Neil: Hello, I’m Neil. And welcome to
6 Minute English, where we vigorously discuss
a new topic and six related items of vocabulary.
Rob: And hello, I’m Rob. Today we’re discussing
vigorous exercise – and whether adults take
enough of it! Vigorous means using a lot of
energy to do something.
Neil: So how many steps do you do in a day, Rob?
Rob: How many steps? How should I know, Neil?
– It would be pretty hard to count them all.
Neil: Oh, come on! You can track steps on
your phone! I do ten thousand a day – which
is the magic number for keeping fit
and healthy, apparently.
Rob: Not if you saunter, Neil, surely? Sauntering
from the sofa to the fridge and back – Or
from the house to the car.
Neil: Well I never saunter, Rob. Saunter means
to walk slowly. And you’d have to make a
lot of trips to the fridge to clock up ten
thousand steps. To get some vigorous exercise,
you need to get out and about
– round the park at a brisk pace…
Rob: Brisk means quick and energetic – the
opposite of sauntering. OK, well, perhaps
you can you tell me, Neil, how many people
aged between 40 and 60 do less than ten minutes
brisk walking every month? Is
it… a) 4%,
b)14% or c) 40%?
Neil: I’m going to say… 4% because ten
minutes is such a short amount of time!
Rob: Indeed. Now, I’ve got another question
for you, Neil. Why is exercise so important?
Because it sounds pretty boring – counting
steps, going to the gym, running on a machine.
Neil: Well, when you exercise, you stimulate
the body’s natural repair system. Your body
will actually stay younger if you exercise!
Rob: That sounds good.
Neil: Exercise also lowers your risk of developing
illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Rob: Hmm. I’m getting a bit worried now,
Neil. But I don’t have enough time to do
a thousand steps every day… I’m far too busy!
Neil: Well, Rob. Now might be a good time
to listen to Julia Bradbury. She’s a TV
presenter and outdoor walking enthusiast who
will explain how she builds walking into her
busy life.
Julia Bradbury: I will walk to meetings instead of
catching a bus, or getting a taxi or a car – into
meetings. And I will also, if I can’t build
that into my working day, if it’s a day
when I haven’t got meetings and I’m
maybe at home with the kids, I will take the
time – I will take my kids out with the
buggy and I will definitely do 30-40 minutes
at least everyday. Going to the park, going
to the shops, picking up my
things up en route, and really sort of building
it into my life. Taking the stairs and not
taking lifts, all of these kinds of little
decisions can incrementally build up to create
more walking time in your
day.
Rob: So if you build something in to your
day – or your life – you include it from
the beginning.
Neil: And Julia Bradbury has built walking
into her day. Even though she’s very busy
too, Rob! You should learn from her!
Rob: So she walks instead of driving or taking
the bus. And takes the stairs instead of the
lift. I could do those things.
Neil: You could indeed – before you know
it, you’d be doing ten thousand steps – because
the amount of walking you do in a day builds
incrementally.
Rob: Incrementally means gradually
increasing in size. OK, well, before I think that over,
perhaps I could tell you the answer to today’s
quiz question?
Neil: OK. You asked me: How many people aged
between 40 and 60 do less than ten minutes brisk
walking every month? The options were:
a) 4%, b) 14% or c) 40%?
Rob: And you said 4%. But I’m afraid it’s
actually 40%. And that’s according to the
Government body Public Health England here
in the UK.
Neil: Oh dear, that’s a lot more people
than I expected. But it isn’t that surprising
– people in all age groups are leading more
sedentary lifestyles these days. Our job is
very sedentary – which means it
involves a lot of sitting and not much exercise!
Rob: Well, I might just run on the spot while
we go over the new vocabulary we’ve learned
today!
Neil: Good plan. First up we heard ‘vigorous’
– which means using a lot of energy to do
something.
Rob: OK. “I am running vigorously on the
spot!”
Neil: Great example! And good to see you taking
some vigorous exercise! Number two – ‘saunter’
– means to walk slowly in a relaxed way.
“When I saw Rob, I sauntered over to say
hello.”
Rob: Hi Neil. Number three – ‘brisk’
means quick and energetic.
Neil: “It’s important to take some brisk
exercise every day.”
Rob: Yes! And I’m beginning to realise that
might be true.
Neil: Yep! I think you've done enough jogging
for today, Rob. You’ve probably done about
a hundred steps.
Rob: Is that all? OK, number four – if you
‘build something into something’ – you
include it from the beginning.
Neil: “It’s important to build regular
exercise into your daily routine.”
Rob: Very good advice. Number five is ‘incrementally’
which means gradually increasing in size.
Neil: Incremental is the adjective. “The
company has been making incremental changes
to its pay structure.”
Rob: Does that mean we’re getting a pay
rise? Neil: I doubt it! And finally, number six
– ‘sedentary’ means sitting a lot and
not taking much exercise. For example, “It’s
bad for your health to lead such a sedentary
lifestyle.”
Rob: Duly noted, Neil! Well, it’s time to
go now. But if today’s show has inspired
you to step out and take more exercise, please
let us know by visiting our Twitter, Facebook
and YouTube pages and telling
us about it!
Neil: Goodbye!
Rob: Bye bye!