Posted by clairef on Sunday, May 28, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

Being surrounded by carbs, cheese, and gelato, I have been trying hard to workout while here in Cefalu throughout the duration of our trip. Since we don’t have easy access to a gym, many of the workouts have taken place outside, running along the boardwalk. As a primarily an indoor runner, this has been a totally new experience for me.

The route that my roommate Haley and I run most often is along the boardwalk, and is 2.3 miles down and back in length. This location is ideal for the flat roads, nice views, water breeze, and the prime people watching. As we run most days, we have started to see familiar faces along our run. There is a man who runs very quickly, and we speculate may be training for a race; two men that run together with their German shepherd; two older women who enjoy running together as well; and then other individuals who also appear to be tourists – judging by their appearances and outfits.

One day early on, we went for a run in a larger group, and strayed off the boardwalk – up into a wooded trail. We continued following the trail, assuming it would reconnect with the boardwalk, but unfortunately it did not. We ended up walking around a dirt road, past the old Club Med, and eventually reached one of the main highways. We walked around the highway until we came to the train station, where we stopped and waited for the trains to pass. We received many stares from surrounding drivers as we stood in front of the road block waiting for the rail to raise up and allow us to run through. Eventually we were able to find the boardwalk and continue our run. While our diversion impacted the intensity of our workout, it was interesting to see how quickly our surroundings morphed from an urban to a rural environment. Generally, on running trails in the United States, the environment is consistent throughout the trail, and you don’t see such a variance in surroundings. Since this occurred early on in the trip, it was also slightly concerning. We had no bearings of our surroundings, and no cell service. To me, this highlighted the dependence that we have on technology in the United States. Nobody gets lost anymore, as many people can always easily access directions on your phone. While Cefalu seemed small and relatively safe, it was unsettling to not know where you are, where you are going, or how to get home. That being said, Americans may be too dependent on technology, and the ability to assess situations and find solutions on your own is an invaluable skill.

We generally run in the earlier morning and later evenings to avoid the heat, and in my opinion, there aren’t many other runners. In America, running trails are often packed all throughout the day, filled with runners, walkers, and bikers of all ages embracing active lifestyles. This doesn’t even include the number of individuals who hit the gym daily, or attend various types of workout classes. There definitely seems to be more options for exercising in America, with different types of gyms, different style workout classes, and accessibility to information about nutritional and physical wellness. While these services may be available in Cefalu, they are not obvious or apparent to me. We went to Florence for our free weekend, and Haley and I went for a run there as well. The run was much more difficult due to the cobble-stone roads and crowds, but we saw significantly more runners than we do in Cefalu. I am curious if the high presence of tourists in Cefalu impacts the number of people working out, or if there is simply a different mentality in Florence.

That being said, while I don’t see as many individuals exercising in Cefalu as I do in America, I don’t see as many obese individuals either. While I’m not quite sure how anyone could permanently live around all this delicious food and stay thin – a lot of people I have observed manage to do it! I think this speaks to the difference in diets between here in Cefalu and in America. While the city may be filled with carbs, cheese and gelato, I haven’t seen excessive amounts of fried items on the menus, and there are many fish options as well. The portion sizes are also smaller (in most cases) and all incorporate fresh ingredients.

From my perspective, I think in America there is pressure to be fit, while here in Cefalu, there is more of a focus on being healthy. The people I observe on the beach are slim, but often not toned. In America, there is pressure to look a certain way, and have a certain body type. In order to achieve these standards, individuals, especially females, will cut out food groups, spend hours in the gym, and intently count calories. On the other hand, here in Cefalu, you can’t walk down the street without seeing multiple individuals with gelato, and when at restaurants, I have found that servers are often not happy when people do not finish the food on their plates. I truly believe that the Sicilians have adapted the mentality of enjoying everything in moderation, and by sticking to the Mediterranean diet can maintain slim figures without spending hours in a gym. Through eating fresh foods and lots of fish, meat, vegetables and cheese, they are avoiding the saturated and trans-fats that permeate throughout American cuisine.

I’m not sure you can say one approach is better than the other, and while I have enjoyed my outdoor runs, believe that I will likely go back to running on the treadmill when I return to the United States. Also, I have enjoyed the Mediterranean cuisine during my stay here in Cefalu, but I have been really missing my favorite food – chicken. However, I have developed a liking for swordfish, and find myself putting tomatoes on everything.

Running through Cefalu has been a great experience for me during this course – giving my time to learn the city, observe the fellow runners, and consider the differences in diets and approaches to physical wellness.