Walking up and down the stairs to and from the 10th floor every day helps a lot. (The lift boy already thinks I am scared of this modern technology.) I also walk to any place where I can get in less than an hour, more when I have time. In many cities, walking or cycling is faster than the bus anyway.
I know people who go to the gym, and then take the car to go home and the elevator to their apartment. When they are hungry, they call for food. I never call for anything. If I want something, I have to go out and get it. The farther, the better, because it means I won’t eat that fat hamburger at midnight. (Unfortunately, it’s very easy to store chocolate at home.)
When I want to go running, I go to the park, the forest or the beach.
Over 41 years, I have saved thousands of dollars in gym fees, allowing me to travel around the world instead.
And honestly, almost always when I went hiking with a gym person, they were slow and gave up after 500 meters. Now, I don’t even accept walking partners anymore who say “I am so fit because I go to the gym every day.” I ask them to walk around the block once, and they usually collapse in the process.
Gyms seem to be a scam.
The Happy Hermit 
Now that’s art (besides anything). Love the look of it.. Somewhat enchanting, even. >-I
Thank you!
I am actually always scared when I look down stairs like that. And then I have to remember the stairs-scene from Jason Bourne:
LOL Don’t trust Jason. Do it Marv way (Sin City).. He bounced back up halfway! :)
And people call Jason Bourne unrealistic…
You are a man. You can go on long walks at midnight just to retrieve a snack and go running in forests where you are not visible from any public road without having to consider your safety. Gyms, while they cannot compete with the moral virtue of being outdoors, at least offer some protection against rape. I expect lots of women would love to save thousands of dollars in gym fees and be regarded as superior hiking partners, but they like not getting raped even more. I certainly can’t go running in the middle of the night, by myself, through London and especially not through forests. Think yourself lucky.
I know a lot of women who do and I often encounter them running alone in the park at midnight. And that’s in South America, so you can easily do it in London.
Actually, it’s a test that I use to determine how safe a city is. In the last two cities where I lived (Targu Mures in Romania and Cochabamba in Bolivia) I sometimes went jogging in the park (in Targu Mures it was more a forest on the hill) late at night. When I saw girls or women running alone at night, I knew the city was completely safe.
But I have anyway gotten the impression that the perception of safety depends less on actual safety than on personality. There are people who would be scared everywhere (even in London), and there are other people who are brave and they go jogging even on the beach in Somalia.
When I lived in London, I often walked home late at night after the underground didn’t work anymore. Of course there were women walking around. Many of them have to walk at that hour because that’s when they got off work.
Most rape and murder doesn’t happen in parks, by the way. It happens in families, universities, at the workplace or at a gym. A large number of rape and assault victims know their perpetrator beforehand. Strangers aren’t really the ones we have to fear.
If you could manage not to mansplain rape, that would be awesome. Thanks.
I am a lawyer with experience of representing victims of sexual abuse, child abuse and rape, that’s why I am explaining things. Not because I am a dude.
Also, when someone leaves a comment on MY blog, of course I am going to respond. That’ courtesy, not “mansplaining”.
Lastly, you knew I am a man, so why did you write if you don’t want me to respond? Or did you want me to get my sister or my mother to write the reply? Unfortunately, none of them are lawyers, nor runners.
But if you prefer, I think there are female lawyers and female midnight-in-the-park-runners available, too.
Stop. You do not get to lecture women about rape or tell them how they are supposed to feel about rape. Control yourself.
First, on my blog I “get to” write what I want. What are you, the Censorship Lady?
Second, as a lawyer I get to lecture non-lawyers on criminology.
Third, if you read around my blog, which I highly recommend, you’ll see that I equally lecture men, women, children and the elderly. It’s my personality, it ain’t got nothing to do with you. I am a helpful dude and I cherish explaining things.
By the way, around 3/4 of murder victims are male across most jurisdictions. So it’s not like my safety is not a concern.
Pingback: Mein Fitnessstudio | Der reisende Reporter
Pingback: How to do Adventure – a Guide in 24 Steps | The Happy Hermit
Pingback: Shaped by Gender Discrimination | The Happy Hermit