Gym Culture Not Working Out For The French

The pick-up of which I am most proud? When Gawker sister site Jezebel took this one up.

By Lionel Laurent

(Reuters Life!) - The French may love to look good but few are willing to work up a sweat over it.

Despite increasing awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and physical exercise, going to the gym in France is still a niche activity that has yet to capture the mainstream.

France's generous healthcare system, its cultural preference for outdoor sports and its lack of affordable good-quality clubs are seen as reasons behind the country's low rate of gym goers, even relative to laid-back neighbors Spain or Italy.

"It appears to me that more people are sitting in cafes smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee than working out ... the French don't see fitness as a lifestyle," says American-born fitness consultant Fred Hoffman, who has lived in Paris for 21 years.

Only 5.4 percent of French people belonged to a health club in 2008, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, compared with 9.5 percent for Italy, 11.9 percent for the United Kingdom and 16.6 percent for Spain.

(Read on...)

Deutsche Bank Piles Basel Pressure On Rivals

By Lionel Laurent and Edward Taylor

Sat Sep 18, 2010 4:13pm IST

PARIS/FRANKFURT - Deutsche Bank's race to comply with Basel capital requirements ahead of schedule is piling pressure on some straggling rivals to do the same and convince investors of their financial muscle.

Germany's biggest bank preempted the unveiling of the long-awaited new Basel III regime by announcing a 9.8 billion euro ($12.83 billion) cash call on the same day.

It pledged to meet Basel rules by 2013, five years sooner than necessary, despite the purchase of retail lender Deutsche Postbank that will absorb most of the fresh capital.

This will make it harder for other European banks facing potential capital shortfalls like France's Credit Agricole or Germany's Commerzbank to bide their time.

"Reaching Basel targets before the official schedule will, I think, become a point of excellence...There will be some pressure on other banks that are not able to meet this sort of target," said Konrad Becker, analyst with Merck Finck.

(Read on...)