If you think wellness retreats sound like a dream, you’re not alone. A Forbes article from 2014 revealed even then that boomers were already contributing a significant amount to a growing trend in wellness travel. A growing number of options are women-only. Whether you want wilderness travel or your idea of camping is the Marriot, there is a wellness excursion waiting for you.
How would you like to lose rather than gain five pounds on vacation? If you answered yes, you should know it’s absolutely possible. Here are some reasons wellness retreats may replace your usual vacation this year. You can identify what to consider before you choose with the questions at the end of the post.
Break Old Habits
While some may argue that vacation is the time to throw caution (and your diet and exercise) to the wind, I tell clients vacation – when you’re out of your regular environment and all the triggers and cues that have you doing things that don’t serve you – is a perfect time to adopt new health habits or break old bad ones.
It takes a full 66 days to make a habit, but even a short three day reset can be enough to break a cycle that gets the momentum started. If you’ve exercised every morning away, or practiced mindful eating, or done a cleanse, you’ve initiated game-changing strategies that can indeed stick.
Get Personal
You can personalize your getaway according to your own needs. First, of course you chose it. Go for the adventure, something unique, or go for the serene pampering tranquility. Deep dive into yoga, meditation, or hormone-balancing exercise. Instead, you could learn how to do your first triathlon or spend a week at a dude (dudette?) ranch. Camp isn’t just for kids anymore.
No Recovery Needed
You’ve been there, right? A few too many drinks with little umbrellas, a little too much sun, too many late nights, or smoky casinos result in a need to rest and recover after you return. While that might have worked once, in today’s world when you’re leaving exhausted, most don’t want to return exhausted.
Pamper
You can do it solo, with your partner, or with a bestie; but no matter how you go, the plush bathrobe, the massage, and bath with rose petals are increasingly appealing. It’s not whether you will indulge, it’s which services and how much time you have. Women are even opting to do peels and treatments while away to truly return refreshed and younger looking, taking rare down time out of their social circles to do it.
Get Unplugged
Time-robbing devices and over-filled schedules don’t allow for much reflection. The chaos may still be there when you return, but you’ll be handling it better when you step away for even a short get-away. If your morning hikes take you out of cell phone range, it’s an amenity.
Educate and Motivate
You can choose to fill your vacation with tools that bring you back into your real life better equipped. Learn to cook or just eat more mindfully. Learn to exercise in a way that balances hormones. Meet new like-minded friends who are interested in the same thing. When you get some clarity on what to reach your goals long term you extend the benefits of a wellness retreat far longer than a random vacation can. Getting away from distractions so you can focus gives you the opportunity to do that.
Before You Go Shopping for Wellness Retreats
- What are your wellness goals?
- Do you want to solve a particular problem, pick up a skill, learn more about yourself, or simply enjoy yourself?
- What do I want to know or feel when I return?
- What’s included and what’s optional or extra?
- Can I get my dietary preferences/needs met?
- Are programs a good match for my current level of activity and expertise?
- Is the staff qualified to provide the services being offered?
- Are there extra activities available that will add to the experience?
- What quality of accommodations, meals, and amenities are available, and do they meet your expectations?
- Will you have every minute planned for you or free time on your own, and does that match your goals?
By answering these questions you’ll have a head start choosing the most rejuvenating, or stimulating, wellness retreats possible.
