Lessons Learned from Cozumel

Lessons Learned from Cozumel

Nothing says vacation like a warm tropical island with ocean views. I thought we were going to Cozumel to spectate our athletes at the Ironman and to train in a beautiful location but we left with so much gratitude and joy.  I've had the opportunity to travel to several countries and places around the world but the places that I enjoy the most are the ones that I visit for a race. When visiting an international destination for a triathlon or bike event, I get to see so much more than simply visiting for a vacation.  When we travel, we usually stay in Airbnb's. This allows us to have plenty of space, with a kitchen to prepare our own food. Because of this, we are required to shop at the local grocery store - which is always an interesting experience. And when it comes to cooking or meal prep, we are forced to use whatever kitchen gadgets are in our Airbnb. When we have a rental car, we must drive like the locals, learning the road signs, laws and etiquette. Sometimes we have AC, sometimes we have a washer. Often times, we don't. Sometimes we have fast internet speed, sometimes it is very very slow or non existent.  Traveling can be an eye-opening experience to how others live, but only if you allow for the opportunity to live like a local.  During our week-stay in Cozumel, we shared an Airbnb with our 7 athletes. There were specific rules in our Airbnb like turning off the AC when you leave. Cleaning up every crumb because of ants. Always locking the front gate. Never drink from the tap water. Taking the trash out daily to the bin outside. Only flush what comes out of your body down the toilet (no toilet paper). We didn't have a microwave so cooking/boiling water was a bit slow in the morning. We were also limited to plugs for appliances. But we loved it all because it allowed us to live like a local. We didn't have a car so we walked everywhere (or took a taxi). We made several trips to the grocery for food and it was always fun to find different and similar food options. Some of the showers did not have hot water, which was fine after spending all day outside in 80+ F degree weather and high humidity. We experienced flooding due to the rain. We felt extremely safe walking around the island.  Cozumel is not a country but a municipality in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico. But if you only stay at the resort, travel via ferry or cruise or visit the beaches or touristy spots, you may consider it to be a well-established vacation destination. Although we had several comforts of home (we slept amazingly well), it was apparent that we take for granted things like water, electricity and sanitation services. Here are a few things I learned from our 7-day stay in Cozumel:  Life can exist without "necessary" items - dishawasher, garbage disposal, Amazon prime, microwave, washing machine, Starbucks.  It's easy to take for granted "necessary" items - clean accessible water and food, medical care, safe working conditions, shelter and education. People who have very little are often happier than those who have a lot. Far too many people align life around materialism. Your worth is not based on your money or profession.  The poor are frequently stigmatized and blamed for their poverty as it is a matter of laziness or irresponsibility. Most immigrants have a very strong work ethic. This is largely driven by necessity. Be mindful what you complain about. A little more gratefulness goes a long way.  Learn to live a simple life. Appreciate what you have.  If you are interested in a delicious recipe, check out these Gingerbread energy balls.

International travel - a quick hello from South Africa

Late this summer, Karel mentioned to me that we should travel somewhere warm in January 2023 to escape the winter and to do some type of athletic event. And his top choice was not Arizona, Florida or the Virgin Islands but....South Africa! Karel came up with this idea after hearing about the return of Xterra South Africa (off-road triathlon event). After several months of researching, travel hacking and planning (my favorite!) I was able to put together an exciting, affordable and memorable itinerary for our 2 week race-cation (which includes a Safari and Kruger National Park). We will be participating in Xterra South Africa on Sunday, January 22nd in Elgin Valley (outside of Gordon's Bay, an hour from Cape Town) and then flying to Johannsburg on the 23rd for a 4-day Safari tour. We will then travel back to Cape Town on the 27th for one last day in Cape Town before flying back to the US on the 28th/29th. 

If you couldn't tell, I love traveling. Since an early age, I've had the privilege of traveling all over the US and internationally. When I was in middle school, I participated in an exchange program and spent almost 2 weeks in Japan. At only 13-14 years of age, I spent some of the time living with a family that didn't speak English and took part in a lot of different traditions. During my senior year of college, I traveled to the Philippines during May term for a work service project. I spent two weeks working on buildings and schools and I slept on a wooden bed, took bucket showers and had no AC. I was surrouned by people who had little to nothing but were incredibly happy and grateful. Traveling to this third-world country truly changed my life. 

Although it's fun to see popular touristy sights, one of my favorite things about travel is meeting new people and learning about different cultures - the language, traditions, customs, religion, holidays and food. Without travel, all we know is what's normal and not normal in our own society. By immersing yourself in another culture, you learn different and new perspectives. You also become more mindful of the traditions, practices, thoughts, beliefs and lifestyles of other people. Seeing the world from a different point of view can make you a more understanding person. While travel is a great way to immerse yourself in a culture beyond your own, you can learn at home through articles, talking with friends and coworkers, YouTube, documentaries, blogs and social media.There are so many places I never knew about but now want to visit thanks to travel vloggers.

And one of the best parts of travel is the FOOD!

Whether it's the pizza in Italy or seafood in Japan, traveling introduces you to new flavors, recipes, ingredients and dishes. While we can agree that America has a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with food, food plays a very important role in many cultures - it shows different traditions in each community and for many cultures, nothing is more important than a family meal. Whether you order from a restaurant menu or step out of your comfort zone with local street food, there's no better way to experience an entire culture - from the local and seasonal ingredients to the traditional recipes - than through authentic dishes. 

In doing some research for our upcoming South Africa trip, I came across this article discussing 30 different culinary traditions. Here are a few of the ones I found most interesting: 

• Borscht (Ukraine and many Eastern European Countries) - a traditional soup with beetroots as the main ingredient. 
• French baguette  (a symbol of France) - a 'good' baguette has a crunchy crust and is 65 centimeters in length. The only ingredients are wheat floud, water, yeast and salt. 
• Tea (a way of life in China) - there are over 2,000 different teas produced in China. 
• Joumou (Haiti) - this soup is a symbol of freedom and liberation. Made from a local pumpkin or squash. 
• Ceebu Jën (Senegal West Africa). The dish is passed down from mother to daughter. The essential ingredients include fish, broken rice, tomatoes, onions and other seasonal veggies. The dish is eaten with one's hands or a piece of bread to scoop up the rice. This dish is a symbol of hospitality.
• Lavash (Armenia) - this dough is made from wheat flour and water. This bread plays an important role in Armenian weddings, where sheets of the bread are draped over the bride and groom's shoulders to signal future prosperity. 
• Nsima (Africa) - a thick porridge made through an elaborate process of mixing white cornmeal with water. In Malawi, the dish is eaten with a protein and vegetable. Young children are taught to pound maize and sift flour at an early age and eating a meal of Nsima is a way to strengthen family bonds. 
• Keskek (Turkey) - found in Turkish, Iranian and Greek cuisines and associated with ceremonial and religious occasions, cooked by groups of men and women together in the community. From beating the ingredients to praying over the wheat or barley to a music performance and the thickening and stirring of the dish, the local community all come together to take part in keşkek preparation.
• Airag or Kumis (Mongolia) - This fermented dairy product is made by churning fresh horse milk inside a special vessel crafted from cowhide. It's a critical source of nutrition for moadic communities. To make, the milk must be churned more than 500 times before the yeast is added to start the fermentation process. 

I'll be blogging about our travels but currently I'm soaking it all in and making the most of everyday here. You can follow me along on Instagram (@trimarni) where I'll be posting videos/pics on my stories. 

Embracing European Eating Habits

After spending several weeks in Europe, I find it challenging to adjust to the American food culture. When I return, I am quickly reminded of the dysfunctional eating habits of many Americans. Now you may be assuming that I am talking about the oversized portions, heavily processed snacks and convenient fast food that have become normalized in the USA and are commonly contributed to obsesity and health problems. Although the food industry is partly to blame, it's actually the diet industry that I despise.

As we accumulated cycling miles and elevation in the French Alps, I spent very little time on social media. When I eventually opened my Facebook app and started scrolling, I was quickly reminded of our nation's unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. After a few posts talking about intermittent fasting and low carb diets, I had to close the app as I became so frustrated to see what I was reading.

Certainly, my situation is a bit unique in that Karel's family lives in Czech so we live like a local with homecooked meals every day. But for several weeks when we are in Europe, we are fully emersed in a different style of eating - one that we grately appreciate. Not only are the ingredients and cuisines different, but the entire European eating culture is different than the typical American lifestyle. The fact that there is a grocery store at almost every corner of the town, biking is a common form of transporation and there are sidewalks everywhere for walking, says a lot about the infrastructure of the European culture versus in America. European cities are very pedestrian-friendly - regularly giving pedestrians (and people on bikes) the right of way. Sadly, our country doesn't really make it easy to naturally live a healthy lifestyle. Unless you live in a major city, it's rare to walk from place to place. It's not uncommon for Europeans to leave their office at lunchtime, often for more than an hour, to go home to enjoy a warm meal. More so, it's no secret that American's are overworked and stressed, which makes it even harder to maintain a good relationship with food.

In America, healthy eating is not just preoccupation but it is an obsession. It's not uncommon for the typical American to spend decades of life feeling controlled or confused by food. Weighing, measuring, calculating every meal to get it "right." The diet industry has made eating (which should be rather simple) extremely confusing, complicated and conflicting. Social media, healthism, fat phobia, self-objectification and the toxic diet culture have led many people to fear food and despise the body they see in the mirror.

When we were in Karel's hometown of Znojmo, Czech Republic we ate a lot. We also walked a lot. Grocery stores were convenient. Food delivery was not. It's hard to eat in the car when you drive a manual transmission. It was not common to drink your coffee on the go. Gas stations serve real food and excellent coffee. And there's even a place inside the gas station to sit down and enjoy your coffee in a real cup. Portions were always reasonable (small to American standards) but the food tasted amazing. We were satisfied after each meal. Our meals included a lot of olive oil, butter, salt, potatoes and cheese. There was structure in our day as it was expected that lunch would be served at noon - often a two course meal, starting with soup. Always served on nice dishes. Even during the Haute Route Alps, we ate on real dishes after every stage. I saw very little plastic during our event. Seasonal eating is taken very seriously in Europe. Eating strawberries after July doesn't make sense when plums are heavily in season.

Now don't get me wrong. I would have given anything to have a meal delivered to us after riding 100+ miles in the French Alps. And for the last two stages, my dinner meal was chips and cereal. 

But when I return from Europe, I'm reminded of America's relationship with food - and to be honest, it's kinda messy. People are not only disconnected from their own bodies but also disconnected from food. Instead of making peace with food and putting effort into creating sustainable healthy habits and positive eating behaviors, it's normal to be caught up in the latest diet fads - fasting, keto, low carb, etc. - constantly searching for the easist, quick fix solution. When in Europe, after eating meal after meal prepared and served with so much care and love, I struggled even more to understand why it's acceptable and encouraged to starve yourself of food. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not feared. The diet culture has taught you to feel guilty about calories consumed, to obsess over what "bad" food is off-limit or to believe that your self worth is tied to your physical appearance.

Sadly, the diet industry has done so much damage to the American body and mind. I realize this is not just an American issue but American's are deeply entrenched in dieting, food guilt, deprivation and restrictive eating.

I always try to learn lessons when I am in another country. When it comes to improving your relationship with food, here are a few lessons learned from European eating:

• Make the time to prepare meals. Enjoy the process of collecting ingredients, patiently chop and cook and take pride in the final product.
• Fill yourself with flavor. Choose the real version of ingredients to ensure your meals are of high quality. You may find that you end up eating less but feeling much more satisfied.
• Take time to sit down and eat. Eating a meal should not be a burden. It should be done at a table, with silverware. Consider a more structured eating regime so that meals don't turn into mindless snacking.
• Eat with others when possible. Not alone in the car or behind a computer desk. It's not a burden to take 30 minutes out of your day to enjoy a meal. Relax and taste your food.

If you want to make healthy eating less complicated, eat real food. Real ingredients contribute to nutritious meals.

I've learned a lot from my travels to Europe and I carry the following tips with me to maintain a healthy relationship with food wherever/whenever I eat: 

-Welcome all foods without restrictions
-Listen to your body to guide your eating choices
-Be flexible with eating choices
-See the value in food beyond calories
-Remind yourself that your value as a human is not determined by your image.

My thoughts on culture and body image

I'd like to ask you a personal question....

Over the past day, how many times have you been called fat - to your face?
Over the past week, how many times has someone told you that you need to lose weight?
Over the past month, how many times has someone commented on your body, in a negative way?
Over the past year, how many times have you been told by someone that you will always be unhappy until you change your body composition?

I'm hoping that the answer is never for if anyone is commenting about your body, I'd think twice about the role of that person in your life and how he/she is adding value to your life. Certainly, there are exceptions for health/medical reasons regarding body composition changes. 

Now I'd like to ask yourself the same questions but now that someone is you. How many times over the past day, week, month or year(s) have you told yourself that you are fat, you need to lose weight, commented on your body or believed you will only be happy when you change your body composition?

Sadly, far too many people struggle with negative self-talk regarding body image. If nobody is saying these things to your face, where are these thoughts coming from? Why do you feel so badly about the way that you look?

As someone who strives to always send positive messages about body image (especially relating to athletes and sport performance), it makes me so sad that so many individuals see body image as a reflection of self-worth. That is, how you look holds so much importance in your life.

What is body image? It's how you visually perceive your body, how you feel about your physical appearance, how you think and talk about your body and your sense of how other people view your body.

In America (and many other parts of the world),  your body image has a lot to do with how you feel you measure up when compared to the societal or media-supported norms. This is often where those negative thoughts come from. When you see someone who is lean, you feel fat. When someone looks pretty, you feel ugly. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, the media (TV, magazines, Facebook, Instagram, bloggers, movies, commercials, etc.) constantly reminds you how you should look. That is, the more you watch, look at or are entertained by perfect images of others, you feel worse about yourself when you don't fit into societies "perfect" body image.

Now this is no biggie if you can laugh it off and carry on with your day but this is far from the case. The more negative your body image, the greater the risk for extreme weight or body control behaviors such as extreme dieting, extreme exercise habits, cosmetic surgery, eating disorders and using supplements or drugs to change body composition.

Societies connection between thinness or leanness and beauty is around you on a daily basis. Think about all those unrealistic body images that are genetically impossible for most of us to emulate. 6-pack abs, sculpted arms, thin thighs, a flat stomach, a perfectly rounded butt - these are the images that you are told are "ideal"  and normal, desirable and achievable, but in truth, they are unattainable and truthfully, the work needed to achieve this ideal look may not make you happy or healthy in the long run. But, constantly trying to measure up to these images may make you feel worse about yourself - often picking on all of your flaws and self-imposed disgusting features. Sadly, many people believe that having fat on the body is a sign of being ugly, unattractive and unhappy whereas those with a toned, thin or muscular body are happy, successful, body and disciplined.  When did this become the norm?

While the media is a powerful tool that is responsible for determining the standards for beauty, physical attractiveness and what's sexy (or not), it's important to get to a point of body acceptance to improve your quality of life. Even if you desire to change your body composition, make sure you are not comparing yourself to others and realize that your self-esteem and happiness should not depend on how you look. You should want to eat healthy food and exercise not because you need to look a certain way but because a healthy lifestyle allows you to do awesome things with your body. And it's absolutely ok to eat nutrient poor food on occasion (like ice cream and other treats) and to not feel guilty about it!

Over the past few weeks, I've been "living" in a society where I don't speak the language. I don't watch TV, I have limited time on social media, I don't read magazines and I don't watch movies here. The only person I talk to is Karel. Why do I share this with you? Despite already having positive views about my body image, body confidence and cultural diversity go together. In other words, by traveling, interacting with a different culture and experiencing foreign foods, you are no longer confined to the images that overwhelm you on a daily basis. When I see bodies here in Czech, I see all sizes. People express who they are without trying to fit a standard. When we go to the local swimming pool, I see body confident men and women in very little clothing - smiling, running/playing around and having fun. These people look happy and guess what, they aren't lean or skinny. Yes, people can be happy without being fat-free.

While I'm sure there are people here who are dieting to look different, surrounding yourself with people from other cultures may help to lead to a healthier body image. If anything, when you are in a different culture with such diversity, you get to choose what messages you want to listen to - that is, if you can speak the language. If you can't speak the language, no one can tell you what you should or shouldn't look like and that's gotta feel good. You can choose negative self talk or positive talk. You can think about all the negative things about yourself or focus on positive aspects and your individual uniqueness.

Remember, there is no standard or perfect body. You can be thin, medium or heavy built and still have problems or be happy and healthy. You don't need to achieve a certain weight to have a satisfying and enriching life. While I believe in good lifestyle habits to reduce risk for disease and to improve quality of life, "healthy" doesn't have a look or a number on the scale that never changes.

You are unique in your own way. Let go of your personal assumptions about yourself. Stop "following" people who make you feel bad about your image and spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, exercise and their body. Enjoy, thank, celebrate and accept who you are. And the next time you travel, consider exploring cultures and cultural traditions that support positive body image and self-esteem. Sadly, the Western culture is hyper focused on dieting and appearance. If only we could be like other cultures and rather than highlighting and commenting on appearances, we could celebrate all bodies.