Common Sense Tips You Already Know About Keeping Fit on the Road

Today was the 5^th day this week that I went for a run in Voinjama, from my compound to the police checkpoint at the entrance of town. It’s about 3.5 or 4 kilometers and is a pretty nice route: down a steep hill into a little valley with a flat bit, past the Jordanian police and PakBat compounds, across a little bridge and up a longer, shallower incline to the checkpoint. As I was coming back up the steep hill towards my compound, two little girls, carrying long bamboo poles in each hand, started running behind me. As we passed other kids, they would join and run along for a few meters before continuing their journey back down the hill. I felt like the Pied Piper going through town with my little followers. At one point I stopped and asked one of the girls if I could hold her bamboo. I grabbed it and was impressed with how heavy it was. I lifted it up and down like a free weight and said “it’s like lifting weights, you girls are strong.” Then the girl seemed a bit nervous that I was taking her pole and said “hey sista, dat one fo me, o” so I gave it back. Every once in a while I’d look back and see the girls lifting their poles up and down and laughing. It was a fun moment.

I have somehow picked up the nickname Klubo from my Liberian coworkers. Various people have told me it means: big woman, first born girl, warrior woman and dancing woman...so I guess it must mean a little of all those things which is cool by me. Everyone who hears it laughs and thinks it’s a good, strong name to have. I’ve also been described as a “real” Lofa woman a few times…they are known for being larger ladies. It’s a compliment here so I don’t mind. They like meaty women in most places I’ve been to in Africa. But this is likely going to be my last few months in the field for a while and I don’t want to be a real Lofa woman in Colorado. I’ll be coming back in August and living in the mountains in probably the best month of the year to enjoy all the glorious outdoor activities that Summit County has to offer. I want to be able to keep up with my brother and his extremely active family (my 6 year old nephew is doing a triathlon in two months!).  I’ve always felt like I have an inner athlete inside of me. I love hiking and kayaking and mountain biking. I love being outdoors and being active. But, sadly, I’m usually the last one to the summit…by god I will always make it to the top though…but it’s more fun when you don’t feel like you’re holding up the group or going to die in the process.

I try to work out as much as I can when I'm in the field. Sometimes it's a really sedentary life…most days consist of sitting in a vehicle for 5 hours or walking the 30 or 40 feet from my house to my office. Plus, there isn’t much to do out here in the sticks. I will also admit I’d love to be able to look hot in a dress from the Title Nine catalog (check it out…awesomest clothes ever…http://www.titlenine.com) And, there are no Chipotles or Peanut M&M’s to throw me off my game. The one tempting thing is Soda. It is my lifelong enemy and worst vice and Coke and Pepsi are the most ubiquitous products in the world. I have never been to a field site that did not have one or other of them available…even the most far off seeming village in South Sudan. But, I usually manage to give it up when I’m in the field and it’s typically when I come back to the US that I fall off the wagon. It’s been a week so far this time so yeah for me.  

So, in honor of the little girls who ran with me today, I’m offering some tips below on working out while traveling. You may be asking yourself “with the intro above, why would I listen to a Lofa sized woman’s advice on working out”…well, I’m not trying to tell you how to win a marathon or anything. Just how to get fit, stay fit and/or avoid gaining 10lbs from all the junk you know you’re going to eat while you’re on vacation.  So, introducing…The Weary Traveller’s Common Sense Tips You Already Know About Keeping Fit on the Road:

1) Walk as much as possible.

Many of the places I go for work are not the safest places in the world and often it is against our security policy to walk around. Which means, when I can walk, I want to walk. After spending two months in Haiti where I never walked anywhere, I went to New York City for a week and then London for a week and probably walked like 15 miles every day. Some cities were made for walking and you are missing out if you take taxis or the subway all the time. Sure you’ll do those things occasionally…I mean riding in a black cab in London is part of the experience. But if you take the Tube between Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, then you are a tool…offense intended. Walking is the best way to get the feel of a city. You can people watch and window shop and generally just smell the roses (unless you’re in Paris and then it’s probably the dog poo since no one cleans up after their dogs, lol). Walking your way around a city is great exercise without even trying, it’s the best way to see the sights and it’s free transportation. Just make sure if you’re in an unfamiliar place that you ask the concierge at your hotel if there are any areas that aren’t safe and you should avoid walking in.

Also, if you are staying on the lower floors of a hotel, then take the stairs. It’s a good way to scope out the emergency exits in the event of an emergency (which I bet you have never done in a hotel but you should) and you’ll avoid being stuffed in an elevator with 50 other people and their luggage, especially during the morning check-out rush.

2) Use the gym or bring one with you.

Any hotel worth their salt these days has a fitness center. It’s a free amenity and you should take advantage of it, especially if you don’t have access to a gym at home. Why pass up a free chance to lift some weights or use a medicine ball? Plus, sometimes the gyms are in great locations. The fitness center at the Westin Resort in Maui overlooks parts of the pool and ocean. I don’t know about you, but the sight of tanned muscled dudes and hot bodied surfer chicks mixed with fat, pasty-white tourists motivates me to keep going and run that little bit harder…oh and the palm trees and sunshine and ocean views are nice to look at too, lol. If you’re just not a fan of going to the gym or working out in front of others, then consider bringing some workout gear with you for your hotel room. I always travel to the field with a resistance band and travel yoga mat. You can also use water bottles filled with water for weights (though I personally don’t like to do this because I find it hard to grip them once I start to sweat). You can buy and download workout videos from Exercise TV online. They also have some free videos you can stream if you’ll have good internet connection where you’re going (which I never seem to do, so I buy them).

3)  Go for a run.

Running, like walking, is also a great way to get out and about at your destination. If you’re at the ocean, go for a run along the beach. If you’re in London, go for a run along the Thames. If you’re in Seattle, go for a run at Alki Beach Park. There is always going to be a cool trail, park or neighborhood to go for a run in.

When running in an unfamiliar place, make sure you do so safely. When possible, tell someone where you’re going. I always tell the guards at my compound or a housemate what my route is going to be and that if I’m not back in an hour to come find me. I also run with my cell phone in case something happens I can call for help. You never know when you might fall and twist your ankle or get kidnapped by some rebels in the jungle…just kidding mom and dad…(but seriously J). Also, it’s great to have music, but don’t use both earbuds and crank it up full volume…only use one earbud so you can hear if a person or car or bike is coming up behind you. And make sure to pay attention to the weather. In South Sudan my colleague and I would go running at dusk when it was a bit cooler. You don’t want to run at noon when it’s 115 degrees. And you don’t want to be caught out on the beach in a huge electrical storm either.

So, there you have it. All things you probably already knew but now you are reminded of.