English Audio Request

Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? It's incredible to think about all the training these athletes have done in preparation for competing in Sochi.

Rather than write about the various sports that people participate in in the Olympic games, I'd like to introduce some of the forms of exercise people use to get in shape. (Please notice that the phrase is not get in a shape, because then shape is used to mean a circle, square, triangle, etc. The meaning of shape in this case is condition.)

The women in this picture are at a fitness center. These places are also sometimes called health clubs, gyms, or fitness clubs. They have a lot of equipment to help people build up or condition certain areas of the body. For example, some machines help a person work on arm strength, others work on flexibility, still others help to develop endurance.

It is not necessary to have equipment, however, to exercise. A person can work out at home, using stretching exercises and calisthenics, such as sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, and jumping jacks.

Another type of exercise is core training. In this training, a person concentrates on the core muscles, which include the hips, trunk and shoulders.

Body-building is a form of exercise with the goal of developing the muscles, often to an extreme degree, and often for competition. Even women are interested in body-building, although not as many as men.

Many doctors say that one of the best exercises is walking. This doesn't mean strolling at a leisurely pace, but walking quite fast. Some people prefer running, but there can be some risks to the knees with less than adequate running gear.

There are many, many more forms of exercise. One website which has information on several of them is this one. It has several lists and many pictures.

I think the main idea is to exercise, no matter the form of exercise you choose. Once you find one that really interests you and that you can commit to, you'll be more likely to stick to it. Good luck!