English Listening Practice: Walking and Its Health Benefits | B1-B2 English

 

Vocabulary:

A. Cardiovascular fitness (noun) [French: forme cardiovasculaire]: The ability of the heart and lungs to work well during exercise. Example: Regular exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness. (Faire régulièrement de l’exercice peut améliorer la forme cardiovasculaire.)

B. Stroke (noun) [French: accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC)]: A serious condition caused by a problem with blood flow to the brain. Example: His grandfather had a stroke last year. (Son grand-père a eu un AVC l’année dernière.)

C. Type 2 diabetes (noun) [French: diabète de type 2]: A disease that causes high blood sugar levels. Example: A healthy diet can help prevent type 2 diabetes. (Une alimentation saine peut aider à prévenir le diabète de type 2.)

D. Anxiety (noun) [French: anxiété]: A feeling of worry, fear, or nervousness. Example: She felt anxiety before her job interview. (Elle ressentait de l’anxiété avant son entretien d’embauche.)

E. Brisk walking (noun phrase) [French: marche rapide]: Walking at a fast pace that increases your breathing and heart rate.

Verb form: Go for a brisk walk. Example: We went brisk walking (We went for a brisk walk) around the park after lunch. (Nous avons fait une marche rapide dans le parc après le déjeuner.)

F. Count (verb) [French: être considéré comme]: To be considered part of something. Example: Does a part-time job count as work experience? (Un emploi à temps partiel est-il considéré comme une expérience professionnelle ?)

G. Moderate-intensity physical activity (noun phrase) [French: activité physique d’intensité modérée]: Physical activity that makes you breathe faster but still allows conversation. Example: Cycling to work is moderate-intensity physical activity. (Faire du vélo pour aller au travail est une activité physique d’intensité modérée.)

H. Guidelines (noun) [French: recommandations]: Official advice about how to do something safely or correctly. Example: The company published new guidelines for working from home. (L’entreprise a publié de nouvelles recommandations pour le télétravail.)

I. Aerobic activity (noun) [French: activité aérobique]: Physical activity that makes your heart and breathing work harder. Example: Swimming is a good aerobic activity. (La natation est une bonne activité aérobique.)

J. At once (expression) [French: d’un seul coup / en une seule fois]: All at the same time or in one period. Example: I cannot answer all these questions at once. (Je ne peux pas répondre à toutes ces questions en même temps.)

K. Inactive (adjective) [French: inactif / inactive]: Not doing much physical activity or exercise. Example: He became inactive after he started working from home. (Il est devenu inactif après avoir commencé à travailler à domicile.)

 

Guide Questions
1. What does the speaker say about walking?
2. What does the speaker say about brisk walking?
3. What are the health recommendations?

TRANSCRIPT

Walking is a simple form of physical activity that can provide important health benefits. Regular walking can improve cardiovascular fitness and help reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. It can also support healthy weight management and improve bone and muscle health. In addition, regular physical activity can improve sleep and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Brisk walking can count as moderate-intensity physical activity. Health guidelines recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. People do not need to do all this activity at once. They can divide it into shorter periods during the week. Even people who are currently inactive can benefit from starting with small amounts of physical activity and gradually increasing them. (132 words)

Discussion

1. Do you like walking as a form of exercise? Why? If you dislike walking, what do you do instead?
2. Are there places in your city where you can walk comfortably or exercise? Describe one of these places.
3. Would you rather walk outside or use a treadmill at a gym? Why?
4. What makes it difficult for people to walk regularly in your city? What changes could your city make to encourage people to walk more?
5. What advice would you give to someone who is inactive and wants to start exercising?
6. Do you think people in your country are active enough? Why or why not?
7. Why do some people find it difficult to get enough physical activity?