Why French women are more fit

[GFX]

"1.) Don’t save your steps, multiply them! Instead of driving your car around in circles to find a close spot, purposefully park far away and walk the couple extra feet.
2.) Incorporate simple resistance movements into your daily routine.
3.) Take care of your core.
4.) Acquaint yourself with small to moderate free weights
5.) Get en vélo (bicycle transportation)
6.) Yoga
7.) Vive l’escalier! (take the stairs)
"

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/autumninne ... ym-515174/

"And even the average Frenchwoman — say, shopping along the Rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré or enjoying a leisurely lunch on the Left Bank, or strolling through the Luxembourg Gardens — seems to defy the notion that, as one grows older, you either have to disguise that process with Botox, eye-lifts, lip plumpers and all sorts of procedures that convey a desperate “youthful� look, or else just give up altogether and let the ravages of time take their toll.
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A survey by the market research company Mintel found that 33 percent of French girls between 15 and 19 are already using anti-aging or anti-wrinkle creams.
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The No. 1 response to my informal survey of Frenchwomen about the years of magical aging is not gaining weight. Ever. If a Frenchwoman happens to see an additional kilogram or two on her bathroom scale, she will do whatever is necessary to force the needle back where it belongs.
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Of course, the whole idea that Frenchwomen age better than Americans is debatable. Obesity rates are rising in France, though they are still far lower than in the United States. And not every movie star or politician remains ageless.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/fashi ... .html?_r=1

"My french husband knows what I weigh, will comment on the weight I put on (in front of friends and family, too) and will discuss my figure appreciatively (or not).
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My husband bought me my bike for my birthday and put it in our living room. I have no choice but to use it daily - there is no excuse now for saddle bag thighs or a saggy tummy.
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French wives never, ever eat between meals.
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You are expected to nurse a glass of wine throughout an evening (and we're talking about the tiddly 125ml wine glasses here, not the half-bottle wine glasses you get in most UK pubs & bars).
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A wife is expected to keep house, work (but only if it's necessary), raise the children and always, always look beautiful.
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I had to change my wardrobe when I married Pascal. Chic was in and slutty was out. Hipster jeans, mini skirts, anything which reveals too much flesh or (horrors!) a midriff is frowned upon by a French husband.
Glimpses of underwear are strictly forbidden, too. I'm now a sleeker, chicer version of my former self.
Wearing jogging bottoms (Puma) and a pair of flip-flops (super-chic Havaianas, I might add) for a trip to the supermarket nearly gave my husband a heart attack during the early days of our marriage.
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"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... -wife.html

[mattyman]

I've definitely noticed French women are slim, by comparison to Britain, where I'm from. Here's my list of reasons;
1. The still tend to take their time over their meals and still often have multiple courses
2. Their not as dependent on cars as brits are, and certainly nowhere near so as americans. They tend to cycle and walk a lot more. Go to any provincial area of France in the summer and you'll find that the roads are choc-full of cyclists.
3. Also, in an average french town, they have many more local shops such as boulangeries, patisseries, charcuteries and many more, often within easy walking distance of each other. You often see people, young and old, carryin bagettes around, really is nice and gives a traditional feel. Also, many towns still have markets happening regularly. I like French markets I must admit. These can be just as good for grocery shopping as supermarkets.
4. Public transport; in many French towns it's considerably better and cheaper than in Britain for instance, where it's horrendously expensive, unreliable, infrequent and of limited coverage. I don't know about american public transport, heard that it's not brilliant in the main. I'm saying this based on my visit to La Rochelle in august. Also, I don't think that there's an assumption that public transport is for the lower classes, as it is in England, or that having your own car is 'cool'.
5. They grow a lot of their own food, in rural regions at least; I remember seeing lots of houses with vegetable gardens and chickens in every village when I went to the Piotou Charentes region.
6. It's much easier to get involved in sport from what I heard
7. I noticed many families eating together outside. They still have the tradition of eating together.
8. They don't snack as much
9. They don't work every hour good sends just to live. I think that there is less stress in their lives for this reason and for some of the afformentioned reasons. I believe this may play a large part, both physiologically and indirectly, regarding motivation to take care of oneself
These are my views as well as impressions that I got last time I went to France