KEEP FIT

My favorite all time number one expression I've heard here is "Keep Fit."

In America keeping fit would be a verb as in: I'm keeping fit, I'm trying to keep fit...

Here in England its a noun. The phrase is one noun.

For example: This weekend I'm doing keep fit.

Seriously.

I met a guy at a party who told me all about his keep fit, he does keep fit once a week in the park with a trainer and he enjoys the fresh air. Since he started doing keep fit he has lost lots of weight and he is sleeping better.

This reminds me of a few other things. Trainers are people you exercise with but they are also Sneakers. Im still confused about the words for sweatpants and I've noticed a distinct lack of sports bras at the gym. Also, pounds are a currency and stones are a measure of weight.

I suppose keep fit is not dissimilar to a work out - we can work out or have a work out - but somehow the use of keep fit is so much more amusing to me. Could a person who has a work out also have a keep fit?

Can you enjoy a keep fit?

"Oh man, I had such a hard keep fit yesterday my arms are still sore!"

So to sum up

work out = keep fit

sneakers = trainers

14 pounds = a stone

sweatpants = track suit bottoms

and oh, to have jane fonda's thighs...

I HAD TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

Of course there are the obvious differences, they drive on the left side of the road and the policemen wear funny hats. I knew I would have to pay for things with pounds and use the underground to get the tube. I was prepared for the obvious but, the vocabulary I have accumulated in the last 6 years continues to amaze me. I had to learn a new language to get through grad school (compulsory meetings) and to pass my driving test (dipped headlights). I learned a whole bunch of new words while dating (fancy tea?) and throughout my pregnancy (consultants and nappies). My husband and I have made a hobby of noticing these differences and I am giving in to some peer pressure and starting a blog. So, here is our little lexicon of american vrs british english. I literally don't know where to begin.