Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2015 - The Health & Wellness Issue | Page 42
HEALTH & well-being
Lessons in Exercise
by Gill Morris
Photo: Shutterstock
I
don’t pretend to know everything about exercise. Indeed
I am not a gym instructor, nor an expert in the field of fitness. What
I do know I’ve learned on my own path
to fitness — a path I’ve drifted from
and come back to over the years. Here
are my personal tips to getting fit for expat women living in Thailand.
RUNNING
Running was my first love, but it wasn’t
love at first run. When I first started
running, I began with a short jog around
the area where I lived. It lasted all of
10 minutes, and for the following few
days my muscles were so sore it put
me off. I didn’t go again for a while. In
2009 when I moved to Thailand, I picked
it up again by running around the local
park. Again, it was slow going, but I kept
at it this time and realised that I was improving in quite a short space of time.
When I told my friends at home that
I love to run, they all thought I was crazy.
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But then a couple of them started to run,
and they now realise why I love it. It’s a
great all-round exercise that will get you
fit. It’s also good for the mind. You can
get lost in your thoughts and really think
things through on a run.
Everyone has different reasons why
they run, and indeed they will all have
different goals. My thinking is: if I can
do 5k one day, I can do it the next day;
if I do any less than 5k, it annoys me. My
friends choose to run for distance and
time. One of my friends enters trail runs
with his target being a certain number
of kilometres clocked per month.
TIPS FOR BEGINNING
RUNNERS
1
TRY
IT!
A lot of people are afraid of running.
But you need to try it to find out if
you might just love it.
2
KEEP
AT IT
3
THINK ABOUT
WHY YOU RUN
Don’t get disheartened if you can’t run
far, particularly when you first start.
You will improve over time.
If improving your distance is your
goal, then stick to that. If it is time,
then focus on your time. Don’t worry
about what anyone else is doing.
It’s your workout!
WALKING
Walking is my second love. I visited
New Zealand in 2008 and walked
through farmland, over snow-covered mountains, and through
green countryside, and my love
of walking was born. After that,
I just continued to walk everywhere. I would walk 5 miles to work,
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