As I write this post I have a serious case of retreat blues. If you follow me on Instagram @eatinguplondon you will of seen that last week I was on a fitness bootcamp with The Workhouse. I arrived at the retreat feeling quite stressed and tired and was in desperate need to get back on the healthy bandwagon. I honestly left feeling like a new person, I felt stronger, I was full of energy, but most importantly much more motivated to work out. It’s amazing what a few days of healthy, fulfilling food, exercise, country walks and yoga can do. Not to mention being able to share this experience with the best group of people ever. We arrived strangers and left our retreat as friends with a dedicated whatsapp group to keep in touch. The people on the retreat were such an inspiring, motivating bunch and they made the experience for me. Thanks to @wear.juti.eats for being the best roomie. A big thank you to The Workhouse for an incredible few days.
The Workhouse is a fitness retreat and bootcamp therefore exercise was a crucial part to our days. However what was great was that our trainer Luke talked about the focus not being on weight loss or fast body transformation, it was about feeling good on the inside and outside. I feel The Workhouse had a balance of doing just that.
Location
The Workhouse is a luxury health and fitness retreat set in the secluded rural grounds of Hemingford Park Hall in Cambridgeshire (just over an hours drive from London). If you’re travelling by train the nearest station is Huntingdon or Cambridge. It’s situated in a place of tranquility and relaxation with over 70 acres of countryside.
Accomodation
The luxury cottages available to book each have their own charm. The cottages are all sharing with sharing bathrooms and have such a modern, cosy feel. We stayed in the Park Lodge Cottage, a grade II listed building with lovely open views from the living room across a lake. The cottage was beautifully decorated and furnished inside. We had a stunning, bright kitchen and dining area, a cosy living room where we could chill in the evening with a wood burner and a gorgeous, spacious bathroom. The Workhouse state ‘As a luxury fitness retreat, we believe in creating beautiful spaces where you can be in complete comfort for your 5-day getaway‘.
The Activities
The main man that trained us during the retreat was Luke Diggs, who not only has incredible knowledge of health, fitness & nutrition, he also has the most infectious energy and motivation. His energy and knowledge made the whole few days not only more enjoyable but I also learnt so much. Not only that but as a trainer Luke looks at each individual as a whole, taking in to account each individuals strengths and struggles.
Yoga – We had daily yoga for an hour, it was usually our last session of the day, to help us unwind and relax and to stretch out any aching muscles we had. Verity our trainer structured our yoga to settle the mind through breath-work and work the body through physical practice.
Outdoor Assault Course – This looked terrifying, it was an intense work out made fun, if that makes sense. It was a combination of cardio, weight training and obstacles including walls, mud crawl nets, monkey bars, tyre drags and hurdles. It was a great activity for team building.
Functional Fitness – An activity that focused on a range of training styles from body weight, HIIT and strength and endurance based training.
Spinning – A hardcore work out, where I left feeling challenged and I felt as though I did an intense cardio work out. We did a mixture of sprints and high-resistance work.
The Food
The food during the retreat was faultless. It was catered by the wonderful Abbots Events and the chef was the incredibly talented Mark. The only way I can describe it is as a fine dining experience. The food was delicious, beautifully presented, full of flavour and healthy and nutritious. All meals at the retreat are eaten as a group and breakfast, lunch and dinner were included with a couple of snacks throughout the day. The meals were fulfilling and balanced, and were perfectly timed to fuel us for our workouts. I never went feeling hungry.
Schedule Example
| 07:45 | Pre workout fuel and hydrate |
| 08:00 | Warm-up / Dynamic stretch |
| 08:15 | Outdoor assault course blast |
| 09:00 | Breakfast |
| 10:15 | Functional fitness |
| 11:15 | Snack time post-workout fuel and hydrate |
| 11:45 | Trail run |
| 12.30 | Rest and shower |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
| 14:15 | Spin/Body weighted circuit |
| 14:45 | Stretch and wind down |
| 15:00 | Yoga |
| 16:00 | Refuel |
| 16:30 | Group seminar |
| 18:00 | Dinner |
I couldn’t recommend going on a retreat enough, you will leave feeling energised, calm, refreshed with a new lease of life. It’s a week on and I’m feeling super motivated and making better food choices and actually feel as though I want to be in the gym rather than feeling like I have to be in the gym. It’s the kick I needed to start the new year positively. I cant wait to plan for my next retreat. If you’ve been on any and recommend them, let me know in the comments. I’d love to know.
Gemma x
For more information on the fitness retreat and how to book visit the Workhouse website here.
