Shadowing Practice: Advanced English Conversation: Our healthy daily habits - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Welcome to a real-life C-level English conversation.
2
I am Camille.
3
I'm Calvin.
4
Today's topic is a very important and amazing topic and very important as well to both of us and that is health.
5
Nice.
6
Yes, we didn't even plan that.
7
So first of all, we just want to share some things
8
that we do every day in our own lives and we feel like it adds benefit to our health.
9
So what are some things that you do, Calvin?
10
I mean, there's obviously a lot of aspects to health.
11
You know, there's the sort of physical side, emotional side, spiritual side.
12
So I guess physically I try to walk,
13
jog, or do some sort of activity that gets my heart rate up and maybe gets fresh air.
14
That's what I do.
15
Yeah.
16
So every morning we exercise.
17
We usually take turns because we have kids at home.
18
so I do the same things walk jog
19
and actually I love to do videos on YouTube like with my own body weight
20
so I'll be doing a 20
21
or 30 minute video squats push-ups sit-ups all sorts of jumping exercises
22
and as I've gotten older I've realized I need to stretch more
23
so often in the evenings I'll put on a quick yoga video
24
or I'll just do some stretches and it really helps my body feel better and helps me to relax.
25
If you like travel, be sure to check out my short travel stories book for English learners.
26
Yeah, I think stretching is good for any age, but definitely, you know, as we've gotten older and, you know, we've pulled out our backs or things like that.
27
Yeah.
28
We've really realized staying limber is very, uh, very important.
29
Yeah.
30
Flexibility.
31
Flexibility.
32
Yeah.
33
So what do you eat every morning to get your metabolism jump-started?
34
Yeah, so every morning for breakfast I flip-flop.
35
So sometimes I have a couple of eggs, avocado, sometimes I have a yogurt, nut, seed.
36
I'll put like plain Greek yogurt and then I'll add chia seeds, walnuts, whatever fruit we have.
37
I really like banana, blueberry, mango, and what else goes on that baby?
38
Peanut butter.
39
Peanut butter, yeah.
40
Don't forget peanut butter.
41
We're in a, well, we're not in America, but in America, peanut butter is like the thing.
42
Yes.
43
And peanut butter where the only ingredient is peanuts.
44
Yeah.
45
Very healthy peanut butter.
46
Yeah.
47
Mm-hmm.
48
And sometimes I'll make oatmeal too and do the same stuff on top, but with oatmeal instead of yogurt as my base.
49
Sounds like a good option.
50
Yeah.
51
What about you?
52
I usually, I'm actually very religious about this.
53
I usually do yogurt, maybe like a Greek plain yogurt.
54
Then I do some granola.
55
If it's made by Camille, it's amazing.
56
And then I'll also do whatever fruit we have in the fridge or in season, and I'll throw that on top.
57
And lately I've been adding like a superfood green powder to it and also a collagen powder to it,
58
which helps your sort of joints maintain their health as you grow older.
59
Not to say that we're like, you know, out to pasture or anything, but...
60
We're not young spring chickens anymore.
61
Yes, we're not young spring chickens.
62
yeah so yeah that kind of helps me get my day started
63
and yeah yeah diet is so important moving is so important
64
and then something else
65
that I do every morning I'm pretty religious it's like my ritual before I even eat breakfast right
66
when I wake up try to drink a big glass of water I prepare my coffee
67
and then I spend some time reading
68
and journaling every morning I think both of those things are really good for our mind
69
and I always try to do something in my journal that I'm thankful for.
70
I write some goals I might have for the day.
71
I write what happened yesterday.
72
It doesn't take me super long, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but I feel like that routine of journaling really just keeps my mind in a good place.
73
Mm-hmm.
74
Journaling is good.
75
I used to journal and I know I should, but I'm not right now.
76
Okay, no judgment.
77
Thank you.
78
But yeah, every morning I usually read a portion of the Bible and do a devotional as well.
79
And yeah, just try to have a quiet morning if possible.
80
Of course, you know, when the kids wake up, it gets a little louder and they need things.
81
So yeah, waking up a little earlier is sometimes better.
82
And yeah, enjoying a fresh cup of specialty coffee from Ethiopia ideally and that's a beautiful morning.
83
It's true we love our specialty coffee.
84
So as far as sleep goes I feel like we have
85
a pretty good sleep schedule usually I'm sleeping by 10 and up around 6.
86
Yeah yeah I usually am in bed the same time
87
but just maybe reading a little bit longer just to get my mind to wind down
88
and wake up about the same time maybe a little later
89
yeah depending on how the night goes with the kids yeah
90
sometimes we'll sleep in later yeah I think it's good to have a good sleep routine
91
so not to be going to bed at 1 a.m
92
and waking up at 10 a.m or the next night you're in bed at 4
93
and waking up at 1
94
or you know I think it's good to have a routine
95
to try to within 30 minutes go to sleep the same time every night.
96
I'm not very good at getting off my screen before bed, which I know they say is good.
97
A lot of times we'll watch a show or a movie or I'll even be reading on my phone.
98
And so that's maybe a habit that I have that isn't super great.
99
Yeah, there's always a fight with or wrestle with screens.
100
They can be so useful and you can do a lot of things like learning languages
101
or reading a good book on there
102
but at the same time they can suck you into social media
103
and then you go to bed at 1 a.m feeling
104
so tired and drained so yeah yeah it's it's always good to come separated at night
105
so that we can get a good night's sleep calm the mind down before going to bed sometimes I stretch
106
and I do breathing exercises before bed
107
and also sometimes I'll make a herbal tea of some kind to try
108
and calm my body down and I think that really helps.
109
Something that helps as a family that we do is getting out in nature
110
so we try to do this minimum three four times a
111
week whether it's just going on a nature walk going down
112
to the beach with our kids going to a little river just going out from our front door
113
and going for a walk and seeing where we end up.
114
We find that our kids are happy when they're outside.
115
It's so good to be in fresh air with nature, with the trees.
116
And so I think that's a good healthy family rhythm that we have.
117
Yeah, yeah, I enjoy it also.
118
And nature is just so healing and needed for our minds, for our bodies, even even going barefoot.
119
Our kids are always barefoot outside.
120
Yeah.
121
And they've done studies where all those things are really beneficial for for our well-being.
122
And so, yeah, we like to get outside and it's just beautiful, too.
123
We like to find waterfalls or rivers or mountain areas or,
124
of the beach one of our favorite places yeah and yeah it relaxes you and you feel a lot better
125
yeah i think things
126
that also keep us healthy we're not smokers we're not drinkers like occasionally calvin will have a wine
127
or a beer i don't really enjoy it um very occasionally i'll I'll like take a sip of Calvin's and be like, I still haven't acquired a taste.
128
Yes, 20 years of trying.
129
Yeah, so I'm just like, okay, whatever.
130
But I think, yeah, smoking is just so not good for your health.
131
Yeah, it's true.
132
There's a lot of ways to smoke nowadays, you know, vaping, all that stuff.
133
And I think they try to make it sound better, but I think it's still very bad for you.
134
Yeah, very bad.
135
And then we just do our best to try to stay away from toxins in the home.
136
Like I make my own cleaners for all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner.
137
We try to buy natural deodorants and shampoos and products that we put on our bodies.
138
And I feel like those things contribute to our health as well.
139
Yeah, because if we can invest now in our health, you know, 10 years, 20 years down the road, we'll reap those benefits.
140
But if we don't treat our bodies well, yeah, we'll reap those not benefits.
141
Yes.
142
Deficits.
143
I don't know what it is.
144
Don't be punished.
145
Yeah.
146
So, yeah, it's important to think about our health and move towards a direction of a holistic health in our bodies.
147
Yeah.
148
I think that covers it.
149
I think so.
150
I mean, we could always go on for even longer about this topic, but we'll try to keep it concise.
151
But we would love to know what are some of your healthy habits, things that you do or don't do to keep you healthy.
152
Yeah.
153
Let us know in the comments.
154
And be sure to like and subscribe for more.
155
Thank you.
156
Thanks.
157
Bye.
158
Bye.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will engage with an advanced English conversation focused on healthy daily habits. By practicing along with Camille and Calvin, you will become familiar with various aspects of health, including physical activities, dietary choices, and the importance of flexibility. This conversation showcases real-life dialogue that reflects how individuals discuss their routines and health benefits, providing a rich context for vocabulary building and pronunciation practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Heart rate - The number of times your heart beats in a given time period, often used in the context of exercise.
- Stretching - The act of extending your body or a specific muscle group to improve flexibility and relaxation.
- Metabolism - The process your body uses to convert food into energy.
- Base - The foundation of a meal, such as yogurt or oatmeal that other ingredients are added to.
- Flexibility - The ability of your body to bend and move easily without injury.
- Healthy habits - Routine behaviors that positively contribute to one's physical and mental well-being.
- Body weight exercises - Physical activities that use a person's own weight as resistance, such as squats and push-ups.
Practice Tips
To effectively enhance your speaking skills through this lesson, consider using the shadowspeak technique. This involves mimicking the speakers in real-time as they discuss their habits. Given the natural flow and conversational tone of Camille and Calvin, it's crucial to maintain an engaging rhythm while practicing.
When shadowing, aim to listen closely to the differences in intonation and stress in their dialogue. Use a shadowing app to replay segments, allowing you to practice your pronunciation and accent. Focus on phrases that involve physical activities, such as “walk, jog, or do some sort of activity,” as they often convey urgency and energy.
To improve your fluency, repeat key phrases out loud after hearing them, ensuring your voice matches the speakers' speed. By regularly incorporating the shadowing technique into your routine, you'll not only become proficient in daily conversations about health but also enhance your overall language skills.
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.