想要延年益壽 你每天需要步行多少距離？

New research has found that walking for just 40 minutes several times per week reduces the risk of heart failure in post-menopausal women by 25 percent.
新研究發現，每週步行多次，每次40分鐘左右，能夠幫助更年期婦女降低25%患心力衰竭的風險。

Now that the weather is improving, and spring is most definitely in the air, there’s no excuse not to get out of the house for a leisurely stroll every day to stretch those legs and take in the wonder of nature.
現在天氣逐漸好起來了，春天也快到了，沒有理由不出門，每天放鬆散散步來舒展筋骨，欣賞大自然的美景。

According to a recent study, though, taking a long walk isn’t just a good way to brighten your mood and enhance your day; it can actually save your life.
依據最近一項研究發現，長時間的散步不僅能夠放鬆心情，改善生活，甚至還能夠延年益壽。

New research being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session has found that walking for just 40 minutes several times per week reduces the risk of heart failure in post-menopausal women by a whopping 25 percent.
美國心臟病學會第67屆年度科學會議上發表的一項新研究發現，每週步行多次，每次40分鐘左右，能夠幫助更年期婦女降低25%患心力衰竭的風險。

The comprehensive study, which analyzed the correlation between walking and cardiovascular health among 89,000 women over 50 over more than a decade, found that the benefits of walking were consistent regardless of a woman’s weight or other forms of exercise.
這項長達十年的綜合研究調查了89000名50歲以上女性步行習慣和心血管健康之間的相關性。結果發現，無論女性的體重或其他形式的運動習慣如何，步行的好處都是一致的。

It’s also not necessary to power walk; moving at an average to fast pace is enough to reap all the necessary benefits.
這裏的步行並不一定指的是競走；一般速率的快步走就足夠獲得所有這些益處了。

“We actually looked at women with four different categories of body mass index (BMI) and found the same inverse relationship between walking behavior and the risk of heart failure,” Somwail Rasla, MD, a cardiology fellow at Saint Vincent Hospital, said in an ACC newsletter.
“我們實際上研究了四種不同體重指數（BMI）類型的女性，並發現步行習慣和患心力衰竭風險之間存在相同的反比關係。”聖文森特醫院心臟病學家Somwail·Rasla博士在美國心臟病學會的簡報上說。

“The results show that even obese and overweight women can still benefit from walking to decrease their risk of heart failure.”
“結果顯示，即使是肥胖和超重的女性仍然可以從步行中獲益，從而降低患心衰的風險。”

“We already know that physical activity lowers the risk of heart failure, but there may be a misconception that simply walking isn’t enough,” he added.
他補充說：“我們已經知道，體育活動可以降低患上心臟衰竭的風險，但這其中可能存在某種誤解，那就是認爲單純的步行是不夠的。”

“Our analysis shows walking is not only an accessible form of exercise but almost equal to all different types of exercise that have been studied before in terms of lowering heart failure risk. Essentially, we can reach a comparable energetic expenditure through walking that we gain from other types of physical activity.”
“但我們的分析顯示，步行不僅是一種十分便捷的鍛鍊形式，而且其效果幾乎等同於之前所有研究過的不同運動類型，都能夠降低患上心力衰竭的風險。從本質上講，我們可以通過步行來消耗與其他類型的體育活動相同的能量。”

The findings are particularly important as the medical community tries to spread awareness of the dangers of heart failure in woman , given that cardiovascular disease is commonly misinterpreted as an affliction that primarily affects men.
鑑於心血管疾病通常會被誤解爲主要影響男性的疾病，醫學界試圖普及女性心力衰竭危險的認識，而這一發現尤爲重要。

On February 2nd, the American Heart Association asked everyone to wear red in order to spread awareness for heart disease in women.
每年2月2日，美國心臟協會都會要求每個人都穿紅色衣服，以傳播女性對心臟病的認識。

Heart disease continues to be the number one killer among women in America, claiming the lives of approximately 500,000 women a year. And yet, studies show that only around half of women are aware of its dangers.
心臟病一直是美國女性的頭號殺手，每年約有50萬名女性死於心臟病。然而，研究表明，只有約一半的女性意識到其危險性。

As a woman’s age increases, so does her risk for heart failure– a condition in which the heart becomes too weak to continue pumping blood. The study showed women 75-84 years of age are three times as likely to have heart failure compared with women 65-74 years old.
隨着女性年齡的增長，患心力衰竭的風險也會增加。這裏的心力衰竭，指的是心臟變得太弱而無法繼續供血。該研究顯示，與65-74歲的女性相比，75-84歲的女性患心力衰竭的可能性是其三倍左右。

The study is also interesting in light of recent research on the type of exercise that the elderly should focus on in order to extend their lives. Another recent study found that longer, less strenuous workouts are more effective in prolonging longevity than high-intensity cardio.
在最近關於幫助老年人延長壽命的運動類型的研究中，該研究的結果也十分有趣。最近另一項研究發現，與高強度的有氧運動相比，更長時間且更少費力的運動反而更能有效地延長壽命。

That doesn’t mean you have to quit the gym if, like Dennis Quaid, you’re a total gym junkie. But if you don’t want to get a gym membership, and figure that means you might as well just sit around at home, you’re very much mistaken.
這並不意味着你要拒絕去健身房，如果你是像Dennis·Quaid一樣的健身狂熱粉。但是，如果你不想花錢去健身房辦會員，並認爲這意味着你可以就在家裏坐着，那你就大錯特錯了。

Just a little over half an hour outside every day can significantly improve and elongate your life. Need a little extra motivation? Adopt a dog.
每天在戶外溜達半個小時就可以幫助你顯著改善健康，延長壽命。需要一些額外的動力嗎？ 養只狗狗吧。