Wellness travel trends for 2020 reflect an increasing awareness about health issues and offer a chance to take time out and rebalance in pretty spectacular locations where it would be hard not to heal. From helping women navigate through the menopause to changing our diet, wellness travel trends focus on improving key aspects of our health and wellbeing and that can only be a good thing.

5 Top Wellness Travel Trends for 2020

1. #Mumcation
‘Mumcation’ can be a slightly annoying word but the concept is taking root and now even has its own hashtag. Common sense says that mums need time to recharge and psychology professor Dr Nava Silton made it official in an interview with Fox5NY (2-minute video). A healthy break without children can be essential to a mother’s wellbeing and therefore good for the children too. Whether just indulging in child-free time to read, walk and sleep or immersion in holistic therapies, Mum’s get to focus on themselves free from the day-to-day responsibilities of parenting and ideally return relaxed and refreshed for family life again.

2. Menopause Relief
At long last, there’s a greater awareness and new openness about discussing this old-as-the-hills process women go through. New retreats specifically aimed at helping women with health issues including the menopause, hormonal imbalance and weight gain are gaining momentum. Remember also that meditation, yoga, tai chi and mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms. Hopefully in the future, retreats offering support for menopausal women will be as common as going to a spa for a massage or facial.

3. Sugar ‘Detox’
The harmful effects of consuming too much sugar have been known for many years but there’s a growing awareness about its effects, like bloating, IBS, headaches, lack of energy and weight gain. You can read more about it in our blog on Easy tips for going sugar-free. The new debate also features in our blog on Sugar or fat, which is worse?
If you would like a bit more help reducing or even eliminating sugar from your diet, there’s a range of healthy and detoxifying holidays designed to make it easier to kick the ‘sugar habit’. Detoxing here doesn’t mean going without food just ridding the body of sugar and the cravings that accompany it. If you’re going to go cold turkey why not do it in amazing surroundings nourished by health experts, healthy organic foods and holistic treatments?

4. Sound Therapy
Sound therapy works through the healing power of sound vibration and frequencies. It follows the understanding that all of us have our own natural frequencies (including heartbeat, and other neurological and chemical body functions). When we are exposed to the external frequencies of singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks etc, the natural healing of both the body and mind can begin. For a deeper discussion including my personal experience of this, read our recent blog on sound therapy.

5. Colour Therapy
Similar to sound, light is a frequency; and the various colours in its spectrum have different frequencies. Colour therapy works through the healing power of light vibration and frequencies. It works on the theory that our energy centres, or chakras, throughout our body are activated and rebalanced by colours.
Colour therapy, also known as chromatherapy, has been practised since ancient times. Now an increasing understanding of the benefits of colour therapy is gaining momentum. Some yoga studios steep their classes in colour, sound and even scent, and a new hotel in St Louis, Missouri even has rooms entirely in one colour to channel specific moods, for example, red for passion, yellow for happiness and so on.

Many of the wellness travel trends for 2020 are achievable and sustainable practices, which you can find in our retreats.

Here’s to a happy and healthy year ahead!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015. Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

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To complement our recent blog on Rural Retreats in the UK here we are specifically focusing on retreats in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or ANOB, to use the acronym. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are designated to protect these areas of particular natural beauty including conserving both the rural landscape and the lives of those who live and work in them.

In these spaces characterised by peaceful pathways, sweeping downs, wild meadows and ancient woodlands we can find a sense of tranquillity and be at one with nature. Lovely at any time of the year, our ancient countryside comes alive in summer with trees and flowers in full bloom.

Here at Neal’s Yard Holidays, we love to indulge our senses in one of our relaxing retreats in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where the surroundings and the restorative treatments, food and environment provide the perfect combination to help you fully unwind. These retreats in truly outstanding and sensory-rich destinations offer meditation, yoga, earthing (*see below), all with delicious locally-sourced food to nourish us inside and out.

Here’s our selection of wonderful retreats in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty:

Ayurveda and Yoga Retreats in south Wales

The secluded retreat on the Gower Peninsula is surrounded by acres of private land and ancient forest not far from the unspoilt coast where seals can be spotted. This peninsula is a haven of rich and varied wildlife, castles, medieval churches set against an awe-inspiring, natural backdrop of hills, valleys, beaches and woodland. (See also photo at top of blog, copyright USp/Neal’s Yard Holidays.)

The combination of yoga and Ayurveda allows you to completely unwind and relax with optional detox and juice-fasting. In between treatments and yoga sessions you can go for walks in the forest of dwarf oaks on the private grounds, filled with bluebells in May, or bliss out in the infra-red sauna and outdoor hot tub (ideal for star-gazing).

Three nights from £570 for a single ensuite room, full board including Ayurveda treatments and yoga. Available anytime, choose midweek or weekend.

Wellbeing Retreats in Surrey

Claridge House is a Victorian mansion in Lingfield close to the Surrey Hills with a long-standing reputation as a healing centre. The midweek or weekend retreats offer either yoga, mindfulness, meditation, Tai Chi or creative arts. Well-known sites include Box Hill, Leith Hill and the Devil’s Punch Bowl and landscapes with open commons, sunken lanes and picture-perfect villages.

Two-night retreats from £220pp sharing room, full board, including retreat activities. Massage treatments are available for a separate fee. Open year-round, choose from selected retreat dates and themes.

Detox Cleanse Yoga Retreats, Cotswolds

Holycombe retreat is set in a wooded valley on the edge of the Cotswold village of Whichford, surrounded by fairytale villages lined with honey-coloured stone cottages, rare limestone grassland habitat and ancient beechwoods with rich flora. Important grasslands such as Cleeve Hill have survived due to their status as ancient common and a National Nature Reserve protects the finest ancient beech complex. Idyllic natural features include a stream rising from a holy well in the nearby wood.
Practice morning breath work, yoga and meditation with Rina Golan, followed by a silent walk, soaking up the serenity of this wonderful part of the UK. Holistic treatments are also available.

Two nights from £295 twin share in the Lodge; or £345 in the main house, single supplement of £100. The price includes daily yoga sessions, guided meditations, woodland walks, organic food, healthy shakes, and lifestyle and nutritional advice. Treatments extra. Select dates through the year include 15-17 June.

Lakeside Wellbeing Retreats, Somerset

Within easy reach of one of the original Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Exmoor National Park and the Dark Sky Reserve, Holworthy Farm sits on the edge of Wimbleball Lake where ‘True Nature’ hosts wellbeing retreats close to spectacular coastal views, deep wooded valleys, high sea cliffs and famous sites such as the Quantock Hills. Stay in refurbished cottages and practice daily yoga. Wellbeing workshops include singing bowl baths and shibashi (Tai Chi / Qigong), plus *earthing (sometimes called grounding and explained in this article by the Chopra Centre), which harnesses the age-old old power of the earth to improve health.

Two nights from £249 twin share; single room supplement £10. The price includes full board with vegetarian food and retreat activities. Treatments extra. Next dates: 27-29 July 2018. There are also selected day-retreats throughout summer and autumn.

For more retreats set in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty see the collection on our website.

We hope you found these destinations inspiring and helped you to choose your next retreat!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015. Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

Updated 20 June 2018.

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Last year’s wellness trends included the Danish concept of hygge, using coconut oil for pretty much everything and our old friend mindfulness.

This year’s trends focus on food, both as medicine and nutrition, better sleep and an awareness of the environment as we nurture ourselves. Read on for the key wellness trends to watch in 2018.

Nourish yourself and help the world
Protecting the planet will become an integral part of our wellness routines, meaning we help the environment as we help ourselves. Stock up on homegrown healthy foods such as linseeds, broccoli and pumpkin that don’t require air miles. Similarly, include sustainable and health-benefiting crops in their traditional forms such as chickpeas and lentils. This wellness trend goes hand in hand with…

Health and beauty outside and in
Vitamin C, for example, found in berries, sweet potatoes and dark leafy greens such as kale contains strong antioxidants that can help protect you from disease and slow the ageing process. When applied to the skin topically, vitamin C can reduce inflammation, suppress free radical activity and prevent the appearance of visible ageing.

Food used as medicine
Healing spices are increasingly being recognised as healthy alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Turmeric, which has been used in food and Ayurvedic medicine in Eastern cultures for centuries, will continue to be a key wellness trend in 2018. The fragrant golden spice’s anti-inflammatory properties are due to a compound called curcumin and early research has looked into the potential effect of curcumin on a range of conditions from pre-menstrual tension to Alzheimer’s disease. Wellness retreats with a strong focus on nutrition will continue to allow guests to find the best food for their needs.

Benefits of sleep
When public figures such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Google executive Jonathan Rosenberg admit they couldn’t function as highly as they do without eight hours a night (watch the video below for more on this) sleep becomes highly topical. Bedroom comfort and practices to help sleep range from smart mattresses that analyse REM cycles to sleep trackers but conversely the advice to power down all digital devices well ahead of lights out and using holistic relaxation techniques such as yoga nidra, restorative and yin yoga still remains sound advice. Look out for our upcoming blog on sleep.

Top Google exec shares his secret to a good night’s sleep from CNBC:

Healthy Ageing
Healthy-ageing holidays are also rising in popularity with spa-goers choosing spas and retreats which offer a combination of more pampering treatments such as facials with practices that aid menopause relief, all designed to help slow down the clock. Keeping youthful inside and out is key.

Try Tai Chi
Trend-led website Pinterest noticed a +189% rise in searches for Tai Chi in its top 100 trends for 2018. Naturally, Tai Chi will get more focus thanks to its potential to reduce stress, release pain and create harmony. Here’s a video that shows what this exercise can be like – in harmony with your body and nature.

Many of the wellness trends for 2018 are achievable and sustainable practices which you can find in our retreats.

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015. Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

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Do I need to detox from alcohol?

As I sit here and write this, off the back of three independent Christmas parties in a row, all influenced by alcohol, I wonder how bad this is for my liver, and we haven’t even met the main event yet! I often think back to my youth, when drinking large volumes of drink was “normal”. In those good old days we would quote “the liver regenerates”, which is in part true, but like anything, it can only take so much. So, since Christmas, New Year and anything in the same vicinity generally involves a tipple or two, could January be the booze detox month?

The revised number of units of alcohol is now 14 for both men and women. A unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, so it varies from drink to drink. Half a pint of beer and a single 25ml shot counts as 1 unit, while a small 125ml glass of standard strength wine and a standard pub shot (35ml) already counts as 1.5 units. Binge drinking, where you consume more than 4 units in one sitting, is bad for your health. You shouldn’t save all your units to consume on one night.

Drinking too much can lead to long-term health conditions, such as cancers, stroke, brain damage, high blood pressure as well as obesity and liver disease, while the short term effects can lead to loss of sleep as alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle. According to the NHS, most people who have alcohol-related health problems aren’t alcoholics. They’re simply people who have regularly drunk more than the recommended levels for some years. Regularly drinking above recommended daily limits risks damaging your health. If you have drunk too much you should detox from alcohol for 48 hours to give your body a chance to recover.

Alcohol is high in calories. 1 gram of alcohol is equivalent to 7kcal (fat is 9kcal and carbohydrate is 4kcal). A unit of alcohol contains 56kcal, but add that to the other ingredients in the drink, or the juice or cream you mix it with and it’s easy to consume your day’s calorie requirements in just drinks. Added to the fact that alcohol is an appetite stimulant, we may find ourselves eating more at the dinner table, eating late into the night, or even over eating the following day.

Alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning you can become dehydrated if you only drink alcoholic beverages. Try to alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a (unsweetened) soft drink to avoid dehydration, and reduce the risk of a severe hangover.

If you are looking to reduce your intake of alcohol, have a go at a few of the following tips:

• Set a limit of how many drinks you are going to have before the night out
• Make sure you eat before you go out. Aim for something healthy and filling, such a soup, a sandwich or a vegetable smoothie
• Don’t drink an alcoholic drink if you are thirsty – drink water
• Try to avoid salty snacks – these will only make you thirstier and those drinks go down faster
• Look for drinks with less %ABV (alcohol by volume) in them, or make drinks lower by turning them into a spritzer with soda water
• Drink slowly and enjoy it
• Don’t top up your glass before it’s empty – you can easily loose track of how much you have drunk
• Choose a smaller measurement, such as a half pint, a small glass of wine or a single measure of spirit

If you have drunk too much over the festive season, how about signing up as a Dryathlete for Cancer Research UK and join the 1 in 6 people taking on the challenge of ‘one month of no alcohol’ and see what you can achieve.

For more information about alcohol, units and health visit drinkaware.co.uk or speak with a health professional.

Cheers (with my glass of water and lemon) and wishing you Happy Festivities!

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Is it possible to have a healthy Christmas?

With the UK ranked as the second highest consumer of calories over Christmas dinner (pipped to the post only by 2 calories by the USA), it’s pretty easy to see why we don’t have healthy Christmas habits. But is there a way to stay on track during the feasting… I mean festive season? 

The UK is estimated to consume a whopping 3289 calories over Christmas dinner alone, the highest in Europe, almost double than of Lithuania (1885 kcal) and the Czech Republic (1940 kcal). Coupled together with the many Christmas parties in the lead up, the string of sedentary days of leisurely dining followed by the boozy New Year’s party, it’s no wonder why we can gain up to 5 pounds over the festive season.  So let’s talk tactics: here are my 12 days of Christmas tips for avoiding those extra sneaky pounds, and how to stay on track for a healthy Christmas.

Get enough sleep

We often burn the candle at both ends during the wind up to the big day, meaning we are more susceptible to colds and flus. Previous studies have shown that getting 8 hours or more sleep per night can reduce your risk of cold and flu viruses, so be sure to catch your 40 winks every night.

Eat breakfast

While I’m not suggesting croissants and full fat lattes are the way to go, having a healthy balanced breakfast can help you keep going during the day. Try to incorporate some healthy protein such as scrambled eggs or smoked salmon alongside complex carbohydrates to help keep you fuller for longer.

Avoid grazing

Attempt to avoid eating unplanned snacks during the day. Try making a rule such as only eating when sitting down. This can help you reduce mindless eating while chatting with colleagues, or cut down on high calorie canapés at parties.

Stay hydrated

Thirst can often be mistaken for hunger, meaning we can reach for the biscuits instead of the water bottle. Remember to drink at least 1.6 litres of water each day, so keep a bottle on you, or a glass at your desk so you can monitor how much fluid you are drinking.

Stay active

Try to be physically active, and earn your treats. All too often we sit on our bottoms for the majority of the Christmas period. Why not try taking a festive walk, or hit the gym while it’s empty at this time of the year.

Alco-no

Alcohol is high in calories, so it’s easy to blow your daily energy intake with a few Christmas drinks. Try adding ice to your drink to reduce the calories, or ask for a spritzer which is often lower in calories.

Buffet manners

Be selective at the buffet table. It is all too easy to start at one end of the buffet table and get to the other with a full plate and a cheeky sausage roll already in your mouth. So in preparation, scan the spread before you select. This way you can be sure to make healthier choices as you go along.

Eat your greens

Sometimes it’s hard to resist the roast potatoes and other festive fatty carbohydrate. So try to fill at least a third of your plate with vegetables, and swap roast potatoes for parsnips or even sweet potatoes. Or avoid roasting your tatties in unhealthy fats like goose fat, instead try healthy fats like rapeseed oil which is higher in mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

Pass the cream

Pudding such as Christmas Pudding are relatively high in fruit and low in fat. Help keep it this way by avoiding pouring cream or full fat custard. Instead serve it with low fat custard or yoghurt.

Clear the table

With family and friends over for dinners, it is easy to sit at the table all night picking at the uneaten food. Help your waistline by removing temptation out of harms way and putting the food away once everyone is finished, or move the conversation to a different room.

Treats should be treats

It’s easy to accidentally eat a whole tub of festive chocolates in one sitting. Resist the urge by providing a small handful while hiding the rest out the way – out of sight out of mind.

Only stuff the turkey

On Christmas day, only the turkey should be stuffed. It takes 20 minutes for our body to tell our brain that we’ve had enough food, so sit back and relax before heading for seconds, and enjoy a more healthy Christmas.

But most of all don’t worry if you over indulge over the holidays. Apply the principal of 80:20, where you only have to be good 80% of the time, with the remain 20% as treats. We can get back on the healthy wagon come 2017.

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy Christmas!

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We are regularly bombarded with health messages regarding being physically active, and while the magic 10,000 step guideline seems rather basic. Could there be other benefits from the two main type of physical activity groups; aerobic and strength training?

Physical activity is an excellent way to lose or maintain weight and should form part of a healthy lifestyle. Speaking about long term health, the different types of physical activity, resistance or aerobic exercise, can have many health benefits for your body. Getting the balance right could be key to healthy aging. While hitting the 10,000 step guideline is a good target, it is important to know that different types of exercise are important for a healthy lifestyle. In 2011 the UK recommendations were set at a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise with some strength training for all adults.

Aerobic Physical Activity

Moderate aerobic exercise is characterised by an increased heart rate and perspiration, whereas in high intensity exercise you may find it hard to say more than a few words in a sentence. This type of exercise is good for weight loss through burning calories when doing the exercise, as well as improving heart muscle strength.

Aerobic activities include:

• Jogging or running
• Dancing
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Aerobics
• Tennis

Dancing can count as moderate or vigorous exercise depending on the style, and is also sociable and fun. Find local dance classes. Fast cycling can count as vigorous exercise.

Resistance Physical Activity

Resistance exercise is commonly thought of as strength conditioning. This is where you use either your own body weight, or training with weights to work your muscles through repeated (reps) lifting exercises. Doing this type of physical activity can increase muscle strength. This includes major muscle groups such as your core (important for balance), arms and legs, and can benefit in everyday life.

Strength training activities include:

• Yoga
• Tai Chi and Qigong
• Weight lifting
• Using resistance bands
• Exercises using your own body weight e.g. press-ups and sit-ups

Yoga and Tai Chi are both good for building and maintaining flexibility as well as core strength.

Physical activity is important for many other conditions, such as reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. In addition exercise can help improve self esteem and also everyday tasks such as grocery shopping. Therefore in terms of healthy aging, physical activity is important for building and maintaining strong and healthy bones. Both aerobic and resistance physical activity can help build bone density and muscle mass in conjunction with a healthy diet including adequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D, preventing osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) in later life.

Why not try the Couch to 5k plan, aimed at those who need a little help to get physically active along with tips to stay healthy when exercising.

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Iron is a mineral which is required for the production of haemoglobin in the body, essential for carrying oxygen to the cells in our body. Without adequate levels, you may feel tired, look pale and be irritable. Severe deficiency can lead to iron deficient anaemia, but this can be resolved with a good diet or in extreme cases, iron supplementation.

The reference nutrient intake for woman aged 11-50, including pregnant women, is 14.8mg iron per day, while men, and women over 50 years, need around 8.7mg per day. Making sure you get enough from your diet will help prevent iron-deficiency anaemia, however, too much (over 20mg) can cause side effects such as constipation, nausea, vomiting or stomach pain.

You should be able to get enough iron from your diet. The source however, is important in terms of bioavailability, or how much of the mineral can be absorbed by your body.

There are two types or dietary iron, haem and non-haem. This is reference to haemoglobin, or red blood cells. Haem iron found in animal products is easily absorbed by our body. Non-haem iron is found in plant foods, but the body finds it harder to absorb in comparison to the haem version; taking vitamin C with plant sources of iron can increase our body’s ability to absorb it. Vegetable and fruits are naturally high in vitamin C, and can also contain iron, e.g. watercress. Additionally, watch out for food and drinks that contain high levels of tannins e.g. tea and coffee, or phytates and oxylates e.g. spinach (sorry Popeye) and milk chocolate, which can inhibit the absorption of the mineral. Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt can also interfere with absorption as the casein and certain forms of calcium can inhibit iron absorption. A varied and balanced diet should provide enough nutrition to balance any loss of absorption.

Sources of haem iron include:

• Liver
• Meat e.g. beef and lamb
• Seafood e.g. mussels and oysters

Non-heam sources

Sources of non-haem iron include:

• Beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds e.g. sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• Dried fruit e.g apricots and figs
• Wholegrains e.g. brown rice and wholemeal bread
• Most dark green leafy vegetables e.g. watercress (raw), kale and beet greens (lightly cooked)

The month of October see the likes of kale, mussels, oysters and cabbage come into season, so why not take inspiration of these delicious nutrient rich vegetable and seafood available on the BBC Food website.

So while the debatable story goes that Popeye was popping cans of spinach for strength based on a misplaced decimal, there are certainly many other, and better ways to get iron in your diet.

If you do take supplements that contain iron, don’t take too much as it could be harmful – anything less than 17mg a day is unlikely to cause harm. However, speak to your GP or dietitian for more advice.

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What’s required for our body to absorb Calcium? And what’s the link with Vitamin D?

Getting enough calcium in the diet is important for healthy bones and teeth, as well as helping regulate blood pressure, nerve function and muscle contraction. Too little calcium in the diet can lead to osteoporosis in later life, a chronic disease leading to weakening of the bones, resulting in bone fracture. Worldwide it is estimated that 1 in 3 women aged over 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures, while 1 in 5 men will be affected.

Adults need an estimated 700mg of calcium per day to help maintain the skeleton. This translates to one glass of milk (250mg), two sardines (91mg) and 100g of calcium set tofu (350mg) per day. The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which looks at dietary intakes of the UK population, showed that most adults were hitting the 700mg nutrient target. If you have coeliac disease, osteoporosis, are breastfeeding, or post-menopause you may need up to 1000mg or 1500mg. The British Dietetic Association have a useful tool for assessing how much calcium you get in your diet as well as tips and tricks to improve dietary intakes.

Dairy products are the most common food sources for dietary calcium requirements. The bioavailability in milk is 30-35%, which appears to be low. Relatively speaking, that is much higher in comparison to spinach, where only around 5% of calcium can be absorbed. This is due to some plants like spinach containing inhibitory substances such as oxalates and phytates, which compete with uptake, meaning you would need to consume eight times the amount of spinach compared to milk to achieve that same uptake of calcium.

Fish like sardines, pilchard, white bait are highest on the list with up to 400mg of calcium per 100g of fish, if you eat the bones, providing a higher content than milk. For people with lactose intolerance or dietary restrictions there are other good sources of calcium, for example green leafy vegetables (e.g kale, spring green, parsley), almonds, sesame seeds, and soya protein (firm tofu). It is always advised to have a wide variety of sources for our dietary intake. Further sources of this vital mineral can be found at the National Osteoporosis Society.

Dietary sources of calcium

It is also important to point out that Vitamin D is required for the absorption of calcium, as well as aiding maintenance of bone health. See our recent blog on Vitamin D and the new government regulations due to latest research.

Combining dietary intakes of calcium with weight bearing exercise can also improve bone density, helping keep osteoporosis at bay. Weight bearing exercises include walking, running, boxing and high impact aerobics, and all help prevent bone loss by stimulating bone-strengthening processes.

If you are concerned about not achieving the right intake, speak to your GP or local pharmacist about supplementation.

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