50岁辣妈-40°C秀少女身材：并非红颜易老，是你流汗太少 | The 50-year-old super mom

In 2016, 48-year-old Liu Yelin went viral. She seldom surfed the internet, and had no idea she was one of the hot topics, until a friend showed her the news.

2016年 ，当时48岁的刘叶琳火了。她不怎么上网，也不知道什么是热搜，所以对这事浑然不知。直到一个朋友给她看了有关她的新闻报道。

Right below the headline of that day were photos of her after crossing the Strait of Malacca. She was then nicknamed a "gym queen," "forever young goddess" and "hot mom." The perfect view of her back attracted loads of fans, most were women who wished to have her shape and charisma when they reach 50.

网页上，紧跟着当天的新闻头条，就是她横渡马六甲海峡时的照片。“健身达人”“冻龄女神”“最美辣妈”的称号纷至沓来。完全看不出岁月痕迹的完美背影，让她有了大量粉丝，其中绝大多数都是女性。她们憧憬着年近50的时候也能有刘叶琳这样的气质与身材。

However, Liu said she used to be like those heroines in the romantic novels by famous Chinese writer Chiung Yao. "I really enjoyed being in the beautiful white dress. I was so sentimental that even a mild criticism could make me break down in tears. I went to the movies with packs of tissues, because I couldn't stop crying at them."

但刘叶琳说自己小时候其实“和琼瑶小说里的女主人公一样”：“每天穿着那种白裙子，就是那种美美的感觉。而且特别特别娇气，话说重一点就眼泪刷刷的那种。看电影必须要带一堆纸巾，因为我会不停地哭。”

Things changed when she learned to swim. Liu had nightmares as she nearly drowned when she was young. Encouraged by her friends, she tried swimming for the first time at the age of 30. She went into the water with a tire as a swim ring and ropes attached to it. To her surprise, she was able to tread water. After fearing water for over a decade, Liu said she "got the feeling that I had power over it."

蜕变的契机始于游泳。因为小时候差点溺水留下的心理阴影，刘叶琳直到30岁才在朋友的劝说下第一次尝试学游泳。她带着轮胎和绳子全副武装地下了水，结果竟然蹬起来了。“一个差点儿没淹死的人，十几年不敢碰水，那一天找到感觉了，觉得可以驾驭水了。”

Liu has fallen in love with swimming since that day. She set the bar higher and higher, and eventually became a winter swimmer. Her lifestyle and personality changed a lot. "I felt the boldness hidden in my bones aroused," she said.

这种经历让刘叶琳从此爱上游泳，而且给自己的目标越定越高，最后索性开始冬泳。她的生活方式和性格也从此不一样了。“感觉是小时候骨子里的那种勇敢被激发出来了。”

Turning 50 this year, she has swum in almost all the waters in China, and even in Lake Baikal in Russia.

今年，刘叶琳已经50岁。她已经把国内的大江大河挑战了个遍，甚至游到了冬天的俄罗斯贝加尔湖。

Her fingers were severely frostbitten right before the challenge, yet she didn't give up: "Trying not to be amputated, I turned to every possible treatment in 35 days. For five hours a day, I went through massage, physiotherapy with low and intermediate frequencies… I saved my hand at last and took the challenge."

就在贝加尔湖冬泳前夕，她的手指严重冻伤。但她依旧没有放弃：“一个要截肢的手，我用35天时间，每天照顾它五个小时，去治疗，去按摩，去做中频低频，用我能做到的一切方法去挽救它，然后带它再去挑战。”

"When you immerse yourself in nature, conquering a peak or a strait, you are becoming a whole new person. Your heart grows stronger, feeling that you can accomplish anything," Liu said. 

“我觉得人走进大自然以后，当你攀上一座高峰的时候，当你征服海峡的时候，真的会有一个蜕变。你的内心越来越强大。你真的无所不能。”

Beside outdoor activities, there are many other things that she's eager to try. She loves showing off her body in bikinis, and even dreams of being the oldest model in China at the age of 80. "I shall be the most charismatic one with the best shape and personality."

除了户外挑战之外，刘叶琳还有数不清的想尝试的事情。她热爱比基尼，热爱展示自己的身材，梦想着八十岁的时候能成为中国最老的平面模特：“一定是很有范儿、气质最好、身材最好的。”

"When people say that I'm hot, they may refer to my body shape," she said. "But I think it should have more to do with my lifestyle." No matter where she goes, Liu will always be the boldest one in the forefront. That's the essence of a "hot mom" that she pursues.

“别人说我所谓的辣，第一感觉可能是指身材火辣，”她说，“另外我觉得它跟生活观念和生活方式也是相通的。”不管到哪里，刘叶琳都要做最勇敢、最前卫的一个。也许这才是她形象中真正的火辣。

Cameraman: Ning Nan

Film editor: Li Tao

Story written by: Zhu Siqi

English editor: Nadim Diab, Matthew Arrington Watson

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