Many retirees wonder about staying fit in Costa Rica. Fitness is not a problem here.

We have scores of gyms and health clubs from which to choose. There is also every imaginable outdoor activity with the exception of snow skiing in Costa Rica.

Those who like to walk have come to the right place. Walking is a great way to become familiar with any area of Costa Rica. I am an avid walker and am always looking for an excuse to not use my cars. My son son jokes that the rise in gas prices will never affect me since I am always walking or taking buses instead of using my cars. Almost every day I walk one-half hour from my home to the McDonald’s in downtown Heredia. I spend about 45 minutes reading the local newspapers and then either walk home or to the Auto Mercado supermarket to do some shopping. I walk about an hour or two daily.

When I go to San Jose I take the bus and get off at the Sabana Park about 15 blocks before the downtown area. That way I get some additional exercise. Speaking of the Sabana Park, it is a another great place for walking.

Sabana Park, it is a another great place for walking.

Since I walk almost every day I am in good walking shape. A couple of years ago I walked from downtown San Jose to the city of Cartago. It’s about a five hour walk and 21 kilometers away. There is a yearly pilgrimage that follows the same route.

Costa Rica is mountainous country which lends itself to hiking. If you are really adventurous and in really good shape you can climb Cerro Chirripó which is over 10,000 feet high. It’s located about three hours from San José in southern Costa Rica near the city of San Isidro. It takes a day or two to get to the summit. The landscape and views have to be seen to be believed.

You should have no trouble staying in good physical shape during your retirement years in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is the perfect place for retirees.

All you have to do is turn on the TV and almost everything you will see and hear is a world in crisis. If it isn’t terrorism or the war in Iraq, it’s the current financial melt down or the health care crisis many seniors are facing. Indeed the panorama is gloomy.

Alas there is hope.  Costa Rica has NO army. The country is not meddling in the affairs of other countries or invading them. The government of Costa Rica has better things to do with its resources like spend them on education or healthcare. Regarding the latter, the country offers cradle to grave healthcare for all of its citizens. Foreign residents may also take advantage of the medical coverage they can’t get in the country of the birth for under $60 per month.

You can save your hard-earned money by moving here. Fruits and vegetables are plentiful and dirt cheap. The country is self sufficient and basically grows everything it needs. Utilities are also a bargain. Housing and public transportation are also very reasonable. You DON’T need a car. So you can save money and reduce your cost of living by living or retiring here and thus insulate yourself to some extent from the turmoil that’s happening in the world. Personally, I have never felt threatened by terrorism even during the tragic events that occurred on 9/11.

I am able to sleep because my investments in Costa Rica are safe  and my bank accounts are insured by the government.  Sub-prime loans do not exist here nor does Costa Rican government have its money in risky investments in the States. The financial institutions of this country of four million people are in better shape than those of the U.S.

Sure we will be impacted by the slow down but smaller economies are not as hard as the big boys and can roll easier with the punches.