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Part C

Fitness trends – move for your life

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1 When we talk about fitness most people think that it is a relatively modern idea but
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physical fitness used to be a human necessity. Thousands of years ago, long before we
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started running for fun or fame, our ancestors ran for their lives. They had to be fit in
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order to survive. In early civilized populations like those of ancient Greece and Rome
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young men had to do physical training to prepare for the military.
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2 Once the industrial revolution began to change the way all people work and live,
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physical fitness and staying healthy became more optional and a matter of private
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choice: the beginning of modern fitness culture. Throughout the past decades numer-
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ous fitness hypes have come and gone. Some of them have even returned, for example
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hula-hooping, which was very fashionable in the 1950s. “Vibrating belts” became
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popular in the 1960s and made people believe that they could jiggle away unwanted
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fat. Bodybuilding was a way to build up muscles through weight-lifting and got really
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popular in the 1970s and 1980s as fitness clubs and gyms started to pop up every-
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where. Other activities like yoga focused not only on physical fitness but also on the
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mental aspect – a healthy mind in a healthy body.
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3 More and more companies have realized that they can make huge profits by promis-
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ing fast and easy ways to become and stay fit. But why are people prepared to spend a
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lot of money to achieve this although there are many proven and simple ways to stay
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fit like jogging, swimming or just doing push-ups which are all free of charge? The
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answer is: trend-setting. With clever and costly advertising, the big companies manage
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to convince consumers that their way of getting fit is the best – maybe even the only –
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one. Thus, people would rather pay a monthly fee to run on a treadmill1 in a fitness
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club than run outside and enjoy their natural surroundings. The companies try to con-
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nect their brands to specific lifestyles and values in order to sell their courses, equip-
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ment or clothing.
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4 Although companies have used famous people to advertise for their products in the
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past, this concept has taken on a new dimension with the rise of social media. Influen-
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cer marketing has become one of the most effective marketing tactics. Nowadays con-
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sumers follow the tips and the example of influencers. They admire these people and
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their lifestyles and trust them because they see them as advisors, rather than adver-
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tisers. This makes them invest in the protein foods and drinks, gyms, fitness machines,
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gadgets and clothing that influencers promote as part of their own fitness ‘journey’.
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5 Social media also puts great emphasis on appearance: everything you do is based on
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how you look, and how everyone else compares to you. It is not only influencers who
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post about their healthy lifestyles, even normal people use social media platforms to
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display their amazing bodies, healthy routines and their stylish outfits. Some of them
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constantly track their body functions and behaviours with the help of new technology
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like fitness apps and smart watches and share their progress online. For some it has
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become an obsession and physical exercise is reduced to performance and achievement.
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6 There is always a new trend or gadget around the corner. The industry is constantly
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looking for new ways to keep their customers interested. Online games and consoles
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have long been a big part of younger generations’ lives. So it was only a matter of time
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until these aspects found their way into the fitness world. Virtual reality sports, for ex-
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ample, is one of the up-and-coming trends as well as online fitness platforms where you
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can compete with others while cycling on your own bike at home. The future of fitness
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trends will be full of surprises, that is for sure. What matters in the end is that you find
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a fitness routine that helps you to gain strength and does not drain energy. So listen to
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your body, it knows best what you need – far better than any social media influencers.

1 Laufband

1.

Read the text “Fitness trends – move for your life” on page 4. Match the titles (A–H) to the paragraphs (1–6). Write the correct letter in the boxes below.

Use each letter only once. There are two extra titles. There is an example (1) at the beginning

A

A billion-dollar industry

B

An outlook

C

Fitness role-models

D

Risky developments

E

Self improvement

F

The roots of fitness

G

The secret to staying fit

H

Trends through the years

1

2

3

4

5

6

F

5 Punkte

2.

The following words have different meanings. Which of the meanings below is the one used in the text “Fitness trends – move for your life” above?

Tick () the correct meaning. There is an example (0) at the beginning.

0. like (line 4)

mögen (Verb)

ähnlich (Adjektiv)

Gleiches (Nomen)

wie (Konjunktion)

1. once (line 6)

früher (Adverb)

ehemalig (Adjektiv)

einmal (Adverb)

sobald (Konjunktion)

2. physical (line 7)

physikalisch (Adjektiv)

Untersuchung (Nomen)

technisch (Adjektiv)

körperlich (Adjektiv)

3. rather (line 22)

ziemlich (Adverb)

recht (Adverb)

lieber (Adverb)

fast (Adverb)

4. display (line 36)

Bildschirm (Nomen)

darstellen (Verb)

entwickeln (Verb)

an den Tag legen (Verb)

5. share (line 38)

Aktie (Nomen)

Anteil (Nomen)

teilen (Verb)

gemeinsam benutzen (Verb)

5 Punkte

3.

Answer the questions using information from the text “Fitness trends – move for your life” above. Short answers are possible. There is an example (0) at the beginning.

0. For what purpose was physical training required in early civilized populations? (to prepare for) the military

1. Which fitness trend from the past has become popular again?

_________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. Which fitness trend concentrates on both physical and psychological well-being?

_________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. Why are influencers very effective as promoters for products?

_________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. What technology enables sports people in different locations to do sports together?

_________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4 Punkte

4.

Tick () the correct ending for each sentence according to the text “Fitness trends – move for your life” above. There is an example (0) at the beginning.

0. Thousands of years ago humans ran for ...

their lives.

fun.

fame.

money.

1. Since the industrial revolution, staying fit and healthy has become ...

a matter of survival.

expensive.

a personal decision.

necessary.

2. Bodybuilding, vibrating belts and hula-hooping became popular between ...

the 1940s and the 1960s.

the 1960s and the 1980s.

the 1950s and the 1980s.

the 1970s and the 1990s.

3. Because of advertising many people choose to ...

go jogging outside.

pay for the gym.

spend time in their natural surroundings.

go swimming.

4. The author believes that ...

you need gaming experience to understand the new fitness software.

future fitness software will not really help you get fit.

you should design your fitness training according to the way your

body responds.

you should look on bloggers’ and influencers’ sites for individual

fitness guidance.
4 Punkte

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