133 EX People do many different things to stay healthy. What do you do for good health? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Our healthy is the only thing we really have in the world. You can take away our money, our house, or our clothes and we can survive. Take away our health and we will die. That is why I eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and keep up my social life.

Eating healthfully is important to maintain one’s health. I try to avoid foods high in fat like French fries or cookies. I also try to limit the amount o f animal protein I consume. I never eat more than a few ounces of fish or chicken a day and I rarely eat meat. I eat a lot of vegetables and fresh fruit which are full of fiber and vitamins. It is important to know how to cook these foods so the nutrients are not lost in the cooking process.

Your muscles must continue to be strong to support your body as it grows older. Exercise helps the bones build density and helps you maintain your posture. A regular exercise program of cardiovascular training and weight training is an important part of keeping you healthy.

Friends are an important part of one’s health. Studies have shown that people with a wide range of social contacts get fewer colds and have fewer complaints than those who don’t. Laughing is also an important part of health. I like to laugh with my friends and I always feel better when I am with them than when I am alone.

By eating properly and exercise regularly, I can keep my body at an appropriate weight and can maintain my health. By spending time with my friends, I can keep my mind as well as my body happy. It’s all part of my recipe for healthful living.

134 EX You have decided to give several hours of your time each month to improve the community where you live. What is one thing you will do to improve your community? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

Volunteering a few hours each week to some community activity is an important way of investing in the future of our society. I chose to spend my time working with elementary school children helping them to learn to read. Developing good reading skills will help these students keep up with their classmates, open new worlds to them, and help them succeed in life.

Students who are not good readers cannot keep up with their studies. They will not understand the lessons; they will come to school unprepared; they will not be able to perform. By learning to read, students will be on equal footing with their classmates. They will be active participants in class.

Books on different lifestyles, occupations, cultures, or governments will open new doors to students. Students who can’t read will only know what they see around them. Students who can read will be able to travel to new worlds and experience new ideas without ever leaving their classrooms.

Today, a person who can’t read is severely handicapped. A non-reader will have to work at the most menial jobs. Readers, especially good readers, have the whole universe open to them. They will have the possibility to learn any job that interests them.

By volunteering to help an elementary school child learn to read, I am helping him or her not only today, but for the rest of his or her life. I am helping them keep pace with their peers and explore the world and themselves through books.