Getting exercise and meeting people - help me to do two things at once!

June 17, 2009 5:07 AM

Help me to think "out of the box" about exercise, and meeting new people. I need to do both (having just moved to a new country) and am interested in ideas that let me get some exercise, and that might let me meet new people. I am in France (in the Alps) so am going to need indoor and outdoor activities, because come wintertime, I'm not sure that cycling or hiking are going to be options.

In the UK I was in a gym, and went about 3 times a week. Here in France I've not joined a gym yet, and think it might be a good idea to do something a little more sociable. I am not very competetive though, and so team sports are not really my bag unless they are ultra friendly and nobody minds losing.

I do a lot of cycling (50mins gentle/day for commute, and I try to get out for an hour or two on saturdays and sundays, on a secondhand cheapo mountain bike so road racing is out). I like hiking, but it can get a bit dull on your own even when the scenery is this gorgeous. Information about hiking groups would be great. I don't drive, which limits the choice for some sports. The city is Grenoble if that helps any.

posted by handee to sports, hobbies, & recreation (16 comments total)

Join one of the large number of cycling clubs like this one, just google cyclisme+grenoble, or anything+grenoble and you'll find there are hiking clubs, mountaineering societies, etc., etc.,

Just go along to your local townhall and start looking at upcoming events, there'll be history lectures, art exhibitions, probably free pottery courses for beginners. The choice is usually quite big, even better if you live in a small town in the outskirts, where you can become a familiar face.

Have you googled the local English language newspapers that expats tend to put out in most French regions they've, ahem, moved to (for want of a better phrase!)?

(Sorry this is not very specific if it were Brittany I might have actual club names for you.)

If this is all difficult due to language issues again there are probably free classes for immigrants.
posted by Wilder at 5:17 AM on June 17

Rock climbing, maybe? I don't know a lot about the area, but searching "rock climbing grenoble" seems to suggest that there is definitely a community around there.
posted by vernondalhart at 5:18 AM on June 17

Skiing! You're in the Alps!!! You can meet people on the lifts or in the lodges and it's great exercise. A little pricey to get into though, I suppose.
posted by Grither at 5:24 AM on June 17

Have you considered orienteering?
posted by evil_esto at 5:52 AM on June 17

Tennis at night seems nice!

Beginners yoga.

Tai chi.

Croquet.

Beginners roller derby.

Canoeing or "canoercise".

Deep water running (public swimming pools host this).
posted by mjao at 5:55 AM on June 17

Rock climbing!!!
posted by Cygnet at 6:05 AM on June 17

I don't know Lac do Bourget - but it is not too far away from you and seems to offer various types of sailing - with these guys for example. Sailing has its own specialist vocabulary which you would have to pick up the French version of - however yacht owners are always looking for crew and tend to be keen to teach newcomers.
posted by rongorongo at 6:26 AM on June 17

If you are a guy and trying to meet women, this isn't optimal, but if you just want to meet people in general, joining a judo club might work for you. There's a lot of partner work, so you're guaranteed to interact with people directly. In the US, judoka come from all walks of life, and as I understand it, judo is much bigger in France, so you'll certainly be exposed to a lot of different kinds of people.
posted by ignignokt at 6:42 AM on June 17

My advice is to do some kind of social work that involves the outdoors - are there any conservancy or ecologically-minded organizations that are out in about where you are? Get with them - you'll meet great people who love the outdoors, you'll get to improve the community, and travel.

Can't beat it.

Good luck!
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 6:59 AM on June 17

lipstick thespian - good idea. something like the french version of http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/about">btcv would be perfect.

ignignokt - actually, I am a married woman, so not too fussed about who I end up meeting! But judo sounds like a good idea anyway.
posted by handee at 7:26 AM on June 17

Sorry - broke the btcv link by having a line break after the "
posted by handee at 7:27 AM on June 17

You're in luck! My ex-family-not-quite-in-law (was with the ex for 10 years) lived in Belley, not too far from Grenoble (we often went there and surroundings), and my ex-mother-NQIL is an extremely active hiker. There are gorgeous places to hike in the Grenoble region, and lots of clubs at varying levels. And they definitely hike throughout the winter! Some of my favorite hikes were in January and February -- gawd that country is gorgeous. Get thee to the maison de tourisme and ask about clubs de randonnée pédestre. Of course you can also ask about clubs de randonnée cycliste, depending on the club that can be road cycling (vélo de route) or mountain biking (VTT), which you can specify as you desire. Both are widespread in the region.

I say to go in person, rather than just look up the clubs on Google, because France is very much a "relationships" country. You'll learn more, get more accurate information, and info that's much better tailored to your situation, when you meet with people in person. Really. I cannot insist enough on how true this is here -- it's quite different from the US and the UK. When you're a foreigner in France it's easy to go for years thinking that you're getting the same info via the net and by telephoning, but as soon as you start going in person, the quality of information you get skyrockets, and people will be happy to introduce you to club leaders themselves, whether in person or by telephone. (I know that may sound like it contradicts what I just said, but the key is that the person introducing you is already known IRL to the other person.) When that happens, the club leader will consequently be more open and trusting. If they don't have a real person standing in front of them, the French tend to state things as briefly and coolly as possible, because it's assumed on some level that without "investing" in a face-to-face relationship, their interlocutor doesn't really care. (I'm American, have lived in France for 10 years now.)
posted by fraula at 7:42 AM on June 17 [1 favorite]

Great stuff, Fraula, thanks. If you've been in France for that long I don't suppose you've heard of any volunteering organisations that do conservation/youthwork or similar?
posted by handee at 7:52 AM on June 17

If I were in your shoes (ha) I would see if there's a savate group nearby.
posted by anti social order at 8:32 AM on June 17

Totally outside the box from what is being mentioned is dance. You would get a great workout but really be working with other people as a group. Also, that would possibly link to more people in the creative arts, opening up more socialization opportunities.
posted by Vaike at 10:11 AM on June 17

For conservation, it looks like the Isère Maison de la Nature et de l'Environnement is located in Grenoble. They have volunteers, and actually would also know of nature activity clubs, and any other nature-related volunteer organisations.

As for youth work, youth activities are so well-developed and so reasonably priced in France, and less-advantaged kids are already so well-taken care of (in general -- there are rare exceptions of course), that it's hard to find volunteer youth work. I tried looking into it a few years ago and could only find positions working (not volunteering!) in day care/preschool places, and even then, you had to be a French or EU citizen and get a certification to do that sort of work. Mostly there are bénévoles for soutien scolaire, help with school work -- tutors, basically. I was able to find some references for that here, but don't know much more.
posted by fraula at 10:15 AM on June 17