From the History of the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are the oldest competition. They were originated by the Greeks long before our era.
The original games began in ancient Greece in 776 DC. Thereafter they were held at four year intervals until 393 A.D., when they were abolished by the Roman emperor Theodosius after Greece had lost its independence. The ancient Olympiad was a festive time. For a period of about a month poets, sculptors, artists and historians made Olympia a cultural center. At first the program was confined to one day and consisted only of a single event -— a race the length of the stadium. Then a race of a half mile was added and later — an endurance race. Afterwards additional races, the discus throwing, the javelin throwing, the long jumping, boxing, wrestling, the pentathlon, chariot racing and other events were added and the duration, including the religious ceremonies, was extended to seven days.
Women were not allowed as competitors or spectators. Women got on the Olympic program after World War I, in a time of women's rights legislation in all fields.
Before the contests opened all the competitors and their families, the trainers and the judges swore a solemn oath to keep the competition clean and fair and to give just decisions.
The games occupied such an important position in the life of Greece that time was measured by the four-year interval between them — an "Olympiad". The greatest, honour then to be attained by any Greek was the winning of the simple branch of wild olive given to a victor in the games.
After nearly 300 Olympiads the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the Games. In 1896, after a lapse of 1,500 years, the Games were revived in Athens, Greece, and have been staged every four years since, except for interruptions caused by World War I and II. It was due to the efforts of the Baron Pierre-de Coubertin (1853—1937) of France, a brilliant educator and scholar but not an athlete, that the Olympic games were revived.
He summoned an international conference at the Sorbonne, Paris, in 1894. Russia was among the 12 countries which decided, at an international congress on sports in 1894, to revive the Olympic Games and found the International Olympic Committee. Its representative was elected one of the 14 IOC members. The Winter Olympics were born in 1924 at Chamonix, France. Russian competitors have been competing in the Olympic Games since 1908.
Healthy Lifestyle
Nowadays our life is getting more and more tenser. People live under the press of different problems, such as social, ecological, economic and others. They constantly suffer from stress, noise and dust in big cities, diseases and instability. A person should be strong and healthy in order to overcome all difficulties. To achieve this aim people ought to take care of their physical and mental health. There are several ways to do it.
The state of your body depends on how much time you spend doing sports. At least everybody must do morning exercises every day.
The most healthy kinds of sports are swimming, running and cycling.
Healthy food is also a very important factor. Overeating causes many dangerous diseases. The daily menu should include meat, fruit and vegetables, milk product, which are rich in vitamins, fat, proteins and etc. On the other hand modern diets are very popular especially among women. Diets may be harmful, if they are used in the wrong way.
To be healthy, people should get rid of their bad habits. It's necessary to stop smoking and drinking much. Everyone should remember that cigarettes, alcohol and drugs destroy both body and breir ReeiH^s according to statistics most of crimes are committed by people under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
In addition it is recommended to watch TV less, avoid anxiety and observe daily routine.
Certainly it's hard to follow all these recommendations, but every person has to choose between healthy life style and numerous illnesses.