Shadowing Practice: 10 Simple Daily Habits to Change Your Life 💫 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi guys! Welcome back to Lavendaire.
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Today I'm sharing 10 simple daily habits to change your life.
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Here's why habits are so important: You are what you repeatedly do.
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The habits you do every single day can amount to big changes in your life.
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Don't underestimate the power of small actions repeated daily over time.
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These actions add up.
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You may not notice it day by day, but over months or years, you'll see the transformation.
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The good news is these actions are simple to do and you can start today.
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Every day is an opportunity for a fresh start.
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The first daily habit that will change your life is meditation.
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Meditating or practicing deep breathing will ease stress, anxiety, and help you manage your mind.
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Everybody has time to meditate.
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The key to being consistent is to not overwhelm yourself with a high requirement.
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Make it really easy for you to meditate.
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Tell yourself to meditate for two minutes every day and then work up from there.
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Not only are you taking time to ground yourself and detach yourself from your worries, deep breathing while meditating gives your body a chance to rest and rejuvenate.
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When you breathe, make sure you’re deep breathing into your diaphragm, not just your chest.
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You can feel the difference if you do this lying down.
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Fill your lungs with oxygen, let your belly expand, and then hold it in for a couple seconds and then release.
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If you're like me, you can feel overwhelmed when your space is a mess, but you also feel overwhelmed with all the cleaning you have to do and then you procrastinate.
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In this case, a habit that will change your life is to clean for ten minutes each day.
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Set a timer for ten minutes, then clean for that allotted time.
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This breaks down your cleaning into smaller chunks so it feels manageable.
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Ten minutes is a short enough time that you're confident you can do it and long enough to actually get a lot of cleaning done.
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And once the ten minutes are up, you're done.
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No worries about it.
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The upside to this is usually once you get started with cleaning, you'll want to keep doing it past the ten minutes since you're just in that zone.
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Implementing this habit has really helped me keep my space in order without feeling overwhelmed.
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The next habit is to create visual cues for what you want to consistently do more of.
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For example, placing your workout clothes in plain view if you want to exercise more, or putting fruit on the counter so you'll remember to eat them.
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I began taking vitamins more consistently after putting them on the table where I normally eat.
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Because the vitamins are right in front of me, I remember to take them either before or after my meal.
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By the way, these vitamins are by Ritual and I'd like to thank Ritual for sponsoring today's video.
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So when I used to store my vitamins in the cabinet, I realized I always forgot to take them.
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Out of sight, out of mind.
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So keeping them at the kitchen table really helps me take them more consistently.
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And if you're curious, Ritual's Essential for Women is a multivitamin that helps women get all the nutrients they need.
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I started taking Ritual vitamins about nine months ago and I like that it's just two easy-to-take capsules that combines nine nutrients that you need.
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So you don't have to take multiple pills of different vitamins.
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I also love that it's vegan.
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Its omega-3 source is from micro algae and not fish oil, which is what's commonly recommended.
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Ritual vitamins are vegan-certified, sugar-free, non-GMO, gluten free, allergen free and sourced straight from suppliers.
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If you're looking to step up your vitamin game, Ritual is offering all Lavi Loves 10% off your first three months.
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Just go to ritual.com/lavendaire10 and enter “Lavendaire” at checkout.
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The fourth habit is simple: Drink more water.
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Drinking more water leads to countless benefits like improving your bodily functions, flushing out toxins from your body, preventing headaches, and aiding weight loss.
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Drinking more water just might be the solution to your concerns.
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Want better skin? Drink more water.
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Mental clarity? More water.
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More confidence? More water.
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...maybe. One way to drink more water is to keep a water bottle near you at all times so you get in the habit of sipping water throughout the day.
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There are also water tracking apps that you can use to make sure you're drinking enough water.
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And I'll link below a water calculator so you can calculate how much water you should drink because it just depends on a few different factors.
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Some people swear by drinking warm water with lemon in the morning to ease the digestive system.
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So I would say give that a try.
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I always like to drink room temperature water and order water with no ice when I'm out because it's easier on the body than drinking ice cold water.
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The next habit to change your life is to practice daily gratitude.
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Take a moment out of your day to count your blessings and acknowledge what you appreciate about your life.
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Oftentimes we become too focused on the negative, on what we're currently struggling with or what's going wrong in our lives.
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Sometimes all we need to feel better about ourselves is a shift in perspective.
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Take time to jot down different things that you're grateful for.
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Try to come up with at least five each day.
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Write it down in your journal or planner and make it a habit to focus on these things that you have to be grateful for.
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Release any unmet expectations you've had for yourself or for your life, and focus instead on what you already have.
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Trade your expectations for appreciation and I promise it will make all the difference.
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The sixth habit on our list is one you might not expect: Sunscreen.
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Yes, applying sunscreen every single day is a life changing habit because sun damage is no joke.
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Exposure to the sun causes premature aging called photo aging, resulting in fine lines, wrinkles, freckles, brown spots, and in worst cases, skin cancer.
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So if you care about your skin and anti-aging, sunscreen should be your number one priority.
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A lot of people don't take sunscreen seriously, but it's really important to take care of your skin.
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If you're brushing this off because you think it's purely cosmetic, let me remind you that the health of your skin can impact your self confidence.
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And by getting into the habit of applying daily sunscreen, you're building your habit of putting effort into skin care and thus self care.
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You'll feel better about yourself as a whole.
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Another self care habit to do daily is to stretch and move your body in ways that destress, relax, and improve circulation in your body.
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This is essential if you spend most of your time sitting in the same position all day.
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The human body is made to move.
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Do your best to get enough exercise.
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But since it's difficult for most people to exercise every day, at the very least, make it a habit to move your body in different ways each day.
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A fun and easy pose I've been doing lately, is legs up the wall pose.
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I do this on the bed at night for about 10 to 15 minutes while reading on my iPad.
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It's really chill and relaxing and helps me circulate the blood from my feet and legs back to my heart.
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I'll be honest, the main reason I started doing this is to prevent varicose veins, but it turns out it's really fun to do too.
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The next daily habit that will change your life is reading.
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I mentioned how I like to read while doing the legs up the wall pose, so I knock out two birds with one stone.
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Reading daily, even a small amount will add up to a wealth of knowledge that will enhance your life in many ways.
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It will expand your mind, teach you new knowledge, and make you a more interesting person.
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The key here is to pick a doable amount for your daily goal.
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Maybe it's ten pages a day or five minutes a day.
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The point is not to try to read a lot in a day.
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It's to be consistent.
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Do a little a day and let that small action compound over time.
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Be patient and you'll notice the growth.
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The next day we habit on this list is to celebrate your wins.
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We grow more confident in ourselves when we acknowledge our wins, what we've done, and how far we've come.
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Celebrating your wins, no matter how small they may be, is a way of celebrating yourself.
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The journey is much more enjoyable if you can learn to celebrate your small victories along the way, rather than thinking you have to struggle and sacrifice in pain the entire time.
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This is another way of focusing on the positive and building a healthy relationship with yourself.
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You build self confidence and self esteem when you acknowledge yourself and what you can be proud of, You're cultivating self love and learning to be your number one supporter.
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The final habit to change your life is daily visualization of your goals and dream life.
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Once you've defined your goals and what your dream life looks like, visualize that dream life in detail.
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Feel how you would feel as if you're already there, living that beautiful life.
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Do it with such vividness and clarity that you know exactly what everything looks like, feels like, and smells like.
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Pay attention to all the details.
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Doing this each day will allow your mind to get accustomed to the life you desire and through your subconscious and the law of attraction, you'll start creating that reality in your present.
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I shared in my previous video how I made a Trello board of the details of my dream life and how I would feel in that case.
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So I looked through this Trello board daily, visualizing and focusing on the feelings that this life gives me, and I realized that the feeling itself is really all that I'm after.
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Doing this keeps me focused on what I'm working towards and even boosts how I feel about my life right now.
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So out of these ten habits, which one did you resonate with the most?
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Which habit will you start putting it into action today?
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Let me know in the comments below.
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And if you liked this video, please subscribe for more videos on personal growth and lifestyle design.
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Also, make sure you click that bell to get notified of all my new uploads.
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All right, thanks so much for watching.
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I love you so much.
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Bye!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “10 Simple Daily Habits to Change Your Life 💫”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: habit, daily, vitamin, ten. This video has 115 sentences and 1822 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:42. The speaker talks fast, about 188 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| vitamin noun | /ˈvɪt.ə.mɪn/ | Any of a specific group of organic compounds essential in small quantities for healthy human growth, metabolism, development, and body function. They are found… |
| ritual noun | /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/ | A rite; a repeated set of actions, especially in religious contexts. |
| meditate verb | /ˈmɛ.dɪˌteɪt/ | To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon something; to study. |
| sunscreen noun | A topical substance formulated to protect the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation by absorbing, reflecting or scattering ultraviolet rays. | |
| overwhelm verb | /ˌoʊ.vɚˈwɛlm/ | To engulf, surge over and submerge. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| pose verb | /poʊz/ | To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect. |
| acknowledge verb | /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ | To admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in. |
| consistently adverb | /kənˈsɪstəntli/ | In a consistent manner. |
| visualize verb | /ˈvɪʒuəˌlaɪz/ | To perceive (something) visually; to see. |
| nutrient noun | /ˈnuː.tɹi.ənt/ | A source of nourishment, such as food, that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue. |
| clarity noun | /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/ | The state or measure of being clear, either in appearance, thought or style; lucidity. |
| vegan noun | /ˈviːɡən/ | A person who does not eat, drink or otherwise consume any animal products |
| expectation noun | /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/ | The act or state of expecting or looking forward to an event as about to happen. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| add up verb | To take the sum of; to total. |
| add up to verb | To have a particular effect in combination. |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| knock out verb | To strike or bump (someone or something) out. |
| look through verb | To take a view of the contents of; search in, either with the eyes or by hand. |
| step up verb | To increase, augment, or advance, especially by one or more steps. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I also love that it's vegan.
- You'll feel better about yourself as a whole.
- Be patient and you'll notice the growth.
- Which habit will you start putting it into action today?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has really helped · you've had · we've done |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may not notice · might be · might not expect |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | started taking · start creating · start putting |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should drink · should be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 35 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, you'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: visualize /ˈvɪʒuəˌlaɪz/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, subconscious /sʌbˈkɑn.ʃəs/, visualization /ˌvɪʒ.ʊ.ə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, flush /ˈflʌʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, manageable /ˈmænəd͡ʒəb(ə)l/, procrastinate /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/, rejuvenate /ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːvəneɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like habit, vitamin, ritual.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.