Describe something you do to (help you) stay healthy. You should say:
What you do?
When you started doing this?
How much time you spend doing this (or, how often you do this)?
And explain what benefits you get from this activity or explain how this activity helps you stay healthy.
Sample Answer:
Nowadays, keeping fit is everyone’s concern and I am no exception. Since I am a full time employee, I can’t arrange time to go to the gym as often as when I was a student.
However, in order to stay fit, I register for a hip hop class, which is held twice a week.
–Unlike running on the treadmill, dancing is more fun. It helps me burn a lot of energy. In addition, it enhances my flexibility with a lot of stretching movements. Dancing also allows me to work on all the parts of my body. You might look at dancers and think that dancing is light and easy, but you are wrong. In order to be that flexible and light, dancers have to work on their core muscles to maintain their stamina. Dancing can help burn as many as 360 calories in just an hour of intensive training.
By maintaining a schedule of dancing twice a week, I successfully manage to keep fit. Not only that, dancing helps me relax after a busy day at work and my mind is always fresh and alert during and after the class.
Follow-up questions:
- How can we encourage people to eat more healthily?
I think the best approach is to have everything in moderation … processed food won’t kill you if you only eat it occasionally … but people should also be encouraged to eat a balanced diet … try to cook fresh ingredients at home a few times a week … - Do you think people pay enough attention to their health today?
Times have changed, I believe. There was a time when people stopped caring about their health but I believe in recent times, people have again become more aware of their health. Most people prefer doing some sort of physical activity in their lives to make sure they are healthy. When making small decisions like the food they prefer, people are going for, much healthier foods. - What costs are involved when you are ill in your country?
It depends on the kind of hospital we go for. The government hospitals are way too cheaper than the private ones. Also, having medical insurance and things in place, cost does become less. However, for the daily workers, the cost of getting ill is usually high. - Do you think most people worry more about their health as they get older? Definitely yes. I think as the person starts getting old, they start getting the signs of bad health. It is during that time that people realize the importance of health. So, one can see a lot of old people going out for walks or jogging.
- How can people be encouraged to stay healthy?
The best way a person can be encouraged to stay healthy is by talk and promotion using advertisements. So, if there are few who get motivated by it, then there are others who start following. Also, one can motivate others to be healthy by adopting a healthy lifestyle for themselves. - What are the most popular ways of keeping healthy in your country?
The ways by which people stay healthy in my country is usually divided into age groups and sometimes their income as well. So, the younger group is usually found in the gym or playing a sport. With age, the older generation prefers walking or jogging along with nature. With different income groups, the higher ones usually have their personal trainers, while the middle of the lower finds out ways for themselves. - Why do you think some people continue bad habits when they know that they are damaging to their health?
The only reason that people have for continuing their bad habits is that they have become their habit and as they say bad habits die hard. So, even when people know that it is harming them it is quite tough to stop doing things that they have inculcated in their routines for a long period of time. - Do women pay more attention to their health than men?
In my country, women are always more concerned about their men and their family more than they are about themselves. But as an individual, I think yes, a woman makes sure that she does not indulge herself into the habits that are not good for her health. - Do you think people have become more health conscious in recent years? In my opinion, yes people have become more health conscious. It could be because of the influence of their favorite stars or the images that are being portrayed. Even more, with advancement in technology people have very less to do physically, so there has a sense of consciousness among people for their health.
- How can children learn to have a healthy lifestyle?
The best way a child can be taught to have a healthy lifestyle is by showing them how to have one. If we as a society in large, will try to be healthy, every child will adapt to it. Like, a child learns about cigarette only when he or she sees someone lighting a cigarette and likewise if he or she sees someone leading a healthy life, he or she will lead one for himself or herself. - Do you think the government should promote a healthy lifestyle among the citizens?
I think yes there should be campaigns by the government for a healthy lifestyle but I also believe that government can only do a certain part to it. It always boils down to the individuals if they want to go for it or not. - Would you say modern science and technology has more of a positive or a negative influence on people’s health?
There are many ways in which modern science and technology have helped, like in curing diseases and making operations better and more successful. However, there have been some negative impacts as well, I believe if we keep focusing on the positive impacts, the negative will surely become minimal. - What are the best ways to keep fit?
The best way to keep fit is to do exercise that raises your heart rate. The heart is a muscle and has to be worked like any other muscle. So golf, in my opinion, is not the best form of exercise. Something like jogging or swimming of surfing is much more beneficial. - Do you think most people consider exercise a chore or do they find it fun? I think most people feel it is something they should do. That is a mistake, as far as I’m concerned, because the best way to exercise is not to think about the fitness aspect and just have fun. You can exercise without even noticing you’re doing it if you play volleyball with your friends, or go snorkeling, or go for a long walk on a sunny day or something like that.
- What is the most popular form of exercise in your country?
I would way the most popular from of exercises is going to the gym. I’m in two minds about the gym as a way to keep fit. On the one hand, it is convenient. But on the other hand, a gym is a very controlled environment, somewhat lacking in imagination and spontaneity. - Do you think people in your country are less healthy than they used to be? Yes, definitely. I would argue that the invention of TV has led to people being much too sedentary. I know some people who refuse to have a television because they think that without one they are much more likely to keep active – it’s all too easy to become a coach potato. Also, most people work in offices so they just sit in a chair all day long and only move to go to the photocopier. That’s very unhealthy. People used to work the land and so be on the go from morning till night. Obesity was unknown then, except among the super-rich, I imagine.
- How can we encourage young people to stay healthy?
Parents should set a good example. But I strongly believe that schools have a crucial role to play. Not only can they offer a wide range of sports for children to play, they can teach them about eating a balanced diet, and the negative effect of eating junk food and not exercising. If children don’t hear all this from home, they have to heat it from somewhere, and I would argue that it’s the schools’ responsibility. Once they get a taste for playing sports, they will love the sense of achievement it can give you and the feeling of camaraderie with your team mates, and then hopefully they won’t ever want to stop playing sports. - Should governments intervene to force people to be healthier?
Hmm, I’m highly skeptical of the idea that governments should force their citizens to be healthy. People out to be encouraged to lead healthy lives, but not forced to. They could, for example, run an ad campaign showing people how to eat a balanced diet – that you need to eat some carbohydrates, some vegetables and fruit, some meat and so on.I think most people don’t know that. But I’m unconvinced that trying to force people into healthy habits would work because when bullied like that people tend to resent it and react by sticking even more firmly with their unhealthy lifestyles. The one area where I strongly believe legislation is necessary is with smoking. Smokers can harm others through passive smoking so they should not be allowed to smoke in public places. In fact, this has just recently been outlawed in my country. - Other possible questions:
What is your diet like? Do you eat mostly fruits and vegetables?
What do you think is the most serious health problem in Vietnam?
Who do you think is responsible for the care of your health–you yourself, your parents, or your doctor and medical people?
What do you think about the health care system in your country? How could it be improved?
People are living longer and longer thanks to medicine. How long would you like to live? How about forever?
Do you think traditional medicine is a good alternative to modern medicine?