1 . I always wanted to look like the slim girls on TV even though I knew that it was impossible. I worried about my _______ and tried every new diet I read about online. I tried low-fat, no-fat, only bananas, no bananas — I almost went bananas, too.

Then I read an article that said _______ asking “Am I fat?”, I should be asking “Am I _______?” I had no _______ a letter could make such a _______! Once I started thinking about fitness rather than weight, things began to _______. Instead of saying “I want to lose three kilos”, I would say “I want to _______ two kilometers in eight minutes” or “I want to be able to do 30 push-ups”. Rather than _______ the foods I enjoyed, I added healthy foods to my meals. I could _______ have a burger now and then, but I would ________ a salad or an apple.

Finally, I stopped ________ myself with actresses and models and ________ things that were wrong with my face or body. Instead, I made a list of the things I ________ about myself. By being ________ about myself and my body, I became both happier and ________.

2 . After moving into my mother’s home to look after her following an illness, I found myself thinking about my _______. It was clear that I _______ to find something that would help me _______ the house more often.

I found my _______ while standing in line at the store checkout one sunny spring day. Red words on the cover of a magazine caught my _______, “Walk Off Weight!”

After _______ about the advantages of walking, I knew I had found the perfect_________that would not only make me spend more time outdoors, but would also help me keep_______.

I didn’t start walking four miles right away; I began_________.After a few weeks, I________from walking two miles every day to between four and six miles every day, My________increased from about three miles per hour to over four.

It wasn’t long before I began to notice the many________in both my physical and emotional health.

I lost________.The extra fat I’d been carrying around my stomach disappeared My body was________up and became more shape. Even my back pain had________!

The advantages to my emotional health were also great. My spirits lifted with each passing day I could hardly________to get up each morning. With more self-confidence, I also found myself to be more sociable and that I began to________meeting new people.

________for my mother became less of a tiring task. Feeling________, 1 was able to look after her with great enthusiasm. I________her to try to become as healthy and as happy as I felt.

3 . The idea that I wasn’t athletic lived with me for years. I wasn’t fond of _______or conflict in sports. What I only enjoyed were _______ things such as playing with phones and watching TV. Not until my Senior High did I _______ I needed a change, as I was in poor health. In Senior Two, my friend, Lora, took part in our school’s marathon club and _______ me to join too. To my relief, there weren’t any qualification tests: everyone who signed up was_______. It’s believed that most people—even those who were _______ in sports— could run a marathon, if they_______ for it.

I still remember the first day of training, when everyone arrived on the school’s playground and the coach _______it’s time to start. Before that, I thought the warming-up would be a _______ jog for about 800 metres along the track as in previous PE classes . However, I soon ________ it was a 2-km run! That’s out of my expectation. After running two kilometres, I was totally ________. More________ , the real exercise for that day was a 10-km run. As soon as I got home, with aching legs, I thought about ________. But with Lora’s encouragement, I finally ________ myself to persist(坚持), determined to get stronger physically.

I didn’t make real progress ________. I ran the last during exercise for a long time. With days passing by, I tried harder and harder. Gradually, during the exercise I could be in the ________ of the team—the fastest runners were always ahead, while the slowest were behind. Because of my ________, warm-up became a real warm-up. The 10-km run turned into a(n)________   practice. For me, who don’t like sports, this was a great ________. I do believe it is from the power of ________. Once you make up your mind, you will definitely make progress.