Recently in America, weight-loss advertisements are posted everywhere and there are always newer and “better” diets to try. Whether we see them in person, on television, or online, the suggestion to be thinner surrounds our daily lives. Here is just one example.
This is not the case in London or throughout most of Europe. It’s almost impossible to find an advertisement, it took me about two weeks to find the one posted below.
Not only is London almost pressure free from the need to be fit, but it’s difficult to find gyms as well. In the U.S., 24-hour gyms always seem to be available and easily accessible to the public, but in London the gyms are not commonly used.
Here, fitness is achieved in daily activities such as walking to work or taking a stroll down Southbank, a boardwalk packed with nightly activities, with some coworkers or friends. Individuals are always on the go and this lifestyle seems to be the secret to the lack of fitness fads.
Many Londoners get their exercise by walking so it is built into their daily lives.
Now, I’m not saying the pressure to be fit doesn’t exist because you will find busy gyms or fitness boot camps in the park. There will always be individuals that desire to be fit or lose weight, but overall the city of London is not crazed with weight-loss and fitness promotion.
Personally, I am intrigued by the lifestyle of Londoners in the concept of fitness and the ability to not feel pressure to be skinnier or to fit a certain profile. People seem to be entirely comfortable with their bodies and embrace a healthier lifestyle. This idea is so foreign in America, especially for me, a college student among so many other women.