Find out from working mom and sports enthusiast Carra Sutherland why doing sports regularly can totally rejuvenate you — and win a luxury 4-day detox and wellness retreat in Méribel, France!
I’ve been doing sport for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the Irish countryside surrounded by horses in a family for whom sport was and still is a driving force in everything.
My father was a well-known racehorse trainer and his answer to any ailment or problem was, “Just go for a run and then have a sauna, you’ll feel much better afterwards!”
Dad was right about that, and my answer to most problems throughout life is to do some sport and have a good sweat! From horse-riding at the age of three, I naturally went onto other sports including swimming, water skiing, athletics, running, hockey, tennis … and more recently yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, boxing, and skiing!
I’m a working mom and I find time for sport on the weekends. Saturdays are dedicated to “CrossFit” (a sort of GI training and my latest addiction!) and boxing, while Sundays are for swimming, running in the Parc de Saint-Cloud and perhaps some yoga. Max, my 6-year-old son comes with me and either watches me while eating his lunch or joins in the activity!
Despite my crazy schedule juggling work and family life, I try to fit in 30 minutes of physical activity every day with at least 10 minutes of meditation, which I find works wonders for stress.
When you’re into sports as much as I am, you also care about personal development and well-being. My sports journey has included courses in positive psychology, sports coaching, and mental leadership. I really feel that waking up early in the morning, maintaining a daily routine that includes sport and meditation as well as having a positive mental attitude towards life all help me to sing in the morning… most days!
This year, I decided to indulge my passion and create an ideal sports and detox retreat — one that combines sport, a balanced, tasty and generous diet, fun, leadership and mental coaching sessions and … the possibility for guests to bring their kids with them during the school holidays! From this love of sport combined with my marketing skills and work experience, I’ve created Happy, Sport & Detox getaway retreats to help people to shed a few unwanted kilos, reboot their mindset, appreciate life’s “moments” and discover that sport can actually be fun.
Why go for a sports detox?
A detox helps to balance out imbalances — weight, metabolism, thyroid function, immune system, hormones and so much more. It reboots you and provides the sparkling energy you need before energy-sapping projects and hectic holiday periods. Sports detox retreats are about rejuvenating yourself.
Although it is perfectly possible to do a detox by yourself at home, nothing can quite match going to a retreat where you are fully immersed with like-minded people striving towards the same goal – that of mental and physical balance.
One of the greatest benefits of a detox retreat is the renewed sense of energy it gives you. By ridding your body of all the toxins and waste, your body can spend less energy on processing these things, leaving more in your reserves for other favorite activities and time spent with family and friends.
What does it mean to detox your body?
Most weeks, I do at least one 12 to 18-hour detox to relieve the digestive system. It’s quite easy to do. I personally have my last meal at lunchtime and I don’t eat anything else until lunchtime the next day. This really helps me to control my weight and I feel more energetic afterward.
The human body contains too much acidity. This leads to tiredness, insomnia, anxiety, pains, early aging as well as weight gain which can’t be shifted by diet alone.
At a Happy Sport & Detox retreat, you will thrive on an alkaline diet that means cutting out certain types of foods such as sugar, processed foods, caffeine, and alcohol. During the retreat, you’ll feast on green leafy vegetables, non-animal proteins, dried and fresh fruits and nuts and you will NEVER suffer from hunger pangs!
At the retreat, you’ll learn how to replace sugar cravings and snacks with healthier options which give you a more sustainable release stopping you from feeling so tired and sluggish all the time.
After a “wakeup” drink with hot lemon and ginger to get the metabolism working and an hour of yoga or pilates, breakfast is typically composed of homemade granola with a green smoothie. A typical lunch or dinner menu could include carrot, cumin, and orange soup followed by a delicious vegan couscous with chickpeas.
You’ll feel much lighter, replenished and rejuvenated after just a few days of alkaline food.
Daily sport to get the body running better
You’ll learn to appreciate daily sport! Sport is an over the counter medicine and the best way to combat the stressful situations that we all live in today’s fast-changing world.
When our body is under stress, it produces adrenalin. This pushes up our blood pressure and heart rate. Sport helps to counteract this by producing “happy hormones”. It acts like a tranquilizer without the side effects. The bonus is that this antidepressant effect lasts long term.
When in a sports retreat, you take part in a multitude of activities daily ranging from yoga, pilates, cardio training, hiking, running, stretching and strength training. Our activities are suitable for everyone, whatever your fitness level. Participants are placed into groups, which suit their ability and everyone can move at their own pace.
Positive workout!
We are what we eat, but we are also what we think. In the same way that a balanced diet, physical exercise and getting enough sleep are vital to our health, having a positive attitude improves our lifestyle.
On a sports retreat, you will learn to release the emotional blockages, focus on the positive sides of life, live in the present moment and pay attention to your body language.
You will surprise yourself at how you can push your physical and mental boundaries with sport!
Will you join me at the next retreat to get in shape for the holidays?
Happy Sport & Detox
Website: www.happysportdetox.com
email: [email protected]
Tel: +33(0) 1 84 88 53 43 / + 33 (0) 6 30 61 56 56
Regular rates from 800€ on a full-board basis in a luxury suite
INSPIRELLE READER DEAL: Mention “INSPIRELLE” when you make your booking to get 20% off your retreat!
