Skip Yoga & Grab a Beer
This C1 lesson challenges modern wellness culture by examining Blue Zones, where people live longer without following trendy health advice. Students read a provocative article about Ikarian lifestyles, learn vocabulary like “prey on,” “unattainable ideal,” and “elusive,” then debate whether community matters more than strict self-care routines. The lesson explores stress, connection, and what actually contributes to longevity.
Lesson overview
- Practice advanced vocabulary related to wellness trends, social pressure, and lifestyle choices
- Read a critical essay contrasting Blue Zone living with modern self-improvement culture
- Discuss how the wellness industry exploits insecurities and creates new forms of stress
- Develop speaking skills by describing a day living in a Blue Zone community
Student's Version (Light/Dark)
Teacher's Version (Answer Keys)
Printable Classroom Version (A4)
| Level | Vocabulary | Reading Time | Lesson Time |
| C1 / Advanced | 8 words | 759 words / 4 min | 60 min |
Vocabulary
- nourishment
- prey on
- insecurity
- unattainable ideal
- elusive
- substitute
- feral
- have it figured out
Contents
- Lead-in 1
- Lead-in 2
- Vocabulary
- Definitions
- Article
- Questions
- Agree or disagree
- Practice
- Fix mistakes
- Blue zones
- Speaking
Start with the 3-2-1 lead-in where students share three things they enjoy that wellness culture condemns, two relaxation methods that work, and one piece of health advice they think is nonsense. This gets personal opinions flowing and sets up the article’s skeptical tone. The wellness personality types activity introduces terms like “gurufluencer” and “biohacker.” Most C1 students have encountered these people online, so they’ll have stories to share.
The vocabulary preview uses sentences from the article. Students explain bolded words before checking definitions. Phrases like “prey on our insecurities” and “unattainable ideal” describe manipulation tactics, while “go feral” and “have it figured out” are more colloquial. The contrast shows the range of register in the source text.
The article is 759 words and takes a strong stance against wellness culture. The tone is informal and sarcastic, which makes it engaging but also requires careful reading. Students who skim will miss the nuance. The comprehension questions push them to identify contrasts, analyze criticism, and find specific examples of the author’s attitude toward influencers. Question five asks about spiritual coaches and lifestyle influencers, so students need to pull evidence from throughout the text.
The paragraph response focuses on the ending where the author tells readers to throw a dinner party and ignore their calendar. Students discuss when it’s okay to be spontaneous and whether organization kills fun. This usually sparks disagreement because some students are planners and others prefer spontaneity. The practice section reviews vocabulary through application questions, and the error correction fixes common mistakes with those same words.
The Blue Zones explanation gives factual background after the opinion piece. This balances the article’s provocative tone with actual information about longevity research. The speaking task has students imagine living in Ikaria, Okinawa, or Sardinia and describe a typical day. Give them two minutes to prepare so they can organize their thoughts and use the vocabulary naturally.
