Retirement in México is bliss. The weather where we live is perfect all
winter and spring, really most of the year. We throw the doors and windows open
each morning and…get lazy. Jon settles onto the couch, reading a western novel
and doesn’t move for hours. I sit down at my desk to write until I realize
hours have gone by and my Fitbit is nagging me to get moving.
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| Walking to Dinner in Town Gives Us Some Exercise |
We walk a lot more in México than we did in the U.S. Every other day we
walk at a good clip to town for dinner, and then we kind of stroll home after sharing
a small garden salad and shrimp Alfredo, one order of flan, and each drinking two Margaritas. Our
bathroom scale tells on us when we have been too lazy and eating too well the
day before, reporting that our weight went up two pounds from that delicious
dinner the previous night. I guess walking to and from dinner isn't enough.
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| Yoga Class with Jim Gallas at the Don Pedro Palapa |
We realized pretty quickly after retiring that we had to make ourselves get
more exercise or we would turn into blimps, living the good life here in México.
So, we started attending yoga classes. We put two exercise classes per week on
our calendar as a minimum and then shoot for attending a third. That has helped
a lot! If it's on our calendar, we make it happen. We enjoy
yoga with Jim Gallas in the Don Pedro palapa, a
beautiful setting overlooking the ocean. Walking a mile each way to the class,
uphill both ways, of course, gives us an extra workout. For variation, we have attended yoga classes at
Hotelito Los Sueños and
at Heart Shala Yoga Studio, both a pleasure. We find that yoga classes help us stay physically
stronger and more flexible, as well as improving our mental health.
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| Yoga Helps Our Flexibility and Strength |
But what about aerobic exercise? Those of you who know me or have read
my previous books and blogs know how hooked I am on Zumba® Fitness classes, a great
cardio workout that is based on dance, making it so much fun you forget you’re
exercising. (Sounds a bit like an ad, but it's true!) Sometimes we couldn't find a Zumba class in Sayulita, so Jon suggested I take the
training to become a Zumba instructor. At first, I didn’t think I could do it,
but he continued to encourage me, so I enrolled in my first Zumba training
class over a year ago. I’m so glad I did. Now I teach Zumba classes two days per week, which
Jon faithfully attends with me. When I’m the instructor, there’s no skipping
classes. Plus, I have to give it more energy when I know my students are following
my example. That has really helped Jon and me stay fit. I have included a short clip of a video from one of my Zumba classes. You can see how much more fun it is to do aerobic exercise in a group of people who also enjoy it.
Then one day, the Sayulita
ejido threw a monkey wrench into our Zumba class schedule. The
ejido (community)
owned the
Casa
de la Cultura (House of Culture) where I held my Zumba classes and we paid a small fee to use the space. Without warning, a representative came in at the
end of my Wednesday class and informed us that the building had been sold and
we could no longer hold classes there.
What? No More Zumba Classes?
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| The First Home of Our Zumba Classes was Sold! |
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| Zumba at Casa de la Cultura was So Much Fun for All Ages! |
I wasn't going to let this glitch put a stop to our fun Zumba classes! I was in a panic for a few days, trying
to find a space large enough for eight to twelve of us to dance, with a floor that
was either wood or tile, and available around 9:00 in the morning when my
students like to have class. Jon and I
walked all over Sayulita for several days looking at yoga studios, the Amigo de Corazon Senior Citizen Club, the elementary school, a church, and several hotels. Whew, did we rack up the miles on our Fitbits! I had one of my best Fitbit reports ever. I lost those two pesky pounds, too.
Walking is great exercise. We're glad we retired in a town that is easy and fun to walk in.
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| A Great Fitbit Report After Zumba Plus Lots of Walking! |
Finally, after researching seven possible sites, we held a trial class at two of the yoga studios and put in
a request for permission to have our classes at the Amigo de Corazon Senior
Citizen Club. I
decided to put my Zumba class on hold until the right room became available. Jon
and I began having our own private Zumba class on our patio, just the two of us.
We decided whether it was a week or a month before the right space and time
slot became available, we would wait to start offering Zumba classes again (hopefully soon). For the time
being, we are still getting our aerobic exercise with Zumba twice a week, just
at home.
Edited 1/24/18: I am now teaching Zumba again, each Monday at 10:30 AM at El Club in Sayulita. I attend Debora's Zumba class every Wednesday for a change of pace. It feels so good to be doing Zumba every week again! You can
Like and
Follow my Zumba class Facebook page for updates on this story at
Zumba with Terry in Sayulita.
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| Terry Does Zumba at Home When Not Teaching Classes |
Jon got some unplanned bicycling exercise one week recently. Another flat tire on our golf cart (we nicknamed
Carlos), this one from a nail we picked up, required a trip with the tire to the
llantería (tire repair shop). I suggested he call a taxi to take him the four miles round trip, but he decided he could strap the tire on the back of his bike, ride to the tire repair shop, wait to have it fixed, and then ride home with it.
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| Jon Hauls the Carlos's Tire to the Repair Shop on His Bike |
Whenever
Carlos is out of commission,
we end up
riding our bicycles on bumpy cobblestone roads to town to buy
groceries and take laundry to the lavandería, a somewhat treacherous means of
getting exercise. We were both happy Jon was able to get
Carlos going again in one afternoon. The cost was 100 pesos ($5
US). We not only get extra exercise living in México, we save money on repairs.
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| Riding Bikes to Shop at the Produce Stand in Sayulita |
One of the reasons we chose to live in Sayulita is the abundance of exercise opportunities. Living in a beach
town, we enjoy boogie-boarding and Stand Up Paddle boarding in the warm weather
and temperate ocean water year around. Golf is something we like occasionally,
but we aren’t willing to pay the high prices most golf courses charge, so we
find the public 9-hole Field of Dreams (
Campo
de Ensueños) Golf Club in El Monteón to be a lot of fun and inexpensive.
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| Terry Catches a Wave on Her Boogie Board |
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| Leisurely Golfing at Field of Dreams in El Monteón |
All of this physical fitness makes us thirsty at the end of the day.
Just writing about all of this exercise makes me realize it’s time for a
margarita or a glass of wine. Which one of the 120 restaurants in Sayulita shall we walk to
tonight? Maybe one on the beach with a view of the sunset. So many decisions, so much to do… glad we retired while we are young
enough to enjoy all of them.
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| Ending the Day with a Walk to the Beach for a Sayulita Sunset |
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Fun post! When we lived in Playa del Carmen, we also went out to eat every other night. We had no car so walked or biked everywhere. Is the reason you don't want to bike more because of the bumpy roads there? In Playa, the problem is more with traffic and terrible speedbumps made out of metal. Some of them are circles and are kind of scary to try to go over or pass between. There is a nice bike path, but it was on the other side of town from where we lived. If we go back, we will try to rent closer to the bike path so we can bicycle more often! I also did yoga classes (not my husband's thing), and there was a zumba class, but it started too early in the am for me to get going (7:45, I think). Your class looks great, and 9 am is a very civilized time. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading my article and for your great comment! You are right, those speedbumps made of round metal humps are terrible, trying to hit the small space between the humps just right with the tires so you don't get thrown off your bike. But, the cobblestones here are pretty bumpy, too. The traffic isn't the problem in Sayulita--the locals and tourists seem to give bicycles the right of way. We just started doing yoga last year when my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's and it really helps his muscle rigidity or he wouldn't be doing it either. Yes, 9:00 Zumba classes are early enough for me. Thanks again for writing. I enjoy your great comments.
Terry
Terry, Thanks for writing your blog! I really enjoy reading it and your ebooks. My wife and are inspired to retire early as possible hopefully in 5 years at age 57. She is also in healthcare as an RN and can relate to the long hours and high stress you had as a pharmacist. We are flying to PV next January to look at RV parks in Lo De Marcos in which to spend our retirement winters.
ReplyDeleteI also want to say Jon has it right. There is not much better than a good Western and actually having the time to read it!
Hi Ken,
DeleteThank you for reading my eBooks and blog articles. I appreciate your nice comment, as well. Best wishes with your planned retirement. Now that we are settled in and enjoying life in Mexico, we wonder why we didn't retire here sooner. But it's great that you are making the move while you are still young enough to really enjoy it, and before your jobs wear you out. Your plans sound great! I'm sure you will inspire others to follow.
Terry