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Where can I get fit in private?

lana

Asked by lana about 1 year ago for 10 kudos
Best answer by MonkeysAhoy!
Last active about 1 year ago 22 responses

Why is it that every time the weather turns warm I feel like I expand by a matter of inches all the way around? When all the other ladies of London turn into beautiful tanned goddesses, with sunkissed skin and perfectly manicured feet, I am a weebl? A big fat weebl. It sucks. I suck.

The obvious answer to my weeblness is to go to the gym. But it’s pricey and I’m poor. The other obvious suggestion is to get a bike. I like this idea but I’m terrified of London roads. I’m a chicken-shit weebl if you will.

So I guess that leaves jogging and home exercise videos. Jogging isn’t really my bag. I smoke and drink and don’t do shorts. But I could give it a go – provided there aren’t too many people around to witness as I get a stitch after 2 minutes and my face turns a lovely shade of maroon (it’s a freakish transformation).

Does anyone know any nice, privateish places around north London that I could trundle around for a bit?

Or, failing that, any good exercise video suggestions? I could always jog on the spot.

Thanks.

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22 responses

lalalucy

if you fear jogging why not try power walking? Or just lots of extra regular walking.

Posted about 1 year ago by lalalucy

Floatykatja

I’m the same. And when I go red, it really clashes with my hair. I used to jog around the back streets of West Hampstead. There are people inside the houses, sure, but I don’t have to see them seeing me go purple and sweat a small lake’s worth of perspiration.

Parks are much nicer to jog in, but the drawback is that there are generally lots of people there as well. Hampstead Heath is a good compromise, as it’s so bloody big that it’s generally not too full, unless you’re hanging around Kenwood or Parliament Hill Fields.

Posted about 1 year ago by Floatykatja tipped with 1K

Babb

good exercise video suggestions

Kate Lawler’s cardio combat is good, if you can stand Kate Lawler for an hour.

Posted about 1 year ago by Babb

Beagleskinpremium

I get up at an ungodly hour to run in the mornings, thus avoiding snooty French dog walkers and tourists desperate to take photos of a girl running in beeheadphones. Fuckers.

Posted about 1 year ago by Beagleskin

purpaboo

Try the canal and marshes west of Walthamstow. Not too many people round there…

Posted about 1 year ago by purpaboo

mmmm marshy goodness

purpaboo

Also, you may very the site www.mapmywalk.com very bladdy useful.

I do.

Here’s a nice walk I did last weekend.

Posted about 1 year ago by purpaboo tipped with 1K

MarkE

If where you work isn’t an ungodly distance from where you live, work out how long it would take you to jog there, or travel part way and jog the rest. Then follow beagleskin’s example and do it at an ungodly hour. Twice to three times a week. If you get in early, make sure you leave nice and early.

Now you’re jogging incognito and leaving work early.

Posted about 1 year ago by MarkE

MonkeysAhoy!

These options requre a bit of up-front investment but…

You could get an exercise bike (or something similar) at home. You can find adequate ones starting from around £200. You’ll need a bit of space (and possibly an old fashioned dressing screen to hide it behind if you don’t like the aesthetics) but it has the advantage of being able to hop on it whenever you like, and to be there through the winter without the cold and darkness encroaching on it.

Get a Wii Fit. Of course, if you don’t have a Wii to begin with, this will be more expensive. I haven’t gotten one yet, but friends who have are already swearing by it being a great home trainer that you get as much out of as you want.

I was also really reluctant to get a bike and ride it around London streets and waited 6 years before I got one. I was terrified the first time I took it out, but I found that within half a minute my street-smart side kicked in and I’d be fucked if these cars were getting the better of me. Fear gone without ever knowingly battling it. There are various cycle safety classes you can take (often council-run and free) to help you buck up your confidence if you are tempted to go in the biking direction.

Posted about 1 year ago by MonkeysAhoy! tipped with 3K

ellie

Have you thought about joining a running club? Do a search online for running clubs in London,or give me a shout if you can’t find, a good few of them cater for beginners. I do a fair bit of running, and I think it can be nice to have someone else to go bright red with you when you first start.

I run round Finsbury Park which is okay, it’s not that quiet usually, but if you go before 9am on a Sunday it’s not that busy, only the odd person. I do go bright red and get stared at a bit when I start wheezing, but I got used to it, I think it just takes a few runs to not care.

Apparently there’s some old railway track that runs round the back of Finsbury Park, goes up to Highgate. I’ve never been able to find it but have been assured it’s there, some people jog along that. If anyone knows where it is I’d be really grateful, as I’m hoping it’s a bit cooler than running in the sun.

Posted about 1 year ago by ellie tipped with 1K

CasperCCC

I was going to suggest Wii Fit too. But didn’t, in case I sounded like a total geek.

I’ve not used it yet, but know of plenty of people who have, and it sounds surprisingly rigorous. Better than running, too, in some ways, because it’s not just cardio.

(I’m still a little lardy, but a stone and a half less lardy than I was, and find that concentrating on weights is much more helpful in shifting the pounds than just cardio.)

Posted about 1 year ago by CasperCCC

MonkeysAhoy!

Ellie, it does indeed exist. It is indeed woody (or at least a bit weedy). It can be a bit teenager-y in places which might or might not disturb your run. If you want to run in proper woods, you are only down the road from Queens Woods in Highgate, possible my favorite London park. It’s hilly so you have to be prepared for that, but it’s the closest to being in random wooded country side that I’ve been to in London, and usually quiet so you can feel like you’re alone in all the glory.

Posted about 1 year ago by MonkeysAhoy!

start of the old railway line - the grey thing that climbs up to highgate tube

BraveNewMaldenpremium

Why do you think you have to lose weight or get fit or anything? Do you really care about anyone who bases their opinion about you on the precise number of inches around your waist?

You’re just noticing these ‘tanned goddesses’ because that’s what they want you to do. That’s what they want everyone to do. Perhaps that hints at some other aspect of their personality that doesn’t bear such close scrutiny…

If you are obese,however, the first thing you should do is eat less.

Posted about 1 year ago by BraveNewMalden tipped with 1K

Xanadu

If you aren’t against exercising in your lounge room I can thoroughly recommend Davina McCall’s latest DVD “High Energy Five”. This was the first ever fitness DVD I bought and it is fantastic. As the name suggests there are 5 different work out sessions to choose from – aerobics, legs, abdominals…and my two faves boxing and pump. Each goes for approx 20 minutes so you can mix and match, giving you a varied workout, and spending as much or as little time as your schedule allows. She works with 2 fitness professionals who guide you through the sessions including a good warm up and cool down. As with any new fitness routine you will hurt in places you never new existed, but the pain soon disappears and you’ll see results in a short space of time . And if Davina’s jokes wear a little thin then you can opt to switch her off and just have the music!

Posted about 1 year ago by Xanadu tipped with 1K

Beagleskinpremium

makes BNM coffee

Posted about 1 year ago by Beagleskin

mrpies

You could try a kettlebell. They require a bit of initial investment (about £35 for an 8kg one) but they are an excellent way to do cardio and resistance training at the same time, and you can do a workout in 10 minutes that will leave you exhausted.

Also – if you want to get to grips with one before you buy – I did a beginners class (£15 for an hour) with Svetlana at the balance physio gym in Clapham North, who have all their own bells (and whistles too I imagine).

Posted about 1 year ago by mrpies tipped with 1K

BarrowBoy

If you are thinking of giving the running a try, you should head for the Regents Canal. It’s not too busy usually, even these past few nights when the weather has brought out lots of occasional runners. I usually run the section from Islington to Victoria Park, which is great.

I would recommend though, that if you do decide to head back home after several kilometres, looking out of breath, red and sweaty, that you don’t run past all the bars at the bottom of Kingsland Rd / Hoxton Square. I didn’t feel the encouragement / cheering from the crowds was entirely genuine…

Posted about 1 year ago by BarrowBoy tipped with 1K

lana

Wow – thanks for all the great suggestions! I’m so happy I could eat a pie!

I really fancy getting the wii fit thing (I’ll need a wii first but that’s doable).

Davina DVD is on the shopping list. As is the kettleball. Don’t have the first clue about them but try-before-you-buy sounds a little too sensible if you ask me. No, I’ll do it the old fashioned way and google instructions.

Once I’ve downsized a little then joining a jogging group could be less humiliating and, dare I say it, might be fun. Anyone else fancy it?

Babb – I’d rather crush Kate Lawler to death between my massive thighs than watch even a minute of her on tellybox. But thanks for the suggestion!

Posted about 1 year ago by lana

ribbit

I’m currently enjoying Wii Fit, as I stopped exercising about 2 years ago due to major stress in my life, and so now that’s over, I can get back to looking after myself without having to trudge down to the local gym and have an induction, etc. The exercises are pretty good, especially the muscle and yoga ones, and you can indeed jog on the spot with perhaps better scenery than you might get outside! There’s also some fun balance games if you get bored with normal exercising. It’s also given me the encouragement to start swimming again; it’s not that I’m bothered about looking fat (I’d look fat with or without clothes on), but if you haven’t been for a while, your mind seems to build it up as a big deal, when of course it isn’t.

Posted about 1 year ago by ribbit

idamonster

If it’s only the price of the gym that’s stopping you, then see about joining PruHealth and you could be like me with a gym membership for Cannons in Covent Garden for only £23.75 a month – as long as I go twice a week at least (or 26 times a quarter in reality). If that fits your budget or just about fits it, the financial incentive to get to the gym enough times to qualify is really good! Also the gym has a pool so even if I don’t feel like doing much, I just do a few laps in the pool.

So, if you find that your discipline doesn’t quite match what you need to get exercising on your own at home, see about that pruhealth deal…

Posted about 1 year ago by idamonster

SuckMonster

I bought an exercise bike on Friday. It was only £130 and it seems to be of good quality. (I was going to spend considerably more, but I’m not that fussed about fancy programmes and whatnot.) Plus you can watch the tellybox whilst exercising, which makes the experience that much less unpleasant. I recommend it.

Posted about 1 year ago by SuckMonster