Coping With Death and Grief

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Death is part of life. Passing of a loved one makes us feel a lot of different emotions. When such tragic thing happens, we end up trying to do everything we can to avoid the pain.

Read more about the “five stages of grief” and be able to discuss the questions below:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/lifechallenges/emotional-health/coping-with-death-and-grief/coping-with-death-and-grief

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are there special rites or ceremonies performed when a person dies in your country?
  2. How do you view death?
  3. Is there any person you would die for in order to save? Who is it?
  4. How do your national customs surrounding death reflect the values of your country?
  5. What are funerals like in your country? What are some funeral customs in your country?

Binge Watching

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Binge watching wrecks your sleep.

You’re almost certainly guilty of binge watching: market research indicates about two-thirds of us regularly spend several hours inhaling a TV show. But watching just one more episode… just one more… just one more isn’t without consequence.

Investigate the effects of binge watching on us.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever spent an entire weekend watching TV shows? How did that make you feel afterwards?

2. Could it lead to one being anti-social?

3. Could it also lead to obesity?

4. Could binge watching actually affect your health and well-being?

 

 

 

Absurd Diets

© via The Guardian

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Having breakfast at the same place every single day for 15 years… bacon and eggs three times a day… apples and carrots for weeks on end…

These diets may sound untrue but they are actual diets of some very wealthy and high-profile people.

Find out about famous people’s strange diets through this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2017/oct/15/bacon-eggs-every-meal-absurd-diets-rich-famous

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the diets mentioned in the article?
2. Which one did you find most absurd?
3. Why is proper diet important?
4. Talk about special diets you know of or those you’ve actually tried in the past or would want to try in the future.

Fad Diets

B1 – Intermediate

People go on special diets for different reasons. Some take it way too far though.

Fad diet, also known as diet cult, promises weight loss or other health benefits such as longer life without any scientific basis, and is often characterized by highly restrictive or unusual food choices.

Get more information about different examples of fad diets and some issues associated with them here:

https://www.medishare.com/blog/7-ways-to-lose-weight-no-fad-diets

Discussion Questions:

1. Talk about your regular diet.

2. Have you ever been on a diet?

3. In your opinion, how important is exercising as part of a diet?

4. Is it important to track one’s weight? Why or why not?

5. Are dietary habits in your country changing?

6. Why are people so worried about the way their body looks?

Are Friends Better Than Family?

B1 – Intermediate

For most people, friends are just as important to them as their families while others can easily choose one over the other.

A study shows that one between these two types of relationships is a better predictor of health and happiness, so which one do you think is it?

Let’s find out:

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/health-lifestyle-friends-or-family/3952739.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the study?
  2. Do you feel that, “Blood is thicker than water.”? Or do you feel that friends are more important? Or do you think both are equally valuable? Explain.
  3. How do members of a family support each other? / How do friends support each other?
  4. Do you prefer to have many friends or just a few close ones? Explain your choice.
  5. What are the benefits of having just a few close friends? How about the benefits of having many friends? Are there disadvantages for both too?
  6. How close are you to your family? How about your extended family? (cousins, aunts, great uncles etc.) Why is this the case?

The Healing Power of Nature

B2 – Upper intermediate

Have you ever felt stressed out because of your busy life? Are you sick and tired of the pollution in the city?  Then you might want to recharge and reconnect yourself with nature.

Watch the video below and talk about how immersing yourself in nature will heal you.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you feel stress out living in the city?
2. What do you do to relieve your stress?
3. Do you like doing outdoor activities?
4. Do you agree that nature has an incredible healing power?

Reasons To Go Vegetarian

B2 – Upper intermediate

The single most important thing an individual can do for their health, for the environment, and for the sake of the innocent animals is to adopt a vegetarian diet. Here are the Top 10 reasons to give vegetarian eating a try:

Click the link and be able to discuss the questions below:

http://www.alternet.org/story/85828/top_ten_reasons_to_go_vegetarian

Discussion Questions:

1. Are you or have you ever been a vegetarian? Why? Why not?
2. Do you have a family member or a close friend who is a vegetarian? How do you feel about it? Is it difficult to cook for them?
3. What are some reasons that people choose to be vegetarian?
4. Do you agree with the author’s reasons why we should go vegetarian?
5. Why vegetarianism has become more fashionable these days? Isn’t it just a fad?
6. Is it good to be a vegetarian for some periods of time for the sake of our health?
7. What’s your opinion on a strict vegetarian? Is it healthy?

Olive Oil Protects Brain from Alzheimer’s

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Extra-virgin olive oil is said to “protect memory and learning ability and reduce the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain – classic markers of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Read more about the results of this study on the benefits our brains get from olive oil.

https://www.voanews.com/a/mht-olive-oil-protects-brain-from-alzheimers-study/3911487.html

Discussion Questions:

1. In your own words, define and describe Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Aside from Alzheimer’s disease, what other conditions exhibit cognitive decline?
3. What are the other benefits of olive oil?
4. Does olive oil have any negative effect on the body?

Slow Aging

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Getting older is inevitable, but our diet and lifestyle play a huge role in how we look and feel along the way. Aging doesn’t necessarily mean getting sick or feeling less than our best — if we pay attention to a few key factors and make a few important shifts, we can age healthfully and feel as optimal as possible.

Read the article and be able to answer the following questions.

Specific social behaviors and lifestyle choices affect aging. For example, if you smoke, then you will likely get dry, rough skin. There are wrinkles around the lips that come with smoking too. Or if you frequently suntan, then your skin will eventually become leathery. You’ll also develop much deeper wrinkles around the eyes. Stress can lead to dark circles beneath the eyes too. And that’s just your physical appearance, as smoking, sun, and stress affect your unseen inside. However, scientists could only guess how large the effects might be, at least until now.

Scientists have turned to identical twins. They are closely examining the lifestyles of the siblings to determine and better measure which social behaviors affect physical and mental health. These twins start as exact copies of one another, yet differences accumulate through the years. Photos show just how obvious lifestyle choices affect the outward appearance of the body. There are internal differences too. The study is currently examining 186 pairs of twins.

It should be noted that positive lifestyle choices are also being recorded. Diets with a lot of fruits and vegetables are compared to less healthy diets, for example. Scientists are also looking at the amount of exercise the twins get, the amount of stress in their lives, and if their outlook is positive or negative. Each adds or subtracts years from a person’s life, as well as their overall healthfulness.

The ultimate goal is to one day discover the fountain of youth. This would allow humankind to double or triple their lifespan. In all likelihood, the near-future breakthroughs will add a decade or two. Twins may hold an important piece to an immense and very difficult puzzle.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

  1. How concerned are you with aging? Please explain.
  2. Do members of your family live long and healthy lives? Please explain.
  3. What lifestyle choices have you made that have had negative effects?
  4. What lifestyle choices have you made that have had positive effects?
  5. If humans could double their lifespan, would it be a good idea? Why/not?

Why Sitting is Bad for You

Think about how much time you spend each day sitting down. You may sit down throughout the entire working day at a desk in front of a computer. You sit during your commute to and from work. And you sit when you’re watching TV in the evening, or surfing the web.

But is sitting really that risky? Watch the video carefully and be able to answer the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the video, why is too much sitting  harmful for you?
  2. What are the things that you usually do when sitting down? About how many hours do you sit in a day?
  3. Do you agree that sitting too much can ruin your health? Why or why not?
  4. What are some ways  to reduce the health risks of too much sitting?