“One must lose himself in order to find himself.” – Buddha

“Sometimes in order to find yourself, you must first… lose yourself!” – Jared Leto

“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” Brad Pitt in Fight Club

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Regardless of who really said it, this idea of “losing one’s self in order to truly find himself,” seems to resonate especially with expats…

The process of losing most everything is the reason so many come to Costa Rica and discover new passions: cooking, art, scuba, acting, music, writing, and fitness.

In the past, in my lobby for better health and fitness, we have covered the excuse of finding time and what to do, but what if your objection to fitness is all the pomp and circumstance of traditional exercise? You want better health but just aren’t going to join the gym, do yoga, or take up jogging…

The solution for this is a little something I call “secret exercise.”

What is secret exercise? Secret, meaning you are getting your heart rate up, working your body and all the while it feels nothing like a trip to the gym, and exercise because it is non-traditional exercise.

In your new life in this new place you have the opportunity to fill your life with the things you always wanted as part of your life but never did. In our former lives we sought excuses not to do things, because time was so little precious; here may we learn the art of finding excuses to do things. Rather than looking for reason not to be active, we will look for ways to weave activity into our everyday lives.

Nearing 40, my success with avoiding the challenges that afflicted and still challenge my family before me, is directly impacted by the fact that part of my daily planning always includes the when and the how getting my heart rate up, which I have about as much fun planning as I do executing.

As you consider the things you would do with your time and new life I pledge that better care of the ship (your body) should take some precedence so you may live long and well in this paradise. In order to do this, I will walk you through my process, what I do for secret exercise, and how I stay on it.

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“Doing what?” you ask. Okay, let’s talk examples:

Gardening in Costa Rica.

Many expats discover the value of growing things in a place where things grow like, well, like weeds. Here, from seed to flower, plants can burst in a month, taking over an entire garden if not tended. This takes attention, work, and brings with it reward; especially if the flower becomes a vegetable or fruit.

Gardening burns about 280 calories per hour; not bad for secret exercise. Spend two hours at it and you will burn more than most gym rats do in one trip to the fitness center.

Horseback riding.

Many expats find a love for getting on a horse and disappearing. Riding is the term that used but this is nothing like riding a city bus. Just spending an hour walking on a horse adds up to about 175 calories.

Take that same horse to a trot and 455 calories are burned for the hour. Not a bad return on investment for time spent and energy burned: sights, thrills and secret exercise.

Shell Hunting.

This one is my favorite… my brain never knows what I am up to with this one. With this one especially, I can stack several things into one secret exercise.

Here’s how it works: put the dog on a leash, grab a partner to go with you, put your cell phone in a sealed bag and grab another just in case, take a ball for the dog, a bottle of water for yourself, and find your way to a nice beach. If you can’t get a partner then go by yourself. You need the space to think anyway.

In Guanacaste, the beach that stretches just South of the estuary in Langosta is perfect and quiet. Other suggested beaches for this in the area: Conchal and Brasilito. If you are in Jaco, go to Herradura, or Hermosa, and if you are in the Caribbean, go to any beach. The rest of us will have to drive or compromise a bit.

Once you arrive at the beach, bag the phone and head out for a walk. Along the way you can hunt shells, chat with your partner, throw the ball for the dog and find your self an hour later with at least 175 calories burned if you were really hunting, and upwards up 300 if you were just glancing about.

Take a picture of them, and drop your shells before you leave the beach, since taking them is prohibited. You will need to post the picture on Facebook to make all of the aforementioned friend-back-on-shore jealous of your new life.

This is only a short list. There are other activities like cooking, cleaning, and other work around the house which fit the bill just fine and are not traditional exercise activities. The key is to build them in and find excuses to do things instead of excuses not to do things… every day.

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You have officially begun the act of “Secret Exercise.” In fair warning, there are several possible side effects, which may include: Increased blood flow, lowered blood pressure, lowered body-fat, boosted confidence, increased happiness and better sex life.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you

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Written by VIP Member Damon Mitchell who spent over 10 years in the fitness industry before he moved to Costa Rica in search of a better work/life balance. Currently he runs a small business in Tamarindo with his wife Cristina and their dog Kai.

Daily, Damon’s exercise regimen could include running on the beach in Tamarindo, calisthenics, TRX training or working out at the Tamarindo Fitness Center; really just about anything he can to make fitness fun.

You can email Damon here if there is anything specific about staying fit and healthy in Costa Rica you would like him to cover in his next article.

You can email Damon here if there is anything specific about staying fit and healthy in Costa Rica you would like him to cover in his next article.

Secret Exercise in Paradise: Find yourself!

Article/Property ID Number 4353

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