穴或鬢角。