2016-08-15 Sweat it out – in a bath! 泡热水澡等于做运动

你想要一个轻松的减肥方法吗？既不用去健身房锻炼，也不需要在游泳池里游无数个来回？一项研究在比较了运动锻炼和泡热水澡的相对益处后发现，通过泡热水澡消耗的卡路里和快步走消耗的热量是一样，而且，饭后泡澡比运动能更多地降低血糖含量。在本期《随身英语》里，我们探讨为什么泡个热气腾腾的澡对你的健康有益。

课文内容

词汇: Exercise 锻炼

You might think that to lose weight you need to do strenuous exercise – pedalling furiously on an exercise bike, for example, or doing lengths in your local pool. Well, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that lying in a steaming bath can bring the same benefits as exercise, without the need to sweat profusely in the gym!

These were the findings of an experiment comparing the relative benefits of exercise and hot baths that was carried out by Dr Steve Faulkner of Loughborough University. The volunteers first lay in a hot bath and then ate a light meal, while their blood sugar level was monitored and the number of calories they burnt was measured. The experiment was then repeated, but instead of having a bath, the participants did an hour’s vigorous exercise on a bike. The results from both activities were compared with unexpected results.

“What we found”, said Dr Faulkner, “was an 80% increase in energy expenditure, just as a result of sitting in the bath for the course of an hour”. You burn 140 calories – not as many perhaps as if you had worked out on an exercise bike, but the same number as if you had been on a brisk walk. The real surprise, however, came in the blood sugar level results. The peak glucose output, the amount of blood sugar in the blood after a meal, was on average10% lower after the bath compared to that after exercise.

Dr Faulkner’s explanation for this phenomenon is that when you are in a hot bath, proteins, known as ‘heat shock proteins’ are released, which help divert the sugar from the bloodstream to the muscles. It’s important to keep blood sugar levels down to avoid damage to the arteries and nerves.

Don’t think, though, that you can hang up your trainers just yet! You should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week. But, if you are one of those people who need to control their blood sugar levels – if you have type-2 diabetes for example or find it hard to exercise – why wait? Grab a towel and start running the hot tap!

词汇表

strenuous 费劲的
lengths 泳程，来回（游泳池的长度）
profusely 大量地
to monitor 监控，监测
vigorous 剧烈的
expenditure 耗费，消耗
to work out 锻炼身体
brisk 轻快的（步伐）
glucose 葡萄糖
phenomenon 现象
divert 转化
arteries 动脉
intensity 强度
diabetes 糖尿病

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. True or false? Having a hot bath is not good for your health.
2. What was the difference between the first and second time the experiment was carried out?
3. How much energy did participants use up when they sat in a hot bath?
4. Why are high levels of sugar in the blood bad for you?
5. What idiom expresses the idea of not doing any more exercise?

2.请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. Where the river rushes _________ through the narrow gorge, it is impossible to navigate.

slowly                          furiously              peacefully                           profusely          

2. The high _________ of fat and salt in takeaways is a serious cause of concern for health

campaigners.

extent                         increase                        level                        output

3. The last-minute withdrawal of last year’s winner from the race was totally _________.

inexpected                         surprised                   unexpected            expected

4. The traffic is being _________ onto minor roads due to an accident on the stretch of motorway between junctions 5 and 6.

detoured                     avoided               distracted                                    diverted

5. Shall we _________ a bite to eat at the theatre cafe as we won’t have time

to make anything at home?

buy                             grab                    grasp                      take   

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. True or false? Having a hot bath is not good for your health.
False. Having a hot bath can bring some of the same benefits as doing exercise.

2.  What was the difference between the first and second time the experiment was carried out?  
The first time the experiment was carried out, the participants lay in a hot bath and then had a light meal. The second time they did the experiment, they did an hour’s exercise on a bike and then had the meal.

3.  How much energy did participants use up when they sat in a hot bath?
140 calories.

4.  Why are high levels of sugar in the blood bad for you?
Because this can damage your nerves and arteries.

5.What idiom expresses the idea of not doing any more exercise? 
Hang up your trainers.

2.请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. Where the river rushes furiously through the narrow gorge, it’s impossible to navigate.

2. The high level of fat and salt in takeaways is a serious cause of concern for health

campaigners.

3. The last-minute withdrawal of last year’s winner from the race was totally unexpected.

4. Traffic is being diverted onto minor roads due to an accident on the stretch of motorway between junctions 5 and 6.

5. Shall we grab a bite to eat at the theatre cafe as we won’t have time to make anything at home?