Japan is often reported as having the longest life expectancy. Japanese people live to be an average of above 84 years old. Many people say this is because of the country's healthy diet. Another reason could be how people walk. Japanese people walk a lot. This has started a new fitness trend on TikTok, called "Japanese Walking". It involves walking quickly for three minutes and then slowing down for three minutes. Walkers repeat this pattern five times. Health experts say Japanese walking is good for posture, blood circulation, lowering blood pressure, and reducing stress. It has also been linked to a lower risk of dementia. Doctors also say it can help people live longer.
日本屢被報導為全球最長壽的國家，國民平均壽命超過84歲。多數觀點將其歸因於健康飲食文化，但最新研究指出「步行方式」可能是關鍵因素。由於日本人日常步行量極高，近期在TikTok上更掀起稱為「日式健走法」的健身風潮——其核心為「快走3分鐘後慢走3分鐘」，重複此循環5次。健康專家分析，這種間歇性步行能改善姿勢、促進血液循環、降低血壓與壓力指數，甚至與減緩失智風險相關。醫師更明確指出，持續實踐此方法確實可能延長預期壽命。
Japanese people might not know about the term "Japanese Walking". To them, it is just walking. Researchers at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan came up with the name in 2007. They conducted a study on high- and low-intensity walking. The recent worldwide popularity of the walking method is due to videos made by Eugene Teo, an Australian fitness coach and social media content creator. He wanted people to follow a simple exercise routine that had an easy-to-remember name. His videos have had 10 million views on TikTok and 17 million views on YouTube. He said he wanted "to make fitness advice and scientific jargon a lot more accessible".
事實上，多數日本人可能從未聽過「日式健走法」這個名稱——對他們而言，這不過是日常行走的自然節奏。該術語源自2007年日本松本信州大學研究團隊，當時他們為區分高低強度交替的步行模式而創建此名稱。如今這種健走法能風靡全球，歸功於澳洲健身教練兼社群內容創作者尤金・ Teo（Eugene Teo）製作的系列影片。Teo希望推廣一套簡單易記的運動模式，遂將這種間歇性步行法以「Japanese Walking」為名推向國際。他的教學影片在TikTok累積千萬觀看次數，YouTube更突破1700萬流量。他強調：「目標是讓健身建議與科學術語變得更加親民易懂。」
Vocabulary 單字
•Expectancy (n): expected length (of life).
•Trend (n): popular activity.
•Posture (n): body position.
•Circulation (n): blood flow.
•Dementia (n): memory loss disease.
•Conducted (v): organized, carried out.
•Intensity (n): level of effort.
•Routine (n): regular exercise plan.
•Jargon (n): specialized language.
•Accessible (adj): easy to understand.
