“We’ll go Phuket to pet tigers, cliff dive, bungee jump and climb waterfalls, okay?” Jac had zealously sent me our entire Phuket trip itinerary in a nutshell over Whatsapp to which, without much thinking and considering that I am no longer in my early twenties, I agreed to.
You have to agree with me that it sounded like a good idea. It felt “doable” at that time and anyway what’s a bit of adventure on a trip?
Not exactly at my physical prime
This was much tougher than expected
As we climbed yet another flight of steps to the top of Kathu Waterfall, where we looked forward to being rewarded with the sight of a magnificent flowing stream of water crashing into a sparkling pool, I was more than relieved that I was in the right outfit: a Russell Athletic sports bra and sports tank top and Hurley shorts which I picked up from World of Sports prior to my trip to Phuket (Thanks Chad). Even if I was dying, I was dying in style.
“Whats a couple of stairs and grubby soil covered pathways?” I thought to myself.
Apparently, I had severely underestimated the state of my physical capabilities at this point in my life. I am no longer at the physical prime of my life (which happened to me only when I was 24… I was a late bloomer). Gone are the days I ran, at the very least, once a week or did physical training and boot camps twice a week.
Actually dying (refer to photo above), but mustered my game face for this shot
Honestly, I’ve always been a pain adverse person, so I can’t even recall how I managed to get my ass up, go do all that and bear with that pain. Carrie circa 2013 amazes me.
While I can be a little whiny bitch and moan about how horribly breathless I’m getting or just be lazy, I should be absolutely grateful that I have a decent “operating system” to work with here. I have my body, full control of my limbs and I also do have a choice to try to squeeze that extra bit of time in the mornings or evenings to go DO something, no matter how small, and… okay… eat proper meals.
I think when it comes to fitness scrap that… life in general, it can be aptly summarised by Miley Cyrus’ The Climb.
The Climb – Miley Cyrus
There is absolutely no end to anything we’re chasing for in life. That’s the whole beauty of being human: we’re never satisfied. There’s always something we want that’s out of reach.
I tend to go through this a lot for many things in life, fitness, friendships and to some extent, work. I get really tired, but I push and I push, and suddenly one day, I just give up. It’s like I breakdown and I stop. I go from 110% to 0% in a snap. I’ve noticed, I get stuck in this rut because I am just so overwhelmed by the physical or mental strain, sometimes both, that I just need to stop and I reach a stage of Taurus inertia (trust me, the worst kind because there’s stubbornness in the mix along with tiredness).
I still have lots to learn about balance and self-control. Rest when I need to. Work when I have to. Breathe when its necessary (which is just, always, always breathe). I can’t run headstrong ahead and push till I’m empty and expect myself to recharge at the same time. Things will never stop being “tiring”, but I can enjoy the climb enough so that it hardly matters.
Sports Bra: Russell Athletic
Top: Russell Athletitic
Shorts: Hurley
Slippers: Kate Spade New York
Photography: Cheryl Tay
Well, back to my little story on our climb up Kathu Waterfall.
When we reached the top, it was hardly a flowing and the small little one you see in this photo above, was actually near the foot of the waterfall. So, it was for the best that we enjoyed the process (mini falls, mosquitoes and all). That we stopped to take photos at this space instead of rushing all the way to reach the “end” of this particular expedition.
Was it tiring? Yeah, sure it was and I even had aches in my thighs and calves (wow, it’s been awhile), but I don’t regret doing any of the physically intense activities we did while at Phuket. Thanks Jac for planning the itinerary. She is THE friend everyone should have, so that you’ll constantly push your physical and mental boundaries (especially and even on holidays). There’s no such thing as an off-day from #YOLO with her.
With regard to my current physical state and status of my non-existent fitness regime, I guess while these days I can hardly climb up steps, the good news is… I’m not dead yet, so I can still start somewhere small again. Time to work a schedule out so that these lovely pieces from Russell Athletic and Hurley do see the light of day and some time away from my throne of clothes.
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