Fitness Holidays

As part of our Insider Interview series we regularly sit down with one of the team at one of the many retreats we have the privilege of working with and sending clients to. Today we catch up with Josué Rosa, Fitness Instructor at Pine Cliffs, a Luxury Collection Resort in Albufeira, Portugal.

Treat yourself to water sports, workout classes, relaxing treatments and spectacular views without the fear of damaging your bank account with our best value fitness breaks to book now. The health and wellbeing movement is progressing and with it comes a whole new wave of fitness fanatics, whether you’re starting from scratch or you’re wanting to boost your healthy lifestyle to the max, our fitness breaks offer you the chance to relax your mind and reboot your body away from home. 

Save yourself the hassle of travelling overseas with a wellness, fitness and spa break in the comfort and safety of the UK. With the popularity of staycations increasing, more wellness, fitness and spa retreats are opening right on your doorstep and overseas travel is no longer a necessity to always need a well-earned break from home.

After the turmoil of 2020, this year should be focused on restorative wellness and healing. While it may not feel like we are out of the thick of it, there is a new source of hope in the vaccine and we can begin to see an end to the pandemic that has taken over our lives. As we face another lockdown, and cabin fever and restlessness intensify, many of us will feel the need to escape. In these uncertain and unprecedented times, it is more important than ever to be kind to ourselves, and what better way to restore your mental and physical wellbeing than on a women-only wellness retreat. Experience some much-needed tranquility as you work on your health goals surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals. Whether you are looking to improve your self-worth, fitness, or peace of mind, we have compiled a list of the best women-only wellness retreats for 2021. 

When you look in the mirror, how youthful is the face staring back? Proving that age really is nothing but a number, in recent years there has been a growing focus on what our biological age, rather than our chronological age, can tell us about our overall health and longevity. Determined by lifestyle approaches to stress, diet, exercise and sleep; recent studies reveal that one in five people in the UK were found to have a biological age more than eight years older than their chronological age , effectively losing almost a decade of their life.

Letting you in on the biological longevity secret, Health and Fitness Travel, the leading experts in healthy holidays worldwide, take a look at how health and fitness can help to turn back the clock in the battle of biology vs. chronology. Whether pressing pause on ageing by learning to let go of stress or sweating your way to a more youthful you, reducing your biological age is the new mantra of the ‘ageing gracefully’ gurus.

De-stress to stop the clock

Whether it is linked to work, family or money, we all get stressed and anxious. Unfortunately, in addition to sleepless nights and unwanted worry lines, stress can also increase our biological age dramatically by shortening the telomeres in our bodies. Reduce this effect by escaping on an educational stress management holiday where healthy lifestyle practices such as mediation and mindfulness will smooth away those frown lines.

Top 3 De-Stress Holidays: SHA Anti-Stress (Spain), Ananda Stress Management (India), Kamalaya De-Stress Asian Bliss (Thailand)

Sweat your way to a youthful you

With the power to take years off your biological age, sweat your way to a more youthful you whilst improving your skin tone with the post-exercise face flush. As well as maintaining good cardiovascular health, boosting your metabolism and improving your memory, exercise also slows down our cells basic ageing process. Through the emerging science of DNA fitness testing, pre-arrival DNA analysis can reveal an insight into your genetic makeup, allowing fitness holiday programmes to be tailored with the appropriate training response for your body.

Top 3 Fitness Holidays: The BodyHoliday Body Science (St Lucia), Phuket Cleanse Detox & Fitness (Thailand), The Body Camp (Ibiza)

Sleep to turn back time

As well as being an enjoyable way to stay cosy in winter, spending an extra hour in bed can actually increase your lifespan. Our bodies need sleep to carry out vital cell repair, so we awake the next morning fresh and re-energised. Without the recommended 7-8 hours, our bodies are not able to complete this repair, meaning that over time the cells break down faster. Sleep also lowers the stress hormone cortisol, which is a significant barrier to achieving youthful longevity. If you struggle to fall asleep, learn to banish insomnia on a sleep retreat and wake up with youthful energy.

Top 3 Sleep Retreats: Absolute Sanctuary Sleep Well (Thailand), SHA Sleep Well (Spain), Kamalaya Sleep Enhancement (Thailand)

Reduce ageing with healthy nutrition

Processed foods encourage the formation of free radicals, which will have your biological age soaring above your chronological one. Get a radiant complexion by eliminating these foods and replacing them with nutrient packed fresh fruits and vegetables, which will cleanse and detox your body, lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. With nutrition experts and educational cooking classes, learn about healthy nutrition on holiday to make changes to your diet which will reward you with a lasting feeling of youth and vitality.

Top 3 Healthy Ageing Nutrition Holidays: SHA Healthy Ageing Women (Spain), The Farm Healthy Ageing (Philippines), Longevity Anti-Ageing (Portugal)

Learn healthier habits to feel younger

The first step towards biological longevity is swapping bad habits which damage your body for healthy habits that nourish it. It needn’t be all at once, make small and lasting changes and notice how your body begins to defy your chronological age. Discover healthier habits on a healthy learning holiday where wellness experts will introduce you to practical lifestyle changes and how to maintain what you’ve learnt long-term, for a healthier and more youthful you.

Top 3 Healthy Learning Holidays: Kamalaya Embracing Change (Thailand), Shreyas Silent Retreat (India), Grantley Hall Fitness & Wellness (UK)

Laugh away the years

There is a good reason that laughter is often known as nature’s best medicine. Prompting a flood of serotonin into the body, laughter can boost your mood, relieve pain and release tension. Releasing positive energy through a smile or laugh can not only have a healing effect, but can also make you look younger as it lights up your face and brings a glow to your skin. Discover the healing benefits of laughter yoga on a yoga retreat and feel the years disappear as you laugh away your stress and worries.

Top 3 Yoga Retreats: SwaSwara Rejuvenation & Yoga (India), Absolute Sanctuary Yoga (Thailand), Paradis Plage Yoga (Morocco)

Talk to one of our travel specialists today on 0203 397 8891 or contact us here to discuss your tailor made healthy ageing holiday

When planning an activity holiday, how do you know which type to choose? Do you want to take things at your own pace, or take a more direct route to help kick-start a healthy new fitness regime? There is a wide range of exciting health and fitness breaks available that all boast fun and exhilarating ways to help you slim down, get fit, and shift those last few stubborn pounds. We offer two distinctive options for those looking for an energetic getaway; bootcamp holidays and fitness holidays, but which one is right for you?

It’s a common misconception that wellness holidays are only for the affluent and elite, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth! With our collection of incredibleaffordable healthy retreats in glamourous destinations such as Spain and Turkey, it’s more than possible to work on yourself without breaking the bank. After all, investing in wellness and self-care is investing in yourself!  

 Are you looking to up the ante on your health and fitness in the new year? A holiday tailored to your fitness goals will set you on the right path to achieving your fitness goals for 2021. You will feel rebalanced, recharged, and ready to face life’s challenges. From New Zealand to St. Lucia we have picked out a range of fitness holidays for 2021 with a variety of activities, including hiking, cycling, tennis, kayaking, to increase muscle strength and flexibility. From group bootcamps to one on one personal training and diet plans, Health and Fitness Travel offers the perfect healthy holiday to help you commit to your fitness goals in 2021.

With the ongoing surge for the illusive flat abs and toned tum, Elier Castillo, Fitness Expert at Longevity in Portugal, shares with us the best exercise for strengthening your core.

Introvert or extrovert, Type A or Type B; we all know which camp we belong to. But how many of us are aware of our fitness personality? Studies by the American Council on Exercise have shown people are more likely to enjoy, be successful at and most importantly, stick to an exercise activity when it aligns with their personalities. Wonder no more, as we share the five workout personalities and highlight which styles of exercise are best suited to each. Whether you’re an introverted Planner that favours self-focused activities on a yoga & Pilates retreat, or a risk-seeking Adventurer who loves being outdoors on an active holiday, this guide will help you find your perfect workout match.

Dare to dream big as we round up 18 of the world’s best dream fitness retreats. Whether you’re into cycling, skiing, yoga, tennis, hiking or surfing; you will be spoilt for choice with a fanfare of healthy and active holidays in some of the world’s most desirable destinations.

If you’re looking to get back in shape but haven’t got the time to go away on full-blown fitness holiday, then our exclusive four day Fusion Fitness breaks provide the perfect solution. Whether you want to lose weight, improve your flexibility or increase your physical strength, we can tailor-make your programme to suit your personal goals and kick-start a healthier lifestyle.

Britons planning a fitness holiday has doubled in the past year according to new research published by Travelex. Britons are ditching their typical fly-and-flop holidays for fitness retreats; with one in three people wanting to ‘tone up’ on holiday and nearly one quarter looking to lose weight. Health and Fitness Travel has supported these findings through our own research, which revealed that staying active on holiday is now important to 82 percent of people.

Picking the right Christmas gift can be a minefield. There can be too much to choose from, too many people to buy for and you’re never quite sure if the recipient is going to like your carefully chosen gift! Travel though can be a way of enriching any person’s passion, regardless of how eclectic their hobbies and interests may be. A Health and Fitness Travel gift card is the ideal gift for anyone who loves travel and is passionate about personal wellbeing and or fitness!

It is important to know what testosterone is, how it benefits us and the best ways to safely and naturally boost your testosterone levels. Testosterone is a hormone found in humans and animals, but is primarily produced in men. Dipping levels of testosterone can negatively affect your mood, weight, muscle mass, libido and overall sense of well-being. With our 8 effective methods to help boost testosterone levels, get a helping hand on a wellness holiday which will simultaneously improve your health and fitness levels as you adopt a healthier lifestyle.

So what should you look for when choosing a health retreat? You are committed and have allocated the time to go away so now a little research and planning is needed. A health retreat can be a life-changing experience, but with options as unique as the traveller, choosing the right wellness holiday for you can seem daunting.

As we enter February, many of us associate this month with Valentine’s Day, the month of love and romance! However, with everything going on in the world, it is imperative to also make sure you show yourself some love and care. It can be very easy to fall out of love with your body, particularly after another lengthy lockdown, added with the fact that we live in a toxic social-media obsessed society that values appearance on falsified photos that are plastered wherever you look. 

You’ve carefully chosen and booked your dream fitness holiday, but now the stressful question arises; what to pack? This isn’t quite the standard holiday where all you need is your swimsuit and flip-flops and there’s nothing worse than arriving at a holiday destination unprepared. You may want to prepare physically by starting your healthy lifestyle with a nutritious diet and some warm up workouts, which will make your programme easier to get into. You also don’t want to arrive having to buy new trainers that may rub, knowing that your worn-in and comfortable pair are lying at home. So, make sure you tick off the essential list of what to pack before your fitness holiday, to help you avoid any stress and allow you to arrive with a relaxed mind set, ready to start your fitness journey.

Embarking on a health and fitness journey is a common aspiration for many, but taking that first step can often feel daunting and overwhelming. We have created a simple and realistic guide to kickstart your health and fitness journey, covering essential aspects so that wherever you plan to go on your health and fitness holiday, you can begin your path towards wellness and sustain it in the long run.

As part of our Insider Interview series we regularly sit down with one of the team at one of the many retreats we have the privilege of working with and sending clients to. Today we speak to Cristina Rosa, Director of Sales at EPIC SANA Algarve in Albufeira, Portugal.