Anyone who has ever visited France and Paris in particular will know that French women represent a unique breed of superhuman. They routinely eat more fat, drink more wine, and smoke more cigarettes then their North American counterparts, but they are miraculously slimmer. The social stigma against obesity is so prevalent in Paris that I speculate anyone with a few extra pounds would be too embarrassed to leave the house. Now this may seem like a very extreme view, but if you've ever spent the night at Le Baron or had tea at Angélina I challenge you to find one French women who wears anything above a 6. How do French women stay so thin?
It seems most French women in their twenties subsist on a diet of cigarettes and very strong espresso. When I ask my french girlfriend what she does to stay slim she says "I eat whatever I want, I smoke copiously, and twice I day I run in very high heels from my apartment to le metro." That's a very interesting take on cardio....This leads me to my next point, french people don't exercise. At least not in the way that we North Americans conceive of it.
Spinning??? You must be joking. No self respecting French women would ever sit in a room, on a bike ,surrounded by sweaty strangers while a drill sergeant instructor yells orders over bad techno music. If you can't look good while you do it, then don't.
Oddly enough, jogging is one of the few activities that is permissible, but only under certain circumstances. If you see a girl out for a run along the Seine in her ratty oversize T-shirt and Nike shocks, you don't have to look at the Dartmouth logo on her shirt to know she's from out of town. Jogging is acceptable only in chic parks such as Tuileries or Jardin de Luxembourg, the street is a no go. French jogging attire consists of the following: black slacks, black fitted top, black fitted jacket, grey scarf, and perfectly coiffed hair - no ponytails please. (In my experience the only thing that ever deviates is the color of the scarf). As you can imagine, all that bulk does not provide the means for any type of strenuous activity. Therefore, it's generally less of a jog and more of a brisk walk, often done cigarette in hand.
I'll leave you with that visual.
It seems most French women in their twenties subsist on a diet of cigarettes and very strong espresso. When I ask my french girlfriend what she does to stay slim she says "I eat whatever I want, I smoke copiously, and twice I day I run in very high heels from my apartment to le metro." That's a very interesting take on cardio....This leads me to my next point, french people don't exercise. At least not in the way that we North Americans conceive of it.
Spinning??? You must be joking. No self respecting French women would ever sit in a room, on a bike ,surrounded by sweaty strangers while a drill sergeant instructor yells orders over bad techno music. If you can't look good while you do it, then don't.
Oddly enough, jogging is one of the few activities that is permissible, but only under certain circumstances. If you see a girl out for a run along the Seine in her ratty oversize T-shirt and Nike shocks, you don't have to look at the Dartmouth logo on her shirt to know she's from out of town. Jogging is acceptable only in chic parks such as Tuileries or Jardin de Luxembourg, the street is a no go. French jogging attire consists of the following: black slacks, black fitted top, black fitted jacket, grey scarf, and perfectly coiffed hair - no ponytails please. (In my experience the only thing that ever deviates is the color of the scarf). As you can imagine, all that bulk does not provide the means for any type of strenuous activity. Therefore, it's generally less of a jog and more of a brisk walk, often done cigarette in hand.
I'll leave you with that visual.
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