Hiking in the Midst of Thanksgiving: Healthy living is crucial

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States. During this holiday, schools and businesses temporarily close to enable people to go home to celebrate with their friends and families. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year.

While in Ghana, I observed Thanksgiving Day by watching international channels including CNN, BBC, and DW TV. I sometimes fantasize about how delicious a Thanksgiving meal would be. This was because of the way the turkey meat was being prepared and served.

Four years ago, I didn’t have to watch any of these channels to mark Thanksgiving Day. In 2017, a friend at the Clinton School of Public Service invited me over to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with him and his family. The fantasy to eat a Thanksgiving meal, a roast turkey, became a reality.

I didn’t really enjoy my first ever Thanksgiving meal, particularly the turkey meat for a number of reasons. I had only been in the United States for 4 months, so I struggled to eat the food. Even now, I am still struggling to eat some American food, but over the years I’ve had time to adjust to most of it.

Of all the Thanksgiving holidays, I would say that my fourth Thanksgiving holiday is the most special one because I got to spend the whole week with my wife, her parents, siblings, friends, and relatives. The Thanksgiving food was nice, but wasn’t as spicy and steaming hot as African food.

The day after Thanksgiving, I got to go hiking with my in-laws, something I have not done since I came to the United States. While living in Kapoeto, a village in Salaga, Ghana, I used to hike with my mates. Our type of hiking involved searching for squirrels and birds.

Besides this, I used to play soccer and also run for the school. While living in Accra, I trek to Wesley Grammar School in Dansoman. Also, I was a regular soccer player along the Korle Lagoon, near International Central Gospel Church, Abossey.

Here in Little Rock, Arkansas, I was a regular visitor at the Julius Breckling Trail, Big Dam Bridge at Clinton’s presidential library, and MacArthur Park. Sometimes I would trek around the park 7 times in about 45 minutes.

I was particularly excited about hiking because it reminded me of all my memories of walking in parks and with friends. Most importantly, it was time to get rid of the extra calories that I may have accumulated during Thanksgiving week.

On Friday, November 26, while most Americans were out Black Friday shopping, we left for hiking. It was about a 30-minute drive from my in-laws’ house. We arrived at the Shaddox Hollow Trail at the Hobbs State Park-Conversation Area in Rogers.

We descended on the “1.5-mile loop trail that showcases the seasonal changes of Ozark forest.” We were greeted with “scenic views of the Beaver Lake shorelines and limestone bluffs.” It was somewhat steep while walking on the trail.

Along the trail were sedimentary rocks, wood, and seemingly dried vegetation cover. I noticed limestone bluffs and overhangs sprinkled throughout the landscape.

After about 10 minutes into the hiking, I noticed something unusual about my stamina. My feet and thighs were already wobbling like a newly born cow that was struggling to get up a few minutes after it was born.

In the next 20-25 minutes of the hike, we stopped at the shore of Beaver Lake to drink water, chat, and rest to regain our energies for the second half of the hiking. We played with the rocks along the shoreline, throwing them into the mud and skipping them along the surface of the water.

The second phase involved climbing up the mountain through “stands of hardwoods and native Ozark vegetation.” I was tired of walking up the steep incline but reluctant to ask my wife and in-laws to stop for another rest. As fate would have it, the leader stopped, gasping for some air. I guess everyone was tired and needed to rest.

I cannot speak for everyone but for myself. I said to myself “What happen to the exuberant Johnny who used to trek for hours without sweating?”

I realize that for almost a year now, I have not been exercising. I mean I don’t walk around MacArthur Park 7 times anymore. Anytime I go to downtown Little Rock, I drive around the places I used to trek. An activity I called “carxercise.” By this, I mean sitting in a car and driving through your favorite places as means of car-exercising. It burns a lot fewer calories than walking.

The lack of stamina and energy to climb through the valleys and mountains reminded me that I need to revisit my old days of keeping fit. I need to drink more water, trek around my favorite bridges, parks, and most importantly, eat healthy meals, not the potatoes and pies of Thanksgiving.

I learned that keeping fit is not an intermittent thing but a daily practice if one really needs to stay fit. Also, I realize that one can stay fit without necessarily going to the gym. All you need is a hiking trail or a path in a park.

You can stay healthy by cooking meals. Cooking your own meals enables you to plan what goes into your body. Not only does it help you to stay healthy but also saves you some money.

Hiking in the midst of Thanksgiving pricked me to rethink and revisit the things I used to do to keep fit. It’s stressful to exercise regularly. However, it’s crucial to stay healthy.