Staying healthy during your Peru stay is always important; whether your thing is working out at the gym, running on the “malecon ”  or path which faces the ocean, thinking about taking a yoga class or something else which provides a workout, it is an important part or living abroad. Luckily for all of us that Miraflores gyms are plentiful, if you like to run, the path overlooking the ocean in Miraflores and Barranco is beautiful and yoga in Peru is blossoming. If you are into something a little more off beat there are tai chi classes in and even groups of capoeira practitioners in the Miraflores Parks.

Gyms in Lima

There are many gyms you can join in the Miraflores with facilities to accommodate pretty much anyone. Be it free weights, machines or maybe a dance class if you are interested in perfecting your salsa moves. The problem tends to be on where to join; usually prices can vary and yes actually tend to be higher than in the United States for some reason.  Personally I go to the gym pretty often so it’s actually a necessity for me; I’ve searched through several establishments and compared prices and services provided. For instance, Gold’s gym is in Peru (shocker?) has chains all over the Lima area. The price here can vary depending on their “specials” but as of right now it is $70.00/month is you join on a monthly basis and $47.00/month if you join for 6 months.   Golds gym Peru is actually an average priced gym here.

Gyms in Miraflores

There are cheaper alternatives like “energy” which is a Peruvian chain or the bit more uppity Sportlife with establishments in all major districts. If you can spend a little more on your membership there is always the gym at the JW Marriot hotel; great facilities, always clean and great machines. During the summer season you can use the tennis courts on the roof as well as the pool.  The Air sports club sponsored by NIKE has awesome views of the pacific and brand new machines although it feels a little too commercial (first gym I’ve ever been to where they sell Peroni and sony vaio laptops).

Both of these are on the expensive side ranging from $120-$150/month; if you do a 3,6 or 12 month membership the price of course drops but is still way more expensive than any of the others.  Another drawback affects mostly the hardcore gym rats because while they are both neat and tidy with new machines and state of the art treadmills they both lack a fully equipped free weights room (it bothers me to have to wait 30 minutes to bench-press). If you are a casual gym user and are just looking to stay in shape with machines and treadmills than it is pretty good but if you need benches and heavy dumbbells you might struggle a bit.

Lima Yoga – Miraflores Yoga Scene

Yoga Classes in Lima

The Lima Yoga scene is blossoming particularly in Miraflores, more people are starting to join yoga studios looking for a healthy alternative to lifting weights or taking a spinning class at the gym. There are now several places you can join, many of them teaching different styles of yoga or embracing different methods such as Bikram or “hot yoga” which is gaining popularity.  Some studios include “Lima yoga “(chain) if you don’t mind large classes that it is ok, or if you are interested in smaller classes (1-5 students) there are much smaller and more private studios. So if you are in need of your Bikram, ishta integral Science of Hatha and Tantric Arts while in Peru don’t worry, you will find plenty of places to practice yoga in the Miraflores area. Prices for taking yoga in Peru vary but not greatly, if you want unlimited classes it tends to be 200 soles or $70.00 US. For private or small group yoga classes you can try Hayoga at  http://www.hathayogaperu.com/contacto/, this yoga instructor is known for having classes overlooking the ocean and at night in an open area which has a certain appeal.

What else is there?

What other activities can you do in Lima to stay fit? Well if you aren’t into yoga or going to the gym for a good workout than you can always opt for something different like taking up Capoeira (a Brazilian dance/martial art). Whenever I go by the parks in Miraflores which face the ocean I always see groups of people practicing capoeira, beginners and pros, it is supposed to be a great way to stay fit. It’s kind of like karate meets gymnastics and samba and it works your core region very well along with isometric exercises which use every body part.

If you have any questions about gyms, dance studios, yoga studios, where to stay, leave a reply…