La Vida Idealist

A much needed weekend hike in the woods.

Shockingly, one of the things I miss most about living in the USA is exercise. And let me be clear, I’ve never been a huge fan of exercise though I like to feel healthy so I try to keep at it. It wasn’t until moving to Central America that I realized how much exercise I get at home just going about my everyday routine. I walk a lot. And often carry lots of stuff while I walk. Ride my bike places. Not to mention more strenuous activities like going to the gym occasionally.

All of this is much less common here. When I say goodnight to my coworkers at Fundación Mujer, they ask in surprise “You’re walking home again?” It seems much more natural to them that I would like to wait around for another hour to get a ride home with the Executive Director when I can walk home in 25 minutes. “I like the exercise,” I reply. And they give me an even more baffled look.

On the weekends I see a few runners out and about, but I’ve heard too many horror stories of runner’s being chased by stray dogs (they associate running with prey) to join them. As if dog attack stories weren’t enough, the extreme heat is also a major deterrent to running outside. I’ve scouted out a few gyms and found both treadmills (or other cardio machines) and women extremely rare sights. Not what I am looking for.

So while I’ve had limited success exercising abroad, I’ll happily share my tips in hopes they will help someone not go stir crazy like I did. Bring some exercise DVDs, an exercise mat, a deck of yoga poses, resistance bands etc. with you. Basically, things you can do in your room or on your patio. And squeeze in cardio on weekends when you can hike, swim etc. See a past blog post by Andrea Vogler, a La Vida Idealist colleague, for some additional benefits of yoga while traveling.

Meg Gray is currently a Kiva Fellow in San Jose, Costa Rica. She is just waiting for her lungs to hate her when she returns to the US in April and forces them to run again. Follow Meg or La Vida Idealist on Twitter.

Latest posts by mgray2noti

• Back in the USA - April 26th, 2010
• That is Not the Costa Rica I Know - April 14th, 2010
• Reading List - April 8th, 2010
• Volunteering Does Not Equal Vacation - March 31st, 2010
• Things I Never Thought I Would Do At Work - March 24th, 2010
• When Body Language Goes Too Far - March 10th, 2010
• My Hips Just Don't Move Like That - March 3rd, 2010
• Life Without a Cell Phone - February 24th, 2010
• Safety Versus Freedom - February 17th, 2010
• Day in the Life: Elections in a Foreign Land - February 10th, 2010