SPEND your days plying the water with an oar and you might not achieve an Olympic medal. But you will get very fit, and very slim.

Gillian Lindsay did both. The Scottish rower who now lives in High Wycombe not only brought home an Olympic silver medal from Sydney with her team. She is also impressive proof that rowing gives that other coveted reward for effort: a trim body.

Since her crew of quadruple scullers came back from Sydney bearing honours and looking wonderful, the sport of rowing has seen a surge of popular interest.

So if you are hoping to get fit, could messing about on the river be as successful as sweating it out in a gym?

Gillian says: "Even now after seeing us all in the Olympics, people still imagine rowers to be big bulky women with huge big legs and huge big muscles. It's not the case at all.

"You do so many miles, so much endurance work. If I haven't got really really big muscles when I did the training three times a day every day, there's no way anyone coming to it new is going to. You do so much work that you stay trim through it all."

As with all sports, technique is all-important. "I completely recommend rowing for anyone wanting to get trim. If you've got good technique you can work the legs, lower back, stomach muscles, arms just about every single muscle group."

And there's a big, big bonus if you do commit to row yourself to Olympic heights. You get to eat and eat.

That's the bit Gillian misses now she's retired at 27, if you please.

She recalls: "I miss not being able to eat 5,000 calories a day and burn it all off. There was no guilt about it, it was a necessity. Now I have to be careful about what I eat. Back to the real world."

Gillian first started rowing at school in Scotland at the age of 13 and came south for the Great Britain junior trials.

She says: "The prospect of going to compete in the Olympic Games some day was always my drive. It was always in the back of my mind."

It meant an arduous training schedule, of course, constantly stretching limitations. "It's all about confidence, knowing that however hard you push yourself, someone is there to guide you through it. If you want to excel at your sport it's hard work. With an Olympic medal at the back of your mind you'd put up with anything really."

In the run-up to the Olympics the training became really tough. They'd have a heavy workout from 7.30am to 9.30am, followed by a technical session with video analysis. Then after a break, they'd meet at 4pm for sessions out on the river in summer, or after dark training on rowing machines at Bisham Abbey.

They trained on the Thames out of Longridge Scout Camp near Marlow, with land-based training at Bisham Abbey.

Now Gillian's career has taken a land-lubber's turn. "I do motivational talks, I do commentary for BBC Grandstand, and I've just finished training to be a personal trainer."

Women's rowing is now far more popular than ever. At the Women's Eights competition in London in March, she points out, there were 150 crews. Ten years ago there were about 30.

She adds: "If you're looking for a club to join, visit a rowing website. Steve Redgrave's official website has all the clubs in the country which you can join. It will cost far less than joining a gym, and you don't need to buy any equipment. Just turn up. All you need is warm kit in winter, suntan lotion in summer. Everything is provided for you, including changing room and showers, there's always a bar and lots of social activity. And of course you'll get coaching and a training programme. It's a cheap way of getting fit and making lots of new friends as well."

Rowing is an all-year-round sport, but if you can't get out on the river in winter, clubs organise circuit training or runs in the evening, rowing machine sessions or perhaps weight training.

Marlow Rowing Club welcomes members of all ages above ten years.

Sean Farrally says: "People are welcome to come down any time to visit the club and see what we do.

"We take novice men and women, as well as cadets from ten years.

"The core of the club are into competitive rowing, others enjoy the keepfit and social side. People even come to rowing in their 50s to lose weight, feel healthier and improve circulation. We have sessions for veteran athletes and harder ones for competitive athletes."

Contact Marlow Rowing Club on 01628 482366