A real Jungle Gym

MesaStila, A dynamic innovation at MesaStila, a wellness retreat in Indonesia, is the Jungle Gym. A gym in the jungle, where resort guests can work-out in nature; amidst jungle palms, enormous bamboo, tropical-fruit trees and healing-herbal plants - accompanied by birdlife and surrounded by the essence of nature.

This outdoor workout environment is an inspiring place to exercise - and as the Earth Summit goes ahead at Rio+20, it shows that such natural and simple materials as wood, volcanic stone, recycled-steel buckets, natural rope, bamboo, rock chippings and old truck tires can be the basis of a workout that offers training in cardiovascular fitness, functional movement, spatial awareness, muscular strength, core stability, flexibility and balance.

The focus of this outdoor fitness experience is to inspire guests to look at exercise as being available in any environment and with simple and multi-functional equipment. In conjunction with a TRX suspension training system the exercise programs, offered by the trainers at MesaStila, are limitless! The message spreads that physical activity is possible in any environment at any time.

The Jungle Gym offers more than ten workout stations - including:

• A see-saw to develop core strength and improve balance
• Long balancing-logs which double as steps to build legstrength
• Jungle staircase made from traditional flagstones – stimulating a mastery of the stairs!
• Wooden stumps - 30cm to 130cm high to improve spatial awareness and inspire confidence
• High and low bars for enhancing upper body strength, building core stability and strength
• Smooth volcanic rocks from 2kg – 20kg for any variation of lifting exercises
• Used truck tires, which can be pulled as a sledge, or used for footwork and leg speed
• Parallel bars and monkey bars for a variety of bodyweight exercises
• A high beam for a TRX attachment and various other exercises

Educating guests about the various ways to use these readily available facilities, is a key component of the cleansing, fitness and weight-management retreats at MesaStila; especially in combination with the healthy Javanese cuisine, traditional healing techniques, massage therapy, coffee scrubs and jungle treks one of eight nearby volcanoes. 

Classes are offered in the format of a group-circuit, they are presented like a boot camp; one-to-one personal instruction is available, while teambuilding and personal development programs are also offered, combing the physical and mental