Lost in translation

[MW50]

Following the advice from lotoloose I started using wrist weights on my daily walk to add a bit of upper body work, and it is working well.  However the natives in my portuguese village veiw exercise with suspision, and have no idea about weights.  Last week I passed them on their way to church and offered my usual cheery Bon dias, by the time they came out of church the news had gone round that I had fallen on one of my walks and broken both wrists, confirming their opinion that walking was indeed bad for your health.  I have spent the whole week trying to explain but they now think I am just plain gone in the head!

[DartmoorDumpling Restart Feb 2024]

Wonder what they would think if you used walking poles?  Also a good way to work the arms and save loading on the knees.

[MW50 in reply to DartmoorDumpling]

We live close to Portugal's only ski resort so they might actually understand walking poles better than weights, but I would still be that mad english woman who skis without snow!

[Venusflytrap]

I am guessing that they have physically hard labour as a regular part of their lives.  So regard their down time as being rest time.  Just think how hard our grandmothers worked keeping their houses clean and their families clean and fed.  Must be even harder in a hotter climate.  Perhaps you could collect messages for the occasional less mobile member of the community, so they can see you're actually doing something in your walking?   One of my elderly relatives in a similar situation got herself a dog.  She said her new village understood her having to take her dog for a lot of walks.  But had viewed her as very odd when she was taking just herself!  A fold up shopping bag, might provide enough camouflage!  You can flourish it in the village and then put it in a pocket for the rest of your walk.  

[MW50]

i'm afraid the shopping bag won't work, only 1 shop in the village and anything bought there is the subject of much discussion.  Next shop 10km away.  But don't get me wrong, I love these people and would not want to live anywhere else.