It was time once again for my regular health checkup.  For that, there are sooooo many places to go but I simply choose ThaiNakarin because I've always gone there every time and the service is top notch.  

This trip I combined the dentist with the health checks since time was not enough.  The service was so good at both I'll simply rinse and repeat every time going forward.

The doctor told me an abundance of information that I had to write down otherwise I'd forget.  The way he approached the conversation was more like telling an athlete how to eat properly and make lifestyle choices for the goal of optimal performance.  He pointed out some areas of concern with:  kidney function, red blood cells, and cholesterol levels.  He said it's not a big deal but the trend indicates some diet and lifestyle changes need to be made.  He then listed them out in detail and included a mini biology lesson with each point.  I'm going to try and incorporate what he said but there's a lot to take in.

Sensing this he said, "Just start with the easiest one first.  Drink more water.  Like a shit ton more.  Don't dehydrate yourself.  You should be drinking 2 liters a day MINIMUM.  Then for ever hour on the bike, you need to be drinking 500mL to replenish the loss and make sure you take electrolytes in with the water also."

To build on that, you can simply buy electrolyte powder at the 7/11 and sprinkle it into the water, it is really really good stuff.

He also said, "You need to mix up more HIIT and strength training with the biking.  This will help strengthen your bones".

I had to laugh at that and explain to the doctor that I do this all the time, and then I told him what F45 Training is about.  The only reason I wasn't doing it for a month is because I couldn't find any studios on the road.  There used to be some in Phnom Penh but they couldn't survive covid and then closed.  There are just the typical gyms where you work out by yourself and I struggled with the motivation.   Then I recalled the conversation with Somjai where I asked her what kind of workouts she does to keep so fit.  She said she avoids the group fitness classes and just does it on her own.  Then I realized that if she could do it, there were no excuses why I couldn't also.

The doctor went on to say, "Cycling like you do on tours is low impact.  Judging by your heart, I bet you don't even break a sweat."  He was right.  At most it might elevate my heart rate 50% more but it's not even close to what can be achieved with HIIT classes.  There also needs to be resistance training in order to boost the muscles and strengthen bones.

He then took a closer look at my details and said, "I think I know what might be happening here, you're not doing enough resistance training for your bones and you're not eating enough red meat as well as cooked green vegetables.  You need a hell of a lot more iron in your blood.  Do those things as well as eat more fiber and work on more healthy fat sources.  If you do all these things, plus build in a few more rest days and knock back the cycling a little bit, your performance in the gym will increase.  And so will other kinds of performance if you get what I'm saying"

I thanked him a lot for all this as the consultation went way way over the alloted time.  The fact that you have doctors like this guy in Thailand who know so much about wellness and nutrition makes this country the greatest.  A typical doc elsewhere would just say the basics unless you had a serious health problem.  It's not only that, but Thailand also has specialists you can find for other health areas of your life that need improvement.   Whether it's physical, mental, psychological, or whatnot, you can be sure that Thailand is the place to go to find people who know how to get you back on the right track.

That's why without a doubt, this is the country to seek healing for the effects of the brutal Shanghai lockdown.