Jabernet, Author at The Body Retreat

Can You Spoil Yourself Without Spoiling Yourself?

Do you have a healthy food relationship? Do you enjoy your food? Do you enjoy eating out? Do you like to “treat” yourself with foodie treats?

Almost all the women who join us on retreat enjoy their food, in part its often one of the reasons why they choose to join us here at The Body Retreat. Food is such an important part of every Body Retreat that one of our pillars of wellbeing is Menu. For us Menu is about choice and variety of food as this is very important part of health…no tired lettuce leaves…no tasteless clear soups…. no eating the same thing day in day out here at The Body Retreat.

Welcome Foodies!

We welcome foodies on every retreat and we strive to make sure that our menus have something to surprise and delight every guest.

Of course our menus are based on clean eating principles but no whole food groups are excluded. Our daily menus are balanced to suit the activity levels of the retreat as well as the individual dietary requirements of the guests. Very few of our guests experience true physical hunger on retreat ( that is not to say that some don’t experience hunger at times but very often its a desire to eat something to feel different …not the same as hunger at all)

But one common term comes up again and again… how do you treat yourself when you are trying to eat clean. If you spoil yourself with a foodie treat does it mean that you spoil yourself, spoil your motivation to shed the weight that is unnecessary for you?

Is That Treat Really Treating You Well?

Many of the women who join us on our Weight Loss Retreats for example will have already spent years if not decades trying all sorts of diets… Weight Watchers, Slimming World etc etc … and these Diets all have something in common… Treats! Often they are horrid little bars of “Frankenfoods” covered in a chocolate tasting coating .. you know the kind of thing I mean. Of course these treats simply train you to eat sweets and when on the diet you eat the “Frankentreat” but when you stop the programme …which of course always happens… the behaviour of treating oneself remains. Only now you move up to the real chocolate or some other non -diet treats.

Its a depressing future that doesn’t contain treats….enjoying the odd delicious bite from time to time whether that be a pudding, a snack or a whole afternoon tea is a part of life. Rightly so.

We should all enjoy delicious foods, foods that make us smile, foods that lift our day.

I’d like to think that we can enjoy these foods regularly, after all life is too short to not take enjoyment from the foods we choose to eat.

Im a real foodie, I enjoy reading about food, watching food on tv, eating out, eating in, cooking for friends or just playing in the kitchen. Not everyone has the time or inclination to spend as much time on food as I do…but they still want to enjoy the foods they eat.

Developing a Healthy Food Relationship One Plate at a Time

We have just finished our Conscious Cook & Tone Weekend in Somerset. It has to be one of my favourite retreats. Its all about developing a healthy loving relationship with food.

Over the course of the weekend we have had workshops on meal planning, shopping to develop a healthy kitchen and larder, we also had tutorials on The Anti-Sandwich Lunch (getting hands on making non bread portable lunch options), one on Juices & Smoothies and finally Healthy Treats and Snacks. Getting ideas, recipes and experience of how to rustle up quick and healthy food at home, food that feels as though you really are treating yourself.

The highlight of the weekend for me is our Gala Dinner…so often our retreaters fear eating out or going to celebrations as it seems that they are in conflict with the commitment to eat healthily…not so!!! Our Gala Dinner starts with cocktails & canapés and we even enjoy some organic wines with the four course meal. “Its such a treat…can it really be healthy?” “Will I put on weight”? Some of the retreaters are sceptical at first… but the great thing about this Gala Dinner is that it is our Conscious Cooking Principles in practice.

Learning how to enjoy food without guilt or angst. When it comes to achieving the body and health that you deserve then having a healthy food relationship is the place to start.

Its time to ditch the diets, time to let go of the guilt and time to embrace real food. Imagine feeling good about food, never feeling deprived, never worrying that if you eat just a little “treat” that it means that every thing is spoiled and that you may as well then just keep on eating.

Cultivate A Healthy Food Relationship

Embrace the flavours and textures of real food. When was the last time you took time to really taste your food? When we slip into automatic eating we rarely taste what we are actually eating. Taking time to reconnect with food.
Avoid Frankenfood. On no account think that you are treating yourself with Frankenfood. You are actually setting yourself up for a dysfunctional ongoing relationship with food. Much better to eat a little of real foods, regardless of the calorie, fat or sugar content ( I know you are hearing me say that) eating real food is always the better choice.
Ditch the Guilt. Often we grow up with mixed messages about food, this leads to us feeling a sense of guilt when we eat certain foods that we feel we should or should not be eating. Keep a journal, see a therapist, or talk it out with friends. It’s hard to get away from certain cultural food pressures, but you have to decide for your yourself how you want to deal with that pressure.

Regardless of what your current relationship with food is it is possible to make significant changes, our retreats prove that time and again.

So if you are a foodie who is ready to regain a loving healthy food relationship then get in touch.

Do You Know The Warning Signs of Stress Overload?

What Are the Warning Signs of Stress Overload?

When you are exposed to long periods of stress, your body gives you warning signals that something is wrong.

These physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral warning signs should not be ignored. Often thee signs are subtle but when they are consistent they are telling you that you need to slow down.

If you continue to experience chronic stress overload and you don’t give your body and mind a break, you are likely to develop health problems like heart disease, auto-immune diseases or adrenal fatigue.

One of the important factors about stress overload is your own personal perception of stress. There is no definitive guide of what makes a situation or event stressful, that is for everyone to define for themselves. One persons stress overload is another persons competitive driver.

Not all stress is bad, in fact a little stress is good for is, it makes things exciting, gives us a buzz, allows us to feel desire, drive and competitiveness. We all go through stressful periods in life, thats a given. But when our lives feel out of balance , when we become aware of how much stress we continue to experience that is when we start to feel overloaded.

When you become aware that the stress in your life is beginning to overload your whole life it is time to take action.

Below are some common warning signs and symptoms of stress overload.

Physical Signs of Stress Overload

General Aches & Pains
Grinding Teeth
Headaches
Indigestion
IBS
Kidney infections
Racing Heart
Hyperventilation (panic attacks)
Disrupted Sleep
Excessive Sweating
Repeated fungal infections
Feeling Tired & Worn Out
Weight Gain around the middle

Cognitive Signs of Stress Overload

Difficulty making decisions
Forgetfulness
Poor concentration
Lack of creativity
Loss of sense of humor
Poor memory
Anxiety
Depression

Emotional Signs of Stress Overload

Unprovoked anger
Feeling overwhelmed
Mood swings
Irritability
Heightened nervousness
Feeling blue
Crying for no real reason

Behavioural Signs of Stress Overload

Compulsive eating
Increased drinking or drug taking
Aggressiveness
Frequent disagreements or arguments
Missing deadlines
Withdrawal from relationships or social situations

After you’ve identified the causes of the stress overload in your life, the next step is to learn techniques that can help you cope with the stressors.

There are many techniques and resources you can use to help you to manage stress. Some of which you can learn yourself, while other techniques may require the guidance of a trained therapist.

The first step is to listen to your own body, be aware of the signs of stress overload and be honest with yourself.

If you are concerned about the impact that stress overload may be having on your health and wellbeing then we can help. Contact Us Now to set up a call to discuss exactly how we can help you to regain control.

Retreating Is A Private Matter At The Body Retreat

Discretion is a girl’s best friend.

Here’s one of the thing’s about The Body Retreat that you might not know if you haven’t joined us at any one of our retreats…

We value your privacy more than our publicity.

The women who choose to join us on retreat are often successful professional women, often holding high profile or public office. Women who come to The Body Retreat because it is exactly that, a retreat. It’s getting away from the pressures and demands of their public or professional lives. It is an opportunity to take off the many hats they wear and allow themselves to relax, show vulnerability, learn, grow, heal.

We recently were in conversation with a PR agency about the possibility of their supporting us to raise awareness of The Body Retreat. Time and again the conversation came back to testimonials or endorsements… time and again we explained that we don’t actively request these from our clients as we value their privacy.

Women from all walks of life choose to join us here at The Body Retreat, it may be to regain control over stress, sleep better, kick their sugar habit, rebalance energy levels, shed the weight they feel is unnecessary while others just like to have some “me ” time once a year. Whatever their reasons they are personal, private and we are privileged to be a part of their private lives.

One such woman is Elizabeth (not her real name) who sent us this email last week with her permission to share its contents.

Her “ Ten things I wish I’d known before I came on retreat” is great as it contains questions not even Julie and had thought off.

Elizabeth’s Retreat Story

When I mentioned to a friend that I was going on retreat, she couldn’t stop herself telling me the whole plot of She’ll be wearing pink pyjamas. I am not a retreat person. I’m not a group person. I am not a joiner.

I signed up (the first time) because I needed a week, any week, where someone would tell me where to be when and sooth my soul.

I found The Body Retreat and the Weight Loss week was scheduled for the time when I could take a week off work. I was terrified.

I am a fiercely independent woman. I lead, manage, plan, deliver, and all those other words that describe our success. If I don’t know how to do something, I fake it until I can learn enough to do something for real. But I was seriously disconnected with my body. I wouldn’t have been able to articulate it then, but I was ploughing all my energy into my job, my social life, and my relationships. I wasn’t looking at myself with an honest eye.

My random Google searches taking me to Body Retreat felt serendipitous.

I was drinking too much, exercising but not to a level that was pushing me, my diet was poor and my habits – deeply entrenched – were doing me a disservice. Like many women I’d grown up with parents, grandparents and great grandparents, who had managed to stretch budgets. Food was cheap and designed to fill quickly and comfortably. In 2016, food continues to be cheap and comforting but there is plenty more of it and more chemicals, additives, and flavourings to make you keep coming back for more and more.

It was incredibly hard to admit that I couldn’t do it myself.

There are blogs, apps, books, TV programmes, virtual training, personal training, gym memberships, companies who will send meals to you, all telling you how to eat, what to eat, what not to eat, and how to exercise.

I should be able to crack this myself.

I knew that fad diets were ineffective.

I did want to lose weight but I wanted to run up three flights of stairs without collapsing.

I wanted to be able to stay awake for longer.

I wanted to stop feeling so tired.

I wanted to feel like I valued myself as much as I value everything else I give my attention to.

I needed help to do that.

The Body Retreat provides that support. Juls and Julie, with calm professional respect but utter compassion, guide you to unlearn things you take for granted and learn new things that help you connect with yourself.

It is best to come to retreat on your own. You meet new, interesting women who are all on their own journeys and you have the space and distance from each other to be focussed on you and what you need.

I’ve come on four retreats now – many clients are returners. Each one I learn more.

The first one I learnt new exercises. I learnt I enjoyed boxing and I could do weights and I could walk long distances. I learnt the limits of my body but also what my body could achieve with the right support. I also learnt what I needed to immediately throw out of my fridge and cupboard.

Each retreat I build on that knowledge, and now I am able to really properly think about my relationship with food, what it means to me, and why it means what it means.

Coming to The Body Retreat is an unequivocal investment in yourself.

I can think of a dozen other things that I should or could spend the money on. There will always be a dozen things to spend the money on. It is hard to tell myself that I am worth spending that money on.

But I am worth the investment – the financial investment and the investment of time. I know that I will live longer and better and enjoy life more as a result of my time with Juls and Julie.

I am worth the space the retreat affords me and I am worth the attention that I am giving myself that I so effortlessly give to others. And it’s ok that I need some help with that.

Ten things I wish I’d known before I came to The Body Retreat

Will I be the fattest?

All sorts of women come on Retreat and everything is adapted to suit your needs. I have sometimes been the slowest in the group, sometimes the fastest and sometimes I’ve been the biggest and sometimes I haven’t.

Where can bigger women get kit?

Nightmare. How can bigger women exercise when they won’t sell us kit? State of Mind makes nice clothes and Marks and Spencers do a range but whatever makes you feel comfortable is fine. Tshirts and jogging bottoms will do the job.

Will everyone know each other?

The Body Retreat gets plenty of returners so there are usually a couple in every group who might know each other or have been on the retreat before. Don’t worry though, once you’ve spent a day together, you get to know each other.

I don’t want to hold others back.

You won’t. Julie keeps the pace flexible so you can find your own speed or strength without it interfering with anyone else.

Do I have to be sociable?

There is some sociable times but if you want to have quiet time that’s perfectly ok too. There is no forced group bonding requirements.

Will I be hungry?

I never am, but if you are, it’s only to learn what it is to be hungry and you’ll eat pretty soon after the grumbly tummy begins. There is the right sort of food and the right amount of food.

Will they shout at me if I don’t want to do something?

No. You’re not a child. It’s up to you what you do.

Will they shame me if I fail?

Absolutely not. Everything about the ethos of The Body Retreat is designed to encourage and support. No tears of failure here.

What if I get fed up and want to go home?

You can go home, but that would be a shame having made the decision to come, found the time and the money and got yourself all psyched up.

Do I have to come again?

No, it’s all there the first time you come. You may find you don’t take everything in the first time though. Replacing habits takes time.

Do You Ever Feel Like You Are Stuck On A Hamster Wheel?

Millions of women are silently suffering under the weight of deadlines and to-do lists.

Being a mother, wife, daughter, sister, boss, employee the list of hats that modern women wear seem endless.

Work deadlines, never-ending kid’s activities, family commitments, long commutes, broken water pipes, mountains of washing, looming bills all mounting the pressure and stress.

You might be one of them.

It’s like you stepped onto a Hamster Wheel and it isn’t stopping!

Soon you begin to feel overwhelmed and sick.

You may feel that its all somehow beyond your control, you wish things would be different but somehow they never seem to get significantly better.

You take a holiday and you relish those few days of calm but only a matter of hours after your return the pressure begins to mount again. Very soon it feels as though you have never had a break at all.

In my research, I’ve learned one very important thing.

Stress is an equation and you can control the inputs.

One side of the equation are the demands that we feel from our employers, family and friends. Demands that seem to require us to work longer hours at work and at home with fewer resources, often at the expense of our health and wellbeing. We also live in stressful times, you need only switch on the television or radio and you hear the most awful things happening around the word and right here on our doorstep. It can easy to focus on the external stressors and the impact that they have on us. But the other side of the stress equation is us. There is so much that you can do to support your body and your mind. Yes, I know your boss, commute, significant other, kids, bills or mile-long to do lists are a huge part of your stress.

But you only escape stress when you stop looking outside for all the answers.

I’m not saying external stuff doesn’t cause or exacerbate stress. What I’m saying is that there is so much we can do to support our body and mind to be resilient in the face of the stressors.

When I suffered from Burnout 6 years ago I was very firmly stuck on the Hamster Wheel. I ignored all the signs that my body and mind where sending me that my health was suffering. I kept on coping, kept myself on the Hamster Wheel. Then quite simply I wasn’t!

I suffered Burnout and spent three months in a private clinic working my way back to health. I then spent the last 6 years studying, training, working with experts in various fields to gain a real understanding of how stress impacts women’s health. Now we get to share this knowledge and expertise with you on our Stress Reset Retreat.

Know the Signs

If you are feeling wired but tired all the time.
If you are suffering repeat infections, colds or fungal infections.
If you cant remember the last time you had a good nights sleep.
If your moods and emotions seem out of control.
If you have a pocket of fat around the middle that just wont shift.

Your body is sending you signals that you are no longer coping. Do not ignore these signs.

If you recognize or suspect that your health may be compromised by stress then take action right now. Speak to your GP or other health care professional.

It may be time to step off the Hamster Wheel and reset before you fall off due to ill health and exhaustion.

Sugar Free Buckwheat Pancakes With Cinnamon Nut Cream

Who doesn’t love pancakes!!

They are a staple on retreats. Even on our Sugar Detox Retreat. That is when these sugar free buckwheat pancakes come into their own. We serve them with the cinnamon nut cream but on other retreats we like to serve them with some fresh or frozen berries for a little sweet hit.

SERVES 4

FOR THE PANCAKES

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour

1 Cup Coconut Milk

1 Egg, separated

1 tbs Coconut Oil ( for cooking)

FOR THE CINNAMON NUT CREAM

1 Cup Blanched Almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Juice ½ Orange

Zest of 1 Whole Orange

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

METHOD

First make the Cinnamon Nut Cream

Soak the nuts over night if possible. Then combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If the mix is a little too thick then add a splash of the soaking liquid to thin down.

To Make the Pancakes

Mix the egg yolk with the coconut milk. Beat the egg white until it forms stiff peaks. Now mix the coconut milk mix with the flour until your create a thick batter. Now fold in the egg while.

When ready to cook the pancakes, add a tbps of the oil to a hot frying pan and then add a ladle spoon of the batter. Cook the pancake until it s browned and firm then flip the pancake over and cook on the second side for a further minute or two. Continue to cook all the remaining pancakes.

You can keep the cooked pancakes warm in a medium warm over for about 5 – 10 mins without compromising on taste and texture.

Serve 2 pancakes per person topped with the cinnamon nut cream and some fresh berries when in season or defrosted berries all year round.

Author: Jabernet