In my last blog, I tackled the topic of “ordinary” tasks of the expat life. One of these, at least for most of us, is exercise. Whatever it looks like for you, exercise is a part of most of our lives in 2025.
For me, this involves four days a week of running and lifting, two of walking, and one “rest day” with yoga and maybe a light walk. To define further, “running” at age 57 might look more like a slow jog, and “lifting” is usually some resistance for the arms and legs. But an “E” for effort goes a long way and is better than nothing (or so I tell myself!).
At home in the States, exercise is mostly done in my basement workout room, or maybe outside if it is a beautiful day to walk. But in my 425 sq.ft. condo in Mexico, there is not an exercise room. Nor is there a fitness center in our complex, because it is not a resort, but rather small apartments with only limited amenities. So I had two choices: not exercise for the months that I am in Mexico, or get creative. I chose the latter!
I began by running outside, which sounded like a logical choice. I also purchased some small hand weights and a yoga mat. Luckily, the same yoga videos I access at home via YouTube are available here, (Yoga with Kassandra are great ones!) so that part was easy. However, I soon found that there were a few issues with jogging outside in San Jose del Cabo. Not to say that this was a totally negative experience; the scenery is beautiful and the city has provided lovely jogging/biking paths in our area. For awhile, this seemed like the perfect solution. But then…summer came, and that beautiful Baja sun was beating down on me by 7:00 am. As a non-morning person, this was the first glitch in my morning run, which I usually didn’t start until 9:00-10:00 am. It became a fine line of starting a run in the dark and finishing before the sun was too hot. Also, while the hills and mountains of Mexico are gorgeous to look at, the terrain proved to be challenging for a runner of my age.
So I joined a gym. The Vidanta gym in San Jose del Cabo is amazing and has given me the opportunity to use their cardio equipment, resistance machines, and free weights at my convenience. Throw in spin and yoga classes, and access to tennis courts and a pool, and I am set! Motivation, that could be another issue. But my Sunday walks are often on the beach, along the coast of the beautiful Sea of Cortez. So again, completing tasks of minutia in paradise is part of the life of the part-time expat!