A quest for fitness

After what seemed like an eternity, an invitation to take part in the walk finally came through. True, I had taken some time without working out. This was an opportunity I would not miss. I had miserably failed to schedule an appropriate slot for this.  Up to now I can neither pin it on my attitude nor hectic schedule. But I get more convinced that it could have been a combination of both.

A group of friends, out of a need to socialize, came up with an idea of meeting up once in a while. For old times’ sake to reminisce about our school days and link up with one another. The idea came in mid-week and a few of us at least intended to participate.

We planned to walk the first section, from Busega  to Kajjansi along the Kampala - Entebbe Expressway. Actually one of us had developed a habit of riding this route alone. The Kampala – Entebbe Expressway, is a new four - lane dual carriage express way under construction by China Communication Construction Company (CCCC). It starts from Busega through to Akright City Kajjansi and Abayita Ababiri. Construction was commissioned in 2012 and is still work in progress.

Kampala-Entebbe Expressway highlited in blue 

So I prepared for the walk earlier on in the week. I opted for the lighter shorts other than the slacks because I wanted my body to sweat and breath. My daughter got wind of the walk and had expressed kin interest. I later decided against taking her along because I was not sure if she could cope with the brisk walk of the team.

On that day, as my family enjoyed the morning sleep, I left home at 6 am to rendevour with the team at Shell Busega. This is where the six of us parked our vehicles and set off at precisely 7 am. The actual distance to the Kajjansi interchange, we later came to learn, was precisely 13 km.

The Expressway, being still under construction, did not have a lot of traffic apart from a few construction pickups that passed us once in a while.

I for one wanted to jog bits of the stretch but a doctor among us advised that walks had far better health benefits than jogging. In addition to the ligament damage usually caused by jogging.

During that walk we did away with the urban noise pollution, relaxed and enjoyed the fresh air of the swamps. We also delighted in the beautiful scenery of the country side. We met a few pedestrians, some of whom were actually going to their gardens. That day, by a mere stroke of luck, the sun had a covering cloud that blocked its fierce scorching rays for the most part of the morning.

One really good site, was this rock which the express way passes by. It is as huge as it looks and should I mention that it looks awesome. We later learnt it is called Mugalasi Rock. Looked so awesome. It had some heavy earth moving caterpillars working the site. 

The machines .....

The sweat ....

 The rocks ...

CCCC at work along the Kampala - Entebbe Highway

Unlike jogging, walking does not stress the muscles much. Actually the pleasant steps didn’t strain as much as a light jog would. We sweated hard most likely due to lack of exercise. By the time we reached our destination I was more aware of most of my joints, knees, pelvis, shoulder blades and abdominal muscles. We reached the Kajjansi interchange, I should say, after 2 and a half hours. We had a break and used Uber to get back to Busega.

The following week I felt rejuvenated and relaxed. I learnt a very valuable lesson. Good health does not just happen. Everyone has to work towards it. This is what I really want to share with you. I resolved to watch what I eat and to exercise more often. Actually I had to change my lifestyle. As I write this piece, I should say, am still struggling with some of my resolutions. Whereas I have been successful in some areas, I have miserably failed in others. That will be a story for another day.

There is this saying in my language that says “ Oyoza olugweye, atte nolwanika mutaka! ” literally meaning “ You wash your cloth, and then spread it out in the dirt to dry”. Just as that saying goes, please after the your workout do not go to your hangout, and  in a bid to celebrate your achievement order 2kgs of roast goat meat and a pint of your favorite drink or like wise keep away from exercise for a long time because you will  have “spread out our cloth in the dirt”