Get better health and fitness with a holiday retreat

Holiday retreats are a great way to find motivation and summer is the best time to get away.

Retreat to better health and fitness with a retreat holiday. iStock photo

Getting fit – both mentally and physically – isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes a certain level of determination, not only to kick-start a healthy regime, but also to maintain it. And when that determination doesn’t come naturally we sometimes need an extra push to get us started.

Holiday retreats are a great way to find that motivation, and summer is typically the best time to get away. For those who are looking to improve their body, both inside and out, retreats based around detoxes and fasting will ensure you leave feeling rejuvenated and physically healthier.

For tech-savvy individuals who have found it increasingly difficult to focus or feel they’re no longer appreciating life around them, consider a digital detox escape. And if you’re in need of some time away to reassess, think about a holiday focused around mindfulness on a meditation retreat.

Cleanses/fasting: There are varying opinions surrounding the concept of detoxing. Some doctors are adamant that a cleanse, done over a short period of time, can be beneficial as a way to get your body back on track. There are, however, others who are more dubious about the growing fad, citing that the body has its own natural ways of ridding itself of toxins.

Whatever your thoughts, detox holidays are not for the faint-hearted and should be well researched before booking.

Most packages, like the Detox Programme at Sha Wellness Clinic in Spain (www.shawellnessclinic.com), begin with a general medical consultation and examination. This is not only to ensure the individual is fit enough for the programme, but also to tailor the experience according to their health and fitness levels.

Food is understandably the most notable aspect of a detox holiday and can vary from package to package. Whole, fresh, organic and alkaline foods are usually served during these retreats to help rid the body of toxins caused by the foods we eat, pollutants we ingest and even the technology we use on a daily basis.

For the more adventurous, packages like The Vida Cleanse at The Spring based in California (www.the-spring.com) only serve guests food in juice form. And while you won't go hungry during a juice detox, you'll be surprised just how quickly you miss chewing.

Many of these packages will also include things like supplements, B12 shots and even colon hydrotherapy – we warned you detoxes were serious stuff.

There is, however, a more relaxing side to these retreats. While the food and supplement experience may sound intimidating, these getaways also include more appealing elements like massages, yoga and various spa treatments.

By the end, many of these packages and retreats promise a noticeable change in energy levels, an improvement in skin clarity and even weight loss, just in time for bathing-suit season.

Digital detox: We are living in an increasingly connected world. Facebook, Instagram, email, Skype and the like have become as commonplace as five-day working weeks and summer holidays. Astonishing to think when, 30 years ago, the idea of speaking with a person 6,000 kilometres away, face to face, was a concept reserved solely for Star Trek episodes.

But this increase in technology, with all its benefits, has come at a price – namely our ability to focus. Be it at work, at the dinner table with our family, or even in a social setting with friends, we are losing the ability to appreciate the world around us. Luckily we’re not all doomed to a life spent with the attention span of a goldfish.

Many digital detox retreats require that you start before you even arrive. The Digital Detox in SVG by Discover SVG in the Caribbean (www.discoversvg.com) asks its guests to start their detox at home. This includes meeting deadlines early or pushing them back before you go, setting out-of-office and voicemails so people know you'll be unreachable, and even asking your loved ones to write you handwritten letters that you can read halfway through.

Some retreats will offer more of a back-to-nature experience, such as Si Como No, Costa Rica by Digital Detox Holidays (www.digitaldetoxholidays.com), where you'll engage in hiking and nature walks.

Others, however, delve further into our inability to shut off with wellness coaches and meditation sessions. The outcomes of these digital detox retreats range from reduced headaches and dizziness to an increase in focus; a decrease in reliance on devices to an increase in productivity; and even an increased appreciation of the world around us.

Meditation and vipassana: Sometimes we just need to get away from it all. Not in a run-from-your-problems kind of a way, but simply time to reassess how we view the world around us, be it at home or in the workplace. Meditation retreats are the perfect way to reflect and gain that much needed "you" time.

Many of these packages are situated in areas that are secluded, offering guests ample opportunity to reflect, like the Simple Peace Retreat Hermitage (www.assisiretreats.org) in Assisi, Italy.

Activities often range from sitting meditation sessions to walking, therapeutic massages, reading and time spent writing a journal. With some retreats, like those from Insight Meditation Society (www.dharma.org), in Massachusetts, work-as-practice periods – sessions set aside each day to participate in work-related activities such as chopping vegetables or washing dishes – are integrated into the schedule. This helps to add an element of "mindfulness" to the experience. Food served during these retreats are nutritious and often organic.

Those who are looking for a more demanding venture might want to try a vipassana retreat – an ancient practice taught by Buddhist monks – where guests spend their entire time in complete silence. Like meditative retreats, guests spend time reflecting, engaging in healthy activities like walking and yoga, and are served healthy and nutritious meals. Most vipassana retreats, like those from Dhamma Padipa in Brookton, Australia (www.dhamma.org), do not charge guests. Instead they rely on donations from those who have completed the course.

Regardless of which kind of meditative retreat you choose, there is a good chance you’ll come away feeling balanced, relaxed and focused, and ready to take on the daily stresses of life again.