21 Jul 2012 The Bahamas: A fitness challenge
by Karl Lenser
Last month I was fortunate to be part of a Hendrix College mission/service trip to the Bahama Islands. It proved to be an adventure that was challenging and rewarding in several different ways.
Traveling to another country is always a challenge because you never really know what you will encounter and experience. What will the weather be like? Will the people be friendly and hospitable? How about the food? And of course, for the fitness minded, how am I going to keep up my fitness routine?
Dedicated fitness advocates will find a way to keep in shape while visiting other countries or cities where you may not have access to a fitness facility. Determination, creativity, will-power and adaptability are key qualities that one has to utilize when placed in an environment that does not have exercise centers.
Our trip was based on the island of Eleuthera, one of several hundred islands within the Bahamas. After arriving at a tiny airport, we quickly passed through customs and loaded ourselves and our gear into a pickup truck and a van. Throughout the 75-minute drive to our base city (Tarpon Bay), I soon realized that we were in an area that would have slim chances of being highlighted in travel agency or tourism brochures.
We discovered that this island is experiencing an unemployment rate of 75 percent! Many of the homes we observed during the drive to Tarpon Bay were dilapidated and in need of many repairs. Many would be labeled “uninhabitable” by our standards in the U.S.
As we drove into our village, I quickly began to investigate potential running routes as I was determined to run for at least two days during the week. Unlike my trip to Hong Kong in 2010 where there was an ample supply of roads to run on, Tarpon Bay is a small village that has just a few roads and alleys. I had plenty of good and safe routes in Hong Kong, but this was a completely different situation.
Our house was situated in an ideal location — about a two-minute walk to the beach. This was definitely a positive when considering fitness options. It was reassuring that the water (an ideal workout option) was a short walk from the house.
After unpacking and getting familiar with the housing logistics, I went on a short recon mission to explore my possible running routes. Unfortunately, within a few minutes I observed that the Tarpon Bay local government had failed to enact a leash law for its many canines that lived in the city. Runners, cyclists and walkers are generally a bit fearful of encountering dogs that are not on a leash. This generated a workout plan that in Tarpon Bay I would take the road less travelled (by canines anyway).
One has to be flexible and creative when visiting areas that are foreign to you, especially when choosing to run or walk by yourself. In this case, I knew, for safety’s sake, I would not be able to go out and comfortably run for my usual 50-60-plus minutes. My plan was that I would run on the paved road along the beach and do some sort of speedwork. It was very humid and warm at 6:15 a.m., which was fine because I needed to get heat-trained for the Arkansas summer.
There were not many people out at this early hour except a few fishermen and a few locals that were walking around and looking for work. What was encouraging is that I knew this simple workout would keep me in shape, and I was not going to be defeated by the hounds of Tarpon Bay (most were real friendly, but you never know).
Lastly, when the waters of the Caribbean are a stone’s throw away, how can you not be excited about a workout! An aquatic oasis awaits!
I was into a “Paul Revere workout” mindset (by land and by sea), so I made an effort to get into the water every day in the morning and in the evening. Swimming, snorkeling and treading water made for a fantastic and refreshing workout. Some of the group had a few Yoga sessions on the beach at sunrise, which was a great experience.
The entire week was quite busy as we worked on a variety of projects including the construction of a home, painting and mowing at a fire station, playing kickball with schoolchildren, visiting a classroom and most importantly, building relationships with the local residents. The most interesting part of this trip was meeting the locals and learning about their culture, social issues and concerns.
We saw and experienced the “real” Bahamas and were grateful that we had the opportunity to make a positive impression on the residents that we interacted with throughout the week.
