Get Fit For Crop Over

My boyfriend always says you know when Crop Over* is on the way. The highways and byways of Barbados are populated with hikers, walkers and runners trying to get in shape and strengthen their endurance for Kadooment Day.

However, this is only one way of preparing for the climax of our Crop Over Festival. Here we will examine more ways to get fit mentally, financially and physically.

Physically

Exercise – Whether you choose to walk, run or go to the gym, aerobic exercise is a great way to build endurance by strengthening your heart and your muscles. The importance of exercise cannot be highlighted enough as it relates to preparing for Kadooment Day.

Should you attempt to make the trek from the National Stadium to Spring Garden physically unprepared, you will faint, cramp and be forced to end your day early because you can’t carry your body the full length of the course.

Therefore, I endorse the hikers, runners and walkers and those going to the gym as this will stand them in good physical stead to enjoy and endure the highlight of the Crop Over season.

Diet – As great as your 5 day a week exercise programme may be, you need to balance it with a proper diet that will give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs. Try to load your diet with protein which helps build muscle strength and carbohydrates to energise your workouts. Use olive oil and nuts as the natural way to get fats in your diet to keep your joints supple.

Rest and relaxation – Overdoing physical exercise and job or school and family obligations will burn you out before you get to Kadooment Day if you don’t take time to relax. To help yourself rest and relax, some great suggestions are spa visits, getting regular sleep (eight hours is the recommendation), and spending time with friends and family. This rest helps restore your muscles after a long day and strenuous workout.

Financially

Save – It’s one thing to be in shape and fit and ready for the festival but to be unable to afford costumes, food and drinks and to join a band makes it feel all in vain. This can be avoided by saving for the festival ahead of time, if possible, so that when the time comes you have the finances to participate fully in the festival the way you choose.

Budget and Prioritise – You may only be able to do Kadooment Day on your finances, so don’t overextend yourself by going to all the parties and events then to have to recover financially from the festival until Christmas or beyond. Take a balanced view of where your finances can take you and stick to those events. If your main goal is jumping on Kadooment Day, then let the preparations for that take financial priority in creating your budget.

Mentally

Jumping on Kadooment day does not only require physical endurance, one also needs to have the mental sustenance to make it through the day. Without it, one would give up before your body tells you to because you have made up in your mind that this is too much. Your body would be able to carry you but your mind would slow you down.

Meditate – Take time to meditate - this helps keep your mind relaxed in times of stress as well as in endurance battles, which Kadooment Day can prove to be.

Be optimistic – A positive attitude is essential to building the mental toughness to endure a physical test such as a long road party.

If you follow this advice, you can build your mental and physical endurance so you can enjoy Kadooment Day to its fullest.

Looks like she was prepared.

*Crop Over: The most anticipated festival in Barbados, which was founded to celebrate the end of the sugar cane harvest. It begins in June and comes to a climax with Grand Kadooment on the first Monday of August. Kadooment is a massive carnival parade with revellers dressed in vibrant, eye-catching costumes. Crop Over comprises of other exciting main events including Bridgetown Market, the calypso competitions Pic-o-de Crop and Party Monarch, and the variety show Cohobblopot.