M: This episode is about WORKING OUT ! C: Hello everybody! It’s very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We all need to have regular check-ups, we need to eat a healthful diet and to exercise. M: DOING PHYSICAL EXERCISE not only helps us to STAY FIT, it also improves our emotional well-being. C : It’s true, it helps us burn off stress. In this episode you’ll learn a lot of vocabulary about EXERCISING and STAYING FIT. But don’t worry, Marta and I have no intention of turning you into FITNESS FREAKS. M: …into…what? C: a “fitness freak” is someone obsessed with fitness, almost addicted to going to the gym. ? M: ok, I understand. Now, back to our episode, where do we start from? C: from the word “SHAPE”. TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE or BAD SHAPE. For example: James goes running three times a week, he’s in good shape. Meaning: He’s healthy and fit. M: He’s in good shape. Ok. C: Or TO STAY / TO KEEP / TO GET IN SHAPE. For example: Susan is a little overweight, she has just started going to the gym, I’m sure she will get in shape very soon. Or: Mary goes hiking every weekend, that’s how she keeps in shape. M : Ok, got it. What kind of activities can we do to stay in shape? C : Watch out, because to describe those activities in English we use three different verbs: TO DO, TO GO and TO PLAY. M : Let’s start with to do. C : For example: to do yoga, to do karate, to do aerobics… M : To play? C : to play sports, like in : to play volleyball, to play baseball, to play soccer, to play tennis, to play golf… M : to go? C : to go hiking, to go swimming, to go jogging, to go bike riding or to go cycling, to go skiing, to go for a walk and to go to the gym. M : How about the word “WORKOUT” ? C : to WORK OUT means to do physical exercise, so what you do is a workout. M : to work out. Ok. C : For example: Ted is in really bad shape. He needs to go to the gym and work out. M : Ok, what could this Ted do in the gym TO GET HIMSELF BACK INTO SHAPE? C : well, first of all, he could lay off the cheeseburgers… M: …after that C: Well, Ted could start with some WARM UP exercises. M : warm up exercises? C : when you do warm up exercises…or we could just call it a “warm up” you get your body ready for exercise, for example by stretching, by doing a light workout on an EXERCISE BIKE, by walking on a TREADMILL… M : wait, wait, the exercise bike is the stationary bike we use indoors, like the exercise bike you gave me and now I have in my apartment and use quite often, but what is a treadmill? C : the treadmill is that piece of equipment we use to walk or run while staying in place, because we run on a moving belt. I have one in my office, I love it! M : ok, back to our Ted who’s trying to get fit, what could he do after his warm-up session? C : Eat lettuce…. M: Hmm, good idea, but maybe he could do something more? C: He could DO SIT-UPS and PUSH-UPS. M : can you explain that please? C : Sure, ok, Marta, lay on the floor. M : what? C : Lay down on the floor, on your back, with your legs bent. M : Cindy, are you my personal trainer or what?? C : come on, Marta. (sound of whistle blowing) On the floor. Sacrifice yourself for our podcast and our listeners. Do it for the sake of your art! M : all right. There, ok, give me a second, there, I’m lying flat on my back. C : now lift up almost to a sitting position then lie back down again, over and over again, ok, good. You’re DOING SIT-UPS. You’re actually strengthening your abdominals, or your “stomach muscles”. M : (shortness of breath) ok, what’s next, boss? C : now lie face down on the floor, put your hands on the floor under your shoulders. Ok, now push your body up and let it down slowly. Great, you’re DOING PUSH-UPS. Keep going, Marta, keep your back straight, come on, 18, 19, 20, 21…. M : (shortness of breath) hey hey, wait a second, don’t you think our listeners have already understood what push-ups are??! C : yes, but I’m beginning to like being a personal trainer… Now, Marta, let’s move on to WEIGHT LIFTING. Ok. Here are your weights. M : do I really have to do this? C : Yes, weren’t you the one talking about how physical exercise is important for our well-being at the beginning of this episode? M : ok, but you said that too. C : right, aren’t you happy that I’m this concerned about your well-being??!? M : ok, ok, I’ll lift weights, but you have to go on with the episode and tell our listeners other useful vocabulary and idioms. C : No problem, all right. Here’s another way of saying to lift weights : to PUMP IRON. M : to pump iron. (desperately out of breath) like …what I’m doing…right now? C : lifting weights over and over again -combined with a healthful diet- until you look like the female version of The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. That’s to pump iron. M : oh, my! I surrender, I just can’t keep going… C : ok, Marta, do some stretching now while I explain the verb TO WORK OFF. That means to work out in order to lose weight. For example: Jennifer is on a diet but she had a rich dessert at lunch. Tonight she is going swimming to work off that dessert. Or: with the workout done during this episode Marta has worked off a few pounds. M : I hope so! And talking about losing weight, can you explain the idiom: TO HAVE A SPARE TIRE? C : If you have a spare tire you have fat accumulated around your waist, a sort of roll of flesh. To have a spare tire, this idiom gives quite a visual, doesn’t it? M : it does. ? C : so, for example, Kate is getting a spare tire, she decided to go on a diet and work out in order to get rid of it as quickly as possible. M : Well, listeners, that’s all for now. We hope you are all in good shape. C : if not, we wish you to get yourself back into shape soon. C: Thank you for listening our podcast on iTunes and on podomatic! Thank you for liking our Facebook page, for following us on twitter, for watching our videos on youtube and for visiting our website: www.myamericanfriendblog.com M : We’ve had an incredible number of downloads from Vietnam lately and also from China, Japan, South Korea. C : We’d like to send out a special thank you to our new listeners from Asia, we welcome you into the “my American friend” family! We’ll be waiting for your comments and suggestions for future episodes. M : And a heartfelt thank you to all our old friends as well! See you soon, bye bye!
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