Setting the Right Foundations
What’s holding you back?
We’re each at a different stage in our journey. Some of us have a clear vision of the life we want to lead. Others less so. Some of us are close to achieving our goals. Others just getting started.
And for many of us, all we have is a vague feeling of dissatisfaction with the life we’re currently leading and an unshaped desire for something better.
Whatever stage you’re at, the chances are you’ll often feel you could be doing better. And the chances are it’s not a lack of vision that’s holding you back; it’s actually an absence of the right foundations. What do I mean by this?
The human mind and body are a biological system which works brilliantly when it’s fit and healthy, with good nutrition, high energy levels and a positive state of mind. But it works very badly when it’s unhealthy, unfit, with poor nutrition, low energy levels and a stressed state of mind.
Most of us who are thinking seriously about making changes in our lives are doing so for a reason. There’s almost always a catalyst, usually a stressful career or life event. It’s not really surprising we often set out to improve our lives just when we’re at an all-time low. And, if you want to set a vision for the life you want to lead, this really isn’t the place to start.
So, the first thing to do is get the foundations right: make sure you’re fit and healthy, with good nutrition, high energy levels and a positive state of mind.
Setting the foundations – fitness, health, nutrition, energy, positivity.
Our hectic western lifestyles are hardly conducive. It’s very difficult for most of us, in our hectic daily lives, to focus on these basics. Even if we know better, we find ourselves rushing from task to task, meeting to meeting, riding a rollercoaster of blood-sugar highs and lows, fuelled by caffeine and high glucose snacks.
We don’t get enough exercise and we don’t spend enough time in calm contemplation. We’re always on until we’re off, and then we crash. And if we do have a moment to spare, we give it to our mobile phones, our emails, our social media. We use stimulants (coffee) to help us work and depressants (alcohol) to help us relax.
It’s extremely hard to break out of this cycle but one technique I’ve found effective is to remove myself completely from my normal environment and “reset” everything in the right way. How do I do this?
Well, I don’t normally do product endorsements, but in this case I’ll make an exception and recommend a health, fitness and detox retreat with the company in:spa. There are plenty of similar retreats available, but in:spa has a particularly effective balance of health and fitness, yoga and massage, diet and nutrition.
I’ve just returned from a week with in:spa in Morocco. I’m lighter, fitter and more flexible than I was a week ago. My energy levels are noticeably higher. I feel rejuvenated, both physically and mentally.
Why in:spa?
The in:spa programme is particularly effective. They bring together a first-class team for each retreat, comprising two physical trainers, a yoga teacher, a massage therapist, a nutritionist and, most importantly, a chef.
It isn’t a weight-loss programme, or a detox programme, or a fitness programme, or a yoga retreat, it’s all of these things combined. And that’s the beauty of it. It works on all the foundational elements I mentioned earlier: fitness, health, nutrition, energy, positivity.
In Morocco last week, my daily schedule included hiking, fitness training, yoga, massage, down-time and an incredibly healthy diet. It was simultaneously physically challenging and mentally relaxing.
A personal highlight was the moment of calm experienced at the summit of a hike in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains (captured in the picture above).
I really can’t recommend this highly enough. And even if this does not appeal, I certainly recommend doing something similar as a way to invest in the foundations for your personal journey.
If you would like to learn more about in:spa, please visit www.inspa-retreats.com