Fabulous Fitness Retreats
You need to get some exercise. You want to go on holiday. Why not do both?
In the past, I’ve recommended how to incorporate fitness into your vacation plans, but not everyone wants to think about how to squeeze exercise into a holiday. Why not try a fitness retreat?
The term ‘Fitness Retreat’ probably brings one of two things to mind. The horrible words ‘fat camp’ or the thought of a holiday filled with monastic rituals- cold, early mornings, torturous workouts, chewing on bark for dinner. While camps like these exist, today’s fitness camps offer a wide range of styles, locales and price ranges, meaning that you can choose the holiday that you need and want.
Flexible Fitness
Not every fitness-based break means a rigid schedule. There are many resorts and hotels that give you a full-range of activities but let you decide how much (or how little) you would like to participate. One example is Club La Santa in Lanzarote, Spain. Activities on offer range from aerobics to martial arts to windsurfing and Lanzarote is a prime location for cycling (both on and off road). The benefits of such a break are that you can choose what you feel like doing, even if that just means spending the day at the pool (though I should warn, Club La Santa has an Olympic-sized, eight-lane pool for lap swimming as well as a leisure pool). Though if you are set on getting some exercise on your holiday but just can’t self-motivate, having all of this freedom could actually be a deterrent! (see beautiful boot camps)
Beautiful Boot Camps
Need to get your butt kicked, but prefer to do it in style? Luxury fitness holidays are a huge trend and are available in different price ranges and locales around the world. For maximum effect, pick a place that has a structured daily routine and stick to it. You won’t like me very much when you’re rolling out of bed at 5:30 or 6:00, but you will like the results of daily exercise and carefully-prepared, nutritious meals. Of course, all of this torture is balanced out by gorgeous scenery, glamourous spa treatments and hopefully the option of an afternoon nap.
Websites such as Essential Escapes can help you to find options based on what kind of holiday you are looking for (i.e., ‘fitness and bootcamp’) and then lets you narrow it down by location (sign me up for ‘Get Fit’ in Indonesia, please!)
Ohm-most Perfect in Paradise
Yoga retreats can vary- from finding enlightenment in a far-off land to savasana and spa food in Somerset, there is a yoga retreat for almost everyone. Typically offering peaceful meditation, multiple daily yoga sessions, walks in calming locales, and vegetarian meals, a yoga retreat could be just the thing to give both your body and mind a fitness break. If the sounds of silence aren’t for you and you prefer a balance of yoga and sport, why not try a yoga/ski or a yoga/surf retreat? This type of holiday combines the health benefits of yoga with the adrenaline rush of a high-octane adventure sport!
Groupon Getaways offers great deals on warm-wather destinations and great ski holidays such as this one in the French Alps: Seven Night Stay For Two or Four in Self-Catering Apartment With Ski Pass for £553 at Les Valmonts de Vaujany (Up Yo 67% Off). Keep an eye out for a deal you like and you’ll be sure to save some money and create a fabulous fitness holiday of your own. Either way, there’s nothing better than being able to come home from holiday feeling relaxed and fighting fit!
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