Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2015 - The Health & Wellness Issue | Page 30
HEALTH & well-being
Alternative Fitness in Bangkok
T
he benefits of exercise are indisputable. Regular exercise
can boost your mood, your
immune system, your energy
levels, and your self-esteem.
It can reduce your risk of stress,
depression and even serious
illnesses such as heart disease
and cancer. It can not only improve
but also save your life. So why,
when we know it’s good for us,
is it so damn tough to make regular
exercise a part of our daily routine?
Many of us struggle to meet
recommended exercise guidelines
every week, and the problem
is partly down to our busy jobs
and lives. But that’s not the whole
picture. Let’s face it—exercise
is just plain unpleasant.
For people who don’t get their
kicks from sweating
it out at the gym or slogging their
way around the local park, exercise
can seem like a chore and, as with
any chore we dislike, we find
ourselves putting it off again
and again.
At least that’s certainly true
for me. Although I love being
active, I’ve always found exercise
for its own sake unappealing.
In school I loved orientation
classes in PE—running around
the woods using maps to search
out hidden flags was infinitely
more rewarding than plodding
up and down a wet pitch for games
of football that only I found boring.
I just didn’t get it. What were
the rewards of doing something
so dull and uncomfortable? For
many years, I was a couch potato
with energy I didn’t know what
to do with. After that I became
a reluctant jogger, hating every
step and complaining relentlessly.
But not any longer. I stopped
exercising for its own sake when
I discovered roller derby. I realized
fitness didn’t have to be horrible
nor boring, and I didn’t have
to dread doing it or feel bad about
myself because I avoided it.
With roller derby, I played
because I loved it, and that made
all the difference.
28 WANDERLUST
by Sarah Cason
Since then, I’ve developed an
interest in extreme sports and
unusual fitness activities. I play
roller derby and do parkour every
week. My fitness has increased
without feeling like it’s been
a painful battle. The simple fact
that I enjoy myself is motivation
enough.
If you want to look past the
gym or running track, here are
three funky forms of exercise
available right here in Bangkok:
in your environment no longer
inhibit your progress or block
your path, but are integrated into
it or are used to create new paths.
HOW IT'S DONE
Parkour is a fantastic full-body
workout building fu