All posts tagged: fitness

Four Seasons Hampshire launches The Escape

Published by Mark Smith

Four Seasons Hampshire has introduced The Escape, a new experiential fitness retreat that is designed to take participants out of their comfort zone, to push the boundaries of mind, body and soul. It’s an active programme that combines food, fitness and a touch of fun (with some great spa therapies thrown in). Four Seasons country outpost is set in the middle of 500 acres of picturesque Hampshire countryside. It’s a peaceful setting just an hour from London, with plenty of walks and lots of space to free the mind. The Escape, created by top fitness professionals is high energy. Expect 12 hours of fitness experiences from military style training to yoga, which is balanced with around three hours of spa treatments to soothe your aching muscles and some exceptional healthy and nutritious food. What could be better? On day one, your journey will begin as you are issued with your personalised Escape kit and your mobile devices are locked away! This is a digital detox too. You will head out on a tour of the …

Men’s wellness holiday bookings surge 42% Have you booked yours yet?

Published by Mark Smith

Now is the best time to book a men’s wellness retreat for your next holiday break, because it seems it’s on the rise. According to Health and Fitness travel, bookings have increased 42% since 2010. Paul Joseph, Founder of Health and Fitness Travel, says “Since 2010 we have seen a 42% increase in men booking wellness holidays. Men investing in their well-being and appearance is now so normal; many are living with extreme unprecedented stress due to growing work demands, and we have seen a growing interest from men towards self-care and health awareness. Most retreats and spas are gender neutral and cater equally to both sexes.” So with the help of Health and Fitness Travel I have compiled 8 of the best men’s wellness retreats for the health-conscious guy. It’s timely as in June it’s Men’s Health Week and Father’s Day. From pulse-raising boot camp fitness in Portugal to holistic weight loss in India, these healthy escapes are the perfect gift for men ready to make a positive change. Discover 8 of the best men’s wellness …

Five of the best muscle rubs

Published by Mark Smith

The Spa Man picks his five of the best muscle rubs for soothing tired and aching muscles. Tried and tested, I know that these all work a treat with some classics and some fo the best from the world of spa and men’s grooming. Use pre and post exercise, these will help to warm the muscle and relieve any pain from working out. They are also great post running – indeed for any exercise. Grab one of the best muscle rubs today. Elemental Herbology Muscle Melt Melting into the skin like a beautiful balm, this is warming and soothing. Ginger and ho wood to warm and relax the muscles, whilst turmeric stimulates circulation and soothes aches and pains. Use this melting balm before and after exercise. £25 www.elementalherbology.com Aromatherapy Associates Destress Muscle Gel This is a heady blend of aromatherapy and I apply this to my calf muscles and biceps. Packed with Rosemary, Black Pepper, Lavender and Ginger essential oils, this light, easily absorbed gel is a treat. It instantly cools, then warms muscles. £28 …

Villa Stephanie at Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa, Germany

Published by Mark Smith

Villa Stephanie is a modern medi-spa with wellness at its core. Part of the Oetker Collection, and adjoining Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa, it has a rich history of wellness and has now positioning itself as a unique entity, a ‘House of Wellness’ for the stressed, tired and over indulged amongst us. It’s partnership with Brenner’s Medical Wellness under the direction of Dr Harry F. Konig ensures that the programmes draw on the latest scientific advances and not only deliver targeted, personalised programme; these combine the perfect balance of exercise, medical knowledge with spa and wellness treatments which cocoon and care for the mind, body and soul. Think of it not as a hotel with a spa, but as a wellness retreat with rooms. Detox and weight loss are the two main focuses for treatment programmes, but everything is tailored to the guest and the new programme developed by Dr König ‘The Kings Way’ takes this to a whole new level. The accommodation at Villa Stephanie comprises 16 rooms and suites in the main building …

Anatomē launches new health and fitness concept in Shoreditch

Published by Mark Smith

Anatomē is hip, cool and casual new concept which embodies pretty much everything I love about wellness. It’s a wellness concept built on the principle that nutritional and emotional balance is the pathway to a healthy, fulfilling life. Here, here! What is anatomē? Anatomē is the latest venture from Brendan Murdock (founder of Murdock London, the barbers) and is based on his personal quest to support his own health and wellbeing. Apparently, Brendan felt that many of the established health and fitness stores were short changing customers, offering too many unnecessary products without thought or care for the retail experience and failing to engage with the customer. The first anatomē store has an expertly highly curated edit of own-brand essential oil elixirs, vitamins and nutrients. They tackle the major issues of our time – sleep, emotional balance, confidence, stress – you name it, the oils will help. The store also offers a range of sports wear (it’s the antithesis of Sports Direct) plus accessories alongside a health café, serving healthy freshly pressed juice blends, smoothies, …

Join Global Wellness Day 2018 on 9th June

Published by Mark Smith

First celebrated in 2012, Global Wellness Day 2018 is dedicated to living well, and has now become a world-wide annual event. This year it takes place on 9th June 2017 and joins people in the shared values of wanting to be healthier, to look better, and to live well both physically and spiritually. The thinking behind Global Wellness Day is to embrace and celebrate our health and wellbeing and to promote it to a wider audience globally. Highlighting the benefits of living well, there is a team of ambassadors who are the guiding lights of the event. Many spas are actively participating in the global day of celebration with events and activities promoting healthy eating, fitness, meditation and wellness in general. This year the focus is on kids and getting them more active and living a better, healthier life. Globally, there are more than 1.6 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them clinically obese. In just 10 years, the WHO projects that number will grow by 40%. Globally more than 41 million kids under the age of …

11 wellness holidays for a healthier happier you

Published by Mark Smith

To focus on health, fitness and well-being Health and Fitness Travel has compiled 11 wellness holidays for 2018. Whatever your goals this year, the specialists at Health and Fitness Travel can put together a programme whether it’s detox, meditation, yoga, sports or sleep, you can be as sociable or as solitary as you wish. Here’s a selection of the world’s most beautiful locations, combining spa and fitness in a wellness holiday to make you healthier this year. The Luxury Beach Spa Break – Amanpuri Awareness Immersion, Thailand Amidst palm-fringed, white sand beaches, and architecture inspired by ancient Ayutthayan culture, Amanpuri exudes timeless luxury and is the perfect place for a wellness holiday. The awareness immersion programme, guided by a former Buddhist monk, is a meditative experience encouraging the renewal of internal focus, synchronising the mind, body and soul. Indulgent spa treatments such as cranial sacral therapy compliment the programme, along with unrivalled nutritional support. With spiritual guidance, a 5-star spa, and a private beach on your doorstep, Amanpuri is perfect for those looking for …

The best wellness retreats in September

Published by Mark Smith

Most over massage, there’s a new kid in town. It’s wellness. These are the best wellness retreats coming up in September 2017. Designed to boost wellbeing, increase fitness and restore your mind, body and spirit, spas are really tackling some of the big issues facing people in today’s stressful world. These therapies often deliver life-changing results for a happier, healthier life. All of these events and programmes are scheduled to take place in September this year. But often run throughout the year. This is just a taster of what’s available at your local spa. From sleep and stress to gait, posture and gut health, discover why health is the new wealth at a spa near you. The best wellness retreats: Sleep Sleep. It’s an essential element of life and helps to maintain our mental health and physical wellbeing. But for many people it remains one of life’s greatest challenges. Restless nights, poor sleep or tossing and turning until the birdsong of dawn leads to long, difficult days at work and a sluggish body and foggy …

Spa Experience by Better Male bamboo massage

Spa London becomes Spa Experience by Better

Published by Mark Smith

Spa Experience by Better is the new brand new name for Spa London. I’ve written about Spa London and talked about it on BBC Radio 4 and am a big fan for a number of reasons. The team has partnered with quality spa brands and offers excellent treatments at competitive prices. It makes spa affordable for more people and spreading the art of relaxation through the wider population is a very good thing in my book. Spa Experience by Better is a fresh new look for the spa group which has locations right across London and the South and the business has some very interesting plans to expand the concept nationwide. Partner brands include Elemis, La Sultane De Saba, Murad and Essie. The group first launched in 2007 with a single spa at Bethnal Green in East London. The facility was the UK’s first ever public sector day spa and created a niche offering in the market, by offering a high quality service, but with less of the cost and exclusivity of spas that had existed before. There are currently …

LUX* Le Morne Le Brabant, Mauritius - The Spa Man

Review: LUX* Le Morne, Mauritius

Published by Mark Smith

LUX* Le Morne is a relaxing resort tucked away in a quiet corner of Mauritius. Hugging the coast with a stretch of private beach, it’s tranquil lagoon setting ensures a chilled vibe and relaxed atmosphere for spa fans and beach lovers. It has the most dramatic setting of any property on the island, backed by the dramatic peak of Le Morne Brabant, a breath taking UNESCO World Heritage site and makes for a picturesque stay in this magical corner of Mauritius. Landscaped gardens, four pools and 600 metres of white sandy beaches give LUX* Le Morne a true sense of a tropical escape. All rooms are sea facing with a mix of superior rooms and suites are just a few steps away from the beach. There are plenty of activities to keep you occupied. The boat house offers everything from paddle boarding to water skiing or you can head out to sea to go swimming with the Dolphins in the early morning sunshine. The food at all three restaurants is fabulous and in particular the Thai …

Wellness rooms introduced at Macdonald Hotels

Published by admin

Macdonald Hotels have launched dedicated Wellness Rooms, providing a one-stop shop the health and wellbeing needs of guests, at three of their top spa hotels. Macdonald Portal Hotel in Chester, Macdonald Alveston Manor in Stratford-upon-Avon and Macdonald Craxton Wood in Cheshire are the first hotels to provide this new comprehensive wellbeing facility, and the group intends to expand this throughout 2015. The rooms are a designated space for one-to-one wellbeing expert consultations, covering everything from dietary advice and fitness assessments through to physiotherapy and complementary therapies. It’s the perfect way to kickstart a New Year wellbeing programme, combining a focus on health and fitness with the relaxation of spa. They are available for hotel guests, Vital Health Club members and day spa guests to seek expert professional wellbeing advice. to complete the wellness offering Macdonald Hotel’s Vital Health Clubs are offering free comprehensive Health Checks as part of their health club membership which includes an analysis of blood pressure, resting heart rate, body mass index (BMI), body composition (Fat), peak flow lung function, flexibility and …

Five of the best spas for fitness

Published by admin

Spas are turning high-tech when it comes to fitness, so now you can enjoy a fitness break, really working on your technique or taking time to hone your skills and then soothe any aching muscles with a relaxing, targeted massage in the spa. The Spa Man picks the best spas for fitness in the UK. * Picture credit above: courtesy of Champneys Champneys Tring Location: Wigginton, Hertfordshire Price per visit: Double bed and breakfast from £398, Single bed and breakfast from £224. Sports performance analysis from £45 Fitness focus: Recovery and rehabilitation, movement and gait analysis A comprehensive sports treatment menu provides a rounded approach to sports injury rehabilitation. Integrated screening techniques like gait analysis and Tensiomyography (TMG) assessment (a diagnostic tool used by Barcelona FC) helps to identify muscular imbalances, asymmetries and weaknesses to pinpoint the root causes of injury. The team then design a corrective training programme and can incorporate traditional sports psychology, such as goal setting and the motivational aspects of NLP to maintain a positive approach to recovery. Added extras: FIFA sized football …

Matt Roberts fitness retreats in Sardinia

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Combining spa with fitness and health is to my mind a perfect pairing. Forte Village Resort in Sardinia has just announced a new health and wellness partnership with Matt Roberts Personal Training, who will be running a series of new specialist Fitness Retreats this year. The Matt Roberts Fitness Retreats, led by Matt and his expert team, will offer individually designed programmes aimed at increasing fitness and boosting metabolism. The retreat will provide a mix of daily exercise sessions, carefully balanced meals and sports massages. Forte Village, in southern Sardinia, is set in 55 acres of sub-tropical gardens with outstanding sporting facilities, a leading Thalassotherapy spa and beautiful beach. It’s quite an incredible offering and to get top advice, daily massage and a week away in Sardinia, it’s well worth the upgrade. Fitness Retreat Itinerary: Daily exercise sessions including high intensity training, core strength and conditioning, cardio, mobility and flexibility Daily deep tissue massage Use of the Thalassotherapy pools Nutritional energising meals Evening talks and Q&A sessions with Matt and his team But note, that …

Maintain your motivation

Published by admin

The gym is still full of high hopes and expectation. There are new faces, all keen and eager to lose a few extra pounds and get fit for the coming year. I see it every year, new recruits, January is wildy busy, it’s hard to find space to workout and you end up waiting for equipment and kit. As February rolls around, the enthusiasm wanes, gym visits drop and it’s all back to normal and for most people that monthly membership is wasted. I wanted to get a few motivational tips from the experts to help maintain the good work, to keep people fixed on fitness for the duration of the year. It is hard, waking up in the dark pulling yourself out of a warm bed to face the freezing cold all before the sun has reared it’s pretty head. If it’s raining – then it’s worse. But the pay off is well worth it. My goal at the beginning of January was to lose 4 kilos (8.8 lbs) by 6th March when I …