Fitness in the City of Angels

By Rachael Gill

Do you want to be fit for life?

Although the latest reports indicate that medical research is headed in the direction of extending life, well beyond 100 years the elusive "fountain of youth" still remains an elusive goal. However, it has definitely been proven that regular exercise will add years to anyone's life expectancy.

Solving the Fat Problem

Every physical and psychological function requires energy. If we had no energy we simply could not exist. We obtain our energy from the foods we consume while they supply varying levels of energy. Food energy is calculated in measurements known as Calories. When we eat, we supply our bodies with caloric sources of energy. We release this energy by:

Moving; all physical activities
Thinking; all psychological functions
Metabolism; the operational and recuperative functions of the body

Of these three, Moving, "physical activities", requires the greatest supply of energy to conduct its chores. Metabolism, on the other hand, burns plenty of calories after the body has been stimulated with intense activity relying on additional calories to fuel this reparation process.

Benefits of Fitness

Those who partake in an active lifestyle develop a greater number of benefits than initially expected. Even though their intentions may be to reshape their bodies and lose some excess body fat, fitness will not confine itself to just these two benefits. The fascinating fact about activity participation is that it produces a positive psychological chain-reaction influencing the entire being.

The Mind & Nerves

The relationship between fitness and knowledge blends nicely especially when one understands how their own body performs under various conditions. Consistent participation in activities develops a harmonious communication between the mind and body. And with our nervous system headquartered in our brain, this intricate system relays electrical mental impulses messengering this data to various body tissues.

Thinking makes us smarter, and activities get us thinking. When we are having fun performing our activities, we are happily thinking and developing higher levels of fitness at the same time. The better fit we are, the better we can think and concentration.

Muscles & Bones

Our bodies are literally held together by a network of muscles and their relative tissues (i.e., tendons and ligaments). Weakened muscles cannot hold our skeleton (our boney network) in proper alignment as the body shifts out of its natural position. If we had no muscles at all our skeleton would fall right to the floor. So as our muscles strengthen with activity the better our bodies will be held together.

The Heart

You are aware that the heart is a muscle? It is! In fact, the heart is a muscular pump responsible for the distribution of blood to all areas of the body. When we are involved in activity, our hearts beat at accelerated rates. This acceleration stimulates strength benefits to the heart similar to other muscles.

The Lungs

We already know that the heart beats faster while we are active – so does our rate of breathing. Oxygen is our life supporting gas which we cannot do without for very long. We can go without food or water for days, but without oxygen we cannot last more than a few minutes.

Exercise can be done individually or in a group and many people enjoy the latter.

However, many people like the idea of exercising in a group. It is a good way to make new friends and be in the company of attractive people who are fit or who are trying to reach that level.

With the modern lifestyle as practiced in Bangkok, people leave for work and then come home late at night. It is convenient for someone to schedule their exercise at a fitness center near their work or on the way home.

And of course, few, if any, can have a person gym with all the equipment and fitness instructors that modern fitness centers offer.

Here are the two kinds of exercises currently popular in Bangkok:

Body combat is claimed by California Fitness to be a workout sensation. This exercise combines aerobics and martial arts. It is one workout that will raise your intensity level, raise your fitness level, fight fat and kick cholesterol down where it belongs! Body combat is structured to get results safely, but mostly it is high-energy fun!

Pilates is pronounced puh-LAH-teez. It includes about 500 exercises, many of them based on yoga and dance. Pilates integrates body and mind. Rather than lots of repetitions, each exercise is performed only a few times, but with intense concentration on form and precision. The result is longer, leaner, suppler muscles, improved posture, increased grace, clarity of mind, and a feeling of "refreshment" after class. The essence of these exercises is proper breathing and control over your body and its muscles, with particular emphasis on the abdomen. The classes and exercise routines are quite interesting and offer a lot of variety. After all, a fitness center must have customers.

Here is a list of other fitness classes that you can find in Bangkok:

Body Pump is the original fat-burning class that uses barbells to give you the fastest way to tone and condition muscles! The best weight training exercises are combined with great music to strengthen and shape your entire body.
Body Step is the ultimate way to give your body a high energy cardio blast and tone the hips and thighs.
Body Jam is a dance cardio workout where funky instructors teach you to move with attitude and style. An addictive fusion of the latest dance styles and hottest new sounds. It puts the emphasis as much on having fun as breaking a sweat – it is where cardio vascular fitness meets urban culture!
Kickboxing refers to sport-fighting using kicks and punches and sometimes throws and bows representing a certain martial art or can be practiced for general fitness or as a full-contact sport.
Body Balance is a unique blend of Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi exercises to build flexibility and develop core muscle strength. Controlled breathing, concentration and a carefully structured series of stretches and postural moves to music creating a workout that brings the body into a state of harmony.
Spinning is an indoor aerobic conditioning program utilizing stationary exercise bikes.
RPM is an awesome workout for improving your aerobic capacity and anaerobic strength performed on stationary cycles. This terrain pushes your body to burn calories and tighten your frame.
Hot Yoga is also known as 'Bikram Yoga'. It is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) with humidity of 40%. Classes are guided by a specific dialogue including 26 postures and two breathing exercises.
Kinesis liberates the exercise regime from two-dimensional constraints of the cable-and-pulley machine. This is designed to accommodate multi-plane motion patterns without compromising the resistance load within a movement progression system.
Water Aerobics can be categorized as shallow-water aerobics or deep-water workout. In shallow-water aerobics, you stand in waist to chest-deep water; typical moves include marching, stretching, circling your arms, bending your knees, and swinging your legs. A deep-water workout is done with water over your head; a flotation device is worn to keep your head above water and your body upright. These can be more difficult than shallow-water ones and consists of jumping jacks and moving your legs as if you were jogging, cycling, or cross-country skiing.
Tae Bo is a form of high impact aerobics that combines the moves of Tae Kwon Do, karate, boxing, ballet and hip-hop dancing. The workouts can improve balance, coordination, flexibility and has extreme effectiveness in toning and defining the entire body.
Here is a partial list of fitness centers available in Bangkok and their locations:
California Fitness: Siam Paragon, Silom, Sukhumvit 23, Esplanade and Ratchayothin; http://www.californiawowx.com
Clark Hatch: Amari Watergate Hotel, Amari Atrium Hotel, Century Park Hotel, Windsor Suites, Vibhavadi, Charn Issara Tower and Sri Center; http://www.clarkhatchthailand.com
Fitness First: Future Park Rangsit, Bangna, Central Pinklao, Landmark Hotel, Rama III, Sukhumvit and Ngam Wong Wan; http://www.fitnessfirst.co.th

There are many more fitness centers, some of them with only one location. Conversely, most three-star and above hotels have fitness centers and conveniences such as spas.

Personal attractiveness is always highly valued in society and in business. That usually can be achieved with a good exercise program. Remember to take some time for yourself!