Speakout Street Interviews 6

F = Finn     W1 = 1st woman etc.     M1 = 1st man etc.

F:      Often it’s hard to find a time to exercise when you have a full-time job. Lots of my friends belong to gyms but I prefer to go running outside to keep fit. How about you? What do you do to keep fit?

M1:   I do quite a few things actually. I go to the gym quite regularly. I go for runs. I’m also a little bit involved in the sport of rowing. So, I’m down there quite a bit. I actually coach rowing as well.

 

W1:  I have three children, and I work full-time. And I don’t have a lot of time to do any extra organised exercise.

W2:  The main thing I do is I practise yoga. That incorporates different positions as well as meditation, and different breathing techniques.

M2:   Usually, I ride my bike, like I got here. And I go to the gym more or less three to four times a week. And I also watch what I eat.

W3:  I dance, and I do yoga - and I just try to be as active as possible - enjoy nature also.

M3:   I try and walk everywhere because, erm, I don’t really enjoy running.

W4:  I have quite a hectic lifestyle as a musician but I do try to keep fit - going to the gym, yoga classes, Pilates classes, sometimes running, and generally keeping active.

W5:  I’m a police officer, so I have quite an active job. I can spend eight or 12 hours doing foot patrol, walking round the streets of London so I suppose that keeps me quite fit.

F:      What other things would you like to do to keep fit?

M1:   I’d love to get involved with some team sports. I really enjoy, sort of, the team aspect of sport. Particularly I think I’d like to get into hockey.

W1:  I’d quite like to learn how to play tennis properly. It’s probably one of the only sports I’m interested in, it’s something I would watch on TV.

M2:   I’d like to run, but my legs are not running legs, so I prefer to cycle.

W3:  I would like to learn to rock climb.

M3:   I would actually like to try to join a rowing club, but unfortunately I don’t have time and it is a little bit expensive.

W4:  I really enjoy getting out of London at the weekend and going sailing.

W5:  When I was at university, I got quite into swing dancing, which is very like jive, 1940s jazz dancing. I’d quite like to take that up again because it’s an easy way of keeping fit, and you meet a lot of people.

F:      Do you do anything that isn’t very healthy?

M1:   I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I love dessert, and I love to eat sweet things.

W4:  I definitely drink too much coffee, and I do like chocolate as well.

W2:  Eating late is really bad for you so I try and avoid that – as much as I can, although it does happen quite regularly.

W1:  I love chocolate, and I probably eat too much of it.

W5:  Because of my shift work, I eat a lot of fast food, especially in the early hours of the morning.

W3:  Gosh, I don’t know. I’m a vegetarian. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink caffeine.

M3:   I eat far too many crisps, and chocolate and biscuits. And because I bake, I also eat a lot of cake.