The beginner’s guide to loving exercise

Level 1: Elementary / Pre-Intermediate

1
  Warmer

a. Which of these sports burn the most calories? Put them in order from 1 (the most) to 6
(the fewest).

road running

golf

boxing

football

tennis

cycling

b. Do you do any of these sports regularly?

2
  Key words

a. Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

champion     compete     intimidated     mobility     tip

1. If you in a race, you try to win it.

2. is the ability to move and walk normally.

3. If you feel , you feel nervous or frightened about something.

4. A is someone who has won an important sporting competition.

5. A is a useful suggestion.

hang about     impact     let down     motivated     upside

6. An is the effect that something has.

7. If you are , you really want to do something because you want to succeed.

8. An is the positive aspect of a bad situation.

9. If you , you spend time in a place waiting or doing nothing.

10. If you a friend, you make them feel disappointed because you didn’t do
what you promised to do.
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 Play some Kylie, keep it short and enlist your friends! The beginner’s guide
to loving exercise
Level 1: Elementary / Pre-Intermediate
Emma Beddington 9 Measure your progress
7 June, 2022 Notice your progress. That doesn’t need to be
running for longer, building muscle or losing
1 It sometimes feels like everyone is exercising: weight; it could be having more energy or
running, weightlifting, wild swimming or improved sleep.
competing in triathlons. In reality, millions
of us don’t exercise. But why? It’s often a 10 Exercise with a friend (or two)
combination of reasons: time, money, health, If there are two of you, you’re more likely to go.
feeling unsure where to start, mobility problems You don’t want to let your friend down.
or being intimidated by gyms.
11 Use music and dance
2 Taking that first step can difficult. According to
cycling and swimming champion Sarah Storey, Put some music on. Dance feels less like
“people need the confidence to get started.” exercise and more like fun.
Here are some expert tips. 12 Go for a walk
3 Be realistic The easiest way to start is just to open the front
door, go out and walk. “You don’t need special
“Focus on what you can do, make small
kit, you can do it anywhere and it’s so good for
changes: they have an enormous impact when
your mental health,” says Thompson. A ten-
you do them regularly.”
minute walk is really healthy.
4 Start slowly
© Guardian News and Media 2022
“People have families and work,” trainer Robbie First published in The Guardian, 07/06/2022
Thompson says. “Training is a stress: a positive
stress, but a stress. It’s a good reason to
start slowly.”
5 Do a little, regularly …
Do little and often. It’s easier to do something
for five minutes each day than to spend 45
minutes three or four times a week.
6 … but take a break
Sometimes life will get in the way, and that’s
OK. You don’t have to do it three times every
week. If you’re going to do it for the next 20 or
30 years, what does it matter?
7 Don’t expect to enjoy every training session
“I don’t feel motivated to do my run today”, says
Thompson. “Most days, I don’t feel motivated.
Don’t think about how you feel before you
exercise – think about how you’re going to
feel afterwards.”
8 Do it from home
An upside of the pandemic has been online
exercise. You don’t need much space. It’s on
demand, so no travel time (or cost!) or hanging
about waiting for a class to start and you don’t
have to be outside in the rain.
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 The beginner’s guide to loving exercise
Level 1: Elementary / Pre-Intermediate

3
  Comprehension check

a. Answer the questions using information from the article.

1. Why are many people inactive?

2. What do you need to get started with exercise?

3. What can have an enormous impact?

4. How should you start?

5. What should you do if life gets in the way?

6. What should you think about if you don’t feel motivated before training?

7. What is an upside of the pandemic?

8. Why is it a good idea to exercise with a friend?

9. Why is it a good idea to use music and dance?

10. What is the easiest way to start exercising?

4
  Key language

a. Complete the table with the opposites of these words using words from the text.

1. sure

2. negative

3. beforehand

4. downside

5. unhealthy

5
  Discussion

a. Do you agree with this statement? Why? Why not?

• “Everyone should exercise for half an hour every day.”

6
  In your own words

a. What is the best way to keep fit? Give reasons for your choice.

b. Share your ideas with the class.

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 The beginner’s guide to loving exercise
Level 1: Elementary / Pre-Intermediate – Teacher’s notes
Key:
Article summary: The article focuses on the 1. compete 6. impact
need for people to be fit and active and how 2. Mobility 7. motivated
this can be achieved by regular exercise. 3. intimidated 8. upside
4. champion 9. hang about
Time: 60 minutes 5. tip 10. let down

Skills: Reading, Speaking, Writing 3. Comprehension check

Language focus: Vocabulary a. Ask students to work individually to answer the
questions and then compare their answers in pairs
Materials needed: One copy of the or small groups. The answers given are not the only
worksheet per student
possible answers. For example, in item 1, students
may say ‘There are a combination of reasons’
or similar.
1. Warmer
Key:
a. The purpose of this activity is to familiarize students 1. There are a number of reasons, e.g. time,
with the general theme of fitness and physical money, health.
activity. Note that the number of calories these 2. confidence
activities burn per hour is based on average speeds, 3. small changes
times, and distances, so it is a general estimate. 4. slowly
Point out (if necessary) that the word football is 5. take a break
not the American use of the word here, but the 6. think about how you are going to feel afterwards
one which refers to the sport that most of the world 7. online exercise
understand football to be. Golf is last in this list but 8. because you are more likely to go (for a run,
can burn over 200 calories per hour because it for example) when you don’t want to let your
normally involves a lot of walking. friend down
9. because it feels less like a workout and more
Key: like fun
1. boxing 4. cycling 10. going for a walk
2. road running 5. tennis
3. football 6. golf 4. Key language

b. Students briefly discuss their experiences with the a. Students can check their answers in the text after
activities in a. completing the exercise. The opposite words are in
the order in which they appear in the text.
2. Key words
Key:
a. Ask students to do the exercise individually and 1. unsure
then compare their answers in pairs or small groups. 2. positive
Point out that hang about has a negative connotation 3. afterwards
and does not simply mean ‘wait’. It has the added 4. upside
meaning of being bored or frustrated because you 5. healthy
are waiting.
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 The beginner’s guide to loving exercise
Level 1: Elementary / Pre-Intermediate – Teacher’s notes

5. Discussion

a. Allow students time to note down their ideas and

encourage them to give reasons for their answer.

6. In your own words

a. This could also be done as a homework task. Ask

students to come up with at least three arguments
for their choice. Then they can present their idea to a
group or the whole class.

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