Travel solutions: Get-fit trips
Time Out finds holidays at home and abroad for fitness fanatics
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| Hiking and pondering in the Pecos |
The UK
Dorset Fitness Holidays
One of the easiest ways of making sure you stick to a new health and fitness regime is to make it a social activity. Gather up some mates (which will also reduce the cost – though you can go alone if you prefer) and head to Dorset’s Jurassic Coast for a long weekend of fitness and nutrition advice with Dorset Fitness Holidays. Marathon runner, personal trainer and sports therapist Joe Shepherd tailors his health-kick holidays to individual needs. If you’re completely new to exercise and your nutrition needs an overhaul, he’ll take you through the basics. Or if you’re looking for renewed motivation and improved fitness levels, he’ll put together a training plan to suit your specific goals, whether they’re losing Christmas flab, reducing stress levels, or priming your body for pregnancy.
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You’ll stay at Shepherd’s B&B, where those keen to put the nutrition advice into practice straight away can cook their own healthy meals if they fancy. A typical weekend includes around six hours of walking, running or biking, two nutrition consultations and two massages. To continue the good work, the Isle of Purbeck and the local coastline are on your doorstep: hire a bike for £10 a day to explore. Alternatively, Shepherd can also help you arrange a day of climbing, kayaking or sailing.
Dorset Fitness Holidays, Vernon Lodge, 87 King’s Rd, Swanage, Dorset (01929 423880/07736 224978/www.dorsetfitnessholidays.com). B&B £50-£70 per night; fitness training, massage and nutritional consultations £55 per hour.
Short-haul
The Big Stretch
Your mind gets a jump-start as much as your body with The Big Stretch, a week-long holiday in northern Spain that combines daily walks in the stunning Picos de Europa mountains, along coastal paths and rivers, and through deep gorges, with life coaching and creative-thinking sessions along the way. Canoeing and swimming in the sea through caves and natural stone arches are also on the itinerary.
In addition to the physical benefits of gallivanting in the great outdoors (not to mention the fantastic picnics provided), the long days spent in the fresh air will give you the space to reflect on your life and what you have learnt in the group and one-to-one sessions. While involving plenty of soul searching, The Big Stretch is not, however, about hippy philosophies. Developed by psychologist Rosie Walford, it integrates elements of belief systems like Buddhism with life coaching techniques and business problem-solving strategies, with the emphasis on fulfilling your potential. At the end of the seven days, you’ll have devised an action plan, complete with an activity to start within 24 hours of returning home.
Along the walk, you’ll stay in luxury boutique hotels set amid eucalyptus groves and with views of craggy mountain tops. The evenings are sociable more than solitary: involving dinners at the best restaurants and tapas bars in the region.
The Big Stretch (0845 225 505/www.thebigstretch.com). £2,350 per person, including food and accommodation, but excluding flights to Santander or Bilbao. The next tour date is May 20 2007.
