Health
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Jeff | Todd |
Jeff: Many things, but I think discipline is one of the most important things. You need to be a disciplined person. A little-bit disciplined person, but saying that, it's not hard to be disciplined because you do things that you like to do, for example I do yoga, and I enjoy yoga so every day I get up in the morning and I do an hour of yoga and this is very good for your body. It's easy to do because I do it in my house, so I don't have to pay expensive gym fees and I don't have to get on a bus and travel thirty minutes to a gymnasium or a fitness center. I can do it right in my house, the front room of my house on a little mat, and I also get up with my girlfriend every morning a five a.m. and we go for a walk for an hour, a nice brisk walk and that's easy to do as well. Just a pair of sneakers and you can walk anywhere.
Todd: And now you actually live in a city area, correct?
Jeff: Yeah, I live in the city. Yep, in Tokyo, a big, big city, so when I say you've got to be disciplined, you can't use that an excuse. "Oh, I live in the city so I can't walk." It's not true. We walk every day in the world's biggest city, Tokyo.
Todd: Well, so basically, one of the pillars of your way of staying healthy is to have discipline to exercise regularly but it doesn't have to be strenuous, just little things.
Jeff: A little bit of exercise every day. Something simple. Something easy. Something you like to do, whether it's walking or whether it's riding your bicycle to work instead of taking the subway, or yeah, doing some yoga. Just a little bit of exercise a few days a week and it will help you stay fit and healthy.
very lean
Jeff is very lean and fit.
Someone who is 'lean' and fit, is slender and healthy, without extra fat. Notice the following:
- I was lean and fit at university, but not anymore.
- The swimmers were all lean and fit.
disciplined person
To become fit, you need to be a disciplined person.
A 'disciplined' person does things they should do, like homework or exercise, even if they don't want to. Notice the following:
- He's not a very disciplined person.
- I wish I were a more disciplined person.
pillar
One of the pillars of staying healthy is to have discipline.
A 'pillar' is a very important part of a group, system or idea. Notice the following:
- He's a pillar of the community
- Freedom of speech is a pillar of American culture.
strenuous
Your exercises don't have to be strenuous.
'Strenuous' means physically difficult. Notice the following:
- Yoga is slow but strenuous.
- It was a strenuous hike.
instead of
Ride your bicycle to work instead of taking the subway.
When we have two choices, we chose one 'instead of' the other. Notice the following:
- I'm not in the mood for a movie. Let's go dancing instead.
- We don't have Coke - would you like Pepsi instead?
Vocabulary Quiz
strenuous • instead of
