Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.02.2018, Side 8

The obesity rate in Iceland currently
stands at 22.8%, which is significantly
lower than Britain’s gargantuan 28.1%
but still embarrassingly higher than
Denmark’s svelte 19.5%. It’s clearly an
epidemic, but understandable, given
how easy it is to gain weight. Take this
example: add just one hundred extra
calories a day, a small cookie, and by
the end of the year you’ll stand 4.7 ki-
lograms or 10.5 pounds heavier. Make
it two cookies and you’re looking at a
ten kilo gain. Losing weight is certainly
difficult, but not impos-
sible, and if you’re look-
ing to tackle it or just get
some tips on getting fit,
“Motivation Stelpur” is a
must-join.
“Motivation Stelpur”
is not explicitly a weight
loss group, but rather
one that “promotes a healthy lifestyle.”
Members post before-and-after pics,
advice on losing fat or gaining mus-
cle, new exercise ideas, and questions
about everything from running shoes
to juice fasts. It’s a remarkably positive
environment. Post a query and you’re
bound to get an overwhelming number
of supportive comments. Still antsy?
Don’t worry. Herbalife, Zinzino, and all
other pyramid—oh sorry, “reverse fun-
nel”—ads are banned.
The group boasts 19,120 members,
which is about 5.9% percent of Iceland’s
population. For reference, this is as if
39 million French people got together
to support each other on their respec-
tive fitness journeys.
Some recent advice from the moti-
vated women? Hera Rún recommends
gym pants by BeFit & KUSK, an Icelan-
dic exercise clothing brand. Accord-
ing to this fit chick, they are “the most
beautiful and comfortable pants.” She
completed the comment with a flex
emoji and red heart. Motivation Stel-
pur is clearly not a no flex zone. HJC
More facebook
groups:
gpv.is/groups
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
Adobe Stock
AROUND ICELAND IN 80 FACEBOOK GROUPS
Motivation
Stelpur
"Motivation Girls" – Get your
protein powder ready
WORD OF
THE ISSUE
If you have ever been a tourist in your
youth, chances are you’ve set foot in a
“farfuglaheimili” at least once. “Farfugla-
heimili” is the proper Icelandic word for
“hostel,” but the literal translation is far
more poetic than that. “Farfuglar” are
in fact migratory birds that travel North
to South and vice versa, according to the
season.
Since hostels tend to be cheaper than
hotels and cater to a younger demographic
that’s always on the move, it seems apt
that they are referred to as houses for
migratory birds. The term, however, was
even more appropriate when the few sea-
sonal waves of tourists brought north only
seasoned backpackers and old adventur-
ers—travellers who came here in solitude,
to experience the majestic emptiness of
Icelandic nature. AD
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02 — 2018
READER'S LETTER
Ozzie Seeks
Beautiful
Artists
Hi there,
Love your blog. Iceland has
intrigued me for years. I am a fan
of so many Icelandic artists from
Of Monsters of Men (sic) to Ólafur
Arnalds. I actually photographed
OMOM and Kiasmos live shows here in
Melbourne Australia a few years ago.
I am originally from Dublin, Ireland
but have lived this side in Australia
for over a decade. I am going to
Iceland in March this year and am
looking forward to it.
I am emailing you for advice on
low key music nights in Reykjavik... off
the beaten track venues, to discover
more beautiful artists from your
talented country.
As we will only be there for one
weekend, from 22-26th March, I
would love to make the most of our
visit.
I appreciate your help and advice.
Marcus
Dear Marcus,
Thanks for your support. We love
Icelandic artists and bands too. We’re
super glad to hear you’re visiting.
There are plenty of venues
you can check out. The first and
foremost is Húrra, who have a
constant programme of concerts
going on. You can see their events
at hurra.is. Gaukurinn, right next to
Húrra, has music as well as comedy
and drag shows (check gaukurinn.
is), and Mengi hosts experimental
performances each week (check
mengi.is).
We also have a listings section in
every issue with all kinds of events,
including music, arts and happy
hours, both in print and online.
Even better, you can download our
dedicated events app—“Appening”—
on your Android or iPhone. Hope you
enjoy your visit!
Yours musically,
Grapevine
Grapevine's own Hannah Jane getting motivated, yesterday
All aboard for some Milkywhale watching
LÓABORATORIUM
Black Mirror
– “Crocodile”

Words: Jessica Peng
By now, you have probably already
binge-watched the entire fourth sea-
son of the Netflix original series “Black
Mirror.” If you haven’t yet, have you
been living under a rock on Mars? The
episode “Crocodile” has some jaw-
dropping snowy landscapes as its back-
drop. Yes, that’s right—it was filmed in
Iceland. Note: from here on, this arti-
cle contains spoilers, so if you haven’t
seen the episode, avert your eyes.
“Crocodile” tells the story of suc-
cessful architect Mia, who has acci-
dentally run over a cyclist and dumps
the body into a lake. In the near future,
humans are able to retrieve one anoth-
er’s memories for different purposes.
When an insurance investigator dis-
covers Mia’s dark memories, Mia kills
her and anyone who crosses her path.
The chilling, gruesome story strikes
a stark contrast with the breathtaking
mountains. The episode was filmed at
different locations across the country-
side as well as downtown Reykjavík.
The opening scenes were filmed near
Lake Kleifarvatn on the Reykjanes pen-
insula. About a 30-minute drive from
Reykjavík, Kleifarvatn lake is a great
place for a scenic walk or jog. Another
nearby location was the Grænavatn
lake, which literally means “green lake.”
It’s a colourful, water-filled volcanic
crater with a high sulphur content.
One scene was filmed at the Harpa
Concert Hall where Mia gives a speech.
The episode was filmed in Febru-
ary 2017, when Reykjavík happened to
experience a record snowfall of 51cm
over a single night. The crew had to
stop filming that night, and you can
see the snowy streets in the episode.
“Herbalife, Zinzino,
and all other
pyramid—oh sorry,
“reverse funnel”—
ads are banned.”
Fa
rfu
gl
ah
ei
m
ili
First
WHERE WAS IT SHOT?
The house in the episode is located in Snæfellsnes, which is in west Iceland.