Staying Active During Your Cultural Exchange
Transporting your life to the United States is the ultimate immersion into American culture, but it can cause a disruption to the normal routine you follow in your home country. With all the excitement of the program, a healthy lifestyle can be an afterthought. We’ve compiled a list of activities that intertwine exercise and cultural for you to engage in during your Exchange Visitor Program.
Run/Jog/Walk
An easy way to achieve a cultural experience every day is to run (interchangeable with jog or walk) through your local neighborhood. Each run is an opportunity to explore a new area – to see new architecture, observe different people, visit new parks or community areas. Listening to American music or American podcasts will enrich this cultural activity. If you love running, cities all over the country host races, from 5ks to marathons. These events are a chance for you to reach a personal exercise goal and contribute to the local community.
Local Sports
Embrace the local sports culture where you live. If your program is in a snowy city, try snowboarding, skiing, and ice skating. If you’re living by the coast or on the island of Hawaii, give surfing or paddle boarding a try!
Hike
Hiking is an opportunity to disconnect from your phone, appreciate the natural world, and recenter yourself. The United States has many hiking trails for you to explore, each offering a unique opportunity to see local landscapes and wildlife. Invite a co-worker from a different culture to hike with you and discuss the similarities and differences between your cultures and American culture.
Yoga
Yoga is a major fitness practice across the USA with tons of studios to choose from in most cities. However, why not exercise outside the box and try a quirky yoga class like beer yoga, where your class takes place in a brewery and includes a free beer, or goat yoga, where your class is joined by playful goats? These classes are pure fun, and they offer an easy ice breaker to talk with Americans – did you enjoy that beer? how cute are those goats?
Circuit Training
Circuit training is a quick way to pack in a punch with a workout. It involves a series of exercises that are completed multiple times in a session. For a busy Exchange Visitor, circuit workouts can be completed before a day out exploring a city or after the work day is over. We’ve created a circuit workout focused on the Exchange Visitor Program to ensure your workouts are always varied and interesting.
Group Sports
Group sports, like basketball and soccer, are an excellent way to bond with new friends and make exercise feel less like exercise. Each city will have different options for group sports. Search for a local community center, like the YMCA, that organizes adult recreational games. Local soccer facilities may offer drop in sessions during the evening. Host employers often organize employee teams, so check with your manager. If they don’t, suggest it! No matter your skill level, these games are about the friendship and teamwork involved.
