A few months ago, I joined my local leisure centre to swim. Great idea you say, but in fact it was a financial disaster, as it ended up that the pool only had two of the six lanes available to swim in the evenings after work as the others were being used for private swimming lessons. The pool was probably less crowded in the early morning but unfortunately, I am not one of those amazing jump out of bed and go to the pool type people, oh how I wish I were! So I was stuck with another six weeks of a membership that I would not use to its best advantage. Not very LEAN at all.
I then began my search for alternative and cheap ways to exercise. By chance, I took the fabulous, Two Lipsticks and a Lover, out of the library and it has a whole chapter dedicated to how French women deal with the question of exercise. It is a very fun book. Basically what I got out of the exercise chapter is to always keep moving.
If you don’t live in a city, I think it is so much easier to fall into the trap of not moving as you drive most places. You have to make the effort to go for a walk or just rethink what you are doing.
I am lucky to live in a city where I walk to the street market every Saturday,carry home to heavy baskets of food every week. Another way to add exercise into your routine is cleaning the house. I have found that I feel it if I do lunges when vacuuming. I found some other movements on Medicine Net.
I am working to incorporate the French idea of exercising into my life. I am taking the stairs when I could take the elevator; I get off the bus a couple of stops early to walk the rest of the journey. I am even doing some bottom and stomach clenching while at my computer. Please give me some more ideas on how to exercise without spending.
Yes, get some MBTs! I know not so lean either but they are good. Better to get them at an exhibition from MBT themselves though rather than a shop or online, not all styles are suitable for everyone’s feet.
Walking and stairs etc is the bulk of my exercise too. If I keep my getting around town more bus than tube based, I end up walking more, asI’ll walk some of the distance via a park if properly. I keep meaning to get Boris Bikes more, but never remember, just need to get into the habit I suppose.
I’ve been thinking of a personal trainer recently after a friend’s had great results, would be nicer to do in park than gym membership (and cheaper than Virgin Active anyway… too?)
Oh btw have you seen the new seniors playground in Hyde Park? Very cool.