I have always been sceptical about weight loss or spa holidays especially when you go abroad as your first instinct for a spa retreat is for it to be a sanctuary for you to relax in by the pool, or enjoying the local delicacies and frankly do as little activity as possible. However, on my last trip I was proven wrong and realised how useful they are especially to weight loss. Over the last few years I have put on around 11pounds by eating well but being very inactive. As I’m getting older it has dawned on me that its a lot harder to lose the pounds.
So this year I decided that I would try out a healthier spa holiday and go completely against my instinct and try to be healthier in what I ate and more physically active too. So courtesy of Sanctuary Spa Holidays I booked onto a half board holiday in Gozo, near Malta at the Kempinski resort. They had a number of healthier dietary food options including Ayurvedic. I decided to go for a healthy Mediterranean diet.
My bespoke daily programme included a large breakfast including two eggs and loads of carbs! After breakfast I would go for a stroll around the Kempinski Resort in Gozo and then laze in the sun at the poolside. Around 11am I would eat fruit and then make my way to the Ayurvedic spa centre and ’state of the art’ fitness centre. On three alternate days I swam in the indoor pool and relaxed in the Hammam baths and spa steam rooms. The other three alternate days I utilised the fully equipped gym, running for half hour on the treadmill and using the cycling machines to warm up and warm down for a few minutes and end the session with a massage in the Ayurvedic spa centre.
After the physical activity I’d eat a healthy sandwich, and in the evening eat dinner around 630pm that consisted of soup as a starter such as asparagus or pumpkin soup and a meat dish with vegetables for my main, and a fruit dessert. I was of course envious of people in the restaurant who were finishing off their chocolate cakes and ice cream however it was very much about mental discipline which I found out at the daily yoga classes in the spa centre. I only popped along to a couple of yoga sessions but it helped me to relax and really contemplate and believe in myself that what I was doing was for my greater good.
Using this daily programme I genuinely lost 4kg (9pounds) in 6 days on the programme that I basically created myself. It wasn’t a huge amount but I am now down to my ideal target weight and am looking towards toning it a little more before I book my next spa holiday! Of course I think the hard part for me now will be to sustain the weight now I’m back home and trying to juggle it between work and social life but my motivation is the fact that I have the momentum and drive as I look good and feel great!