07 01 sports u1a

Mission Impossible

A Healthy Routine
Our body is like a machine that needs
all its components to be in good
condition to work well. In order to
keep fit, it is necessary to do at least
one hour of physical activity every day.
We can engage in outdoor or indoor
activities, team or individual sports.
One important muscle that needs to be
strong is the heart because it pumps
blood to all our body. Aerobic activities,
like swimming or running, make the
heart beat faster, transporting oxygen
and glucose more quickly to the
muscles. In this way, muscles release
energy and burn more calories, helping
control our weight. During regular
activities, muscles become strong,
protecting our joints and bones from
possible injuries. To avoid strains or
sprains, it is always very important to
do warm-up exercises before training
and to stretch our muscles after it,
as well. Sometimes, doing too much
exercise to lose weight turns into an
unhealthy habit because we do not
have enough calories and our bodies
become weak.
What we regularly eat also

determines our health. A balanced
healthy diet includes appropriate
amounts of calories, vitamins and
minerals, proteins for growth and

carbohydrates and fats for energy.
Planning our meals is an effective
way of controlling what we eat. It is
not difficult to design a weekly diet
plan and the nutritional pyramid
gives us useful information to take
into account. It is also essential that
we devote enough time to eat and
enjoy meals so that we digest food
in a proper way. The excess or lack
of food many times results in eating
disorders and unhealthy conditions
which threaten our lives. A poor diet
can cause many illnesses and prevent
growth.
Another significant factor that exerts
influence on the function of our body
is the time we rest. We need to sleep
eight hours each night. Lack of sleep
has a strong impact on both our body
and mind. Tiredness affects our mood
and our abilities to carry out our daily
tasks.
It is possible to have a healthy routine
even when we think that we do not

have enough time. Changing some
bad habits, like leading a sedentary
life, eating junk food or not sleeping
well at night, ensures we get a proper
functioning of our body systems and
more energy to perform our daily
activities. It is never too late to start!

English Toolkit 1 - Sports

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

Module

1A


Module

1A
Activities
1 Read the text and answer the questions.
aWhat healthy habits are mentioned?

bWhat are the advantages of doing physical exercise?

cIn what ways does a bad night’s rest affect our mood? Think of two examples and
share them with the class.

dCan you think of other healthy habits to incorporate into your routine?

a...lack:

d...balanced diet:

b...healthy:

e...always:

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

2Read the text and find the opposite of...

c ...weak:

3Work in groups. Help your mum design a healthy weekly home menu.
When you finish, explain it to the other groups.
Weekly home menu
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

4Look at the food pyramid and complete with a tick (3).
How often do
you eat…

always

usually

often

sometimes

hardly
ever

…pasta?
…fruits?
…vegetables?
…meat?
…eggs?
…yogurt or
.drink milk?
…sweets?

English Toolkit 1 - Sports

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