Mmm. Holidays. They all seem a bit ethereal and far off, don’t they? Or have you succumbed to the lure of the travel brochure already? Here at Infruition, we’ve been thinking about alternative forms of sun-worship for 2017. Don’t be scared, but we’re talking about a retreat. Of the fitness kind. You know, where it’s not just cheap cocktails and factor 15. These types of holidays are booming, with good reason – it’s actually possible to have a break from the 9-5 rut, soak up some much needed Vitamin D, and come home not only relaxed and rejuvenated, but even fitter than when you boarded the plane.
Honestly, hear us out. We spoke to Adam Rogers, founder at New Horizon Escapes and asked him how he got started within the retreat industry. He has some great tips for nurturing good habits, too.
What made you start your own company – and what have been the biggest hurdles?
I never really felt that I was meant to work for someone else, I always felt that I had a lot more to give the world than just being another robot who does as they are told in life. When I met my partner Ina I saw the same burning desire to be free, and escape the clutches of the 9-5. We also both had a ridiculous thirst for travel and we knew that not only did we want to run our own businesses, but that whatever it was, it had to involve travel.
There really have only been two hurdles for us, and I think this is the same for anyone starting a new business. The first was taking a massive leap into the unknown, and the second was money.
You can’t start a business without either of them, and they can both cause a lot of sleepless nights.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to launch their own company but just doesn’t know where to begin?
JUST START!
It might sound stupidly simple, but so many good ideas are lost because people sit on them and never actually do anything proactive to make them happen. Trust your instincts and just have a go. What’s the worst that could happen?
Between you and Ina, you’ve harnessed qualifications in a range of fitness areas - can you describe your regime to us and give us any cheeky pointers?
Ina and I have very different skillsets when it comes to training others - she’s a kick boxer and yoga instructor, whereas I’ve been a personal trainer and health coach for almost a decade. However, our training looks pretty similar. We both follow a split weights routine (bodybuilding style) and if we have a specific goal to achieve then you’ll probably find us doing some boring steady state cardio in the morning before our weights session. We also both throw in a bit of yoga for good measure. It’s a good mix that can be tailored up or down depending on goals.
Tell us a little bit about from New Horizon Active Escapes. What can people expect – is it all quinoa and burpees?!
Well, where do I start?! We offer a fun, action packed, healthy holiday for people that don’t want to just sit and vegetate by the pool for two weeks.
Guests achieve the majority of their exercise through awesome outdoor activities that allow them to get up close and personal with the country they’re visiting - things like hiking, mountain biking, surfing, white water rafting, and climbing volcanoes (yep, we climb volcanoes!). On top of this we also deliver fun workouts for guests at the villa, train at our local Muay Thai gyms, and practise yoga on the beach.
Food is plentiful and balanced - there’s no rabbit food at our retreats, just wholesome, nutritious and delicious food throughout the day.
I can’t promise there won’t be a few burpees here and there though :)
We're told that overall fitness is down to 80% nutrition and 20% exercise, do you agree with this?
It’s true to a degree. They both go hand in hand and it totally depends what you’re training for.
If overall health and wellbeing is what you’re after then I guess it’s not a bad way to look at it, but if you’re training to run a marathon, then you’re not going to do very well on diet alone without a heck of a lot of training.
Don’t worry about numbers, ratios and percentages, just be regularly active through a sport you enjoy, and eat plenty of food that nourishes your body.
It's easy to be overwhelmed by January, with the pressure to overhaul routines and drastically change our habits, isn’t it?
Well I could talk all day about this, because it’s something that really bothers me. We live in a world where we’re constantly being told we’re not good enough. We should buy product a) b) or c), and we should stop being so fat and ugly and start drinking this magic tea to lose weight. It’s a real guilt culture that isn’t a positive influence on anyone except the marketers.
If there was one thing that you could recommend to help our readers make a positive step, what would it be?
My advice is to make SMALL modifications over a long period of time. There is no quick fix, believe me! Just start by being more active (that doesn’t need to be in a gym), and eating more nutritious food. Notice I didn’t say “eat less food”. I believe that if people focused more on the quality of the food they eat rather than the number of calories in it, we’d have a much healthier nation.
So there you have it! Thanks Adam. He’s definitely inspired us to set realistic goals that we can all stick to for the long haul, with a bit of self-care and intelligent nutrition. Time to book that holiday after all?
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