What is Phuket Cleanse and who’s it for?
Phuket Cleanse is an all-encompassing active holiday that covers everything from fitness, nutrition to mindfulness, and mental wellness. It follows a dynamic cleanse and food-as-medicine philosophy, promoting the power of movement and clean eating as a means to detoxify the body. The retreat can be tailored for each individual’s goals and guests can choose to be as active and physical or as relaxed and meditative as they want. A wide range of activities are at your disposal, from hiking, Muay Thai, HIIT, strength training, to different yoga and meditation styles, stand up paddle boarding, cooking classes and more. Rest and recovery are also an integral part of the program, incorporating various practices such as hot and cold immersion therapy (alternating ice baths and sauna), breath work, and massage.
The mind and body have an intimate bond – the way you think or feel can have a profound impact on your physical health. Your body has specific ways of responding to different emotions. When upset or under stress, your body reacts, telling you that something isn’t quite right. Call it evolutionary advantage; a physical manifestation waving a red flag when something inside you goes haywire. On the downside, when left unchecked, this opens us up to a number of health risks, with some more detrimental than others.
Of course, there’s always a way to cultivate and maintain a healthy emotional balance in our lives. Negative emotions cause negative effects in our bodies and in the same vein, good feelings and positive emotions have positive and therapeutic effects, with the potential to heal us and make us healthier and happier inside out. Diving deeper into the topic, we explore the mind-body connection and its relation to our health.
Read more: How Your Emotions Can Affect Your Physical Health
What is Thanyapura and who’s it for?
Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort is a world-class facility with an extensive offering, ideal for anyone interested in optimising their sports performance, mental health or physical well-being. Perfect for a fitness or sports holiday, they now also offer a full range of health programs including detox, weight-loss and anti-ageing programs. Guests will have plenty of opportunity to meet other guests throughout their stay. However, there is no set meal times or set table for program guests so it would abe best to be a comfortable independent traveller.
Read more: Samantha's Review of Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort
As well as being an established practice to improve strength, mobility and overall physical health, yoga aids mental well-being and mindfulness. Far too often we cruise through life without paying attention to the present—yoga cultivates a kind of spiritual awareness that opens the mind to a higher level of consciousness. The same could be said for travel. Taking time out of your busy day-to-day lives to travel and experience the world opens your eyes to the little beautiful things in life. Journey to the most amazing yoga retreats for singles, from Europe to Asia, and combine your love for travel with your passion for yoga.
Keeping fit is a lifestyle choice you have to commit to every day in order to maintain your results. With regular exercise, a consistent diet regime and a good attitude you can keep in healthy shape. We’ve outlined below our top simple ways to keep your body in shape. They’re not get ripped quick schemes but they’re useful to bear in mind for sustainable and easy ways to keep your health on track:
Walking is the most natural form of aerobic exercise for us. Our ancient ancestors were all nomadic hunter gatherers, getting most of their aerobic exercise from walking day after day. Human beings evolved over millennia to walk, continuing to do so is therefore vital for your physical health. It burns calories, limbers up your joints and pumps oxygenated blood throughout your body. It may not be the most strenuous form of exercise but it is a calming and productive, low-impact form of aerobic exercise that is vital for maintaining your shape. Walking has a variety of mental benefits, such as alleviating anxiety and helping to combat depression, making it a double-edged sword in maintaining both mental and physical health!
Having a strict regime is one of the most vital ingredients for most forms of productivity. All experts from leading academics to Olympic athletes will attest to the necessity of a regular work schedule for success. A targeted regime eliminates distractions and keeps you on track to make consistent progress.
If you need to keep your body in shape, create a plan, complete with achievable goals, for a month’s worth of exercise and meal plans. This proactive approach will give you a blueprint to work from. Stick to your regime as best you can and you’ll eliminate the temptation to break your healthy eating or stop exercising. You can still have fun while you stay in shape, just make sure you prioritise what your body needs both exercise and diet wise in order to achieve your goals!
Regularly changing your workouts or the types of exercise you do will keep you engaged with your targets. Boredom through repetition can derail your health goals. For almost all people, running 5 miles a day, on the same route for 6 months is a challenge for one’s focus. New ways of exercising will work different muscle groups and fight off fitness fatigue with an improved focus.
Whatever your usual style of exercise, try to do something completely different: an exercise which works an entirely different muscle group or part of the body. Say you’re a rower, try swapping a rowing session for a few lengths at the local pool. Say you’re a cyclist, do something with your upper body like rock climbing or calisthenics. Keep it fresh and you’ll keep your interest – perhaps even discovering new-found loves for different activities in the process!
Nutrition is the biggest factor in managing your weight. Regardless of whether you’re looking to gain weight or lose fat, nutrition is where it all starts. A balanced diet of around 2000 calories will maintain the weight of an average woman, 2500 for the average man.
A common issue with staying in good shape are the results of yo-yo or fad dieting. This is where diets are adopted for brief periods, during which time the person’s weight drops dramatically, only for it to be regained once the diet is over. Avoid choosing a temporary diet to lose weight quickly if you want to maintain a healthy body shape. Pick a well-balanced, varied diet that meets your calorie requirements, perhaps with the advice of a GP or nutritionist. Avoid fad diets that only offer short-term results and could form unhealthy long-term habits.
Flexibility, pain-free joints and relieved muscles are invaluable supplements to a strict regime of exercise and controlled nutrition. Yoga and Pilates are fantastic for preventing injury and keeping up the physical maintenance of your body. The motions of yoga ease post-workout muscular tension and practicing Pilates recorrects damaged parts of the skeletal system. They are full body workouts which aid the fabric of our anatomy.
Practicing some self-love in this way will aid your recovery time and help with your performance. Yoga and Pilates work on the muscle fibres, the tendons, the joints, the sockets all the connective parts of your body that we often forget as integral to maintaining a good figure. These gentler forms of exercise will add longevity to your fitness, allowing you to keep in shape for longer.
Staying in shape is a challenge but with a positive attitude and the right support, it’s a lot easier! Maintain a can-do attitude and look for solutions rather than problems. If you do find yourself struggling, talk it out with others. You can find support from friends and family or from professionals: personal trainers, nutritionists, and general practitioners.
Wherever you are in your fitness journey, whether you’re just starting to get in shape or just want to maintain your hard-earned physique, a fitness-focused holiday could help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Talk to one of our Travel Specialists on 0203 397 8891 or contact us here to discuss tailor-making your perfect fitness holiday.
What is Amatara Wellness Resort and who’s it for?
Tucked away in the quiet corner of Cape Panwa, you will find Amatara Wellness Resort. This luxury hotel was recently rebranded to focus on developing the resort as a wellness destination and now offers a range of comprehensive programmes. Suited to those wanting to escape and enjoy a destination spa holiday as well as those looking to take a serious approach to improving their overall well-being.
Freycinet Experience Walk and Who it’s for
Freycinet Experience Walk is an excellent multi-day walking tour (small groups max 10) taking in some of the most awe-inspiring terrain of Tasmania, ideal for budding botanists, bird & wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers will be right at home here as well as those wanting to disconnect from the stress of everyday life and explore the rich history of the area, follow the tracks of local aborigines tribes, explorers, settlers and other lucky bushwalkers.
What is Lefay and who’s it for?
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lefay, all our client reviews were glowing but I couldn’t quite envisage the Italian wellness scene; how would the indulgences of Italy translate into a healthy holiday? Needless to say, I was blown away! Lefay itself is stunningly located on the mountainside of Lake Garda in Northern Italy, set in beautiful woods and olives groves with breath-taking views. This Italian paradise acts as an energetic hotspot for likeminded people and I was soon made to feel at home with my welcome drink and fell chatting with some other guests lounging by the pool and in the spa. There’s a warm, calm energy that pervades the whole place and the staff are friendly.
What is D-Hotel Maris and who’s it for?
D-Hotel Maris is located on the mountainside of a Mediterranean bay, overlooking serene islands amidst a horizon of majestic mainland, D-Hotel is a must visit for anyone with a love of Edenic landscapes. It’s particularly a real haven for fitness, tennis and water sport enthusiasts who love to relax in luxury and in an atmosphere of calm with stunning scenic views. Suitable for solo travellers, couples and families (>5yrs for children).
On route from Melbourne through to London, our Travel Specialist Samantha made a short stopover for an energising three night stay in Milan where she visited Ti Sana, a boutique rural health retreat specialising in detox, weight-loss and holistic wellness holidays with a focus on sustainable lifestyle changes.
Read more: Retreat Review: 1711 Ti Sana Detox Retreat, Italy
Words: Emma Gibson
I have a confession to make
I’m not very good at moderation in anything. So while I understand a little of everything is a great approach, I tend to holiday flat out. For me that could mean literally lying very still for a week, taking a few steps as possible between a villa and the beach, or it could mean getting as fit as possible, getting my heart rate as high as possible, for seven days straight.
Interviews from leading health and fitness professionals from around the world to explore a wealth of knowledge in their areas of expertise.
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