How To Introduce My Thai Wife To Fitness

[canopy]

She looks good now, but is getting to the age where metabolism alone isn't going to keep the weight down. Diet alone doesn't seem a reasonable solution because food is such an enjoyment to her. I do not know anyone in the village who does fitness and a lot of the women are plump so I see the writing on the wall so to speak. Is there is a type of fitness program a Thai might do regularly? I keep very fit but don't want to push her to that extreme. Just wish to find something simple a Thai would do regularly that contributes to her maintaining looking good and being healthy would be the goal. Look forward to hearing anything you have thought about or tried.

[Mario2008]

A lot of places in Thailand organise free aerobics around 6 PM, especialy woman join in. Ask around, the local hospital or tesabaan should know more.

[Pakeha]

Gardening is actually a really good form of fitness if she enjoys that. A few hours a week and Its as good as brisk walking.

[Heng]

Make her get out of the car about a mile away from home every time ya'll go out.

Joining a fitness club is fun (but you should also be disciplined enough to keep going yourself). Comment once in awhile on hot fit the gals are there. She'll pick up the habit eventually.

[Myaimistrue]

Make her get out of the car about a mile away from home every time ya'll go out.

Joining a fitness club is fun (but you should also be disciplined enough to keep going yourself). Comment once in awhile on hot fit the gals are there. She'll pick up the habit eventually.

Easy.........yoga! A tape will do if a class is not available, but any fitness program requires the self-discipline to do it, which we all know most Thai women are not much into! How about finding something, like yoga, to do with her........that is probably your best bet.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Myaimistrue

[Pakeha]

Make her get out of the car about a mile away from home every time ya'll go out.

And drive along just in front of her with a bag of som tum?

[rixalex]

A lot of places in Thailand organise free aerobics around 6 PM, especialy woman join in. Ask around, the local hospital or tesabaan should know more.

Not saying it's of no benefit, but in terms of actually doing enough to "sharpen up the lines", not so sure. All the women i see locally participating in aerobics seem to be of the same plump round shape, and despite turning up for every session, i don't see much change if any in their shape.

So by all means encourage it, just don't expect it to be the solution.

Edited March 8, 2009 by rixalex

[bina]

what, is she a horse or a show dog?? if she wants, she will do something, if not, then not. and telling her how 'hot' chicks are at the local will just make her upset. u can ask her to join YOU (if fitness is your thing, then go with her to the gym, as a sort of date, twice a week-- like, 'together' time) when u go to a gym, or for 45 minute walks three times a week around the muu baan; if she isnt in to it, then that will be the only way... u both together. part of marriage is accepting that people will eventually look different then that 'hot piece' that u married; it has nothing to do with being thai. i see thai women and men taking care of themselves , even here, when they are working 11 hour days... its a matter of groups. thai prefer to do things in groups. i dont think many thai women will go alone to a gym workout. a woman would probably prefer to go with some friends, so look for groups. also, there are thai health/diet/workout stuff for women (in the women magazines) in thai u can show her also on the net.

bina

israel

[robblok]

From experience i know that exercise is something you should want if not its doomed to fail. You could ask her if she wants to play badminton with you. Try to play a few hours a week on one of the local badminton courts. (even where i live they are available).

Im doing my exercise everyday in my own home gym but i cant convince my wife to ever join me so there is no point in trying. She likes games like badminton more or even swimming. Find something she likes else it will always fail.

[FITCORPASIA]

Thats right, your wife must WANT to do something for herself, not because you tell her to. Of course this comes in the form of encouragement (I assume!!) so perhaps ask her what she likes/wants to do, you might/should know this already, or even something you think she might like to try.

If there is something you guys can do together, even better!

Social support is probably more important to her also, so getting into a group of friends to try something new, might do the trick. Research supports the notion that group activities are far more successful, although it doesn completely depend on the individual.

Where are you located?

D.

[jfchandler]

I took my (as yet non-chubby) Thai GF along for the first time on my nightly hour-long exercise walk at dusk the other day... She was a trooper and kept up admirably. Normally she's working at that time, but on this day was off early.

I suspect, however, that exercise walking is not her favorite thing. But in the course of our jaunt, she mentioned that she really likes swimming because she can do that and not get hot/sweaty here in BKK.... BINGO!!!

[canopy]

We live in a Phetchabun moo baan. One idea I have is to trade her motorbike in for an expensive and beautiful bicycle. I like the idea because it means she doesn't have to do any boring work outs at all. Instead she gets exercise by default just by going where she goes: market, friends, family, som tam. Greener and cheaper too. But this one carries a bit of downside as I don't want to limit her freedom and people here on bicycles do it only because they are poor so there is the dignity and status part which could be a huge problem. I however do use a bicycle to get around. Most everything is within a few klicks. But I recognize for her such a radical life style change might go over like a lead balloon.

[neverdie]

MORE SEX will help her lose weight!

[coventry]

Sell the motorcycle and buy her a bicycle.

[binnsy]

Washing the Car?

Cleaning the House?

Hunt the ATM?

Bedroom Aerobics?

Hunt the remote?

[Beacher]

If it's not her nature to exercise, she probably won't, regardless of how you approach it.

[oevna]

Most of these are good suggestions. If it's general fitness (which is a great idea), then pursue an exercise program that both of you can enjoy, preferably together. The younger you start regular exercise, the more benefits you will get out of it throughout life. The older we get, the harder it is to lose weight.

If it's just that you are worried about her getting overweight, then the most effective way for a person to control their weight is with diet. I don't mean dieting as in starving yourself periodically to shed off pounds in the short term. I mean regularly eating healthy food in moderate portions. Maybe see if you can identify if there are any unhealthy, high-calorie foods that she eats a lot of. I'm not going to suggest how you bring it up to her though. That's between the two of you!

I know that's not much help, but I just want to set your expectations realistically.

[dkstoney]

Gardening is actually a really good form of fitness if she enjoys that. A few hours a week and Its as good as brisk walking.

Jeeeeeesus! You're kidding, right?

[duceahearts]

tell her she's getting out of shape and if she continues to do so you're off to Pattaya.

[SNGLIFE]

Is there is a type of fitness program a Thai might do

Errrr....not sure what to make of a statement like that...

Anyways, gentle comments about how good she "used to" look and careful comparisons to other women during strolls to the market may get her into the old competitive ways and motivate her to either shape up or risk your eyes roaming elsewhere. Careful, though because sometimes Mother Nature will have her way. My sister was a real model-esque "looker" when she was young. Despite her putting up a helluva fight over the years for the sake of her marriage, she is now quite plump like Mom (and still married 25+ years). Mother Nature WILL have her way when she wants it...

That said, I personally always checked the ankles and the arms back when I was looking. Thick proportioned ankles (or low/short calves)= destined to plumpness. Nicely tapered ankles (and thin/long calves) = will likely retain near-current figure. Ditto for arms.

My wife's job is to "Stay home, look beautiful, and take care of us (me and daughter)". She's 34D-26-34, but the tummy is getting a little loose. I just tell her she needs to be on her job then make a patronizing comment like "Ah, don't worry about it, Honey. This is Thailand..!". Ironic this post showed up the day my wife starts working out at the fitness center weekdays after dropping off the daughter at school.

Edited June 4, 2009 by SNGLIFE

[mark5335]

Is there is a type of fitness program a Thai might do

That said, I personally always checked the ankles and the arms back when I was looking. Thick proportioned ankles (or low/short calves)= destined to plumpness. Nicely tapered ankles (and thin/long calves) = will likely retain near-current figure. Ditto for arms.

My wife's job is to "Stay home, look beautiful, and take care of us (me and daughter)". She's 34D-26-34, but the tummy is getting a little loose. I just tell her she needs to be on her job then make a patronizing comment like "Ah, don't worry about it, Honey. This is Thailand..!". Ironic this post showed up the day my wife starts working out at the fitness center weekdays after dropping off the daughter at school.

Very impressive figure for a Thai lady...you have chosen well!

[Macx]

I tried almost everything with mine: tennis, gym/fitness club, jogging on the beach, jogging in the stadium, swimming in pool, swimming in ocean, hiking, frisbees, kayaking, and a few other things.

Few things stuck for long with her, though she enjoyed them all for awhile.

I keep forgetting that the culture of pain (aka no pain no gain) is pretty much absent here in the general population. They just don't enjoy sweating and hurting all that much.

So, the only thing that really worked so far is tandem cycling (going on 2 years now).

Our bike has an Independent Coasting System so she doesn't have to pedal when doesn't want to, and I can push as hard as I want.

We really enjoy it and have taken a few bicycle tours on it.

The best part is that we both enjoy working up a good appetite so we can eat voraciously

[Soutpeel]

Is there is a type of fitness program a Thai might do

That said, I personally always checked the ankles and the arms back when I was looking. Thick proportioned ankles (or low/short calves)= destined to plumpness. Nicely tapered ankles (and thin/long calves) = will likely retain near-current figure. Ditto for arms.

My wife's job is to "Stay home, look beautiful, and take care of us (me and daughter)". She's 34D-26-34, but the tummy is getting a little loose. I just tell her she needs to be on her job then make a patronizing comment like "Ah, don't worry about it, Honey. This is Thailand..!". Ironic this post showed up the day my wife starts working out at the fitness center weekdays after dropping off the daughter at school.

Very impressive figure for a Thai lady...you have chosen well!

WOW....you are taking about your wife....not a race horse... ...Again posts like this convince me even more that all the majority of male farangs are after is a trophy wife and have purchased accordingly

[Sheryl]

Agentle comments about how good she "used to" look and careful comparisons to other women during strolls to the market may get her into the old competitive ways and motivate her to either shape up or risk your eyes roaming elsewhere.

I know of no better way to induce overeating in a woman who does not, from the sounds of it, currently have a weight problem, than to make her feel insecure/unloved. or that your affection is conditional upon how she looks.

Basically anything you might do that in any way implies criticism of how she looks or of how she may look in future stands an excellent chance of inducing the very thinbg you want to avoid.

You also need to understand that

(1) women do not respond to exercise in the same way that men do. As long as she is reasonably active in everyday life and not a total couch potato, all is probably well even though she is not engaging in an exercise program per se.

(2) no matter what she does, nothing is going to stop her from aging and her body will change as she does. this is nature. You're not getting any younger, either.

If you must propose some sort of exercise to her do it in the context of something you want to do for your health that you'd enjoy having her join you in.

[nidge]

Buying a bike is a great idea. I bought my girl a bike last year and we have ridden together in many places around central Thailand. Sometime she even pushes me to ride further than i want to. I guess Petchabun is a great area for biking, I used to live in Chaiyaphum which is not so far away and i would do 40-60km a few times a week.

Best of all you can exercise with her and even chat while doing it.

Nidge.

[tomartoh]

Take her shopping. Its the only exercise my trim and beautiful Thai lady likes. Park the car in an inconvenient spot and walk to the mall. Big malls are very good for exercise. Dont forget of course that you will need to give her some spending money or she has no reason to shop.

All the rest of the suggestions are pretty much a waste of time. Thai ladies just take the easy way out usually and have to be really interested in anything to sustain any useful level of activity

Of course at the end of the day you can do same same as Thai man. Trade her in for younger, slimmer, whatever, new model

[nigelandjan]

She looks good now, but is getting to the age where metabolism alone isn't going to keep the weight down. Diet alone doesn't seem a reasonable solution because food is such an enjoyment to her. I do not know anyone in the village who does fitness and a lot of the women are plump so I see the writing on the wall so to speak. Is there is a type of fitness program a Thai might do regularly? I keep very fit but don't want to push her to that extreme. Just wish to find something simple a Thai would do regularly that contributes to her maintaining looking good and being healthy would be the goal. Look forward to hearing anything you have thought about or tried.

Dont know if you come back to the UK much or if someone can go on Uk ebay for you ,,, I got my wife about 6 aerobics DVD,S for about £5 , and she absolutley loves them !!!!! she does about 40 mins every other night , wears a tiny 7" micro skirt while doing it ,, ( not that I watch )

[Griz]

As someone already pointed out, for exercise to really make any noticeable external difference you have to train much harder than most people are prepared to do. Our bodies are mostly programmed to reserve and store energy (fat) for times of shortage and for the most part, except for the few genetically gifted individuals, your body will resist your best endeavours to change it. It takes a special will power and persistence to make a difference so if you don't enjoy the gym/exercise it is not going to work for you.

That said Thai ladies do enjoy their badminton and that can give you quite a workout.

I will take issue with Sheryl, my Thai friend has put an a few pounds since I have known her and when she mentioned it she said she was not concerned because I had not commented. She said that a Thai man would have said "you're fat lose some weight" I explained that to even hint at such a thing to a western woman could lead to a visit to the outpatients department or even divorce, she said that it would be perfectly normal for a Thai man to make such a comment and if the woman did not want to lose him she would do something about her weight!

Different cultures.

Remember the smallest difference between farang and Thai is the way they look and the way they speak.

[Soutpeel]

It takes a special will power and persistence to make a difference so if you don't enjoy the gym/exercise it is not going to work for you.

I agree, but a lot of the time, people dont know if they enjoy gym/exercise, because they havent tried, my wife was good example of this, for years resisted going to the gym with me, saying didnt enjoy it, even though she had never really tried.

Went through all the quick fixes..ie crash diets, pill popping etc. Eventually convinced her to try and now cant get her out the gym, and the results she has acheived by sweating and being dedicated has amazed her...

.....suppose it gets "addictive" to a degree as all her friends have commented how great she looks, so suppose the rational is...do more and more and she will look better and better, which is not the case if you over do it, so suppose will have keep an eye on this in case it starts going over board..

[robblok]

It takes a special will power and persistence to make a difference so if you don't enjoy the gym/exercise it is not going to work for you.

I agree, but a lot of the time, people dont know if they enjoy gym/exercise, because they havent tried, my wife was good example of this, for years resisted going to the gym with me, saying didnt enjoy it, even though she had never really tried.

Went through all the quick fixes..ie crash diets, pill popping etc. Eventually convinced her to try and now cant get her out the gym, and the results she has acheived by sweating and being dedicated has amazed her...

.....suppose it gets "addictive" to a degree as all her friends have commented how great she looks, so suppose the rational is...do more and more and she will look better and better, which is not the case if you over do it, so suppose will have keep an eye on this in case it starts going over board..

Yes once you are seeing results then you like doing it. But it takes a while to get results. Its not a overnight thing and it takes determination. Also you wont see results fast and seeing them on yourself is real hard because you look in the mirror every day. So taking measurements and pictures and weighing might help.