Body Worry : Ye Olde ‘Gyms’ Perfect for Workouts

LONDON —  During the past weeks I have worked out in more odd, beautiful, and ancient places in Great Britain than I knew existed--with my trainer Russell Burd, my friend Mary Abbott Waite, my mother and my gym in tow.

I have also come to respect Welsh goats. (More about that later.)

The gym--a double set of blue, solid-rubber Russian weights loaned to me by David Prowse--fitted neatly in the back of our silver-blue van.

Russ, assistant navigator for our trip, usually sat in a rear captain’s chair. Mary Abbott, trip navigator, rode shotgun using piles of maps to pick the obscure paths we preferred.

Mother, our trip historian, sat next to Russ, piles of books at her feet and a leather-bound logbook in her lap, pen at the ready.

Mom is 76 and proud of it. Her hair is still naturally jet-black, and her glasses are thick to compensate for cataract surgery. She has a steel hip, leukemia, a heart problem but, more importantly, the attitude that none of these things are significant enough to slow her down.

Love, Freedom, Adventure

My parents gave me and my brother lots of love and freedom and adventure when we were kids, something I only recently appreciated. I never got to tell my father that, and I have had trouble telling my mother.

But true hunks eventually deal with things like that. This trip was, therefore, both a thank you and a chance for our longest visit in some time, and I did not want my twice-daily workout requirements to interfere with more interesting things like talking and history and beauty and shopping. Early mornings and late nights became my muscle times.

In Salisbury, Russ and I worked out at 5:45 a.m. in the Winston Churchill Room of the Red Lion Inn, a hostelry since the 13th Century.

At Ruthin Castle in northeast Wales, we worked out before an enormous fire in a room built in 1210. One morning in Windemere, the heart of England’s mountainous, unearthly Lake Country, Russ and I jogged in the driving rain around Lake Windemere for 20 minutes as mists rolled around us. We then retreated to a gazebo above the lake for our stomach work, sharing the space with several drier and more intelligent tame mallard ducks.

On another morning, as the sun rose, we lifted weights on the actual battlements of Airth Castle near Stirling, Scotland, built over 650 years ago by the second son of Robert the Bruce.

It was all delightful, except for the Welsh goats. Mary Abbott, incidentally, says they were sheep, but sheep aren’t that mean.

We met the first pack in a dew-covered field near Llanwenarth House, a grand, four-bedroom, 16th-Century manor house in Abergavenny, Wales. The goats here fraternize with Welsh ponies. As we quietly and unobtrusively attempted to enter their field, the goats bleated in unison, which promptly unleashed the ponies in our direction. We chose another field.

You don’t have to travel with a gym to stay in shape on the road. First, because you are less active when traveling, eat less. Be adventuresome when it comes to the things you do eat. Eat more grilled fish and salads and, for a sweet, have a kiwi or a bowl of boysenberries rather than that normal piece of chocolate cake.

Don’t be captive to your room, either. Rather than watching TV, go for a walk. Most hotels have walking maps at the front desk. If you’re too tired for a walk, go anyway. Your spirits and your energy level will improve.

In the morning, do simple stretching routines to wake you up. Reach for the ceiling and hold that pose for a while. Then after that grab a towel by the ends, put it behind you and scrub your back, keeping the towel tight. Simple eating and exercising disciplines on the road will make you feel better mentally and physically.

Progress Report

Beginning 20th Week Waist: 43 inches 34 1/2 inches Right biceps: 12 3/4 inches 12 1/2 inches Flexed: 13 inches 13inches Weight: 201 pounds 169 pounds Height: 6’ 1” Blood pressure: 128/68 118/64 Pulse: 64 66 Bench press: 55 120 Hunk factor: .00 .33