’What if everyone’s younger than me … and fitter than me?’ How a fitness retreat to Thailand helped me accept my aging body

“You’ve got this! It’s just around the corner, maybe 100 metres,” encouraged my hiking guide Lander as I trudged up to where he was waiting for me on a steep paved incline flanked by palm trees and lush foliage.

Red-faced, sweaty and bent over with hands on hips, I told Lander to go ahead and catch up to the rest of our group. Like billy goats, they had traipsed up the steepest final part of the trail much faster than I had and were already at our destination: a giant oblong boulder seemingly precariously perched on top of another massive rock above the verdant rainforest.

I couldn’t stop grinning — with awe and relief — once I finally reached the picturesque spot, where I took my turn walking across a narrow wooden bridge to pose for celebratory photos and admire views of the robin-egg-blue Gulf of Thailand. I was all smiles and high-fives until I remembered my arthritic knees would have to make their way back down the slope, a trek likely to be more painful than the way up.

The 6.5-kilometre round-trip hike was the first outing of my weeklong fitness retreat at Visit Natural Detox Resort on Koh Samui, one of Thailand’s most popular islands. I’d chosen the all-inclusive program in coastal Lamai (despite its awkward name) because I craved a fitness-centric tropical getaway, and Thailand had recently reopened its borders after a pandemic shutdown.

The eight-day, all-inclusive “Reset Your Body” package (33,990 Thai baht, or about $1,370) featured a robust exercise program: cardio early every morning in the form of hiking, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), road biking or water aerobics; late morning yoga sessions; and late afternoon strength and conditioning classes in an open-air studio.

As a veteran of travelling solo to exercise-intensive retreats, I’d always felt fabulous after a week of eating whole foods and sweating in nature. But that was before my increasingly annoying aches and pains: a wobbly ankle, a clicking-and-popping right hip, and a chronically cranky low back that sent me to physical therapy.

“What if I can’t make it through the hikes? What if I can’t do all the exercise classes? What if everyone’s younger than me … fitter than me?” I asked my husband, who planned to spend the week simply kicking back at a few different bungalows on the island. “What if I hate it and I’m miserable?”

“So, you’ll give me a call, we’ll meet up, and we’ll both hang out on the beach,” the smart man replied.

Still, I was determined — stiff joints and all — to make the most of my wellness getaway. I figured if I did get beat up during workouts in hot, humid temperatures, the retreat’s included daily hour-long massages could help soothe sore muscles, as would soaks in the swimming pool just outside my door.

After recovering from that initial steep hike, I welcomed our next group adventure: a shorter trek through thick jungle, where we manoeuvred around slippery tree roots on a muddy trail. Our glorious reward was a small waterfall cascading into a basin, and we eagerly jumped in after stripping down to bathing suits. Lander got us to swim behind the falls to have the rushing deluge shoot us back out into the pool. This fun water feature had me splashing and giggling like a kid in a favourite summer swimming hole.

Not all of the programming felt like child’s play. I did my best to keep up in the demanding strength and conditioning workouts, which were filled with fast-paced circuits of hand-release push-ups, TRX lunges and kettlebell swings. When we had choices for morning cardio, I couldn’t raise my hand fast enough for pool aerobics versus biking around the island or martial arts at the next-door Muay Thai gym.

For our final hike, Lander described a walk “mostly on flat roads,” where we could choose a five-, eight- or 12-kilometre loop. This trip took us along Lamai’s traffic-filled main drag before we turned onto a quieter side street. Passing an outdoor market, we made our way into the countryside, spotting a few water buffalo grazing in meadows and lots of friendly stray dogs.

When the group stopped to rest under towering palm trees, Lander said we were about halfway through the 12-kilometre loop. “But I just wanted to do 5k!” I exclaimed. Lander gestured an “oops” and pointed to where I could backtrack to the resort. No one else wanted to cut out early, but with my ankle protesting, I knew I should call it.

While I walked (er, limped) back on my own along dusty rural roads past clucking chickens, it hit me: At age 53, I’m no longer the same sporty soul always eager to do the hardest trek, the most strenuous fitness class, or any activity that overly taxes a hurting body part.

The next morning, I was up before dawn but not for more cardio. I took a leisurely stroll on golden Lamai Beach, watching the sky transform into the most striking sunrise I’d ever witnessed. I followed my beach walk with a stint in the resort pool, an hour of gentle flow yoga, and a pedicure at the salon across the street — my ideal mix of activity and indulgence.

It was an especially pleasant way to celebrate the end of a week that pushed me out of my comfort zone while bringing my limitations front of mind. The fitness retreat reminded me, and helped me accept, that I’m not waltzing around in a limber 20- or even 40-year-old body anymore.

Sure, I’ll admit to missing my young physique, which could once ski all day long and easily sweat through back-to-back spin classes. But as I continue to navigate the boundaries of frustrating physical concerns (I ended up having surgery on that clicking hip), my next wellness retreat will feature more pampering and fewer push-ups. For me, moderation is likely the key to feeling my best, and if that’s what it takes to age gracefully, so be it.

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