I’m having an expat moment. While in Paris, I anticipate eating. A lot. So I’ve spent the last 10 minutes looking at gym options in the greater Paris area. I know that Parisians (and most Europeans) are not as crazed about the health kick, workoutaholic mentality that many Americans are, and that’s okay. P90x doesn’t really jive in France and I can deal, but when clicking through these gym websites, I can’t help but laugh a little.
Stretching is listed as a sport. As well as table tennis. Adam Gopnik wrote in Paris to the Moon about how difficult it was to find a decent, “American” gym, but that was written in the ’90s, so I thought there might be some changes. And there are. There are lots of fitness training programs, yoga, pilates, swim, and tennis, but–I’m sorry–stretching as a sport? I can’t stop laughing. Maybe that’s why the Parisians are all so darn pretty: They never sweat!
I guess I’ll just have to make do with podcasts and DVDs and running in public gardens in my tres Americain running shoes.
