Author: Jabernet

For all those of you who have been following us having previously taken part in Brealy Bootcamps, you may have noticed there have been quite a few changes round here recently! And for those of you who are new to the site, welcome.

Over the years we have helped hundreds of women achieve their personal health, wellbeing and fitness goals, and we felt it was time to change our brand and completely overhaul our website to reflect the unique service which we offer to all of our clients.

If you are looking for a ten-day, week long or weekend retreat for women, The Body Retreat is the only company in the UK to offer luxury heath and fitness retreat packages led entirely by women, for women.

The re-brand process is finally complete, and to say we are EXCITED is an understatement!

A huge thank you to Kerry from Kerry J Photography for her amazing images, her design influence and for her calming influence.

Thanks also to Laura from VA Solutions for her help and support bringing everything together, and for some great introductions.

And finally thanks to Karen from Mamba Media for stepping in last minute to save the website from disaster and for getting us live so quickly.

We hope you enjoy having a look round our new, improved website and finding out about the fantastic health retreats which we deliver from world-class locations in the UK and Europe. Why not also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all our latest news and offers – look out for an exciting offer for new clients coming soon!

Julie, Juls and the team at The Body Retreat

Conscious Eating…Eating As An Art.

Eating can be an art, it can be practiced to bring you pleasure and enjoyment and most importantly not have any negative or unwanted side effects such as extra pounds or inches as the result.

This is how you can enjoy food more while still being confident that you can continue working towards your goal…

• Eat only at mealtimes and when you eat, focus all your attention on the food you are actually eating.
• Do not watch TV or read a magazine or book, enjoy this time.
• Before you begin to eat, take a moment to really look at your food, notice the colours and textures. Notice the shape and size of you food, notice too any patterns.
• Inhale deeply and enjoy the aromas, smell your first forkful before you eat it.
• Taking only small mouthfuls and putting your cutlery or food down between bites.
• Focus your complete attention on the food you are eating, don’t let your mind wander.
• Be aware of all the taste buds in your mouth and how they are stimulated by each tiny bit of food. You might even find that closing your eyes while you chew allows you to focus more intently on the taste.
• Chew your food slowly as if in slow motion before you finally swallow.

Instead of giving up foods you like, savour them, enjoy the fact they can still be a part of your life. But by chewing slowly and consciously and when you are starting to feel full then STOP you can continue to enjoy them for ever.

At Brealy Bootcamps, we are often asked what the benefits of weight loss retreats for women are. Everyone is unique and will notice differences particular to themselves – which we love to hear about! – but in the meantime, here are 7 great reasons to attend one of our women’s only weight loss camps!

1. identifying the causes of failure. It is not unusual for some of our clients to have previously tried to better manage their weight and improve their fitness levels but perhaps with less than outstanding success. Sharing those experiences with others and learning from expert tuition, may help identify and deal with those inhibitors in future;
2. understanding your body better. It’s sometimes surprising just how many of us have picked up serious misconceptions about weight, health, nutrition and fitness, over the years. That might lead to serious errors in lifestyle approach but fortunately ones which can perhaps be relatively easily dealt with;
3. focusing on yourself. Many women today have phenomenally busy lifestyles and it can be difficult to find time to concentrate on yourself and your own personal needs. A retreat may seem a little indulgent but the investment of time is designed to help you find solutions to not only manage and maintain weight loss, but is about changing behaviours and achieving balance. All these things will help you feel and function better, meaning you’ll be more able to cope with a hectic lifestyle;
4. forming a support network. When trying to change aspects of your lifestyle, it can be very difficult to get started when you are working in isolation. Sharing your experiences with others while also getting one-to-one tuition from one of the team, will kick-start you into a new regime more easily than if you were trying to do it entirely on your own;
5. learning new techniques. Some exercise regimes are arguably far less effective than others. Learning about the right sorts of exercise is important and the same thing can be said about foodstuffs. For example, you can learn some practical tips relating to managing blood sugar levels and thereby avoid feeling hungry in between meals during the day as well as avoiding those awful 3pm slumps;
6. enjoyment. Brealy Bootcamps are bootcamps in name only and not by nature. These aren’t endurance tests designed to push your powers of physical or mental persistence to breaking point. They are practical and fun-filled sessions where the objective is not only for you to lose weight and feel more informed about your lifestyle choices, but also relaxed and in a stronger frame of mind.
7. finally, let’s not forget the health boosting benefits of a combined programme of frequent exercise, nutrition and balance. Exercise not only tones you up and increases your fitness, but, on the inside, it makes amazing, positive changes. For example, stronger bones, so you are at less risk of osteoporosis: stronger muscles that help you burn calories more efficiently and support your internal organs by helping them function more optimally; and glowing skin. Throw in great nutrition and a framework of how to cope with emotional and mental concerns such as stress and sleep disorders – and you will be in great shape.

While these are obvious advantages that everyone should benefit from, some of our past “campers” have also shared some of the things they have noticed since their weight loss camp.

They include having whiter teeth (no coffee or red wine stains!): having the confidence to change careers; going from hating running to competing in 10k marathons; to stopping being on anti-depressants (with the blessing of her doctor of course).

As you can see, while you may be coming to one of our weight loss retreats to lose weight, you will gain so much more!

If you are thinking about attending a women’s weight loss retreat (not just a Body Retreat one), but have a few questions as to whether it will be suitable for you, the following information may help you make your decision.

First of all, note that a “women’s weight loss retreat” will mean different things to different people, no matter whether they are running the camp or attending it! We all have different ideas and expectations, so, do your research first to ensure you find the retreat that is most suitable for you:

• what sort of events / activities will you be taking part in? Are they a mix of cardio, plus high and low impact exercise to not only burn those calories off, but shape and tone your body too? A variety of exercises and activities will help keep you engaged in what you are doing, so you (should!) enjoy them more;
• how big are the groups at each retreat? Obviously, the smaller the groups, the more personalised and individual attention you will get – helping you to achieve your goals that much quicker and prevent the likelihood of injury;
• what sort of diet will you be on? Some retreats will severely restrict your calories or put you on to a liquid only diet. Others, such as ourselves, provide tasty and nutritionally sound meals that provide the foundations to helping you lose weight – and maintain that weight loss;
• is the focus purely on losing weight, or does the retreat programme include looking at all areas of your health and well-being? For example, our weight loss retreats are designed to help you think about the relationship between your lifestyle, weight, nutrition and health – and creating a balance.

In a sense, that may sound rather old hat. It isn’t revolutionary to suggest that there may be a direct link between what you eat, your weight, your fitness and your overall health – but, you’d be surprised how many women’s weight loss camps do not have the same ethos as we do.

What happens at The body Retreat weight loss camp?

There are a few things that make our retreats different to some others – our groups are small for a personalised service and we have an online support community after the event, where you can talk to other women who have been, or are going on, the same life changing journey as you.

Ours is a holistic approach, an equal balance of exercise, nutrition and behaviour on all our events.

What is a typical day like?

Depending on the type of bootcamp you are attending, a typical day may consist of 8-9 hours of different activities – for example, a variety of toning and cardio activities such as circuits, Nordic walking, kettlebells, pilates, yoga, and boxing etc as well as health, nutrition and well- being workshops.

Many of our venues have a sauna and pool, so you can also have a leisurely swim after sweating out some toxins and warming your achy muscles in a sauna.

We try to get outdoors as much as possible (weather permitting) and show you how you can exercise and get fit without the need for lots of equipment or gym memberships.

And while the other ladies at the weight loss camp will be people just like you, you don’t have to worry about needing your own space. It is up to you as to how sociable you are during your free time. Some of our ladies will go off to their room for a hot bath and to watch the TV while others may sit together and chat over a herbal tea – it’s your choice!

Eat smart and move more!

At The Body Retreat, we believe that the idea that dieting alone won’t deal with weight loss and weight maintenance. It is perfectly possible, for example, to have a near ideal weight, yet still be substantially unfit and as a result, be putting your health at risk.

Our workshops will help you identify just what aspects of your life are influencing your weight and fitness choices. Lifestyle is a generic concept that encompasses a range of factors, all of which are important to understand and take control of if you are to start to improve your body and the way you feel about it.

So, a weight loss camp is more than simply doing exercises and learning about eating the right sort of foodstuffs. It is about establishing mechanisms to empower you to start having more self-confidence and to do things differently in terms of your overall lifestyle.

If this all sounds a little theoretical, then be reassured that at our camps there’s lots of emphasis on fun and practicality! This is about groups of women coming together to participate in sessions that have been designed by women and for women, with the ultimate objective of helping you achieve your goals.

Whatever your age or fitness level, you are likely to find the approach here to be radical, enjoyable and above all beneficial!