Health, Medicine and Lifestyle Habits

Healthy Lifestyle Habits

Healthy lifestyle habits include bedtime, exercise, eating, and how we use our phones every day. In reading tests, there is often a passage about a person who used to have bad habits and then changed them, and the questions often ask what that person did, why, or how they felt after changing. To answer correctly, you need to know vocabulary for activities and grammar patterns for time, degree, and result.

1. Exercise Vocabulary

• 锻炼 (duànliàn: to train, to exercise) is a verb meaning to practice in order to keep the body healthy, and it often goes with 身体 (shēntǐ: body). Example: 每天锻炼身体，人会越来越有精神。 操场 (cāochǎng: sports ground, playground) is the place where people usually go to exercise.
• 运动 (yùndòng: to exercise, sports) has a broader scope than 锻炼. It includes both sports and all activities that make the body move. After exercising, the body needs to be rehydrated, and one should not eat cold food right away. Example: 下班以后，我喜欢运动一下。
• 慢跑 (mànpǎo: jogging), 跑步 (pǎobù: running), 快走 (kuàizǒu: brisk walking), and 散步 (sànbù: strolling) differ in speed and level of effort. 慢跑 is lighter than 跑步, 快走 is walking fast without running, and 散步 is walking at a leisurely pace. Example: 他每天傍晚去湖边散步。
• 健身房 (jiànshēnfáng: gym) and 公园 (gōngyuán: park) are two different places for exercise. The pattern 不是 A，而是 B (not A but B) is used to negate one option and then state another. Example: 我不是坐车去，而是骑自行车去。
• 楼梯 (lóutī: stairs) and 电梯 (diàntī: elevator) are two different ways of getting around in daily life. 改成 (gǎichéng: change to) is used when replacing an old way of doing something with a new one. Example: 他把喝咖啡改成了喝茶。
• 坐着不动 (zuòzhe bú dòng: sitting without moving) describes a state of low activity, which is usually considered a bad habit. 一坐就是… (yí zuò jiù shì…: sitting for … straight) expresses prolonged sitting. Example: 他一写作业就是几个小时，几乎不起身。

2. Sleep and Electronic Devices

• 玩手机到… (wán shǒujī dào…: playing with the phone until…) uses the preposition 到 to indicate the end point of an action in time. Example: 他看电视看到半夜才关机。
• 关掉 (guāndiào: turn off) goes with objects such as 手机 (shǒujī: phone) to mean switching them off. Example: 进教室以前，请关掉手机。
• …点前睡觉 (… diǎn qián shuìjiào: go to sleep before … o'clock) uses 前 (qián: before) after a time point to indicate a deadline. Example: 我每天七点前吃晚饭。
• 早睡 / 早点睡觉 (zǎo shuì / zǎodiǎn shuìjiào: go to bed early) and 最好 (zuì hǎo: had better) are used to give advice. The pattern 最好 + verb means one should do something. Example: 感冒了，最好多休息。
• 起不来 (qǐ bu lái: cannot get up) is a negative potential complement, formed with verb + 不 + directional complement. Example: 昨晚太晚了，今天早上我起不来。
• 睡得… (shuì de…: sleep …) uses a state complement to assess sleep quality: 睡得好 (sleep well), 睡得香 (sleep soundly), 睡得很晚 (sleep very late). Example: 运动以后，他睡得更香了。

3. Eating and Drinking

• 早饭 (zǎofàn: breakfast) goes with 吃 to say eat breakfast. The pattern 动词 + 得 + 太 + 少/快… evaluates how an action is done: 吃得太少 means eating too little. Example: 他吃饭吃得太快，对胃不好。
• 粥 (zhōu: rice porridge) is considered easy to digest (容易消化 róngyì xiāohuà: easy to digest), so it suits people with a weak stomach (胃 wèi: stomach). Example: 病人的饭最好吃得清淡一些。
• 清淡 (qīngdàn: light, mild) describes food with little oil and few seasonings, in contrast with 辣 (là: spicy) and 咸 (xián: salty). Example: 我喜欢清淡的菜，不爱吃辣的。 少放盐 (shǎo fàng yán: use less salt) is a way to reduce saltiness when cooking.
• 蔬菜 (shūcài: vegetables), 水果 (shuǐguǒ: fruit), and 青菜 (qīngcài: leafy greens) are foods that are good for health. 对…好 (duì… hǎo: good for…) states the benefit of a food. Example: 多吃青菜对身体有好处。
• 甜 (tián: sweet). The pattern 不太爱 (bú tài ài: do not really like) is a mild negation, different from 不爱 (do not like). Example: 我不太爱喝甜的饮料。

4. Frequency and Time Words

• 以前 (yǐqián: before, in the past) refers to old habits, 现在 (xiànzài: now) refers to the current situation, and 以后 (yǐhòu: afterwards) refers to the time after a point. The pattern 过了…以后 (after passing …) is used to state a result after a period of time. Example: 以前我不爱运动，现在每天都去散步。
• 还 (hái: still) shows that an action continues. Example: 我每天还写日记。
• 总是 / 常常 / 经常 / 每天…都 are frequency words. 总是 (always) and 常常 (often) often go with bad habits, and 经常 (regularly) is also used for habits. Example: 他总是加班到很晚。
• 刚开始 / 一开始 / 后来 / 慢慢 describe the process of change. 刚开始 and 一开始 refer to the early stage, 后来 refers to the later stage, and 慢慢 (mànmàn: gradually) refers to gradual change. 越…越… (the more … the more …) describes a gradual increase. Example: 刚开始我很难坚持，后来慢慢习惯了。
• 虽然…但是… (although … but …) expresses a concession followed by a contrasting statement. Example: 虽然工作很忙，但是我每天都早起。
• …好多了 (… hǎo duō le: much better than …) states an improvement compared with before, and it often goes with 比以前 (compared with before). Example: 他的身体比以前好多了。
• 身体变好了 (shēntǐ biàn hǎo le: the body has become healthier) uses 变 (biàn: change) and the resultative complement 好 to show the result of a change. Example: 天气变冷了。
• 少了 (shǎo le: less, decreased) and 很少…了 (very little …) state a decrease. Example: 最近我很少感到累了。
• 不但…而且… (not only … but also …) links two points that both increase. Example: 这个方法不但简单，而且有效。
• 因为…所以… (because … so …) states a cause and its result. Example: 因为睡得好，我的工作效率提高了。
• 决定 (juédìng: to decide) goes with a verb to say what one has chosen to do. Example: 他决定每天早上喝一杯牛奶。
• 先…再… (first … then …) states the order of actions. Example: 先休息，再慢慢运动。
• 养成习惯 (yǎngchéng xíguàn: to form a habit) says that an action has become a habit. Example: 他养成了早起的习惯。
• 坚持了… (kept on for …) states how long something has been maintained. 坚持下去 (jiānchí xiàqù: keep it up) means to continue something to the end. Example: 学汉语要坚持下去。
• 已经…了 (already … ) emphasizes that something happened before the time of speaking. Example: 我已经学了两年汉语了。
• 对身体很好 shows the pattern 对 + object + 好 to express a benefit.
• 没 and 不: 没 negates an action that has already happened, while 不 is used for wishes, preferences, or habits. Example: 我昨天没去公园，我不喜欢坐车。