It’s been a while, but we’ve decided to reinstate the monthly themes on Metrotwin. As you might have guessed from the ever so subtle title of this post, April’s theme is going to be health.

It makes sense if you think about it -  the days are getting longer, the weather warmer, you see more people in lyrcra trotting about the streets with expressions of grim determination etched on their faces… and then it hits you that in but a few months time you will probably be wanting to expose bare skin other than your wrists and ankles, large amounts of fleshy skin that currently resembles the underside of a trout.

As well as guest blog posts, we will have lots of ace new recommendations of places to inspire you to not eat stuff like this do stuff like this or end up looking like this.

We’d love to hear from you if would like to help contribute our theme and to the health of your beloved fellow citizens (bar those vile beasts who barge past you in the queue for the salad bar and deserve nothing better than a swift disembowelment). This could be either with recommendations for London and New York’s best healthy restaurants, guest blog posts on good running routes (for example) top tips on how to get fit and fabulous without lifting a damn finger and for no money (that last one being a personal request), whatever, drop me a line at editor@metrotwin.com.

We already have quite a few good lists to help set you on your way….

Escapes from the Pavement – Walking is good because it’s like, exercise, and you actually go somewhere and see things and not want to collapse into a wheezing heap afterwards.

Pools of Perfection – Whether you’re a serious swimmer who likes to bomb up and down lanes like a shuttle in a loom or prefer to bob around in the shallow end waving your arms around in time to a thumping Eurobeat classic, swimming is dead healthy. This list includes pools that will appeal to both of these curious wet tribes of person.

Fabulous Fitness Centres – A gym doesn’t have to be a sweatbox full of shiny beefcakes grunting through their reps (unless that kind of thing floats your boat). This list has gyms to appeal to everyone, from the serious fitness addict to the ladies who powerplate, to those who see ‘gym’ as a synonym for ’spa’.

Meat-Free NYC and Veg Out London – Overall, being a vegetarian is generally considered to be a healthier option. Unless you’re a vegetarian like me who basically lives on a diet of bread and cheese.

Photo by undertheturnpike via flickr used under a Creative Commons License

Following up Harper’s earlier post about outside swimming, this is one of the swimming ponds at Hampstead Heath in London on a cold winter’s morning – not unlike today, incidentally, but with a little less snow.  If you look closely at the pier, you might see one solitary nutter swimmer about to take a bracing winter swim.

Such activities might seem completely bizarre, but if on Christmas morning you decided you were bored of presents, extended family members hogging the sofa and warmth in general, you could instead take a walk down to the Heath, where you would find a large amount of people crowded around the pond.

‘The Peter Pan Cup’ is an annual swimming race that has been held every Christmas morning since 1864. Named after the author JM Barrie who awarded the winner with his prize in 1904,  it is surprisingly popular and draws a large crowd, both of swimmers and spectators.  It’s a fun occasion and many competitors wear Santa hats, but it is not without its peril: swimmers are not allowed to race without previously competing in at least three winter swims as although it is only a hundred yard race, the sub zero conditions have contributed to at least one fatality.

Check out the website for photos of previous years, and this year why not switch off that terrible tv movie, put down the mince pie and get a bit of exercise before your epic turkey-fest.

Photo by tonyhall used under a Creative Commons License

If’ you’ve been out and about the past few days, you know it… winter has officially arrived. While frigid temps keep most of us indoors, making for ripe climate to knit by the furness, finish that book you started eons ago or catch up on Hitchcock flicks, to some, the cold means one thing: SWIMMING!

This Sunday, December 13th marks the Polar Plunge at the shores of Coney Island.  The frigid dippers are collectively known as The Polar Club, which is actually the oldest winter bathing organization in the United States. Bring hot cocoa, wear warm clothes and sit back as looney New Yorkers strip down and take a dip. Be there at 1pm sharp!

Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons License