Retirees: are any of you more healthy since you moved to Thailand?

[louse1953]

A lot healthier,time is the factor.push bike,walking and gym and healthy lifestyle,time for everything.

[louse1953]

I'm a lot less healthy since I got here.

I eat far too much because eating out is easy and cheap (much cheaper than shopping oneself, which is very expensive, and then cooking at home), and I dont do enough exercise because it's too humid/hot to go out except at certain times of day and even when I do go out it doesn't encourage me to do any activity.

Also I moved from a very large old farmhouse with very large garden that needed things doing to it constantly to a condo that I can clean from top to bottom in about 15 minutes and which doesn't get dirty anyway, and which never requires maintenance apart from changing the occasional light-bulb (occasional being once every 10 years with these modern types of bulb).

Not sure what the solution to this is.

Get off your arse.

[1BADDAT]

I'm a lot less healthy since I got here.

I eat far too much because eating out is easy and cheap (much cheaper than shopping oneself, which is very expensive, and then cooking at home), and I dont do enough exercise because it's too humid/hot to go out except at certain times of day and even when I do go out it doesn't encourage me to do any activity.

Also I moved from a very large old farmhouse with very large garden that needed things doing to it constantly to a condo that I can clean from top to bottom in about 15 minutes and which doesn't get dirty anyway, and which never requires maintenance apart from changing the occasional light-bulb (occasional being once every 10 years with these modern types of bulb).

Not sure what the solution to this is.

"shopping oneself, which is very expensive" How did you come to this conclusion ? I went to do some shopping this afternoon at TOPS,not exactly the cheapest place in town. A salad 35 Bahts, chicken breast (3 pcs) 80 Bahts, bananas 30 Bahts ..... You can easely cook a healthy and decent meal for less than 50 Bahts. And if you want a bit more western food like potatoes, avocadoes, salmon, steak ... it is still cheaper than in a restaurant. How can you say it is very expensive ?

I made burritos the other night. I had to go 3 different stores to find shredded cheddar cheese which cost around 200 baht. I also think the tortillas were 150 baht. I decided not to get bean topping because I couldn't justify spending 150+ baht for that as well. I ended up spending 500+ baht for 3 burritos. Granted two of these ingredients are expensive imported goods, but whenever I cook it seems expensive here. Maybe because I tend to cook western or special dishes.

[louse1953]

Different answers here, the weather is good for a swim..plenty of inexpensive gyms...lots of fresh air walking and bicycling available. You can retire in worse places. If you are a drinker, you will miss out on many gym days... I drink twice a month..but suffer greatly the next day. My brain tells me it is not a good thing, but ..as usual, the brain does not come up with this idea until just after the hangover kicks in.

On the other 28 days a month we do calisthentics and yoga at home, bicycle and walk at a local park (or in our subdivision) and lift light weights. In March, we will be at the pool again for 9 or 10 months. The price of the gym includes the pool.

I would say that I have gained weight, but remain stable..since retiring. We eat too well...just bought an oven. But I can do long walks and long bike rides..with no problems. We are not health nuts...but we are fairly active and happy.

Actually, if you focus on the positives, get a companion/wife who shares your interests (as well as communicates) and remove yourself from the temptations of hanging out at a bar, you can establish a very positive frame of mind. I keep the door open for possibilities of living elsewhere. If possible, never buy into anything here.... Lease and buy second hand things, join a gym, go for the room with a view, and get an old fashioned girl who likes to take care of you. With your mind freed from worries, you will find that exercise and healthy living are very much available...as is your time.

As a part time drinker i used to share your problem but now when i drink,i have plenty of ice in the glass.A bit fuzzy in the morning but ok.In Oz this would be a hanging offence,but i no longer care what other people think.

[Moonlover]

Goldbear. I am rather puzzled by your line of questioning. If I read correctly, you would like to live a healthier lifestyle and suggest that it is a lack of time that prevents you from doing so. Well, if I my say so, there are plenty of other people out there who have busy lives and yet they do manage to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into their routine.

Granted, retirement will release more time as it has done with me, but I managed to keep fit and healthy throughout my busy working life by finding the time. Motivation is the key issue here, not time. And I'm sorry, but I fail to see what living in Thailand has to do with this issue. I am speaking as one who has lived in countries as diverse as UK, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, with a few more in between. I've learned, through experience that it is how you live your life that counts, not where you live it .

My suggestion is that you go to work on your schedule and find some time to get working your health now. You will begin to prime yourself for an enjoyable retirement, be it here in Thailand or in your home country. Good luck.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Moonlover

[friendphil]

Good question!

Generally, my health has declined, and I find it more difficult to remain healthy here.

For one, I find it harder to eat well here. Good food seems comparatively expensive, in proportion to the relative value of things, and the affordable food is usually lots of rice, and a few veggies and a little meat. Also, coming from California to here, I truly miss the abundance of ethnic foods there, as well as lots of organic foods. Here it's hard to know what one is eating in that regard.

Weather-wise, the heat doesn't help my energy, nor my appetite, it seems. So I think I've lost a little weight that I didn't need to lose, and generally have lower energy--- especially when it gets hot (which, of course, is a lot of the time.)

Another thing I miss is all the hiking and out-of-doors exercise opportunities that are available where I lived before. Here, I don't get nearly the exercise walking and hiking that I did before. And my work in the U.S. was often outdoors, and constituted darned good exercise.

But, the good nature of many of the people make up for a lot here. So, it's a compromise, no matter where I am living.

[Dumbastheycome]

After more than a decade my health remains fine. Living rural has its benefits being less industrially/ commercially polluted but it does still have its own dust pollution problems. And regardless of location be aware that the tropics of Asia harbours some very sneaky diseases which are widespread. Be sure to have as many vaccinations as are appropriate or as tolerable. Hygiene standards are generally very poor. Eat freshly cooked food or for salads wash and make your own. Many Thais are fascinated by the longevity of many foreigners . Many Thai depart relatively young due to lifelong chronic systemic infection despite the general belief they are "immune" from prolonged contact. And eat "issan" fish sauce at your peril !

[BB1955]

When I hit Thailand at 55 I was 236 pounds , smoked , didnt drink. Now after 5 years 186 pounds and dont smoke. Walked out of a high stress job . Now I ride. A bike almost everyday 40. To 50 k . I feel much better . Very little stress ... yep its better here

[Just1Voice]

Hummm, let's see, before I moved here 7 years ago, at the age of 59, I ran 5k every morning, swam at least twice a week, and did martial arts, usually 3 times a week, but sometimes only twice, and I traveled around the US for 4 years on a Ninja 650. I was in better shape than the majority of men half my age.

Move to Thailand. Have stupid motorbike accident that caused a broken collar bone, then a pinched sciatic nerve that cost me the use of my right leg for a couple of months, developed back problems, and then had a stroke, for which I'm still recovering, and which forced me to sell my 250CBR. So, for me, the answer would be a definite "NO!". But I also realize these thing could have just as easily happened back in the States.

I don't think eat as healthy here due to my wife's cooking skills, which are 2nd to none, but neither have I put on any weight. Still have 40" chest and 31" waist, same as when I was 18. (Good Genetic coding perhaps???). But I've seen people go both ways. One friend came here, was over weight, high blood pressure, and looked like he was read to die. Slimmed down, looks and feels much healthier. Another friend was broomstick thin and always tired. Now has put on some weight, get's more exercise and looks much better.

For some it's better, for some it's worse, and for some, they just don't care one way or the other. lol

[Travelighlty]

Once heard:

For physical fitness, exercise. (I know people who live in the gym but never lose an ounce.)

For weight loss, diet.

Most people won't do this, but if you restrict your diet to fruits and vegetables, no added oils, limited nuts or nut products, no avocado (too fatty), no dairy, eating nothing that has a mother, in other words, a strict vegan diet, you will lose weight. And give yourself a few weeks and you'll feel much better without exercising. Try, Eat To Live, Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Not been here long, but every time I'm here I gain weight. My body doesn't do well with the heat and I end up eating junk. It's more to battle anxiety about the heat than any actual hunger. Best I can explain it. I know, I know, if I react that strongly against the heat, what the heck got me into Thailand in the first place!?! lol

[thaipo7]

I have to be more heathy with less stress, the traveling and the looking at the womem here.

[tom21]

still feel the same way I did when I came here 7 years ago but I am more hansum than when I first came here. must be the lower cost of living so have more money to spend on the good things in life

[laislica]

Once heard:

For physical fitness, exercise. (I know people who live in the gym but never lose an ounce.)

For weight loss, diet.

Most people won't do this, but if you restrict your diet to fruits and vegetables, no added oils, limited nuts or nut products, no avocado (too fatty), no dairy, eating nothing that has a mother, in other words, a strict vegan diet, you will lose weight. And give yourself a few weeks and you'll feel much better without exercising. Try, Eat To Live, Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Not been here long, but every time I'm here I gain weight. My body doesn't do well with the heat and I end up eating junk. It's more to battle anxiety about the heat than any actual hunger. Best I can explain it. I know, I know, if I react that strongly against the heat, what the heck got me into Thailand in the first place!?! lol

Easy for me to gain weight here.

My wife is a good cook and uses good ingredients without tons of additives BUT...

Thais seem to want to eat every couple of hours and so I am always being offered food.

There is always a plentiful supply of wonderful fresh fruit in the house and it is too easy to pick it up and eat too much.

Then there are the cakes and biscuits even nuts.

The bread has sugar in it. If you go to a market and buy fresh fruit juice, chances are that they have added sugar.

I has a 32" waist three years ago, now 36", but she says I was too thin before. Maybe it is that thing where they ike us not to be too attractive to other Thai ladies. LOL

Well there was Christmas, then the New Year, then my Birthday and now my wife's birthday......

It's too hot/humid for outside exercise, not to mention dangerous - traffic and thieves etc.

Early morning and dusk would be good times if it were not for the mosquitoes!

Buy the book Thailand Fever, there is a website for it. (I was loaned a copy when I first arrived - it saved me many times over).

Download Stephen Leather's free ebook Private dancer.

Read and understand these books before you retire to Thailand.

Start learning Thai, online now!

If you concentrate on reading I think that would be great.

Oh to be able to read street signs LOL

Rent not buy, gives you the freedom to move to other parts of the country.

Only buy what you can be prepared to walk away from.

As well as your plan of what you want to do and where to do it, also have an exit strategy.

Buy good health insurance. It becomes impossibly expensive if you try to buy later in life....

Have two bank accounts and only one linked to an ATM.

Only keep a small amount in the ATM account.

Do not go to Karaoke bars unless you have loads of money to throw away!

Do not "fall for" the first Thai lady that takes care of you.

Chiang Rai gets the occasional earthquake, can be quite chilly in the winter. It has hot springs though.

Chiang Mai weather is somewhat cool in winter but in the burning season, air quality can be appalling.

Bangkok, flooding does happen in the rainy season and air quality is not good because of traffic.

I have an Aussy friend in Nong Khai and he says it is really great there.

Living in the Styks can be challenging, no Malls, no Gym's, no parks, no beaches and no foreigners - but that can be a good thing LOL.

To buy a car is expensive in Thailand but essential if you live outside a city. Bring an international DL with you until you get the Thai ones, one for m/c, another for a car.

Motorcycles are dangerous - great fun though.

Most important be prepared to go with the flow and avoid any confrontation.

IMO, nothing ever goes to plan in Thailand!

I'm not saying that is a bad thing per se, just be flexible and go with the ride and enjoy.

Good luck in your retirement.

Me 73 and she 53 - who must be obeyed?

We spend six months in the south east of Spain (summer) and six months west of Bangkok (winter).

Best of both worlds LOL

[Jaggg88]

I came here to have one last fling before I died. That was 17 years ago. I was in a very high stress job in the US and was experiencing severe angina. After all of the tests I was told that I needed heart surgery. Having no family in the US, I cancelled the surgery, took early retirement and moved here to stay in late 1997. I have never had an angina attack since moving here and stopped all prescribed meds. I walk my nine dogs twice a day and tinker in the farming industry. I'm now 17 years older and suffering the affects of age and having a metal femur installed in my leg when I did a swan dive from a ladder. I fight being overweight, a losing battle all of my life, but I'm still alive and feel great!

That made my day chum......

me too a great story

[zaZa9]

MY ANSWER TO YOU IS THIS, YES! VERY MUCH SO.

MAIN REASON,TIME TO EXERCISE SOME, CHANGE OF DIET, LESS RED MEAT, MORE SEA FOOD. BETTER CLIMATE WARMER WEATHER, NO STRESS.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR RETIREMENT CHOICE.

My answer should be the same , BUT ;

A couple years back I caught something that had me sweating and then incredibly itchy ( no rash ) that travelled all over my body and left me sleepless and sickly for months - about 9 months

A Dr put me on steroids that made me retain water and develop a huge appetite and thus pile on weight - and the itch wandered and near drove me mad !

I took myself off the steroids ( oral and topical that made my skin thin and bleed ) after another 6 months and it has taken another 6 months for my weight to come back to 10 kilos more than I had ( normal) when I arrived 7 years back

My feet still blister whenever I walk more than a km or so and that makes it hard to loose weight

The one saviour is warm waters allowing me to swim near a km daily

I know quite a few people with odd tropical ailments ( sinus/phlegm problems , an odd sting or bight , dengue fever , dysentry and food poisoning ) and things not 'diagnosed' and this sort of thing cannot be discounted as a strong possible influence on ones health here in the tropics ( I live in the South )

[The Deerhunter]

I have lost 11 kg in one year mainly I think from eating less bread and I do not suffer from the allergic Rhinitis that plagued my health in my home country. This is a much bigger deal than it sounds. I am visiting my old country and another favourite country for a month and it is hell. I am having to rebuy all the meds I do not take in Thailand.

[krisb]

There will be some more healthy and some less healthy - but suspect direct effect of move to Thailand can not be computed into the equation.

I agree.

Unless there's direct benefit related to something like cold weather was bad for my bones back home, there's no real reason why now living in Thailand is making you healthier. You could have exercised back home and eaten healthier but chose not to.

I also would have thought the majority have come from countries with better quality foods that are more pesticide free and medical care a higher standard. Also heaps here seemed stressed out dealing with things like visas and uncertainties in Thailand.

Surely guys that now cycle through Chiang mai each day could have cycled back home no?

[krisb]

MY ANSWER TO YOU IS THIS, YES! VERY MUCH SO.

MAIN REASON,TIME TO EXERCISE SOME, CHANGE OF DIET, LESS RED MEAT, MORE SEA FOOD. BETTER CLIMATE WARMER WEATHER, NO STRESS.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR RETIREMENT CHOICE.

My answer should be the same , BUT ;

A couple years back I caught something that had me sweating and then incredibly itchy ( no rash ) that travelled all over my body and left me sleepless and sickly for months - about 9 months

A Dr put me on steroids that made me retain water and develop a huge appetite and thus pile on weight - and the itch wandered and near drove me mad !

I took myself off the steroids ( oral and topical that made my skin thin and bleed ) after another 6 months and it has taken another 6 months for my weight to come back to 10 kilos more than I had ( normal) when I arrived 7 years back

My feet still blister whenever I walk more than a km or so and that makes it hard to loose weight

The one saviour is warm waters allowing me to swim near a km daily

I know quite a few people with odd tropical ailments ( sinus/phlegm problems , an odd sting or bight , dengue fever , dysentry and food poisoning ) and things not 'diagnosed' and this sort of thing cannot be discounted as a strong possible influence on ones health here in the tropics ( I live in the South )

Wow that sounds awful.

Did it get diagnosed?

[KittenKong]

I'm a lot less healthy since I got here.

I eat far too much because eating out is easy and cheap (much cheaper than shopping oneself, which is very expensive, and then cooking at home), and I dont do enough exercise because it's too humid/hot to go out except at certain times of day and even when I do go out it doesn't encourage me to do any activity.

Also I moved from a very large old farmhouse with very large garden that needed things doing to it constantly to a condo that I can clean from top to bottom in about 15 minutes and which doesn't get dirty anyway, and which never requires maintenance apart from changing the occasional light-bulb (occasional being once every 10 years with these modern types of bulb).

Not sure what the solution to this is.

Get off your arse.

Indeed. I managed to work that one out for myself.

The problem here is that there is little incentive to do so, apart from staying healthy. What with the humidity and the wild dogs and the generally cluttered and uneven pavements it just doesn't encourage me to go out.

I suppose I will just have to do 20 pointless circuits of my condo building at 7am like so many other people I see from my balcony every day.

[LawrenceN]

I retired to Chiang Mai in May 2011. I turned 60 recently. I have lost a good 20 pounds. I have cycled 6000 km each of the last two years. I swim and play golf two or three times a week. I eat whatever I want and burn it off with biking. I do sets of 15 pushups at least once a day. Yep, with time on your hands, fitness is achievable. I feel younger now than four years ago. Now if I could just get rid of this backache . . .

[Goldbear]

Thanks to everyone for the great replies, stories and suggestions. It was much more than I was expecting.

And for the few who think that I think that coming to Thailand is going to make me healthy, that's not what I am saying. The biggest factor is having the time (and energy, after working all day). But since I am coming to Thailand I figured that I would ask the people who have already done it--and who have done it in Thailand.

Take care and thanks again.

[balo]

You are in control of your own life , it doesnt matter where you live. What you need is a change in your lifestyle, eat healthier food and do exercise. The good thing about Thailand is that you can do outdoor activities all year around.

[JohnnyJazz]

There will be some more healthy and some less healthy - but suspect direct effect of move to Thailand can not be computed into the equation.

You're wrong. In our daily life, we are all, in a way or an other, stuck in a routine that is very difficult to break free of. When one's move to Thailand, one has to form new habits because life is different here. It's the right time to change. Some will do it and some will fall back in their old bad habits. So moving to Thailand can have direct positive effects on one's life but as always, it's up to you !

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Surely guys that now cycle through Chiang mai each day could have cycled back home no?

Detroit, Maine, Portland, etc.

When it isn't raining it's snowing (slight exaggeration) .

I'm not that keen cycling in the wet or the cold.

Edited February 11, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[jonnyscot]

A reminder of my youth,,,, home pissed at 1am, back out at 6am for a hard run followed by a cold shower and straight back out for a round of golf,, always thought the run sobered me up until the lost golf balls count reached double figures,,, brought me back to reality that i was either still half pissed or crap at golf,, most likely the latter,, nowadays I dont drink, oh and given up the golf,

like pigeonjake mentioned earlier keep fit by doing stuff around the wifes land and a bit of cycling with the MTB,,

JohnnyJazz" quote]

That's an other advantage to be in a good physical shape. Nothing better than to run a few kilometers to get rid of a hangover. You can litterally feel the sweat washing away the toxin from the previous day excesses.

[Muzarella]

A lot more....Loosing weight and getting stronger too. Too much pasta and pizza in Italy, probably a country more famous for its food than anything else. I like to cook, but food is so cheap here than it is a lot easier to find a nice place to have a good meal, and a good time too. I make a life changing decision. No more pasta, no more pizza...For an Italian is torture, but works! Instead, a lot of veggies and fruits, and fish. Stress is gone. Italian women are very dramatic! I had enough. Thai women is very sweet and protective, even if no so much into sex, I enjoy it at old age. A young Italian woman may kill a old man just with sex and jealousy. Here, to have a young lover or wife, it is just pleasant and refreshing....and a healthy experience, for body and mind. That is my experience in Thailand. It is easy to be healthier here than in Europe.

[fireblade919]

I have been back and forth 8 times each a few months at a time ,when I leave Thailand go home for a few months the weight stacks on again,it's all got to do with the climate ,yes you are what you eat,at dinner have veg,a lot salads chicken ect ,no rice,the Thais over do it with fats oils ect,I eat 2 times a day,morning night,plus fruits melon mango its in our garden ,plenty of water,I do miss the old meat pie at times,everywhere you look during the day thai people eat eat eat,

[Dumbastheycome]

I have been back and forth 8 times each a few months at a time ,when I leave Thailand go home for a few months the weight stacks on again,it's all got to do with the climate ,yes you are what you eat,at dinner have veg,a lot salads chicken ect ,no rice,the Thais over do it with fats oils ect,I eat 2 times a day,morning night,plus fruits melon mango its in our garden ,plenty of water,I do miss the old meat pie at times,everywhere you look during the day thai people eat eat eat,

Is true that Thais like to eat. And sadly now the availability of unhealthy junk food is nationwide and the effect on many is clear ! And the plastic rubbish generated also obvious ! . I often also only eat 2 times a day. I used to be pressured to eat as those around me do. My answer was that I eat to live, not live to eat ! They leave the subject alone now.

[pgrahmm]

Gave up participating heavily in a sport while in the states....now only play once a week instead of 5-8 ....Now ride a bicycle on off days + have some guys to take BP with hitting rounds of 60 full swing and contact.....probably better for me than running myself and my joints into the ground on the tourney circuit.....eating a Thai diet with some western my weight is down about 14 kilos even though less "active" than I was in the US.....Stress level here is nonexistent where retired in the states it still felt like on a mouse wheel.....I was in the SF general area in the states and the roads were always congested with aggressive angry people and there were lines everywhere - food - parking - theaters regardless of time....YES - healthier here in many ways.....

[daveAustin]

I might be if not pissed all the time, hic

That's an other advantage to be in a good physical shape. Nothing better than to run a few kilometers to get rid of a hangover. You can litterally feel the sweat washing away the toxin from the previous day excesses.

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that, the alcohol has to go through your liver not your skin, but I know what you're getting at.

Healthier, probably, since eating less Thai food laced with all sorts of nasties, fruit laden with pesticides and injected with all sorts of nasties, beer laced with chemicals and no longer breathing in the smoggy north air.