Sweat!

I wrote this entry around Christmas, but am just getting around to uploading it now.  Enjoy!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

I must say, I miss being around family and friends during Christmas.  My momma cooks wonderful food every year and my sister, Mom, and I always go to a movie on Christmas night.  I was sad to miss out this year!

What have the holidays in Nicaragua brought me?  Two main things:

1.  Lots of food.  The "nacatamal" is a Nicaraguan dish usually made to celebrate special occasions, like Christmas.  The process of making nacatamales is labor-intensive and pretty expensive, but they are well worth the sweat and Cordobas.  Essentially, a nacatamal resembles a Mexican tamale in its shape and form, but it contains a few hidden treasures that you will not find in a Mexican tamale.  Inside a nacatamal, you will most likely find a cooked-to-perfection piece of pork, and a small amount of rice, peas, and potatoes.  The "masa," or dough, that engulfs the nacatamal's buried gems is laboriously cooked from milled corn and pig fat.  Yummmm.  After careful assembly, which usually involves a line of three or four women in the kitchen, nacatamales are wrapped in large banana leaves, tied into cute little "packages," and boiled and cooked until ready to be served with a warm tortilla.  Let's see... on Christmas Eve, my neighbor passed me a nacatamal through the fence while I was out back washing clothes; on Christmas Day, the lady at the corner venta gave me a nacatamal while I was buying bread and coffee; and the day after Christmas, one of my good friends showed up on a motorcycle with her husband with TWO giant nacatamales for me.  Four nacatameles in three days?  Amazing.  Javier even got in on the action and ate half of one (I couldn't finish all of them!).

2.  "Free time."  I like to use the phrase "free time" instead of "boredom," but they are the same thing.  Honestly, it seems as though the pueblo goes on stand-still during the holidays.  This doesn't just happen during Christmas; people stay home and work ceases during election season, rainy season, Independence Day, Christmas, New Years, and during random events, like when the new Jicaro mercado is ready to open.  People generally don't leave their house, and the people that are out on the streets during the holidays are typically enjoying themselves with a bottle or two of Cañita (moon shine) hidden in their pocket.  That means I stay at my house or with the neighbors.  And I get borrrrrrrred.

So what happens when you combine the aftereffects of nacatamales and boredom?  Exercise! 

I have always been pretty addicted to exercising, and during my time in Nicaragua, I've had to find creative ways to break a sweat.  There isn't a recreation department in El Jicaro.  No gym with treadmills and elliptical machines.  The streets are usually spotted with aforementioned men (with their moon shine) and dogs with sharp teeth, so a solo jog is typically out of the question.  So what has been my method lately?  I've always kept my jump rope with me, and I rarely go a day without some good-quality jumping.  I've also gotten into HIIT (high-intensity interval training) routines.  The idea behind HIIT is to do very cardio-intensive "bursts" of exercise with scattered, short rest breaks.  Essentially, this form of training is supposed to raise your heartbeat rapidly, but bring it down enough to keep you going and give you the stamina to finish the workout.  Research has shown that HIIT exercises create a substantial "after burn," which means that the body continues to burn more calories for up to twenty-four hours after the workout when compared to what the body would normally burn without HIIT. 

Whenever Peace Corps volunteers get together for regional meetings or national gatherings, we always make sure to take our external hard drives.  We are able to pass along movies, music, pictures, and even workout videos.  Honestly, I tried to jump on the "Insanity" train and follow Shaun with his insane workout videos, but staring at my small computer screen and listening to a man yell at me through my puny single speaker didn't put me in a great mood.  So, I made a poster outlining easy and effective cardio moves and taped it to my wall next to my world map:

20 Jumping Jacks

:30 High Knees

:30 Butt Kicks

20 Jump Squats

10 Front Kicks (each leg).. karate style.. thank you Mr. Pak!!

:30 Mountain Climbers

:30 H20!!

5 Burpees

20 Jumping Jacks

:30 Jump Rope

20 Jump Squats

10 Front Kicks

:30 Jabs

:15 High Knees

:15 Butt Kicks

:30 H20!!

30 Jumping Jacks

:40 Jump Rope

5 Burpees

:20 Running Man

:15 Running In Place

:30 H20!!

20 Jumping Jacks

10 Lateral Jumps

20 Jump Squats

:30 Jump Rope

5 Burpees

:30 H20!!

20 Jumping Jacks

:25 High Knees

5 Slow Squats

15 Jump Squats

:40 Jabs

Once through, this routine takes me 15-17 minutes.  I usually do one routine followed by a half-hour of jump rope.  Of course, I have my favorite music playing and incorporate a few dance moves (thank goodness no one is watching me!).  Haha.  It's a good time.  I ALWAYS feel better afterwards, even though putting on my Asics can be hard sometimes. 

I definitely shyed away from working out during my first year in Nicaragua because I didn't know what to do without a running trail, gym, or bicycle.  My workouts these days are quite effective, and I hope that this entry can help some other volunteers who are facing the same issues I encountered when arriving in country.  Moderate to intense exercise that raises the heart rate (walking doesn't count!!) is SO important not only for physical health, but for mental well-being, especially when you are eating an excess amount of nacatamales.