fbpx
info@thebodyretreat.co.uk
Call us today on:   +44 (0)203 701 1603
The Body Retreat

The Body Retreat

Women Only Weight Loss & Wellbeing Retreats

Tag: weight loss retreat

5 surprising reasons why Photography is a lot like Weight Loss

Last Monday before setting off for our Spring Clean Detox retreat at Dorset I attended a photography workshop run by KerryJPhotography. If you have been on our website or our Facebook page you will have seen the gorgeous pictures that Kerry took for us of real Body Retreat clients on real retreats. When we heard that Kerry was running a photography course for small business “Your camera means business” we were super keen to dust off the old SLR that dutifully comes on every retreat with us…but never quite makes it out of the camera bag. This workshop was specifically designed to help business just like ours, for whom capturing images of what we do, where we do it and who we do it with is an important part of our marketing message..

I arrived at the training day armed with my trusty camera and my desire to create images what would make David Bailey sigh with amazement. Despite having owned the camera for years now I had (of course) never read the manual and so had never turned the dial past Auto. I was very much a point & shoot kind of photographer, but I was also a very frustrated photographer at my inability to take a decent photograph, after all it looks so simple. You point the lens at the thing you want a photo of and you press the button …right? Well it never seemed to work for me. That was all about to change.

Over the course of a fun, practical but very informative day Kerry explained the hows and whys of our cameras, how they see light, how to compose a picture, not only how to take a picture but how to take a picture that means something. At the end of the day my head was buzzing with all the new “stuff” I had just learned. Before we left Kerry gave us a goody bag which had amongst its delights a workbook of the days notes, a small laminated crib card to remind you how to set up the picture and an ideas book to encourage us to put into practice all that we had learnt.

I went off into the day a novice photographer and straight into Spring Clean Detox Retreat and the perfect opportunity to try out my new skills. So, I made a conscious decision that I would take at least one picture every day while on retreat… and I mean a proper picture, using my new flegdling skills. Morning one and we have Ruby Red Juice for breakfast, my first test subject. I served the ladies then snuck a couple of extra juices to the spa area to compose my shot. Instinct was telling me to just put the glasses down, take the picture and get on with my day, it had been less than 24 hours since I finished training but I couldn’t quite remember what the steps were. I fiddled with the glasses, moved the fruit props, twiddled the dials on the camera… but all the pictures didn’t look right. I was frustrated and it crossed my mind that it was time to give up …or maybe it was time to get the goody bag out, take out the workbook and crib sheet and go through the steps I had been taught! And guess what…RESULT!!

Ruby Red Detox Juice

Spurred on by this success there was no stopping me and my camera, piles of veggies…snap, cups of tea…snap, bowls of soup..snap. Then after a couple of days I decided it was time to venture outside. So armed with my invaluable crib card and camera I set of with Bella for a walk around the farm to be inspired.

It was while I was lying on my belly on the ground in a field taking a picture of some daffodils that it struck me that photography is a lot like weight loss. Bear with me here 😉

We get ladies who join us on Weight Loss Retreat who come armed with a history of dieting and the desire to finally make it work. They have been trying to figure out how to make it happen for ages… perhaps even years. They may even have read a couple of manuals and there may even have been times when they hit the jackpot and one of the diets paid off (in the short term) but they are not able to replicate that success. In the same way that I thought photography was “point & shoot” these ladies think that loosing weight is “eat less & move more”, thats what they want it to be. Because that sounds simple. But the trouble with these simple solutions is that they don’t provide consistent results, results that make you happy and so you become a frustrated dieter.

On Weight Loss Retreat, there is an opportunity to learn a little bit about the hows and whys of weight management for women. To learn some new steps and behaviours to support a better outcome, to practice these new steps in a safe, fun and supportive environment and then just like me at the end of my photography day there is a tangible result, I took a couple of pictures I was really happy with (guided by Kerry of course), for the ladies on the weight loss retreat its pounds and inches shed that is the result.

Then the retreat ends and the ladies return home with a goody bag with new recipes and a crib card for on the go nutrition amongst other goodies. But just like my first photography shoot after the course, the first couple of days back in the real world and their instincts are telling them that its too difficult, its too time consuming… just get on with your day.

This was what struck me as I lay in that field and I am by no means a lie on ground type of woman, Im not the most patient of women either. But here I was enjoying putting my new skills into practice and I was enjoying the results these moments of putting myself outside my normal comfort zone gave me. But just a couple of days before, when I took my first photographs, it was almost back to “Point & Shoot”. I had almost wasted the new skills I had learnt, but something inside me stopped me and I made myself take a little extra time, get the tools I had been given to support me, practice taking pictures and not expect that the first picture taken is going to the the winning shot.

So you see photography is a lot like weight loss

1. “If you do what you always did, you get what you always got”, it may be time to acknowledge that you need to change your old behaviours.

2. You need a little bit of knowledge upon which to base your new behaviours, when you know why you are doing something it makes it much easier to keep going.

3. You need to use the tools and resources you are given.

4. You are going to need to practice your new skills at home, and through practices soon it becomes easier and easier until it becomes just the way you do things.

5. You need to relax. Stress makes you take bad pictures, some how the camera seems to know you are tense and frustrated, when you are relaxed and enjoying it, result! Likewise when you are stressed your body will hold onto that extra weight.

At The Body Retreat we make sure that our ladies leave all our retreats armed with the best possible skills and resources so that when that “its too difficult” voice raises its head they have the skills, the strength and the patience to keep going.

Im certainly keen to keep up the photography practice, hoping to make it from veggies and flowers and maybe on the next retreat, when I’ve practiced more I might even take a picture of retreater 🙂

If you have enjoyed this blog post then please share the inspiration using the social media buttons at the side.

We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment below letting us know what you think about this story.

P.s all the lying on the ground in the daffodils was so worth it when I was photo bombed by Bella 😉

Bella

Best Ever Blueberry Pancakes

These pancakes are always a crowd pleaser, I never cook any other version now. These really are the best pancakes ever.

At The Body Retreat we are always looking for ways to make every day recipes healthier, here we use porridge oats to provide a filling pancake sweetened only with blueberries (although we do like a little drizzle of syrup to serve), these pancakes will keep you full all morning until your morning snack. I usually have frozen blueberries in the house, so I have the ingredients to make these pancakes at any time, but Pancake Day is a great reason to give them a try.

Gluten, Dairy and Sugar Free Blueberry Pancakes
Makes about 10 good size pancakes or six very generous ones
  • 2 tablespoon Buckwheat flour
  • 1 cup porridge oats (rough)
  • 1 cup blueberries (mash up a few to release a bit of juice)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup Almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the mashed blueberries (saving few back for presentation)
Add the egg yolk and a good slug of milk, you are looking for a sturdy but gloopy batter mix (Due to the oats this will be much thicker than normal batter mix)
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites
Fold the egg whites into the with metal spoon or fork so as not to knock the air out, this will loosen the mixture slightly.

Heat a tablespoon light rapeseed oil in a frying pan and using a large serving spoon to drop in a dollop of batter. I usually cook three at a time. The batter dosnt tend to run too far and once it meets the heat they start to set. Give it about two mins per side and then using a fish slice flip over and two mins on the other side.

I serve mine with the remaining blueberries a dollop of natural yog and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Start to finish this gorgeous recipe only takes about ten mins.

Id love to hear what you think about these pancakes and how you get on making them 🙂 xx

Weight Loss Retreat or Boot camp?

There are so many residential weight loss programmes to choice from these days, weight loss retreat, fat camp, fit camp, fat farm, bootcamp.

So many names but are they really the same or different?  Surely it’s just the same horse with a different jockey?

How do you decide which is the right residential weight loss option for you?

When choosing a residential retreat to support your weight loss goals there are a number of factors to help answer this question.

Are you looking for a quick fix or changes for life?

Are you looking to shift a few pounds before an upcoming event, slim into your swimsuit for a holiday?  Or perhaps you are looking to lose a more substantial amount of weight? Perhaps your health has begun to be affected by your current lifestyle?

Many bootcamps still work of the old adage “eat less, move more” they promote rapid weight loss through low calorie diets and intensive training.  While at the opposite end some venues focus on restrictive diet plans, removing whole food groups or supplemented juice plans supported by “optional” activity programmes.

While any approach that reduces calorie intake will promote short term weight loss these programmes are not relevant to real life, are not sustainable and can negatively impact health in the long term.

Are you looking for single sex or mixed groups?

Many boot camps are run by men, to be more precise ex-military or active service men, while they can have an understanding of the health and fitness needs and requirements for other service men, when it comes to delicate balance for womens health, unless they have studied this in particular then they may be applying a “one size fits all” approach to health and fitness.

Also, ask yourself if you want to work out in a mixed group or would you feel more comfortable in a single sex group. When you are learning new techniques, new exercises and learning to stretch your own limits then you want to be free from any negative self chatter or self limiting beliefs.  Also do you want to compete with the boys, is that a realistic model for you or would it feel intimidating?

Are you looking to address not only the physical but the psychological and emotional aspects of weight loss?

For many women the links between psychological and physical hunger are inexplicably linked.  If you are prone to emotional or comfort eating, cravings, binges or have concerns about control over food then when looking at weight loss retreats look at the qualifications and experiences of the team who will support you to work on this area and if they are not listed on the website then ask.  Are the tools and resources on offer going to support you in the longer term?

Is food important to you?

For some food is purely fuel, for others it is pleasure.  Very often the two seem to be mutually exclusive, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Just like a fad diet a poorly designed nutrition plan, a low fat/no fat, low calorie type plan will only provide temporary results.

Look at the style of food you will be served, is there variety? Is the menu designed to promote optimum health? Is the type of food something you would like to eat for life?

Why is The Body Retreat different from Bootcamp?

While The Body Retreat does run weight loss retreats we don’t advocate a focus on quick fix weight loss or becoming obsessive on the number on the scale, rather we use weight as an indicator of health and of progress but its not the only one.

The journey to health and wellbeing should be a pleasure not a chore, if its aggressive, austere, complicated, or just too hard then it is not suitable for the long term.  So The Body Retreat is about balance not quick fix, it’s about respecting and protecting your body for life.

 

Our Four Pillars at The Body Retreat are:

Mindset, Thoughts become actions and actions become behaviours, which in turn drives results, get this right the rest will follow. All our retreats have behavioural change at their heart. We work content free, so no “happy clappy group sharing sessions here” this means you can sure of safety and privacy while you address self-sabotaging behaviours.  Our behaviour coach is onsite all day every day.

Menu, you cannot out train a bad diet, so getting the right nutrition is paramount and also you will find that the body can do amazing things to heal and support itself with the right fuel.  Our eminently qualified Nutritional Therapist has created a suite of workshops that are practical and relevant for today’s modern woman.

Movement, this is different from exercise, we encourage women to aim to be active every day for good overall health but to exercise with purpose for fitness, strength and weight management. Our lead trainer is a weight loss and obesity specialist and has decades of experience working with women at all stages of their lives.

Maintenance, Rest and Regeneration, one of the best parts of The Body Retreat, the reward for the hard work in other areas, the time when changes are embedded and strengthened, the key to making changes for life. Not finding time but making time to care for your body and mind to ensure good health today and every day.  We have joined forces with Mio skincare to promote fit skin for life and work with some amazing local therapists to provide a variety of complimentary treatments on retreat.

Can a week on retreat really change your life? 

We believe it can and we have almost 12 years experience and hundreds of success stories of women whom we have helped to lose the fear of food, find the strength to reclaim their health and to achieve the body and fitness they both want and deserve.  But more importantly our weight loss retreats are designed to promote sustainable lifestyle changes and so avoid the rebound effect of weight gain post retreat.

So when it comes to making the investment of both time and money in choosing a residential weight loss event take the time to find the answers you need.

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.

A warming breakfast recipe with a hint of sunshine

Its natural perhaps to think of fruit and yoghurt as a summer breakfast, its conjures up images of bright summer berries and fresh white yoghurt ten on cool sunny mornings.  When the weather turns a bit chilly I always look forward to eating this Warm Citrus Compote Breakfast.  It manages to be both warm, comforting, sharp and juicy and the added seeds and nuts make this a protein rich option which will keep you fuller longer.

This super quick breakfast recipe that we serve at our Weight Loss Retreat.  It only takes 5 minutes to prepare and then 10 mints to cook, even better is that it tastes even better the day after so why not make it the night before and then just warm for 1 min in the microwave before serving. I add the fruit and nuts in stages as I like to keep a real bite in the almonds and I don’t want the fresh fruit to disintegrate.

At The Body Retreat we caution our ladies about eating to much fruit as its natural sugars can still cause sugar spikes and the inevitable crashes, this healthy breakfast recipe balances both dried and fresh fruit with seeds, nuts and natural yogurt to promote a slower release of the fruit sugar.

This recipe is is yummy and can be quite addictive (I speak from personal experience here) but you should have it on no more than two days each week and ensure that the other mornings breakfasts also also well balance with protein.

Warm Citrus Breakfast Compote.
Serves 2
  • 1/2 Orange
  • 1/2 Red Grapefruit
  • 3 Dried Apricots
  • 3 Dates
  • 20gm Sultanas
  • 1 ring pineapple (tinned or fresh*)
  • 1 teaspoon mixed seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
  • 20gm flaked or chopped almonds

 

 

* if you are using fresh pineapple you will also need a glug of orange juice.

Method.

Place the dried fruit and seeds in a splash of the pineapple or orange juice and leave to soak ( you can do this over night if you wish)

Next peal and chop the fresh fruit into small bite size chunks

Add the fresh fruit to the dried fruit and the mixed spice in a small pan and gentle heat on the stove for about 10 minutes. You will notice form my picture that at this stage the dried fruits start to break down and produce a lovely caramel colour and thicken the sauce slightly, but the fruit still retains its shape.  We do not want mush here so do not boil!

Next add the almonds and stir.  Leave to simmer while you get the yoghurt ready.

Serve while still warm on top of two tablespoons (about 80ml)  of natural yoghurt.