Let's Move!

There was a lot of US press coverage recently about President Obama’s visit to Warsaw. Not about his speech congratulating Poland on the 25^th Anniversary of its first democratic vote, not about the message the visit sent about US and NATO support in the event of Russian aggression….but about his workout at a local gym.

While any security lapses that allowed a stranger to create a phone video of a head of state during a workout can be debated (and confiscating the cel phones of anyone in his proximity doesn't seem a practical plan anyway), the episode got me thinking about the differences I have observed between New York and Warsaw with respect to fitness.

In New York, I was a member of New York Sports Club, which at one point seemed to rival Starbucks for the number of locations near me, and there were three other clubs within a few blocks of my apartment. The largest chain I am aware of here, on the other hand, has four locations in all of Warsaw and the closest to me is almost a mile away. What seems to me is that there are not as many gyms per capita here as there are in New York, and the ones that do exist are surprisingly expensive compared to everything else. A full access membership in the ones I have taken a look at cost the equivalent of more than $60 per month (relatively expensive in my view), and the ones with swimming pools are considerably more. I have yet to join a gym, partly because I haven’t found one that has the combination of proximity and opening hours that I want (that, and I needed a break anyway).  The one Obama went to is in a Marriott, so I expect a lot of the clients there are hotel guests. Maybe it is just the neighborhood where I live, or maybe full-service gyms are simply not as much in demand. And I am willing to be there are probably not have gyms with a pizza night either. 

So how do people here keep in shape to offset a diet full of pork, potatoes and pierogis? Cycling, for one thing. While Warsaw is not Amsterdam, cycling is pretty popular here. The city is mostly flat and rush hour traffic can be heavy, so biking is a practical way to commute. There are bike shops all over the place, indicating to me that the cycling is not just for commuting. There are bike lanes all over the city, many of which are dedicated sections of the sidewalk. 

Follow the red brick road

For more open riding, one park I have been to (more of a nature reserve, really) seemed to draw a lot of mountain bikers on the day I visited. Similar to New York, there is a bike share program but, unlike New York, it is practically free (the annual fee is 10 zl - just over $3 - and usage charges are pretty low if you exceed 20 minutes per ride). I have yet to give it a try, being a bit hesitant to face the tram tracks (and the issues I have even with walking, which I'll get to) - which is kinda silly since I used to ride around Manhattan. Soon, though.

There are also clusters of fitness equipment in a lot of public spaces. One was installed right near my apartment just after I moved in, and it was immediately popular from what I can see. Yes, some children treat the equipment like playground apparatus, but I have seen people of all ages using it and getting kids used to exercise equipment can’t be a bad thing.

The family that exercises together....

While I have not seen as many gyms as in New York, I have seen that there are quite a few yoga studios. I dabbled a bit in yoga while in New York but am hesitant to try here since I have not learned much of the language yet and I would probably throw off a class if I did a warrior pose when I was supposed to do crow or something. I am still trying to remember how to introduce myself, so I can't devote the brain space yet to remembering  "w dół stoi pies". There are also places near me with basketball courts, indoor climbing walls and boxing. 

Running also seems popular here. The Warsaw marathon was held shortly after my arrival and I often see people running in the parks and along the streets. I don’t know if it is an established trend, but I have also seen people on roller blades occasionally. One weekend, I am not sure what the occasion was, but the street that runs past my building was shut for a while to allow a procession of seemingly thousands of skaters.

I am curious to see whether biking and running are as popular in winter, although one coworker of mine told me that he bikes in through almost any type of weather. The bike share program closes from the end of November until the beginning of March, but there will be ice skating rinks and the year-round ski slope in the city. I'm sure people find a way to stay active. 

So, if I am not going to a gym and I am not riding a bike, then what am I doing, I suppose you ask. The answer is walking as much as I can. It is my favorite way to explore a city, and I keep learning more about how the city is laid out and finding interesting pockets to go back to. The only problem is that I have yet to figure out how people move here when they are walking. In New York, people are fairly predictable in their walking patterns (even the tourists) and I developed ways to get through crowds, past people and generally stay out of people's way. Here, most walk as quickly as New Yorkers and everyone seems to be very focused on where they are going and not paying attention to others - yet they don't seem to collide with one another. I have not figured out yet why this is and, as a result, I often feel I am in someone's way, even when there are only two of us on a very wide sidewalk on a weekend when the city is empty.

But I will continue to walk, I will start to ride the bikes and soon I will start going to a gym. Winter is coming, and there are pierogis to eat.