Week 10: Getting Fit & Silent Protest
At least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Regardless what country, or what region, obesity is a prevalent disease that continues to rise as sedentary activities increase. Specifically in Jamaica, a local survey stated 20% of Jamaican adults are classified as obese, and 32% as overweight. In a paper by Ichinohe et al, 19.2% of obese and 42.2% of overweight women, 20.5% of obese and 60% of overweight men felt their weights were acceptable. It was thought this was due to the lack of exercise in women, cultural association of overweight with maternity and nurturing, and a cultural association of increased sexual appeal. Seeing how Jamaican society is in an everyday setting, I find that men simply love women. Regardless of physical features, they believe every woman is a beautiful creature. I state this comparison to the North America view where the typical statement is slimmer is better, slimmer is more beautiful. However; that does not mean they should ignore the aspects of diet and physical activity as it is important for good health. Additionally, childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions thus it is key to manage obesity which in result is focused on prevention and treatment.
Prevention comes within the diet and physical activity. Specifically, physical activity is recognized as playing football on the field, running around with one’s friends. The typical “gym” environment is often reserved for those in a higher economical background due to the expensive memberships which also often include very basic equipment. Since my arrival, I found that a gym membership was not part of my budget and had to compromise for running around my complex or swimming in the apartment pool. It was very difficult for my own well-being because exercise was a large component of my life in the last few years with Dragon Boat and working at the Fitness Centre at UWO. Thankfully, I came across a service called Gustazos/Brawta Living which is the Jamaican version of GROUPON. I joined a two week boot camp called FitRev (https://www.facebook.com/fitrevja/?fref=ts) which was started by my friend that is a CUSO volunteer. The idea was to make it family friendly where adults can bring their children to workout with them. I have never been one to love body exercises but man, FitRev makes you sweat. It was a mixture of P90X, CrossFit, and classes. A much needed workout and motivation before my half marathon in Negril! I am finding this bootcamp more difficult than anything I have ever done though and the people are so motivating that it makes me want to push harder. Progress will definetly occur!
This week we also said goodbye to one of our CUSO friends which is a weird feeling to say goodbye to another Canadian in Jamaica. Next round of volunteers to leave is in February- sad feelings! On Thursday, the other interns and I participated in Art with a Splash. We learned how to paint and all took our own spin to it! It was really cool! It’s going to be my mom’s Christmas gift!
On Friday, I participated in my first protest on the topic of Violence against Girls. We walked down from the Police Club wearing purple t-shirts and holding signs. We had whistles, stopped traffic and yelled a cheer. I found it really hard at times as we had curses yelled at us, a trans woman was harassed and individuals handed back our flyers because they did not want to be associated with the fact that we had a LGBT group. It is difficult to see homophobia in an every day occurrence but it is the facts here. At one point, we actually had to request more police enforcements to ensure the safety of our people. Yet, I never felt unsafe at one point. I was very proud to be where I was and at the end, we had individuals share their personal stories about the importance of raising awareness for women and girls. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and ended up skyping with my brother and my sister-in-law who shared exciting news about the gender- it’s a girl! I am going to have a niece!
On the weekend, I went to the Papine Market where you can purchase fresh produce. It is a lot cheaper than going to the grocery store but a lot farther. At times I debate going to the market because the hassle of getting there at times is not worth it. However; I got a very good deal on my lettuce and bananas which I am excited to eat. I also went to the Organic Market which happens every other week. I bought some bitters which is used as a cleansing solution for the body toxins (essentially, you end up sitting on the toilet for days). I am excited to give it to my brothers to try. I used a GUSTAZO for a massage. It was with a company close to where I live but it was an out-of-the-body-experience. I receive registered massages quite often as my family’s insurance covered it. It was always relaxing and much-needed for my muscle tension. However; the lady sloshed a gallon of oil onto my back and she ended up moving the massage table into different angles instead of moving her body to go with the area she was planning to massage. I was at a loss for words. Afterwards, I went home to cook and I had around 3 birds fly into my house. You really have to be careful about how large you leave your patio door. It was quite a sight with them flying in and exploring the house. They were rather cute so I left them alone. On Sunday, I went to my friend’s cousin 4 year old birthday party. They had a bouncy castle, a balloon guy, snow cones, a piñata and this amazing breadfruit salad that I am going to try and make!
I love Kingston <3
Tara