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.

新研究发现，每周步行多次，每次40分钟左右，能够帮助更年期妇女降低25%患心力衰竭的风险。

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.

现在天气逐渐好起来了，春天也快到了，没有理由不出门，每天放松散散步来舒展筋骨，欣赏大自然的美景。

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.

依据最近一项研究发现，长时间的散步不仅能够放松心情，改善生活，甚至还能够延年益寿。

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.

美国心脏病学会第67届年度科学会议上发表的一项新研究发现，每周步行多次，每次40分钟左右，能够帮助更年期妇女降低25%患心力衰竭的风险。

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.

这项长达十年的综合研究调查了89000名50岁以上女性步行习惯和心血管健康之间的相关性。结果发现，无论女性的体重或其他形式的运动习惯如何，步行的好处都是一致的。

It’s also not necessary to power walk; moving at an average to fast pace is enough to reap all the necessary benefits.

这里的步行并不一定指的是竞走；一般速率的快步走就足够获得所有这些益处了。

“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.

“我们实际上研究了四种不同体重指数（BMI）类型的女性，并发现步行习惯和患心力衰竭风险之间存在相同的反比关系。”圣文森特医院心脏病学家Somwail·Rasla博士在美国心脏病学会的简报上说。

“The results show that even obese and overweight women can still benefit from walking to decrease their risk of heart failure.”

“结果显示，即使是肥胖和超重的女性仍然可以从步行中获益，从而降低患心衰的风险。”

“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.

他补充说：“我们已经知道，体育活动可以降低患上心脏衰竭的风险，但这其中可能存在某种误解，那就是认为单纯的步行是不够的。”

“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.”

“但我们的分析显示，步行不仅是一种十分便捷的锻炼形式，而且其效果几乎等同于之前所有研究过的不同运动类型，都能够降低患上心力衰竭的风险。从本质上讲，我们可以通过步行来消耗与其他类型的体育活动相同的能量。”

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.

鉴于心血管疾病通常会被误解为主要影响男性的疾病，医学界试图普及女性心力衰竭危险的认识，而这一发现尤为重要。

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，美国心脏协会都会要求每个人都穿红色衣服，以传播女性对心脏病的认识。

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.

心脏病一直是美国女性的头号杀手，每年约有50万名女性死于心脏病。然而，研究表明，只有约一半的女性意识到其危险性。

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.

随着女性年龄的增长，患心力衰竭的风险也会增加。这里的心力衰竭，指的是心脏变得太弱而无法继续供血。该研究显示，与65-74岁的女性相比，75-84岁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.

在最近关于帮助老年人延长寿命的运动类型的研究中，该研究的结果也十分有趣。最近另一项研究发现，与高强度的有氧运动相比，更长时间且更少费力的运动反而更能有效地延长寿命。

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.

这并不意味着你要拒绝去健身房，如果你是像Dennis·Quaid一样的健身狂热粉。但是，如果你不想花钱去健身房办会员，并认为这意味着你可以就在家里坐着，那你就大错特错了。

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.

每天在户外溜达半个小时就可以帮助你显著改善健康，延长寿命。需要一些额外的动力吗？ 养只狗狗吧。