The notion of exercise.

After work today, a few of us from the workshop went to help unload half a trip of gravel and sand from a boat at the dock. If you are not familiar with how much a 'trip of gravel' weighs, well, I cannot really tell you, but basically it is a boat load. A heavy boatload. We joined a number of the day laborers from the construction site and carried the bags up to 15 feet. My arms were exhausted after lifting possibly 35 of these gravel bags.

When we returned to the house, it was time for our daily workout regimen. Since June 13 we have been doing Beach-Body-Insanity Workout videos after our workday. I really enjoy the group cardio work the videos promote along with the luxury of working out inside to avoid the mosquitos. We have a fluctuating group of people who participate and they make it easier to motivate to exercise every day. After lifting the bags of gravel, I had a hard time lifting my water glass to my lips to drink. Inevitably this added to the intensity of the Insanity workout.

The contrast of the physical labor with the forced exercise video struck me as absurd. I am not sure yet what to make of the situation, but it is helpful for me to conceptualize the physical demands that people in the new Anam city currently face and will be facing so that we can cater services and programs to meet those needs. For example, it becomes more important to make sure that nutritional needs are met with proper food storage strategies, food access routes, and relevant nutritional education. How to effectively do that is the question...