Tuesday 14 October 2014

Working abroad in the gorgeous Algarve!

Hello everyone!

So I'm not long back from the glorious sunny Algarve in Portugal where I worked at my first ever retreat.
I worked along side a fitness company which my Brother in Law runs, he has set up a retreat called Transform where he takes on clients, hires a nutritionist, has himself as an instructor and hires a therapist (myself) who performs daily treatments for the guests.
The clients stayed in 2 villas, both absolutely beautiful in a small village outside all the hustle and bustle, so they had the opportunity to really relax and enjoy scenic routes hiking up cliffs and cycling to local villages.
One of the villas, look at that pool!

I had an amazing time and did join in with a few of the hikes and fitness classes but for the most part of the day I offered a range of beautiful treatments for my clients including, full facials, full body massage and a body detox program. All perfect for guests to relax after the intense workouts in the heat.

Now of course working abroad means there is also time to just be able to relax and be able to take in all the beautiful surroundings, so I got to spend most of my free time exploring local sights and doing a bit of sunbathing on the beach, but who can blame me look at how beautiful it was!
Burgau Beach
A day shopping in Lagos with my sister


Apart from doing some exploring, relaxing and work I also learnt a lot about myself. I am a massive sugar addict and I didn't even know it!
I thought it was completely normal to need that sugar rush at lunch time and then again at 3pm, but no its not!
So my body was in a state of utter shock when I followed the nutrition programme, no sugar, 3/5 days of no carbs and only limited amounts of caffeine!
So the first 2 days I felt like utter crap, all I wanted was chocolate, coffee and coke but there was none to be soon so I stuck by it, drinking my smoothies made up of kale, spinach, ginger and berries. Drinking water infused with ginger and lemon (was seriously tasty) and eating my soaked oats in coconut milk for breakfast (also very tasty).
 But you know what, by sticking with it I felt so much better by day 5, I had more energy, I learnt my limits to know when I'm full and I even enjoyed tasting new healthy food. So yes, it was definitely worth it and I lost 4lbs which is an added bonus.

Now transform isn't all about who can lose the most weight, its about learning to live a healthier lifestyle, something you can maintain with the right advice and guidance. By going to work for my brother in law I ended up learning a lot about myself and learnt a lot of things  I didn't know before regarding health, nutrition and fitness. So if you ever get the chance to take part in a retreat then please go for it, because yes 6am starts may be hard but you get the best of both worlds, you take home a huge amount of knowledge and you get to experience and explore some beautiful places that you may never have thought about going to.

Transform will be happening again in April and September and I'm hoping I will be able to experience all this again, if anyone would like more information about it then please take a look at Transform Fitness Retreat where more information will follow.


Chloe x

No comments:

Post a Comment