HEALTH, BEAUTY & FASHION
SIMPLY LIVING FRANCE
PAGE 46
Moving to France for the ‘Long Run’! Emma Penrose did I find it tasted better but I also noticed that I felt great. I was sleeping better and had more energy, my skin looked clearer and although I’d never really been overweight, I noticed my clothes were fitting better too. I truly believe that if I had stayed in UK, I would have carried on living just as I was, but coming to France led to a strong interest in food, cooking and nutrition.
From a junk-food-loving, exercise loathing twenty-something to a nutrition and lifestyle coach, training for the Paris marathon, how moving to France changed my whole mindset.
I
was only 23 when I decided to move to France. At the time, like many of us at that age, I gave little thought to how my lifestyle might be affecting my health. I hadn’t done any formal exercise since leaving school and didn’t have any interest in it. I lived on processed food and take-aways, spending many evenings down the pub, smoking and drinking. But arriving in the French countryside, I found it was a long way to go if I wanted a take-away (something I’m very pleased about now), and the supermarkets were a far cry from what I was used to in the UK. Where was all the convenience food? I quickly realised I was going to have to start cooking from scratch. I started checking out the nearby markets which were full of local produce and colourful fresh fruit and vegetables. It turned out that I actually enjoyed cooking and was soon whipping up homemade soups, curries and all sorts of other culinary delights! Not only
It also led to a new love of fitness. That all started about 6 months after I arrived, when I adopted a puppy called George. I never would have taken on a dog in the UK because of my work/life balance, it wouldn’t have been fair. But here, I was home a lot more. Even now, at 10 years old, George never tires of chasing a ball before I tire of throwing it for him and as a puppy, he had so much energy! I had to walk him at least twice a day. I live in Loubes-Bernac, a small village situated on top of a hill. This means we have beautiful views and it’s a stunning place to live, but it also means that wherever I walk, it’s a steep climb back home and wow, back then I struggled! It was a bit of a wake-up call! I decided to start exercising more. I remember the first time I went for a run. It was about 2.5km and I walked at least half of it, it was hard! But once I got home, it felt good to know I had done
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