Exercise for the lazy (Medium)

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Im Neil.

Sam

And Im . Did you make any New Years resolutions this year, Neil? Theyre promises that you make to to do something positive in the coming year… And now that were into February, its getting harder keep those promises!

Neil

Yes, the same promises I make every year, Sam  � to more and get fit. But Im too lazy to go running on cold winter mornings - Id stay in bed!

Sam

Are you feeling out of shape after Christmas, like Neil? Maybe you to be more active but cant find the time? If so, this programme is for you!

Yes, in this lazy persons guide to exercise, well be asking: what is the least amount of someone can get away with doing whilst still staying healthy? And, of course, well be learning some new vocabulary as well.

Sam

Of course, any exercise is better than none. ‘Structured exercise’ - like going to a fitness class, or swimming are great. But if thats not possible, well be about small changes you can make that will help as well.

Neil

Which is good because fewer and fewer of us of doing what the UK government recommends - thirty minutes of exercise a day. In fact, the government recently downgraded its recommendations because so few Brits were following . So, Sam, according to new government advice, what is the minimum number of steps we should walk day to stay healthy? Is it:

a) five thousand steps?

b) ten thousand steps? or,

c) twenty thousand steps?

Sam

Ill say a) thousand steps per day.

Neil

OK, Sam. Well find out the answer at the end of programme. Someone else whos interested in how little exercise he can do is BBC reporter, James Gallagher. James speaking with sports physiologist, Dr Zoe Saynor, after Zoe had been monitoring Jamess fitness while running a treadmill for BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Science.

Dr Zoe Saynor

 � I also know do regularly try and do structured exercise.

James Gallagher

Just to be clear, my structured exercise is going for a swim once a week.

Zoe

Generally, that's fantastic! I guess my question you would be, how hard do you push yourself when you go swimming?

James

Not as as the treadmill.

Zoe

I think the big thing if we come back to this question what is the least I can do? There's clear evidence that if you want to do shorter sessions, they need to be of a higher intensity, right?

James

So there's a trade-off-.

Sam

Zoe says that if you dont have much time to exercise its okay to do shorter , as long as you push yourself  � try harder and put more effort into what youre doing. you can swim a length in forty seconds, push yourself to swim it in thirty-five-.

That means exercising harder of course, but for a shorter time. In other words, theres a trade-off  � you accept the disadvantages of something in order to get the benefit it brings.

Sam

problem for many people is that their job is sedentary  � it involves little exercise or physical . Zoe thinks its important that office workers who sit down all day also find time to exercise. she shares her tips with BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Health.

Dr Zoe Saynor

Especially people have office jobs are sat down all day, we then look at some of the easy wins. , active travel, and even if that's parking a little bit further away. One of the exciting areas the literature that's coming out at the moment, is actually walking faster. So, if you have no to suddenly do 10,000 steps a day, can we get you to do 5,000 steps faster? Will see an improvement on your health? Yes, we will see an improvement on your health, especially over longer period of time. The big focus around short, sharp exercise sessions is you get more bang your buck.

Neil

Zoes suggestions for active travel, things like walking from the car, and the stairs instead of the lift, are easy wins - tasks that are both easy to accomplish bring benefits.

Sam

Easy wins, like short but intensive bursts of exercise, increase fitness and give more bang for your buck, and idiom which means that you get better results for the same of effort you put in. Thats something everyone can appreciate  � even you, Neil.

Neil

Well, definitely try to walk more, but remember, Sam, the body needs rest too!

Sam

And speaking walking, isnt it time to reveal the answer to your question: how many steps does the government recommend we should walk a day? I guessed it was five thousand… So, was I right?

Neil

You were close, Sam, but in fact the correct answer is ten thousand steps a day, as Zoe mentioned, walking fewer steps faster has benefits too. OK, lets recap the vocabulary weve learned our lazy guide to exercise, starting with New Years resolution  � a promise you make to yourself do positive things in the coming year.

Sam

When you push yourself, you put more effort what youre doing.

Neil

In a trade-off-, you accept the disadvantages of something in order to the benefits as well. ‘-�Trade-off��-’ can also be used as a verb.

Sam

The adjective, sedentary, something which involves little exercise or physical activity.

Neil

An easy win is a task that both easy to accomplish and brings positive results.

Sam

And finally, the idiom more bang for buck, means you get a better outcome for the same amount of effort you put into something. hope your New Years resolutions have made it into February! If theres just one you keep, make joining us again soon for more topical chat here at 6 Minute English. Bye for now!

Bye!