The Laundry shapes up for the Summer (minus lycra and/or painful escapades-please)
Now spring has definitely sprung (in fact its been more like equatorial summer sizzling the last few days, eh) it’s made me start to think about getting fitter (Hmm slightly dubious motivations, maybe instead- ‘eeek it’s inevitable that I’ll be showing more flesh now it’s hot). And so, I, along with many other red-faced lycra-clad(not me) loons, have been trying my hand (feet) at jogging in the local park. It’s proved a little problematic- as have all my attempts to get fit throughout history (e.g. Tussocks and twisted ankles etc etc etc).face=”Arial”> I’ve never been very gifted in the sporty department, there have been other attempts to bump up the quota of heart-beat racing activity in my weeks- and none have ended particularly well.
Like Yoga. With Kwali. A red-dreaded lovely who could bend all of her 5 ft frame into crazy, convoluted shapes that rendered her barely recognizable (though, even with my generous imagination not quite as the ‘crouching hidden tiger’ or some-such that she described each move as. I’m not very flexible. My fave bit of the sessions was whirling around as fast as you can, making yourself dizzy as a duck and then stopping and ‘grounding yourself to earth’- read: falling over. I blame Mrs. Medhurst and her pooch. A mad Mathilda-esque mammoth of a PE teacher with a totally disproportionately sized yapping Scottie-dog, who would weald her hockey stick round her head and roar at you if you didn’t leap up as if unharmed and raring to go, after decking it on astro-turf and carving a pizza-like graze on your knees… Arrrgggghh! The pain! The memories! What tortured youth is to blame for my laziness and lack of hand-eye-coordination!
Anyway, I think it’s time we invented some forms of exercise that actually are fun. Please write to me with suggestions of any you think might suit. So far, my friend Soph has my fave, but it’s only really possible in a closed bedroom with no one except a dear and forgiving friend present- its called the ‘crazy dance’ and involves none of the skills that say, ballet or jazz or contemporary-movement-style classes probably entail- it goes a little something like this: Pick some good cheesy tunes that you can also sing to- something like Blondie’s greatest hits seems like a good choice. Turn it up good. And get crazy- the looniest moves the better- works well with a floor length mirror to really appreciate your magic. Do you have any crazy dance equivalents? Tell me more! I’m doing myself an injury trying to run with the wind on Monday evenings!