PARIS FITNESS
FLASH ON FITNESS
Paris Fitness: In case you don't see the links above, here are the fitness classes I offer a la carte at the American Church: Zumba twice a week, dynamic cardio jam twice a week, plus one session of ultimate body-sculpt and one of Pilates mat. Open to all, year-round, see www.parisfitness.com/Fitness/aeroSchedule.htm
Keeping Christmas smart: Want to enjoy the festivities but worried about the holiday fitness hangover? Check out my tips here.
Vélib': Over 20,000 bicycles at 1,500 stations for quickie use all around Paris! Pick up a bike near the Hotel de Ville and drop it off half an hour later near that restaurant next to Porte Maillot where you're meeting friends. A year-long subscription to the 24/7 service costs 30€, for 30 minutes at a time. For visitors, two short-term subscriptions are available, by the week for 5€ or better yet, daily for 1€. Details are posted on the site in English in a pdf, or check out Wikipedia on the subject.
Parisinfo.com: A good site for Paris activities in general, with a smaller site in English here. Also www.Paris.fr is good for the list of swimming pools and tennis courts. Or try calling the city's hotline (French-speaking) by dialing 3975. Looking for city-approved guided tours? Here's a list.
Paris Respire: It's year-round - the city closes the quais and a number of areas in different quartiers to cars on Sundays, from 9h-17h, opening them to cyclists, bladers and pedestrians.
Weekly bicycle randonnées: Every Friday night, night, a group bicycle ride through Paris starting at 21h30 from the Hotel de Ville, with a different itinerary each week, posted at the website Paris Rando Velo or tel: 06.63.71.20.30. Also the 3rd Sunday of each month, a group ride starting at 10h30 from the Hotel de Ville. Or if you want to take a bike tour of Paris, try this city-provided list for bikers and skaters ("rollers").
Roller bladers: Paris Rollers have been skating for over 10 years! The meeting point for the weekly Friday Night Fever skate is at Gare Montparnasse. Time: 21h45 for a distance of approx. 25kms or 3 hours. Beginners not encouraged, and it's cancelled if raining. For info and route map, see www.pari-roller.com or in English, here. For those less experienced, join the ride on Sunday afternoons at 14h30 at Place de la Bastille - for route map, consult the Rollers et Coquillage site, see www.rollers-coquillages.org. Or check out the tourism office resources at www.parisinfo.com, click on "Excursions".
Musee national du sport: Yep, Paris actually has a sports museum, with some great-sounding exhibitions. It's near the national library in the 13th, at 93 avenue de France, info here: www.museedusport.fr
Pilates prof - New teacher in town, Laura Maile Blancq is a muscular therapist, and a Pilates instructor in the American Balanced Body tradition. Also certified in Reiki. Send her an email for more info at lblancq@juno.com
Dancing on the quai: Got a taste for tango? Whim for a waltz? Dancers gather every weekend at the quai St Bernard in the 5th, square Tino Rossi, with a boombox and a warm welcome for newbies. Best known is the group on Sunday afternoons.
If you are looking for a sports partner for tennis, running, squash, etc, post a short ad by sending an email to awbenney@parisfitness.com, and it will go up below. Or sign up to the Paris Fitness and Martial Arts Meetup Group. Craigslist also has some notices, under fitness activities, see paris.craigslist.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
27-30 December
Ashtanga yoga - great idea for post-Christmas in Paris: morning yoga workshops offered by Agata Wasko, from 10h-12h30, 40€ each workshop, at Ashtanga Yoga Paris, 5 rue Morand, 11e. To sign up, email info@ashtangayogaparis.fr or tel: 001.4580.1997.
Sunday, 4 March
Paris Semi-Marathon - The 21.1km run through Paris, 20,000 runners already signed up! Info and registration at www.semideparis.com.
Sunday, 15 April
Paris Marathon - You can still sign up, but quickly, the first 10,000 spots are almost full. Big event, 30,000 runners and over 200,000 spectators. Info and registration at www.parismarathon.com/
LOOKING FOR A SPORTS PARTNER
Join the Paris Lacrosse team. Training every Saturday at 2pm at SAC Club in Meudon. For more information: www.paris-lacross.fr or email: paris.lacrosse@gmail.com.
A female soccer club, ES16, is recruiting soccer players of all ages to play competition soccer matches in the Paris league. For information call Patrice Bardin, tel: 06.10.37.66.05, or email pbardin@club-internet.fr.
Paris Sunday Softball, fun, friendly, multilingual, in its 30th year, seeks new and experienced players, female and male. If interested, send a note with your phone number to David Curtis at curtis@msh-paris.fr.
The ACBB Rugby club in the Bois de Boulogne is recruiting players. It is a team of 30-something guys who train on Wednesday evenings and generally play one match a month. For more information, see www.acbb-rugby.com or contact binksfamily@aol.com.
FAQ
Q: I am living between London and Paris, and hoping to get involved with an organised - or semi-organised - basketball team (i.e. in a gym). I have played over by the Eiffel Tower occasionally but it's not consistent. Any ideas?
A: Good question - does anyone out there have good suggestions? There used to be a pickup game at the American Church on Saturday afternoons. There are also some French basketball associations, but they are OTT formal, need to register with the federation and pay charges, etc. If anyone has ideas, please email me and/or Dan, please.
Q: I am coming to Paris for a week and a half. I am a triathlete and I teach Pilates and Spinning. I want to run outside while I am there, as well as possibly taking a spin class or two. I did find a Pilates option already. I am staying near Odeon and was hoping to be able to run around Luxemburg Gardens.
Can I hope to run a longer run at least once--I will need one 10+ miler for a race I am training for in Feb. Is there an indoor lap pool I could pay a daily use fee? Are there any Spin classes at a local club that also has a daily fee, and do I need my Spin shoes???
A: For running, a lot of people now run in Paris, and you could do a longer run in one of the two parcs on either side of Paris (Bois de Boulogne or Bois de Vincennes). If you are looking for a running partner I could put your email on my website.
The city has lots of public pools for laps swimming that are inexpensive. Here's a list. On the other hand, you are staying right around the corner from one of Paris's most historic public pools, the Piscine Pontoise. The address is 19 rue de Pontoise, off bvd St. Germain, in the 5th, near Metro Maubert-Mutualite. It's part of the Club Quartier Latin, www.clubquartierlatin.com, but you don't need to be a member to use it.
Spin classes - the Club Med Gym and Vit'Halles chains both offer spinning, and they do have day passes, but it's not very cheap. If you go to each of their sites you can see at which facility they offer what is probably called cycling. There should be an email contact and you can ask about fees - even in English. Just make sure you ask whether they're open the dates you will be here.
Q: Being new to Paris, I was wondering if you might be able to point me in the direction of a good fitness equipment store (free weights, etc.)?
A: When I need sports stuff I generally head to Decathlon, a sports chain with a few outlets in Paris, at metro Wagram, metro Madeleine and metro Balard (Aquaboulevard), good value for money. Go Sport is another good sports chain, at metros Republique, Montparnasse, Les Halles.
MORE
If you like to work out, you probably also like to eat. I love to browse David Lebovitz's website - it's not only pretty, he has lots of useful information, restaurants, tips for newbies, etc.
Looking for metaphysics, Reiki, meditation? Jane Grey has been providing good vibes for the Paris community since 1984.