A saúde: Talking about Health and Fitness in Portuguese
In this post we’re going to learn some vocabulary and expressions that you can use to talk about health and fitness in Brazilian Portuguese. First, we’ll start with some general vocabulary and expressions related to health and fitness overall. After that we’ll talk about diet and exercise. Finally, we’ll wrap up with some vocabulary and expressions related to health checkups.
Health and Fitness in Brazilian Portuguese: General Expressions
First, let’s start with some general vocabulary and expressions that you can use to talk about health and fitness in Brazilian Portuguese: estar em forma to be in good shape, estar fora de forma to be out of shape, ter um estilo de vida saudável to have a healthy lifestyle, ter um estilo de vida pouco saudável to have an unhealthy lifestyle, fazer exercícios físicos to exercise, ir à academia to go to the gym.
Example Sentences
- A saúde é importante.
Health is important. - Estou em forma. Estou fora de forma.
I’m in good shape. I’m in bad shape. - Você leva uma vida fisicamente ativa.
You have a physically active life. - Você leva uma vida sedentária.
You have a sedentary life. - Ele tem uma alimentação saudável. Ele tem uma alimentação pouco saudável.
He has a healthy diet. He has an unhealthy diet. - Ela se exercita regularmente. Ela não faz exercícios.
She exercises regularly. She doesn’t exercise. - Ela treina na academia cinco dias por semana.
She works out at the gym five days a week. - Nós só comemos alimentos saudáveis.
We only eat healthy food. - Eles comem alimentos muito pouco saudáveis.
They eat very unhealthy food. - Você precisa dormir mais.
You have to get more sleep.
Usage Note
In Brazilian Portuguese, academia is the usual word for a fitness gym. Fazer academia is a very common conversational expression meaning to work out at a gym, while ir à academia means to go to the gym. Malhar is another extremely common informal verb meaning to work out, especially when referring to strength training or gym workouts.
Talking about Diet in Brazilian Portuguese
Next, let’s turn to diet. You can’t talk about health and fitness in Brazilian Portuguese without talking about diet. First, here is some vocabulary: uma alimentação saudável a healthy diet, uma alimentação pouco saudável an unhealthy diet, as calorias calories, estar acima do peso / estar com sobrepeso to be overweight, ganhar peso / engordar to gain weight, perder peso / emagrecer to lose weight, estar de dieta / fazer dieta to be on a diet, as gorduras fats, os carboidratos carbohydrates, as proteínas proteins.
Example Sentences
- Preciso perder peso. Estou acima do peso.
I need to lose weight. I’m overweight. - Você precisa ganhar um pouco de peso, está muito magro/magra!
You need to put on some weight, you’re too thin! - Você precisa seguir uma dieta equilibrada.
You need to follow a balanced diet. - Os exercícios físicos ajudam a queimar muitas calorias.
Exercise burns a lot of calories. - açúcar, o macarrão e o pão contêm muitos carboidratos.
There are a lot of carbs in sugar, pasta, and bread. - A carne, os ovos, o queijo e o feijão contêm proteínas.
Meat, eggs, cheese, and beans have protein. - Comecei uma dieta com pouco carboidrato há duas semanas.
I started a low-carb diet two weeks ago. - Seguimos uma dieta com pouca gordura.
We are on a low-fat diet. - Os vegetais são ricos em vitaminas, minerais e fibras.
Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. - Fast-food faz muito mal à saúde.
Fast food is very unhealthy. - Cozinhamos bastante em casa porque a comida caseira é mais saudável.
We cook at home a lot because the food is healthier. - Você conta as calorias que consome?
Do you count your calories? - Uso um aplicativo para acompanhar as calorias que consumo e os exercícios que faço.
I use an app to track my calories and exercise.
Vocabulary Note
In Brazilian Portuguese, alimentação generally refers to someone’s eating habits or overall diet, while dieta often refers to a particular eating plan, especially one intended for weight loss or health management.
Emagrecer means to lose weight and engordar means to gain weight. Both are very common in everyday conversation. Perder peso and ganhar peso are also natural and can sound somewhat more neutral.
The expression low carb, borrowed directly from English, is extremely common in Brazil. You will often hear dieta low carb instead of dieta com pouco carboidrato or dieta pobre em carboidratos.
Exercise
Now let’s continue our discussion of vocabulary related to health and fitness in Brazilian Portuguese by focusing on exercise. Let’s start with some activity verbs.
- fazer exercícios físicos / se exercitar
to exercise - praticar esportes / fazer esporte
to play sports - praticar artes marciais / capoeira
to practice martial arts / capoeira - jogar futebol / basquete / rúgbi / hóquei
to play soccer/basketball/rugby/hockey - correr
to run - caminhar / andar
to walk - andar de bicicleta / pedalar
to ride a bike - fazer trilhas / fazer caminhadas
to hike - nadar
to swim - ir à academia / fazer academia
to go to the gym - levantar pesos / fazer musculação
to lift weights - fazer exercícios aeróbicos / fazer cardio
to do cardio - fazer ioga / praticar ioga
to do yoga - praticar tai chi chuan
to do tai chi - alongar-se / fazer alongamentos
to stretch
Vocabulary
If you do any of those activities, you may need to know how to say: os tênis / os tênis de corrida sneakers/running shoes, as botas de trilha / as botas de caminhada hiking shoes, um capacete de bicicleta bicycle helmet, um maiô / uma sunga swimming suit (women’s/men’s), as barras de musculação barbells, os halteres dumbbells, um banco de musculação / um banco de supino weight bench, uma esteira treadmill, um aparelho elíptico / um elíptico elliptical machine, uma bicicleta ergométrica stationary bike, um tapete de ioga / um colchonete de ioga yoga mat, um vestiário locker room.
Example Sentences
- Você pratica algum esporte?
Do you play sports? - Ela joga futebol / basquete / rúgbi / hóquei.
She plays soccer/basketball/rugby/hockey. - Corro quatro ou cinco vezes por semana.
I run four or five times a week. - Eu faço aulas de artes marciais / de karate / de capoeira.
I take martial arts/karate/capoeria classes. - Ele anda de bicicleta todas as noites depois do trabalho.
He rides his bike every evening after work. - Fazemos trilhas nas montanhas várias vezes por ano.
We go hiking in the mountains a few times a year. - Em qual academia você treina?
Which gym do you go to? - Quero me matricular em uma academia e pagar a mensalidade.
I want to sign up for a gym and pay the membership fee. - Muitas pessoas fazem exercícios aeróbicos na academia.
Many people do cardio at the gym. - Você usa o elíptico ou corre na esteira?
Do you use the elliptical machine, or do you run on the treadmill? - Estou fazendo flexões / abdominais.
I’m doing push-ups/sit-ups. - Faço supino duas vezes por semana.
I use the bench press twice a week. - Não posso levantar pesos porque machuquei as costas.
I can’t lift weights because I injured my back. - Minha academia oferece aulas de ioga.
My gym offers yoga classes. - Algumas pessoas praticam tai chi chuan no parque todas as manhãs.
Some people do tai chi in the park every morning. - Eu faço alongamentos antes de malhar.
I stretch before I work out.
Usage Note
Musculação is an especially important word in Brazilian Portuguese. It refers to weight training or resistance training and is one of the most common activities associated with going to the gym. Fazer musculação means to do weight training, while malhar is a more informal, general way of saying to work out.
Brazilian Portuguese uses esteira for a treadmill, bicicleta ergométrica for a stationary bike, and elíptico for an elliptical machine. These are the most useful everyday terms for gym equipment.
For hiking, fazer trilha is especially common in Brazil. Fazer caminhada can refer to walking for exercise or a longer walk, while fazer trilha suggests following a trail through a natural area.
Health Checkups
Finally, you can’t talk about health and fitness in Brazilian Portuguese without talking about regular health checkups. Let’s start with some vocabulary: um médico / uma médica; um doutor / uma doutora doctor; um enfermeiro / uma enfermeira nurse; uma clínica / um centro médico health clinic; marcar uma consulta médica to make a doctor’s appointment; fazer um exame médico / fazer um check-up to have a physical examination / checkup; os exames de sangue blood tests; a pressão arterial blood pressure.
Example Sentences
- Tenho meu check-up anual na semana que vem.
I have my yearly physical next week. - O médico / A médica mede minha pressão.
The doctor takes my blood pressure. - O médico / A médica ausculta meus pulmões.
The doctor listens to my lungs. - O médico / A médica pediu exames de sangue.
The doctor ordered blood tests for me. - Estou com o colesterol alto.
I have high cholesterol. - Ele tem pressão alta / baixa.
He has high/low blood pressure. - Quais medicamentos você toma?
What medications do you take? - Tomo remédios para baixar o colesterol.
I take medication for cholesterol. - Ela toma remédios para pressão alta.
She takes medication for high blood pressure. - Muitas pessoas tomam antidepressivos.
Many people take anti-depressants.
Usage Notes
In Brazilian Portuguese, médico / médica and doutor / doutora can all be used for physicians. Doutor and doutora are very common forms of address in medical settings, although they can also be used for other professionals. Both masculine and feminine forms are standard.
Marcar uma consulta is the usual way to say to make a medical appointment. Fazer um check-up is widely used for a routine medical examination, while exame médico is a broader expression that can refer to different types of examinations.
Pressão arterial is the full medical term for blood pressure, but pressão is very common in everyday conversation. Pressão alta means high blood pressure, while pressão baixa means low blood pressure.
Finally, remédio and medicamento both mean medication. Remédio is especially common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, while medicamento is more formal or technical. The expression tomar remédio means to take medication.
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