Self-improvement and Quarantine

Self-improvement and Quarantine

With millions stuck at home, the online wellness industry is booming

I Lead-in.

a)    How can people spend time during quarantine when they have to stay at home all the time?  

b)    What new skills and hobbies can people develop when they stay at home?

II Vocabulary focus. Match the words to their definitions. Use four words in your sentences.

1.	to encourage	a)	having a healthy mind
2.	lockdown	b)	to raise the standards
3.	indefinitely	c)	a technique that helps to feel calm by focusing on the present moment
4.	sane	d)	friendly and making you feel welcome
5.	to boom	e)	a large shop divided into several parts
6.	wellness	f)	to achieve success
7.	desperate	g)	to suggest that someone does something
8.	convivial	h)	to test
9.	to declutter	i)	a situation  in which people  are not allowed to leave  a building  or  area
10.	to improve	j)	to become successful and make a lot of money very quickly
11.	department store	k)	for a period of time that has no fixed end
12.	-fold	l)	the state of being healthy
13.	kettlebell	m)	multiplied by the stated number
14.	to  launch	n)	to remove things you do not need from your home
15.	to challenge	o)	a round weight with a handle used for exercise
16.	committed	p)	to get better
17.	couch	q)	to start
18.	to raise the bar	r )	uncomfortable feeling of nervousness
19.	to go bust	s)	to change the way something is expressed
20.	mental health	t)	loyal and willing to give your time and energy
21.	to flourish	u)	having extreme need
22.	mindfulness	v)	the condition of mind
23.	surge	w)	to go bankrupt
24.	to reframe	x)	a sofa
25.	anxiety	y)	a sudden and great increase

III Read the article. Five parts of sentences have been removed. Read the article and choose from the parts (A-H) the one which fits each gap (1-5). There are two parts you do not need to use.

 “Up off your chairs and just start lifting those feet,” says a woman in green leggings as she marches energetically. Diana Moran, a fitness expert known as the Green Goddess, was a star of 1980s British breakfast television. Now in her 80s, she is making a comeback. 1) ___________, many of whom are in isolation to avoid infection, to stay active. As lockdowns force the world to stay at home indefinitely, many are turning to their screens to stay sane.

Meditation apps, digital fitness classes and online cookery courses are booming. Zoom, a videoconferencing service now worth around $40bn through which many such classes are broadcast, has become one of the most important “social wellness” companies, thinks Beth McGroarty of the Global Wellness Institute, a research group. Those stuck inside are desperate for company.

On YouTube average daily views of videos including “with me” in the title – convivial baking, studying and decluttering are all available – have increased by 600% since March 15th compared with the rest of the year. Last week DJ D-Nice, an American disc jockey, drew over 100,000 virtual partygoers 2) ___________.

The stuck-at-home are also keen to improve themselves. Downloads of the top five recipe apps doubled in China during February’s lockdown. In Britain John Lewis, a department store, 3) ___________. Kettlebells and yoga mats are selling like toilet paper. Joe Wicks, a trainer who posts workout videos online, saw subscriptions to his channel more than double after he launched live physical education lessons for kids no longer able to burn off their energy at school. 4) ___________15m viewers joined in. 

The popularity of live group activities challenges the idea that you have to be physically present to be together. People who work out in groups are more committed 5) ___________.  It is also showing just how much can be “experienced” from the comfort of the couch, raising the bar for experiences such as concerts and classes in the post-covid world.

Even before the pandemic, fitness fans wondered whether paid-for online platforms such as Peloton, a home exercise-bike company, could replace gyms. That debate will pump up further if gyms go bust because of the shutdowns.

It seems more likely that the strange but temporary state of lockdown will boost sectors that were already growing. Mental health apps were flourishing before covid-19. Downloads of the five most popular “mindfulness” apps grew by 85% in 2018. In the last week of March Headspace, a meditation app, saw a 19-fold jump in 6) ___________.

A.   proving myself is in some way

B.   to his “Club Quarantine” on Instagram Live

C.   during the first week of classes

D.   users completing a calming exercise and a 14-fold surge in those doing a “reframing anxiety” session

E.    take a business course to more effectively monetize my photography skills

F.    and get more health benefits than those doing so alone

G.   in a new morning slot she is encouraging older people

H.   has reported a five-fold increase in sales of its Marcato pasta machine compared with typical sales for this time of year

IV Comprehension check. Say if the statements are True or False. Correct the false statements.

  1.      During lockdown there are TV shows that encourage older people to stay active.

2.  Many people are turning away from their screen to stay sane during the lockdown.

3. There are a lot of mediation and cookery classes to choose from on videoconferencing services.

4.      People in isolation need the company of others.

5.      Zoom helps people to stay social in isolation.

6.    On YouTube the views of videos including “with me” in the title have become less popular since the beginning of the lockdown. 

7.   On YouTube people can view and virtually take part in gardening, pet-training and building activities.

8.      Some disc jockeys break the rules of lockdown and invite 100,000 partygoers to the club in their garden.

9.      People stuck at home hate the idea of new hobbies.

10.  In Britain John Lewis, a department store, has reported increase in holiday recipe apps download.

11.  People sell kettlebells and yoga mats to buy more toilet paper.

12.  Joe Wicks, a trainer who posts workout videos online, lost a half of his subscriptions to his channel after he launched live physical education lessons for kids.

13.  People have to be physically present to be together, so live events online are not popular.

14.  People who work out in groups try harder and get more health benefits than those doing so alone. 

15.  After the lockdown online platforms for exercise and workouts may replace gyms.

16.  Mental-health apps rose to fame during covid-19.

17.  Many users choose to complete calming exercises and do “reframing anxiety” sessions online.

 V Over to you. Discuss the most popular activities during the lockdown or quarantine in your country.