Health & Lifestyle — B1 Essential Words

diet /ˈdaɪ.ət/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: The food that a person usually eats; also a special plan of eating to lose weight or to stay healthy.

Example: A healthy diet includes vegetables, fruit, and plenty of water.

Another example: The doctor told Tom to go on a low-salt diet.

Collocations: a healthy diet · go on a diet · a balanced diet

Synonyms: eating plan, nutrition

Word family: diet (n) · diet (v) · dietary (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Diet’ is not only for losing weight — your normal food is your diet too: ’the American diet’.

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’I’m on a diet’ when they are eating carefully to lose weight.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

habit /ˈhæb.ɪt/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: Something you do often and regularly, sometimes without thinking about it.

Example: Reading before bed is a good habit.

Another example: It takes time to break a bad habit like biting your nails.

Collocations: a good habit · a bad habit · break a habit

Synonyms: routine, custom

Word family: habit (n) · habitual (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’have a habit of doing something’: ’He has a habit of checking his phone at dinner.’

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’Old habits die hard’ when a routine is difficult to change.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

stress /stres/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: A feeling of worry and pressure when life or work is difficult; it can make your body and mind tired.

Example: Too much stress at work made her sick.

Another example: Exercise is a great way to reduce stress.

Collocations: under stress · reduce stress · stress at work

Synonyms: pressure, tension

Antonyms: relaxation, calm

Word family: stress (n) · stressful (adj) · stressed (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Stress’ is the pressure; ’stressed’ is how you feel: ’My job causes stress; I feel stressed.’

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’I’m so stressed’ when pressure feels heavy, and ’No stress!’ informally to mean ’no problem’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

rest /rest/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: A time when you stop working or moving and relax or sleep so your body can recover.

Example: After the long run, the team took a short rest.

Another example: You look tired — you need some rest.

Collocations: take a rest · get some rest · a day of rest

Synonyms: relaxation, break

Antonyms: work, activity

Word family: rest (n) · rest (v) · restful (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Don’t confuse ’rest’ (relax) with ’the rest’ (what is left): ’Rest now; eat the rest of the cake later.’

🗣 In spoken American English: Parents tell kids, ’Rest your eyes’ after too much screen time.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

weight /weɪt/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: How heavy a person or thing is, usually measured in pounds in the US.

Example: The baby’s weight is eight pounds.

Another example: She checks her weight every Monday morning.

Collocations: lose weight · gain weight · body weight

Synonyms: heaviness

Antonyms: lightness

Word family: weight (n) · weigh (v) · weighty (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Ask ’How much does it weigh?’ for things — not ’How much is its weight?’ The verb is ’weigh’.

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’I’ve put on weight’ or ’I’ve lost weight’ about changes in their body.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

breathe /briːð/ verb B1 Health

Meaning: To take air into your body through your nose or mouth and let it out again.

Example: Breathe slowly and try to relax.

Another example: It’s hard to breathe at the top of a high mountain.

Collocations: breathe deeply · breathe in · breathe out

Synonyms: inhale and exhale

Word family: breathe (v) · breath (n) · breathing (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Spelling matters: ’breath’ is the noun (one breath), ’breathe’ is the verb: ’Take a deep breath and breathe slowly.’

🗣 In spoken American English: Trainers say ’Breathe in… and breathe out’ during exercise and yoga.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

cough /kɔːf/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: The sudden rough sound you make when air is pushed out of your throat, usually when you are sick; also the illness itself.

Example: He has a bad cough and a sore throat.

Another example: Please cover your mouth when you cough.

Collocations: a bad cough · cough medicine · have a cough

Synonyms: hack (informal)

Word family: cough (n) · cough (v) · coughing (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’have a cough’ for the illness: ’She has a cough.’ For the action happening now, say ’She is coughing.’

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’cough it up’ jokingly when someone must finally give money or information — a playful, different sense.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

injury /ˈɪn.dʒɚ.i/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: Damage to a part of your body caused by an accident or sport, like a broken arm or a bad cut.

Example: The player returned to the team after his knee injury.

Another example: Wear a helmet to avoid a head injury.

Collocations: a serious injury · a sports injury · recover from an injury

Synonyms: wound, harm

Word family: injury (n) · injure (v) · injured (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: For your body it’s an ’injury’; ’damage’ is for things: ’The injury hurt his knee; the fall damaged his bike.’

🗣 In spoken American English: Sports news says a player is ’out with an injury’ when he cannot play.

Register: neutral — common in news and medical speech

recover /rɪˈkʌv.ɚ/ verb B1 Health

Meaning: To get better and return to normal health after being sick or hurt.

Example: It took her three weeks to recover from the flu.

Another example: The doctor said Jack will recover quickly after the small operation.

Collocations: recover from · fully recover · recover quickly

Synonyms: get better, heal

Antonyms: get worse

Word family: recover (v) · recovery (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’recover from’ + an illness: ’recover from a cold’. Don’t say ’recover my health’ — say ’get my health back’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Cards and messages say ’Get well soon!’ to someone who is recovering.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

gym /dʒɪm/ noun B1 Health

Meaning: A room or building with equipment where people exercise and stay fit.

Example: Chris goes to the gym three times a week.

Another example: The new gym near our house in Austin opens at 5 a.m.

Collocations: go to the gym · gym membership · at the gym

Synonyms: fitness center, health club

Word family: gym (n) · gymnasium (n — full form)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’go to the gym’ with ’the’ for your regular gym: ’I go to the gym on Mondays.’

🗣 In spoken American English: A friendly question is ’How often do you hit the gym?’ — ’hit’ here just means ’go to’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing