Gymnasium Bush Style
Getting exercise is always a bit of a problem out here. Firstly, the people around us do not need
exercise as they work quite hard day to day, and secondly if we do run, jog or
walk fast without aim (seemingly) we look really weird – who wants to
intentionally lose weight?? So, we
invented a little path around our house, mainly through the woods where very
few people can actually see us doing our lunatic running!
So here follows an account of our Bush Gym:
The first morning after our furlough of two months, the 5 of
us, courageously started to jog again. Membership
cards for this type of gym is a panga (machete) with which you literary swipe
to get through! This is an excellent way
of training the upper arms and shoulders, also good for the reflexes, as you
need to duck every now and again quite suddenly as the person in front of you
wielding the panga, chops the way open!
For weights we use quite a natural element – found in
abundance during the rainy season. (We
will have to look into this when it all dries out again, but for now we are
happy to go on using this surprising element.)
Thick Red Mud sticks to your shoes (or bare feet, depending on who you
are) and literary weighs you down! The
harder you struggle against it, the harder it fights to keep you on planet
earth. So, very good for getting those
legs pumping! As you go along the track
the amount of mud also increases, therefore giving you even a better value for
your money as you struggle uphill to the finish line!
Another astonishing little help is the common house
fly. These love to ride on your back as
you jog along – they are extremely lazy characters but occasionally they fly
off and try and land in your ears, or your eyes or even in your nose – so while
you jog, with your heavy mud caked feet, you wave your arms about, circulation
your blood and getting those muscles moving!
I hear that they have fresh orange juice in a real gym. Well, out here we have fresh dew or rain,
depending on the weather, of course. It
sticks to your legs, falls on your head and generally soaks you slowly through
to the skin. The clothes thus become
another type of weight training – the more laps you run, the wetter you are,
the heavier the clothes, etc! (not to
mention the mud on the feet!)
Spider webs helps with quick bends of the waist to keep that
part trim. Also good for balance, is
running through the eroded footpath (which was a river just yesterday) and
eye-hand co-ordination when you slip on the muddy hill and try to keep yourself
upright by flinging out your arms wildly!
For motivation we
have the villagers themselves. They do
not hesitate to tell you how nice and fat you have become while visiting your
own country! To them this is a huge
compliment! But to me, to me - this
keeps me running!! (I want to say like
Obelix – Fat?, who me??)
Now, this is the rainy season, so I do not have too high
hopes for all this running, so I guess I will have to go on my bike on a stand
on the veranda – but can you imagine what they will say when they see this
contraption? Total craziness to go on a
bike that goes nowhere!! But that is a
whole different story!
Bella, keeping the village healthy with laughter.
Comments
Post a Comment