SPORTS
Getting Out Of The Comfort Zone By Jonny Parr Selected images courtesy of Laura Duncan and Koh Tao ProVideo
Sometimes you need a change of scenery to break out of your workout routine. On a recent trip to Thailand, Absolute Fitness’ Jonny Parr went exploring the fitness adventures of Koh Tao.
L
et’s face it. For most people, improving your health and fitness can often feel like a long, tedious grind. We all know it’s important, but the steps to get there often feel like we’re climbing Everest. This ‘boredom’ factor is a major reason as to why I endorse and encourage activities for individuals that are both fun and interesting. At the same time, they should contribute to improving one’s health and fitness. My recent trip to Koh Tao, Thailand encapsulated all these features plus more.
About Koh Tao Koh Tao is a small, beautiful island on the western shore of Thailand. It attracts countless tourists year-round and is largely renowned for being one of the best sites in the world for scuba-diving. The island offers many activities such as those which are relaxation-oriented (i.e. yoga,
Thailand's Koh Tao region is an adrenaline junkie's paradise
meditation) or, as I prefer, those that push physical and mental limits such as rock-climbing, Muay Thai (combat sport), or even cliff-jumping. In essence, there are activities that can stimulate interest for just about everyone. I decided to partake in two popular endeavours – scuba-diving and rock-climbing. Here’s my experience of each.
Scuba-Diving I worked with two different companies, Big Blue (www.bigbluediving.com) and Roctopus (www.roctopusdive.com), plus one fantastic instructor – Irishman Fergal Killalea. I gained two qualifications – Open Water Diver and
Advanced Open Water Diver. Depending on individual circumstances each course can last around 2-4 days. The Open Water course focuses on key underwater skills, academics, equipment usage and generally improving confidence and awareness of being underwater. There are also four open water dives. The Advanced Open Water diver focuses on you becoming more independent via a number of specialties including perfect buoyancy, navigation, learning to use a diving computer and even a night dive. There are five open water dives on this course.
102 QH Feb 2015 - FINAL.indd 102
1/26/15 10:58 AM
This is one incredible experience as moving freely at the bottom of the sea is simply mesmerizing. As you’d expect, the sights and sea-life is what primarily attracts people to dive. However you’ll also improve many physical and mental attributes such as breathing techniques and your ability to stay calm and focused in an unfamiliar environment.
Thailand's reef systems are some of the most abundant in the world.
Thanks to Fergal and both dive schools for this amazing experience!
Rock-Climbing I decided to try my hand at rock climbing with a company named Rock Junkie (www.thailandrockclimbing.com) run by Laura Duncan and David Bennett. I did the ‘Give It A Go’ course which involved a half-day climb on three different climb routes under the expert supervision and guidance of the Rock Junkie team. As someone who has a slight fear of heights I openly admit I was completely out of my comfort zone. However, through the expert support and guidance I received from Laura, I managed to somewhat conquer this genuine lifelong ‘fear’.
The Rock Junkie team starts their ascent of the cliff-face
Dave, who has over 20 years experience climbing, elaborated on this notion of fear and anxiety explaining that it’s present for everyone, but it’s all about learning to control it and use it to your advantage. He was completely right. When you’re faced with hanging off a rock-face, learning to control matters such as my breathing, my footwork, and my ability to strategically plan my next route became vital, and I managed to develop these skills over the course of the day. Being someone who has participated in a host of different fitness ventures over the years, I openly admit rock-climbing was one of the most challenging mental and physical activities I’ve ever taken part in. What’s more it was easily one of the most rewarding. Huge thanks to Laura and Dave plus the rest of the ‘team’ – Jeremy, Andy, Chloe, Neil and Dan! Boredom is an inevitable feeling we will experience at many stages of our life including when we try to reach our health and fitnessrelated goals. It’s important to search for new challenges, new adventures, and as often as we can, get out of our comfort zone. As individuals, this is how we develop and you’ll be left with feelings of achievement, satisfaction, confidence and most importantly happiness. I personally managed this via scuba-diving and rock-climbing. It’s up to you to seek, participate, and master similar matters. I have no doubt you can all do it. n
The view from the top is worth the sweating for!
103 QH Feb 2015 - FINAL.indd 103
1/26/15 10:58 AM