From Exhausted to Energised

One of the common traits we see in many of the women who join us at The Body Retreat is that they have become very good at putting their own needs at the bottom of a very long priority list, working mums, entrepreneurs, professionals these are busy women who have many hats to wear.

Its hard to not love what you do when here at The Body Retreat we get to work with amazing women week in and week out. We are so blessed to have such lovely women choose us as their partners in their journey to reclaim health and wellbeing. Even better is when these women become a true part of our community.

We often say on retreat that what Julie and I and the rest of the team bring to the retreat in terms of care and support is only part of the equation. The sense of camaraderie, support and genuine spirit of friendship that marks our retreats is created by the women themselves. It is a lovely thing to watch happen week after week but it is even better to be a part of.

I’d like to introduce you to just one such woman.

Daksha is typical of many women who join us at The Body Retreat and her story of going from exhausted working mum to energised role model is really uplifting. It reminds us that even the journeys that at the start may seem to be the longest and toughest all start with just one step.

Daksha’s Story

Some words from my heart to you….😘

By 2012 I was exhausted. I had spent the past 10 years raising young children, juggling a professional career & hosting in laws at my house from 2001-2006 (long visit!).

Early-2012 I accepted (nervously) a new job promotion and it turned out to be the hardest first year I have had at any job. I resigned – they refused to accept my resignation & convinced me to take a sabbatical instead. I spent time with family in California, which was fantastic but I still felt something was off. My health wasn’t right.

I had struggled with my weight since the birth of second child. I had lost quite a bit of weight since (over 3 stone) through diet but had not really embraced exercise and I realised I had to find a love for exercise if I wanted to feel better for the rest of my life.

I am a bit of an all or nothing type person so I started researching ‘bootcamps’! And God sent the Body Retreat to me. My first week was September 2013 in Dorset. It was probably the most uplifting week of my life. Due to my upbringing it was the first time in my entire life that I had put myself first and done something just for myself.

And so my love for exercise (and for myself really) began. I have since been to retreats in Somerset and Spain & due to return to Somerset in early December (it’s been too long!).

I really enjoyed the variety of exercise I was introduced to and the gentle, encouraging coaching. Also the other ladies I met on all the retreats were such beautiful souls. I think that’s a testament to Julie & Juls and the fact that they are able to attract such wonderful inspiring women. I was able to talk freely to some of the ladies (which for me was invaluable). I am an older sister of 4 and don’t often share my concerns with my siblings.

On top of all that the programme was designed to work! I was absolutely amazed at my weight loss and inch loss during that week. The food was so delicious and carefully prepared & presented. I wanted to take Juls home.

In addition it was great that I could stay in touch after I left the retreat – I’ve enjoyed the support from Facebook group & attending the charity days (and also dragged my husband to a one day weekend session!). I was so energised and uplifted that my passion has been infectious & I have encouraged my whole family to start exercising more and they have really appreciated my efforts.

At the charity day in 2014 I dragged myself around Dorney Lake in an attempt to run 5k….running was the one thing I really couldn’t understand! Surviving that 5k inspired me to give it a go on a more regular basis. My body took to it well! A year later I ran my first half-marathon! And will be running my second half next spring!

I can honestly say that I would never have embarked on this journey of health & fitness, which in turn has given me positivity and a renewed passion for life, without Julie & Juls.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. D

Real Women Helping Real Women.

We are very blessed to have a very high return rate on our retreats. Over half of our retreaters return to us again and almost a third come every year. I was proudly sharing these statistics at an event recently when I was asked a question that quite shocked me. I was asked “so did the retreat not work for them first time?” Wowzers…. It had never occurred to me that our return rate could be construed negatively. But then it stuck me …if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it.

The Body Retreat is unashamedly not about a quick fix, we do not offer a magic bullet, we do not dictate what shape, size or weight you “should” be, we do not offer shameless boosted results, we do not pass everyone through the same old programme. We are about working with every one as an individual, making sure that she gets the results she wants. With us its personal as well as professional.

Some of the women who join us on our women only Weight Loss Retreats for example are on a journey to claim the body, health and fitness they want and deserve, for some that may take months and for others years. Likewise we have women who come every year to our Health & Fitness Holiday because its their holiday, time for them to be active and eat clean while they tan. Other retreaters have worked through the entire portfolio of retreats we offer. So many women, so many results, so many reasons to return.

I’d like to introduce you to Wendy.

Wendy is one of our repeat returners, Wendy comes to retreat every year, sometimes more than once a year she is a real part of The Body Retreat family. Wendy is even in the photos on our website as she volunteered to model for us along with other retreaters. This summer Wendy went to another retreat…shock horror…it’s ok it happens 🙂 We only had one retreat over the summer and it was sold out…anyway I digress…back to Wendy.

When she returned from her trip Wendy sent me the email below, after almost 4 years Wendy wanted to give us a testimonial for our website. Her trip had made her reflect on why she liked to return time and again to The Body Retreat. I was very touched, she told me I could use it in any way I wanted and could amend if I wanted. Actually I don’t want to amend a single word. Thank You Wendy xx

I have been going to The Body Retreat for a few years now. Every time I go I absolutely love it.

I have not, until now, had experience of other retreats, as I don’t really consider going anywhere else! This year circumstances lead me to another retreat (available dates and desperation). I was absolutely open minded and ready to embrace the week and why not? Why pay all the money and not get absolutely the most out of it? I’m not here to criticise the other retreat – it had really great bits and not so great bits – but it got me to thinking about what makes The Body Retreat just so special. So here it is:

Unpretentious, down to earth real women with a passion for changing the lives of real women.

Realistic, reasoned, practical advice for real women in their REAL lives – not the lives that they are “supposed” to have.

Real food! Actually fantastic real food prepared by the food genius Juls. No “detox” (the body can do this itself thank you very much given the right, clean foods!).Real, clean food that you can (and do) eat when you get home.

You actually experience what it feels like to eat the food you would genuinely eat at home. This differs from the so called “detox breaks” where you are strictly limited with food or given only juices, then expected to then do something different when you go home. These do have their place I am sure but it seems to me so important for real women in real life. It really is odd to watch someone refusing surprisingly utterly delicious, beautiful prepared dipped kale crisp (quite the most delicious thing I’ve eaten in a while) because it may muck up his or her juicing detox!

The Body Retreat works with your mind as well as your body. Juls and Julie, the real women behind The Body Retreat understand real lives and the reasons why some of us overeat, over drink and eat rubbish. Therefore understanding what drives certain behaviors and techniques to help with this is one of the key pillars of The Body Retreat. You learn about self esteem, being kind to yourself, learning to love what your body does for you.

The women who go! Now, I love the company of men (after all I’m married to one) and would have blanched at the very idea of a “women only” retreat. But there is something very special that happens at The Body Retreat with the small groups of women who come. It just feels caring, trusting and safe. I’ve been many times and it’s an utter pleasure and privilege so see so many women (some really beaten down by life – me included) simply blossom in The Body Retreat’s nurturing hands.

It’s not easy! And that’s the good bit. Julie knows just how hard to push you to do just that little more than you think you can and those are the bits that make the difference. It’s hard at times but you are lifted along by the group dynamic so skillfully guided by Juls and Julie. Pushing through the hard bits and then realising that you CAN do it, you ARE strong enough does wonders for your self esteem and your body confidence.

You do get real results. You may have noticed that all the reasons above are not about how much weight I lose! But… you really do loose the pounds! More importantly for me is that my clothes feel more comfortable, my body feels more comfortable and I am more comfortable with myself. I feel like a real women again.

Wine, Women & Weight Loss France 2015

Last week we were enjoying the good life in the Charante region in France for our Women Only Health & Fitness Holiday. This was a Body Retreat full of firsts… our first time in France, our first retreat which was full with all returners, our first time with tennis and our first time with Wine on the menu!!! How very French of us.

One of the things we look for in our retreat locations is that they are truly representative of the region they are based in and our Manior in Charante ticked all the boxes. Stylish, impressive but very welcoming as the ladies arrived I counted 18 Wows and at least half a dozen “oh my gods”. Even after some lengthy journeys the ladies still had plenty of enthusiasm and energy to explore their base for the week. The rooms, the pool, the tennis court and gardens all got the thumbs up.

We pride ourselves on providing a full and varied programme of activities on every retreat and our Women Only Health & Fitness Holiday was certainly no exception.. of course we started the day with Wake up Workout ( there is always Wakeup Workout at The Body Retreat☺ ) then we took to the French countryside on foot and/or two wheels with Abbeys, Chateaus, sunflowers, vineyards there was plenty to see en route.

After an alfresco lunch and a short siesta it was time for strength and toning classes in the afternoons. Cardio tennis was a bit hit, pardon the pun. Not everyone managed to get the ball over the net and some managed to hit the ball out of the court but no one could fail to exercise their laughter muscles through the entire class. We are now thinking that along side a pool & spa facilities we need a tennis court at every location too LOL 🙂

One of the key parts on every retreat is R&R and in particular enjoying massage treatments, this retreat we were joined by the lovely Cher a local holistic therapist who it turned out had magic hands and the ladies all padded out of the massage shed with happy contented smiles on their faces, the perfect way to end a full day.

Think of France and its cuisine and you probably don’t think it is conducive to a Health & Fitness Holiday… but of course Juls had spent time to give classic French dishes the Conscious Cooking treatment. So we were able to enjoy a variety of dishes from Toulouse Sausage & Duck Cassoulet Quiche Lorraine, Beef Bourguinon and even enjoyed cheese, ham and baguette. You might think that all this extravagance would be reflected in the health assessments at the end of the week.. but the average weight loss was 8lbs and 5 inches, a great result.

One of the best bits of the French location for us was that we could have Bella (retreat dog) join us on retreat and she loved all the new smells and experiences, but most of all loved getting out on the walks. Well perhaps the tennis court with all its little yellow spheres was up there too 🙂

Oh and of course the wine…. Well in addition to having a little glass of vino with supper we also enjoyed a private tour and tasting at a local vineyard. Strangely enough I seemed to forget to take any pictures once the sampling started but here we are inside listening the lovely Mattieu whose family own the vineyard. As they also produce a sparkling grape juice there was something for very to taste. This was the perfect way to end the holiday.

Our next Women Only Health & Fitness Holiday in October sees us in our gorgeous Andalusian oasis in Spain. Warm days, cool nights, stunning scenery for miles and miles, there is no need to think of a Spanish holiday as a “fly n flop” when with us you can ‘tan n tone’ ☺

If you are ready for a real healthy holiday then get in touch.

Citrus Green Tea Refresher

Green Tea

Its Summer!!! The temperatures outside are really starting to heat up.

Its important to keep hydrated and cool to keep your energy levels stable. Every cell in our body needs water to function properly and if you neglect your hydration levels you will start to feel sluggish, develop headaches, brain fog and of course your won’t have the energy to work out and be active this summer. There are many ways to keep your hydration levels up you can drink plenty of water and eat foods that have a high water content like salad veg and fruits. But your appetite can take a dip when the heat is on and it can be a bit boring to drink gallons of flat water and of course most soft drinks contain up to 13 teaspoons of sugar or worse are crammed with artificial sweeteners and other “stuff”.

At The Body Retreat when the temperatures rise we often rustle up a healthy refresher for the ladies. This is one of our favourites. Its is such an easy healthy recipe to make and once you taste it you will not be rushing back to the soft drink aisle.

The mix of green tea and citrus fruits makes for a drink that is a real powerhouse of antioxidants and vitamins and most importantly it tastes great!

Citrus Green Tea Refresher

Makes about 500mls Cordial

1 Organic Green Tea Bag

2 Un-waxed Lemons

3 Un-waxed Limes

1 tbsp Honey

1 large spring fresh Mint

Firstly, place your teabag into a mug or jug and cover with about 300 mls freshly boiled water and leave to soak for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile roughly chop up your lemons and limes, keep the skins on, chop the lot then add to a blender, food processor or if you have one a Nutirbullet, along with the mint spring, again stalk and all and then add the honey.

When it’s cooled slightly add the cup of green tea to the lemon lime mix and give a few pulses to blend together.

Pop this mixture into a fridge for at least and hour to all the flavours to really develop.

Next pass the mixture through a sieve and press to get all the juice from your pulpy mix. Now you have the most delicious cordial that you can top up either with flat or sparkling water and some ice to make a healthy refreshing drink.

This cordial will keep covered in the fridge for about a week.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on. Please feel free to share this recipe by using any of the social media buttons along the side …sharing is caring xx

Why our Detox Retreat Isn’t Really a Detox!!

We are currently on the last day of our Sugar Detox Retreat and in conversation around the breakfast table we were chatting about the retreat and one lady said that our detox retreat isn’t really a detox retreat. Come Again?? I nearly fell of my chair!

The Oxford English dictionary defines “Detox” as Abstain from or rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.

Isn’t that what we are doing here at The Body Retreat’s Detox??????

Then conversation became clearer… Having spent some time looking for a retreat many of the ladies had seen the same old detox blurb time and time again. Eat little, move less, have a few treatments then home.

What Makes a Detox Retreat a Detox Retreat?

When you think of a detox retreat what comes to mind?

Well probably a few things, depending on whether you have ever been on a detox retreat or not, but there may well be a few common threads…

Juice fasting, raw foods, herbs & supplements, yoga, mediation, lounging around in fluffy robes and perhaps even colonic irrigation or other holistic detox treatments.

On the whole this is a pretty fair overview of many detox retreats at the moment. Based on the principle that the body needs to be cleaned from the inside out, purging the body of toxic overloads that have built up from your sloppy modern lifestyle, detox retreats promise your leaving with your insides squeaky clean and everything working just as its should do.

Here’s the thing, your body comes fully prepared to detox itself …without outside intervention. Your kidneys, liver, lungs and skin are all part of your body’s waste management system, ensuring that you don’t end up in need of serious medical attention

So why do so many people claim to feel better after a detox? It may be due in part to the fact that a detox diet eliminates highly processed foods. Avoiding these high-calorie low-nutrition foods for a few days may be part of why people feel better.

Aren’t you simply making the case NOT to go to a Detox Retreat at all?

Yes and No.

Don’t go to a detox retreat expecting to be some how fixed in a few short days. It’s not the days on retreat that make the improvement in your health, but rather what you do when you return home.

Really think about what you want to achieve from your time at retreat, weight loss, kick start a new healthy eating programme or perhaps you are just looking for a break away from a hectic lifestyle?

Make sure your retreat will suit your goal.

Why Our Detox Retreat is different.

Thinking back to the common threads of detox retreats what about The Body Retreat?

Well at The Body Retreat we do have juices…but only once a day. Every afternoon we have a greens juice as it’s a great way to really blast your system with vitamins, mineral and antioxidants in a format that is really easy to digest. Juices never take the place of real clean whole foods. Yes, we agree that it can be useful to lighten the digestive load from time to time, allow your body to play catch up without overloading it with rubbish or hard to digest foods. To that end there are also some raw food dishes during the week long retreat, but as part of balanced meal plan and not the main staple of the retreat.

We also have yoga during the week, but as part of a varied exercise and activity programme. A very important part of supporting your body’s natural waste management system is movement. Movement increases circulation and lymph drainage. If you are existing on a very low calorie diet of juices then the chances are you don’t have the energy to move very much or very far. In fact to do so would be counter productive to your health as you could find yourself cannibalising muscle to give you the energy you need. At The Body Retreat we have a programme that includes walking, swimming, yoga and toning classes.

There are no colonics or enemas at The Body Retreat. We are not anti-colonic ourselves, but we feel that the decision to have a colonic is one that should not be taken lightly and should be undertaken with the support of a professional. Hosepipes and buckets and a “give it a go” approach are not for us.

Our Detox has a pretty specific purpose…its all about Sugar. Or rather it’s all about getting free from the clutches of sugar. Sugar is endemic in our food these days, hidden in the most obscure places from sausages to hummus, combine this with the over availability of sweet treats, soft drinks and processed foods and you really do have a health time bomb. Of course not all sugar is in the crap we know we should be eating less of, you can over consume sugar in an attempt to be healthy, eating too many high sugar fruits, dried fruits, smoothies even starchy veggies can all add up to a high sugar intake. Quitting sugar is hard, so our retreat is an opportunity to begin the process of detoxing the sugar from your body while at the same time detoxing your mind of the cravings, triggers and self sabotaging thoughts that can lead to over consumption of the sweet stuff.

Oh and course there are robes to lounge in, if lounging is your thing. R&R is an important part of every Body Retreat not just the Detox Retreat, so there is time every day to sleep, curl up on the sofa and read, hit the hot tub or pool, whatever your R&R is.

But the real difference with The Body Retreat’s detox is that it is not designed to be a quick fix. Yes, you will lose pounds and inches on the week, but that is only the start of the real result. You leave us with a four week at home programme that helps you to maximise your result. Having felt for yourself how your body feels eating clean whole foods, how your energy levels rebalance, how your skin tone and hair condition can have improved, you may even see improvement in some chronic conditions like reflux, eczema, IBS etc So it feels natural to want to carry on choosing to eat, move and behaviour in much the same way at home.

So there you have it…The Body Retreat’s Detox Retreat. Are we a Detox Retreat? Or might we be something more……

Tag: The Body Retreat