How Healthy Are You?

What sort of shape are you? Are you the sort of person who goes for a run each morning, or are you the other kind who gets out of breath when reaching for a cigarette? Maybe you have a lot of energy. You go to work or school, you make decisions all day, you do extra work at home. Exercise? You don't have enough time- why bother anyway?

Well, the answer to that question is your body design. Human beings weren't built for sitting at a desk all day: your body is constructed for hunting, jumping, lifting, running, climbing and a variety of other activities. If you don't get the exercise that your body wants, then things can go badly wrong. Your mind works all day, and your body does nothing: the results can vary from depression to severe illness, and even to early death. Not a very cheerful thought, and of course the natural reaction is' It's not going to happen to me'. 'Maybe, maybe not. Here are two ways of looking after yourself: firstly, by seeing if you are doing the right sort of exercise, and secondly by seeing if you have the right kind of diet.

Is it true or false? Give your reasons.

• Human beings were built for sitting at a desk;

• People's body was constructed for sleeping, eating a lot and being lazy.

• If you don't get the exercise your body wants, then things can go badly with you.

• If you don't do the right sort of exercise, you'll be fit.

• If you don't do any sort of exercise, you may have depression or severe illness.

• Making decisions every day, you don't have to exercise.

2. Situation: You are a very physically active person: you've joined a sports club, start your working day with jogging and a cold shower, spend a lot of time outdoors. All this gives you health, stamina and a good mood. Your group-mate prefers "to be fat rather than fit". Persuade him to start practicing sport immediately using the following lexis:

• to go in for; to indulge in; to take part in; to participate in; to be encouraged to participate in;

• to be fond of; to be keen on; to be good at; to be interested in; to enjoy smth. greatly; to take the first place in public interest; to become popular with; to establish oneself in favour'

• to make one's bodies strong enough;

• to keep oneself fit and healthy;

• to afford excellent opportunities;

• to help smb. be slim, healthy and strong;

• to initiate smb. into sport;

• to have plenty of exercises;

• physically inactive people;

• to get old earlier;

• to do daily exercises;

• to have the stamina;

• to feel refreshed;

• to have a good posture;

• to make smb. feel good;

• to be among the most popular leisure time activities;

• to be one's pastime;

• to spend a lot of time and money on physical activities;

• vigorous exercise keeps people feeling healthier and looking better;

• to work at maintaining and recapturing one's youth and vigour;

• to pioneer facilities for sports for disabled people;

3. Fill in the gaps, using the expressions given above.

1. Today millions people are exercising to ...

2. One out of every ten Americans exercises every day to ...

3. This fitness craze ( interest in exercising and eating healthy foods ) ... with people all across the country.

4. Sport provides .., exercise, which keeps people ...

5. People all over the world ... of sports and games.

6. All kinds of physical exercises are very useful to ...

7. Summer affords excellent opportunities for ...

8. Among outdoor games football takes ...

9. The other games that have firmly ... in different countries are golf, lawn-tennis, cricket, volley-ball, basketball, etc.

10. All the year round many people ...

11. Over the last few years aerobics has ... It helps them ...

12. Physically ... get old earlier than ...

13. If you do ... you feel refreshed ...

14. Britain has pioneered .,,

Express your ideas: what points should be mentioned in the text entitled as follows: Sports and games

• Sport is probably as old as the humanity itself. It has been developing with the development and growth of mankind. In times immemorial men fought each other to find out who was the strongest and therefore the worthiest. Physical strength can no longer solve the present-day problems, yet sport doesn’t lose its appeal. The importance of sport and recreation as an integral part of society is now widely recognized and accepted. This is one of the things in which people of every nationality and class are united.

• No other fundamentally voluntary activity comes close to matching its combined impact on the economy, the media, the health, and well being of community… and even the mood of the nation following its performance in major international events. Sport with its broad relevance to education, health, culture and politics as well as its capacity to predispose people towards change may uniquely serve the purpose of nation building and help to foster national integration. After all, sport extends to and unites wider sections of the population than probably any other social activity, it is easily understood and enjoyed cutting across economic, ethnic, religious and language barriers.

• Few people now need persuading of the substantial benefits to health which improved fitness can bring. It is not necessary for people to become fanatical joggers or keep fit enthusiasts to enjoy improved health; the key is in having the opportunity to pursue a more active lifestyle. The opportunity to participate in sport offers many people a much-needed chance to develop and realize particular talents and abilities. For some of these people sport is a constructive activity in which they are able to excel, to achieve personal satisfaction, to work with others as part of a team, and to gain support and respect within their communities. The modern stress on appearances is enough motivation for many amateurs to keep up their level of exercises.

• Most documents setting out policies and priorities for sport emphasize that the Government should encourage participation in sport and active recreation by all sections of the community, particularly by young people through ensuring that physical education takes its proper place in the school curriculum.

Other main objectives are to:encourage greater integration in sporting activities between the able bodied and people with disabilities; help participants achieve higher standards of performance where they have the potential to do so; to provide wider use of local authority sports facilities and partnerships with the private sector in managements of sports facilities.