Nudists Sweat It Out at Dutch Gym
Pastor Dale Morgan
Nudists Sweat It Out at Dutch Gym*
By TOBY STERLING
The Associated Press
Sunday, March 4, 2007; 2:48 PM
HETEREN, Netherlands -- A dozen middle-age and elderly men were game
enough for a Dutch gym's invitation to work out nude. But they were
vastly outnumbered by the dozens of journalists watching them lift, row
and cycle in the buff.
Fitworld owner Patrick de Man allowed the media in for the first session
of "Naked Sunday" after receiving inquiries from as far away as Russia
and Australia.
The first clothing-free workout session at a Dutch gym went ahead as
planned in Heteren, eastern Netherlands, Sunday March 4, 2007, and
participants and observers said it met expectations. Around a dozen
middle-aged and elderly men braved the glare of nearly twice that number
of journalists, including reporters, photographers and at least five
television teams, to fulfill their dream of exercising naked.
The response from nudists was more lukewarm.
A smattering of men trickled in and out throughout the day at the gym in
the small town of Heteren, 60 miles east of Amsterdam. They found the
exercise room packed with photographers, TV crews and reporters who
jostled for interviews and pictures while the nudists hit the machines
and free weights.
"We already had naked swimming ... but a gym, that's unique," said one
white-haired bespectacled man, who gave only his first name, Henk.
"It's spectacular!" he said, as he pedaled away.
A few local politicians and a nudist tourism company also watched. There
was no group aerobics or naked instructors. Staffers wore aprons with a
nude body painted on.
De Man thought there might be interest in nude exercising after two of
his regular customers asked why he had separate dressing rooms for men
and women. He said he expected a bigger turnout next Sunday, especially
after all the publicity.
Although the Dutch Federation of Naturists endorsed the idea, most of
its 70,000 members said in a poll they would rather hike or garden than
go the gym in the nude.
No women showed up for "Naked Sunday," even though eight were among the
100 people who had signed up for the event.
"It's always the same _ the first ones to shy away are the women. You
see that at nudist camps too," said Henk.
The Netherlands is known for its relaxed sexual attitude. Women often go
topless on beaches, nudity is common on television. Prostitution is
legal in designated areas.