Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Are you fit to play mas? Revellers share their preparations for the road

Published:Friday | July 8, 2022 | 12:06 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Shanell Forsythe showing off her carnival-ready body on the road with Xodus in 2019. Unable to attend this year’s parade, she’ll be skipping the festivities.
Shanell Forsythe showing off her carnival-ready body on the road with Xodus in 2019. Unable to attend this year’s parade, she’ll be skipping the festivities.
Trayce-Ann Henry has been jumping for a decade, developing a steady health routine to accompany the soca lifestyle. This year, however, it was tough to find the discipline to maintain her routine. ‘Any kind of body carnival day get, it affi go tek,’ sh
Trayce-Ann Henry has been jumping for a decade, developing a steady health routine to accompany the soca lifestyle. This year, however, it was tough to find the discipline to maintain her routine. ‘Any kind of body carnival day get, it affi go tek,’ she told Living.
Jodi Hanson is looking forward to testing her fitness on the road this Carnival Sunday.
Jodi Hanson is looking forward to testing her fitness on the road this Carnival Sunday.
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Whether your goal is to drink your water and mind your business or be ‘out and bad’ in the name of soca, all roads will lead to the glamour and spectacle of Carnival Sunday. But given the recent break caused by the pandemic, are you fit to play mas? Living spoke to three revellers about their fitness preparations for the soca season.

Jodi Hanson decided that for the next carnival, she would come off the sidelines and go center stage, but COVID-19 had other plans. “I had to be on the road last carnival, but of course, with COVID-19 and all things cancelled, I had to wait it out,” she told Living.

In a twist of fate, the first-timer, who will be jumping in Xodus, revealed that she is even more excited now because the wait is finally over. “It’s my first time, so I kinda don’t know what to expect, but I’m sure it’ll be a great time.” She chose the Jinx costume because of the incredible colour combination that will accentuate her vibrant and fierce personality.

To prepare for the ‘wining’ occasion, Hanson went on a three-month programme, working out four to six times per week, drinking lots of water, getting enough rest, eating well, taking daily supplements, limiting alcohol intake and cheat meals. “This was important to me because I want to look and feel my best. I can already feel the energy for this weekend.”

Trayce-Ann Henry has been jumping carnival for over a decade, and her experience gave her the wisdom to pay down on her costume early. Having completed her purchase in 2020, she had no desire to waste her money with the return this year. “There wouldn’t be any refund, and I did not want to defer to the 2023 soca season, so the best choice was to jump. Even though I dread the sun, it made sense to make use of my money now,” she said.

She began preparing mentally and physically before the announcement of carnival dates. Unfortunately, she faltered in trying to live a healthy lifestyle due to a lack of discipline. “Any kind of body carnival day get, it affi go tek,” Henry shared with a laugh.

The veteran looks forward to being outside with her friends and enjoying herself while jumping with Xodus in Snow this year.

For Shanelle Forsythe, carnival has always been the dream and the goal. She jumped once without costume during college and another time, officially with Xodus, in 2019.

“I had a good time at Carnival 2019. The vibe was good. Being on the road with my friends was epic! The food was good, too, and the music was right. Everything came together nicely, and my costume, Cairo, was perfect,” she said with great enthusiasm.

To prepare for the road, she enrolled in the gym in November 2018. She attended every day, sometimes twice per day. And while she was always fit, she desired to be perfectly road-ready, “A change of diet helped as well, and I ate more during this time, but in smaller portions,” she said.

Forsythe looked forward to participating in carnival 2020, noting that the band-launched costumes were really nice. But the pandemic hit, putting a delay in her chipping expedition. Life took her overseas to pursue her career, and, unable to make it, she put up her 2020 costume for purchase. “I’m definitely going to miss the vibe, the sun pelting on my skin, the energy from the other revellers, and the non-stop ‘cayliss’ behaviour.