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The Body Retreat

The Body Retreat

Women Only Weight Loss & Wellbeing Retreats

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Soup saves winter lunch times and waist lines

We’re now well and truly into winter, the temperature has dropped, wind and rain seem to be a permanent feature. When it comes to finding a healthy lunch option salad doesn’t seem so appealing. It’s time to bring on some soup! It may surprise you to hear that not only are soups a great option nutritionally, but certain types of soup have also been proven to help support weight loss.

In particular, vegetable-based soups are a great option as they combine a high nutrient density with a low energy density – this means that we get lots of key nutrients including vitamins and minerals for relatively few calories. Increasingly, research has revealed that consuming soup improves satiety (the feeling of fullness at the end of a meal) so that we eat less which is great for weight loss.

These soups are easy to make, easy to digest, low on calories, relatively inexpensive to make, are filled with fibre, nutrients, vitamins and because of the high water content can add towards your daily water intake.

We like to keep things simple here at The Body Retreat and never more so than when it comes to recipes, no one has the time or the inclination to prepare complex or long winded meals, not unless its a special occasion.  So these soup recipes are simplicity itself, all you need is one pot and a knife and nothing needs finely chopping you can make these soups as rustic as you like.

We would love to hear why your favourite Veg Soup Recipes are, or perhaps you would like us to help you to make a favourite soup healthier, pls leave us a comment below.

All soups serve 4.

Winter Vegetable Soup

1 onion chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 courgette chopped
1/2 small white cabbage finely sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 ltr Veg stock
Handful fresh basil and parsley

Fresh ground black pepper and a drizzle of virgin rapeseed oil to serve.

Place all the ingredients except the cabbage and peas in a pan and bring to a simmer for about 10 mins.

Add the cabbage and simmer for another couple of minutes, then finally add the frozen peas.

Just before you are ready to serve stir through the chopped fresh herbs and season with black pepper and drizzle the oil.

Celeriac & Apple Soup

1 tbps Rapeseed oil
1 large celeriac, peeled and chopped
2 onions, sliced
2 stick celery, chopped
2 large apples, peeled and chopped
1 ltr veg stock

Heat the oil, then sauté the onions and celery over a medium heat until soft but not browned.
Add the chopped celeriac apple and cook for 10 mins. Then add the stock and reduce to a low simmer for 15/20 mins.
Transfer the soup to a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency. Season and serve.
If the soup is a little too thick you can let it down by adding a little unsweetened pure apple juice.

Tomato & Chickpea Soup

1 onion
1 red onion
2 stick celery
1 can good quality chopped tomatoes
1 ltr vegetable stock
1/2 chickpeas, drained
1/2 ts dried chilli flakes
Salt & Pepper

Add all the vegetables to a pot and add the stock, simmer on a low heat for 10 mins. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and dried chilli flakes and continue to cook for a further 15 mins. Transfer the soup to a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency, season and serve.

The Body Retreat’s Women of Inspiration 2013

It’s a funny time of year, New Year, we look ahead with hope and expectation to the year to come but naturally it is also a time of contemplation on the year just gone.

Over the Christmas holidays the Body Retreat team (Julie, Juls & Bella) held a business review…aka a walk in the woods.  During this walk…sorry business review…we reflected on the year gone by and how recently we had been asked what we have learnt about ourselves during our time working on The Body Retreat.  This great question led us to think about the women that we meet on our retreats, or women whom we have worked with through out the years.

The women we meet both on retreat and though business inspire us, they are part of why we do what we do, why we push ourselves to deliver the best retreats we possibly can.  Our job through The Body Retreat is to guide, educate and inspire women to reclaim control of their health and wellbeing… but here’s the thing …its very much a two way street.  Every week all the women we meet and work with educate and inspire us. There is not a retreat that we run that we don’t learn something new, its fantastic, we are very lucky.

So in the spirit of reflection and gratitude for their inspiration we’d like to share some of the women in 2013 who have made an impact on us.

LuLu

Or Louise Wisson to give her her full title.

In the years we have known Lulu she has been a client, a friend even a marketing mentor.   LuLu is a fairly typical Retreater, she is intelligent, successful and great fun to be around.  What has made LuLu a woman of inspiration for us this year is her Positive Mental Attitude or PMA.

Life can be hard at times, the road ahead of you can seem all up hill, days can be tough and it can be hard to maintain a PMA, espically when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  At times of great stress or upheavil a healthy diet or making time to exercise and be active very often takes a back seat.  It can seem like too much trouble when you are under pressure in other areas.  It can seem easier to just quit.  LuLu is not a quitter.  LuLu is tenacious, persistent, dedicated.  How do we know this?  Earlier in 2013 LuLu was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and with the subsequent operations, and chemo treatment protocols amazingly LuLu never lost her PMA.

Through this shitty year (sorry there is no other word for it!!)  LuLu has persisted in her resolve that being healthy and active is a necessity not a luxury and so she has worked hard to get out and be active, there have been regular “map my Run” updates of miles completed, pictures of new healthy recipes mastered.  LuLu shares this PMA with everyone and anyone, she can often be found on our FB pages offering words of encouragement and support for fellow Retreaters.  Lulu has also set herself a target to raise £10,000 for the ovarian cancer charity The Eve Appeal and has already undertaken some fantastic events to this end.

In November this year Julie took part in the Nice – Cannes Marathon.  Unfortunately the day of the race was during the infamous Mistral so to say it was windy along the coastal route was an understatement. Despite the months of training this was a tough run, as runners pulled up around her the single thought that kept her running, was that this is not hard in comparison to what Lulu has achieved so I can do this.  You see, PMA can be contagious.

Kerry Harrison

(KerryJPhotography)

Have you had the experience where you meet someone and almost instantly you feel some connection, the meeting might be fleeting, but you have a sense that you are on the same wavelength.  This was exactly how we met Kerry,  at the end of a networking event earlier this year.

We had been looking to engage a professional photographer to come along to our retreats to take some images to support our new website.  It was really important to us that whom ever we would engage to come along and spend time with our clients and us would be nice.

Nice…it’s a very unrated word.  Our motto in business at The Body Retreat is “Its nice to be nice”.  To us that means being kind, funny, polite, warm, good…the list goes on, but I’m sure you see what I’m saying.  Kerry was everything on the list.

Kerry has inspired us this year by her enthusiasm for her business, it can difficult running your own business, it can make people tough, but Kerry has still managed to retain her niceness while still being successful.  We are always impressed by companies and people who go that little bit extra and with Kerry her dedication to get the perfect picture saw her up trees, lying under bushes… hilarious!!  She exemplifies going that extra mile for her clients.  Her kindness (see that word again) also means that she has this innate ability to relax the women on shoot so she got the best pictures, not just for us the client, but very importantly for the women themselves.  Take a look at the pictures on the website and you can see for yourself, real women, feeling confident and looking great.

So this year Kerry inspired us by reminding us that when you do what you love and you do it well and lose nothing of yourself in the process you can still be successful… an important lesson in any ones business.

Amanda Hobson Jones

Breakthrough BreastCancer

During 2013 inspired by LuLu’s story we wanted to run a charity bootcamp day to be about  fitness, fun and fundraising.  Having only the germ of an idea for the bootcamp day fate would bring Amanda into our lives.  Juls heard Amanda speak at a networking event about having lost her daughter to breast cancer and how she was now a campaigner for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the hope of seeing a cure for breast cancer in her lifetime so that no other mother would lose a daughter as she had.  There was such a purity, an elegance to her speech, but it wasn’t sad and mournful, rather it was hopeful and inspiring. Also, Amanda had an impish sense of fun about her.  Hope, inspiration and fun Amanda seemed a natural partner for our venture and so it was agreed that the bootcamp day should support these two great charities.  Breakthrough Breast Cancer and The Eve Appeal.

Amanda was delighted to be onboard. We discovered that Amanda had already raised £200,000 for Breakthrough, this information was a little daunting to begin with.  We worried that we would not raise impressive sums of money, we worried that our event would not be a success. we worried that our little day might disappoint the charities by not being worth their time and support.  But we need not have worried.  Amanda is so supportive and encouraging and is genuinely as excited about a £2.00 donation as she is about £2,000, she knows that every pound raised is put to such excellent use by the charity and that each penny really makes a difference. Amanda’s enthusiasm and belief that we are making a difference is infectious, she has made us believe that we can find a cure for this horrible disease, but to do so we must act.

So we have been inspired to “adopt” both Breakthrough Breast Cancer and The Eve Appeal as our company charities and have pledged that each year we will arrange and run events to raise funds for these two great charities.  Watch this space 🙂

To Resolve or Not Resolve?? The Problem with New Years Resolutions

Its New Years Day and around the country people are sharing their new years resolutions.

Are you one of them?

There is no law that says you need to make new years resolutions, yet there is something about the hope and opportunity that a new year brings that makes it  natural to think about the year ahead and what you want it to be like, or should that be how you want it to be different for the year just past.

Its probably no surprise that the number one resolution is to lose weight/ get fitter, particular after the recent period of festive indulgence over Christmas.  Its probably also not a surprise that 92% of new year resolutions fail within the the first 6 weeks.    When you look at statistics like that it makes you wonder why you would bother with resolutions …. i mean why deliberately set yourself up for failure.

What is it about resolutions that makes them so hard to stick to?  Well, most resolutions that are about what people feel they should do and not so much about what they want to do.  They always seem to be around soothing you want to give up,  drinking, eating crap… the list goes on.  And of course the other reason they are difficult to achieve is that people go cold turkey, they go all out to and try to do too much too soon.  Then they quickly feel overwhelmed and soon he cracks begin to appear.

At The Body Retreat we prefer to work towards a goal.  Setting yourself a positive goal, one that you really want to achieve that is based on what you do want not what you don’t want.  From that goal you when focus on the positive behaviours that each day take you one step closer to achieving your goal.

So first thing is to set the goal.  Is it a positive one?  Identify what positive behaviours you will need to adopt to move towards this goal.  Now write it down… did you know that you are 61% more likely to active a goal that is written down?   Now every day make a concuss choice to adopt one of your new positive behaviours, when that starts to feel comfortable or easy to maintain then add another.  Each small set you take will take you closer to your goal.

If you feel the Nw Year would be compete without at least one little resolution or two then why not resolve to spend more time with you family, wear gorgeous matching underwear every day, raise money for charity or treat yourself to some R&R every month.  These might seem frivolous resolutions but in their own way they will encourage other positive behaviours to support them… and who knows where that might lead you.

Have a happy and healthy 2014.

Why R&R is important when it comes to womens weight loss

When it comes to achieving the body and fitness they want and deserve, too many women still think they need to follow the old adage of “Eat Less, Move More”… or how about “No Pain, No Gain”.  At The Body Retreat, we cringe when we hear these terms… because they sound so austere, so dull…dare I say it .. so masculine!!

We have always maintained that a women’s path to the body and fitness they want is different from men.  Not only is our physiology different, our hormones and emotions also play a part in our success as well.

That’s why at The Body Retreat along with our three core pillars of Behavior, Nutrition and Exercise we value R&R… in our case R & R stands for Relaxation and Regeneration.  So much is made of the need to do more, achieve more, be more… without R & R this can begin to take its toll.

We believe that the way to not only lose weight, but to maintain a healthy weight for life is to enjoy yourself, have fun, while at the same time take care of yourself.  Your body is not a machine, it’s your home and so it is important to value it.  We believe that this taking care of yourself works from the inside out but also from the outside in.  What you put in your body matters, but so too what you put on your body.

That’s why we are delighted to be partnering with Mama Mio Skincare because they offer perfect skincare products for women who are looking for fit skin for life.   Whether your skin concern, is cellulite, stretch marks or dry skin or perhaps you have started to notice that bits of you are not quite as tight as they used to be, Mama Mio have products that fit the bill.

In The Body Retreat office we have been testing the product range for a couple of months now (our favorites are Boob Tube and Lucky Legs …you can draw your own conclusions as to who is using what!!) and can report that what we love about these products is that they really work.  A little goes a long way, they smell divine but not too strong and so don’t compete with your own perfume or fragrance.  Another huge plus point for us is their NO NASTIES policy that their skincare will never have petrolatum, parabens, SLS, xenoestrogens, pthlalates, synthetic fragrances, artificial colourants.

From February 2014 we will be gifting Mama Mio hospitality products to all our guests on weeklong residential retreats, and we will also be introducing their wonderful spa treatments on selected retreats.  At The Body Retreat we have always looked to balance the hard work of our varied programmes with R&R, that’s why all our retreats have spa facilities, why we offer complimentary treatments, why we make sure our retreat locations are of the highest standards so that our guests can relax and regenerate at the end of a busy day. Mama Mio products and treatments are the prefect partners for our R&R programme.

Like Mama Mio we share a common mission in that we want to encourage women to regain confidence in their bodies, whatever their age, shape or weight.  When you feel good about yourself you glow, and when you begin to feel that glow your confidence soars.

So whether you are looking to maintain your motivation while you lose weight or to reward yourself for all your handwork, then remember to include some R& R in your life.

Fit skin, healthy body, calm mind.  Now that is a maxim worth adopting we think 🙂

 

 

 

ALCOHOL: THE BODY RETREAT’S GOLDEN GUIDELINES FOR CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL

When the Christmas party scene starts to kick off its only natural to feel a little swept up in the festive spirits.

Festive drinking can take its toll on your body and your health, from the additional empty calories of many cocktails, the late night sloshed snacking, the hangover sugar binges and not to mention the distinct lack of motivation to get up and exercise.  Its seems like a pretty bleak time for the health conscious amongst us.

But worry not, its not all doom and gloom, with a little planning you can have your tipple and your waistline.

Our Golden Guidelines for Christmas Drinking Survival

  • Never drink on an empty stomach, preferably drink alcohol with food so it slows down the absorption of the sugars.
  • Do not drink alcohol on two consecutive days and not more than twice in any one week
  • Avoid carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices as both are very high in sugar.
  • Choose your beverage wisely remember that the rules about carbonated drinks and fruit juices still apply, so if choosing sprits what mixer will you have.
  • Dry white wine or red wine is probably a better choice than sprits or beers
  • Don’t mix your drinks.  Pick one drink and stick to it for the evening.  Mixing wines, beers and cocktails is not only a sure fire way of becoming very drunk but can also make you ill.
  • Stop drinking at least one hour before you go to bed.  Then during this last hour drink water to help rehydrate yourself before you sleep.
  • If you come home and you feel like ravaging whatever is in your fridge, drink two large glasses of water, then have a small snack. It should tide you over.

 

A COUPLE OF HEALTHY CHRISTMAS TIPPLES

Chrimbo Cosmo

1 measure Pimms

½ measure sweet vermouth

Cranberry Juice

Dash Angostura Bitters

 

Pour all ingredients into a shaker over ice.  Mix vigorously.  Pour into a cocktail glass and serve.

 

Merry Mojito

1 measure Gin

1 tsp Agave Syrup

4 mint leaves

4 wedges lime

soda water

 

Muddle the Gin syrup, mint and lime in a tall glass.  Top with soda water and serve.