Cycling at Hope Rehab in Thailand
Cycling tours have become a popular way for foreign visitors to explore the delights of Thailand. Travelling around this way means you get to feel more at one with your surroundings, and you get to see things that you would miss using other forms of transportation. Bicycling is one of the activities we offer here at Hope Rehab because it is also a great option for people in recovery.
Thailand can be a great country for cycling because of the stunning scenery, great weather, and impressive variety of terrain. Riding around on a bike can also be great fun. You can get to places that would be hard to reach by car or motorbike. The roads in Thailand are generally good for cycling, and there are some nice routes for mountain biking (Khao Mai Kaew is close to us here in Sri Racha, and this has two mountain bike routes).
This is where the bicycle comes in – a dream machine that blends meditation with movement; curiosity with velocity; mindfulness with mudguards.
– Ben Irvine (Einstein & the Art of Mindful Cycling: Achieving Balance in the Modern World)
Benefits of Cycling for People in Recovery
A common concern for those of us choosing sobriety is what we are going to do with all of this free time we now have. Boredom is a relapse trigger, so it is vital to find new hobbies and interests. We encourage you to experience activities during your stay at Hope rehab, and maybe you will decide to continue with some of these once you return home.
Cycling can be an excellent hobby in recovery, and it offers benefits such as:
- It will get you physically fit if you do it regularly
- It can be a good way to burn calories and keep your weight under control – an hour of cycling at a moderate pace uses up about 300 calories
- It can be a relatively inexpensive hobby – although it is possible to spend a lot of money on fancy bikes and accessories
- Most people already know how to ride a bicycle, so it is an easy hobby to pick up
- Going out for a ride on your bike can be a good way to relieve stress
- Cycling can be a way to socialise and meet new people
- It can boost your self-esteem
- It can be a type of mindfulness practice
- Spending time in nature can be good for your mental health
- Cycling can help to alleviate symptoms of depression
- It can make it easier to sleep at night – insomnia can be a real issue for people in early recovery due to post-acute withdrawal symptoms
- It is good for your physical health – it builds muscle, improves cardiovascular health, and improves coordination
- It is a hobby you can enjoy for the rest of your life – there are centenarians who still love to ride
- It is a great activity for families to enjoy
We cycle for fun, so we move at a slow pace – it never gets too strenuous. This means you should have no trouble keeping up even if you have not used a bike in years. If you want to cycle regularly once you go home, you’ll find that it will naturally lead to improved fitness.
How Swimming Strengthens Sobriety
When I’m swimming, I’m in the moment fully, purely experiencing… I’m entirely, elementally myself.
– Jenny Landreth (Why I Love Swimming – The Guardian)
Thailand has some of the best swimming beaches in the world, and this is one of the activities you can enjoy during your time at Hope Rehab – we have our own private salt water swimming pool. Getting into the water here is like stepping into a warm bath, so it is wonderfully relaxing. Regular swimming is going to help you improve your physical fitness, and it is also going to help your body recover from the damage caused by substance abuse.
If you have been abusing alcohol or drugs for a long time, it is likely that your are in bad shape physically. The process of addiction causes damage to your organs, and leads to nutritional deficiencies. You may be so used to feeling ‘sick and tired’ that it feels normal, so you are likely to feel wonderful as your body returns to a healthier level of functioning.
Swimming is a particularly good form of exercise, because it allows you to build a good level of fitness without putting a lot of strain on your joints – for this reason, it is referred to as a low impact activity.
You are far less likely to develop injuries from swimming than you are from options like jogging or aerobics. The other nice thing about swimming is that it is easy to learn, and it is something you can enjoy for the rest of your life.
Swimming is not only good for your body, it is also has benefits for your mind too. It can be an excellent option for stress relief, and after a session in the pool, you are likely to feel energized. Going for a swim in the late afternoon or early evening should mean you find it easier to sleep at night. You can even make swimming a type of meditation by focusing on your movements in the water and staying fully in the present.
Swimming is widely recognised by health and fitness professionals as a nearly perfect activity for improving aerobic fitness, flexibility, body strength, muscle tone and coordination.
Some other benefits of swimming
- It is a good option for weight control – you can burn around 500 calories by swimming at a moderate pace for an hour.
- The fact that you are supported by water means you can exercise more without it feeling like you are putting in a lot of effort.
- It is a good choice for improving cardiovascular health.
- It reduces the risk for certain diseases such as diabetes.
- It improves your mental functioning – it can also improve the symptoms of ‘fuzzy brain’ that people can experience due to post-acute withdrawal symptoms.
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