Tag Archives: nutrition

You cannot out train a bad diet…

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This morning I had a client come in for their third PT session.  Let’s call her Jane.

Jane had put on 2lbs… shock, disappointment and disbelief.  I could see the horror on her face, because Jane felt she’d had a good week, she had followed my exercise plan to the letter, had even added in an extra couple of walks.  So before we started the PT session we took five minutes to chat about her diet this week. Firstly, Jane hadn’t been using her food diary, feeling that she would review each day on its own.  Jane told me that she had been having smaller portions, and no carbs for supper, but after a little more digging Jane remembered ice cream and strawberries, hot chocolate and shortbread, finishing the kids Easter eggs to name but a few “treats” this week.

This is not uncommon.  Clients very often fall into this trap at the beginning of their weight loss journey and start to think that because they have increased their activity levels that they can or should be able to treat themselves.  Does that sound familiar?

At Brealy Bootcamps we promote developing a real relationship with food and do not advocate removal of any foods from your regular diet.  Research has shown that total abstinence or restrictive diets fail time and time again.  Once you remove a food completely you can start to develop a contrary desire for it, sometimes this feels more like a compulsion and you can find yourself binging out on the removed food and then feeling guilty and ashamed of yourself.  This spiral of denial, guilt and shame is not productive and only sets you up for failure in the long term.

But, there is a but here…… in the early days of your weight loss journey you do need to exercise caution around when you include certain foods.  The key is stabilising your blood sugar, so eating your three main meals and two small protein rich snacks is important.  This stops you from feeling “hungry” so you are less likely to make bad choices while keeping your metabolism high.  Secondly, remember a treat is exactly that a treat… not a regular occurrence, so a daily treat is not a treat, that’s becoming part of your regular diet.  If you want to reward yourself for your increased activity you need to find a non food way to do that so that you don’t undo your good work.

As you grow in confidence and motivation as the lbs/Kgs start to come off and your new shape reveals itself you will find it easier to make healthy choices, but for now you need to practice and treats should become just that “occasional treats”.

 

4 top weight loss tips for women

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pennotesWhether you have a few pounds to lose; are looking to shift that last half a stone; or have other weight loss aspirations – then we can help.

At Brealy Bootcamps, while everyone who attends our bootcamps will experience weight loss, our focus is more than that – we want to empower you, so you feel and look your best with our combination of exercise; eating nutritionally balanced meals; and changing behaviours.

Here we share some of our top weight loss tips for women …

1. Food cravings and hunger
One issue that women on a diet normally experience is feelings of hunger and cravings for food they feel are “off limits”. Eating a nutritionally balanced diet, however, that contains foods that help you feel fuller for longer as well as keeping your blood sugars stabilised (so no lapses in energy that see you reach for a chocolate bar), is the solution.

It will stop those cravings and mean you won’t feel hungry in between meals, because you are giving your body what it needs and removing the dramatic peaks and troughs in energy levels that things like caffeine and sugars give you.

All our menus are based around these principles and are tasty, nutritious and help make it easier to lose weight as well as giving you the foundation for a healthy way of eating for life.

2. The importance of exercise
It’s simple – if you want to lose weight, you need to eat better and move smarter. You may have seen celebrities in glossy magazines showing off an amazing weight loss saying that they “didn’t exercise” they simply “ate less”!

While you can achieve weight loss without exercise, you may be disappointed with the end results. It’s all very well losing fat, but if your skin isn’t toned or, in the case of extreme weight loss, you are left with excess skin, you may well still be unhappy with how you look.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the more frequently you exercise, the more calories you’ll burn – meaning you will lose weight quicker. The short term benefits also don’t end once you stop exercising – you’ll burn off calories faster for a few hours after, as well as benefitting from lots of health boosting benefits such as strengthening your bones, keeping your heart healthy, etc

And if you think that exercising is all about spending hours down the gym (with a very expensive gym membership to add to the pain!) then you need to come on one our Bootcamps.

Run at venues, ranging from day to weekend courses to week long retreats, across England (and in Spain), we show you that you don’t need a gym or lots of expensive equipment in order to get fit. It’s all about eating better and moving smarter.

3. Getting on the scales
Don’t get hung up on the weighing scales. While getting on the scales once a week or so to monitor just how well your weight loss is going can be a positive experience, there will be occasions when, although you’ve exercised frequently and eaten properly, the scales will not show any weight loss.

When this happens, you may feel “what’s the point of continuing?” and decide to give up and go back to your old habits. While it is understandable to feel like this, too much emphasis shouldn’t be put on what you weigh, as it could be misleading.

There could be many reasons why the scales don’t show a weight loss. For example, you are close to your period (most women gain a few pounds – which is typically just water – before their period). Or it could be that while you have lost fat, your have actually built up muscle due to exercise. As muscle weighs more than fat, the results on the scales could be deceptive.

Focus more on how you feel and look – only you know what you weigh. Other people will see a healthier, slimmer and more toned you.

4. Our Bootcamps
Brealy Bootcamps believe in providing a holistic approach to health and weight loss, with an equal balance of exercise, nutrition and behaviour on all our events. All these combined activities will help you achieve your goals. And, rather than faddy diets where you put weight back on as soon as you have lost it, they will give you the foundation to incorporate them in to your lifestyle – meaning you will achieve and maintain the body and fitness you have always wanted – and any excess weight lost will stay off.

Learn More:

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Guide to weight loss camps for women

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Nordic walkingAnyone who has ever been on a diet will know just how difficult it often is to stick to. And then, if you do manage to reach your target weight, how equally difficult it can be to maintain it.

That is why weight loss camps are so popular. They are designed to put you in an environment conducive to successful weight loss, with people facing similar challenges.

There are many different types of weight loss camps – or bootcamps as they are often known – so making sure you choose the one that is most suitable for you will help you achieve your goals.

So, what do you need to consider?

What are you trying to achieve – a quick fix? Or weight loss and maintenance?

What is your goal? A rapid weight loss where you only consume juices for several days (which often goes straight back on as soon as you start eating normally, back home)? Or a programme which will educate you on how to lose weight successfully – and maintain that weight loss?

At Brealy Bootcamps, we offer the latter. We know that old habits are hard to break and, in some cases, there may be other obstacles to maintaining your weight loss (such as understanding why you reach for that biscuit tin when you get that 3pm slump, or that glass of wine as soon as you walk in the door after a bad day).

On our weight loss camps for women, losing weight is just one part of the programme. We have a personalised, holistic, approach consisting of an equal balance of exercise, nutrition and behaviour on all our events.

Our aim is to provide you with a new framework for your life so that you can learn how to lose and then maintain your weight through a mixture of healthy eating, exercise and new behaviours (such as dealing with stress, or foregoing pick me ups such as caffeine when you are tired).

Big groups – or one-to-one attention?

Do you want one-to-one or one-to-few attention, where you can exercise at your own fitness levels under the expert eye of a trainer? Or be part of a large group where you just throw yourself in the deep end and hope you don’t injure yourself because no one is telling you if you are doing a particular exercise correctly?

On all of our bootcamps, we have small groups so that everyone gets a personalised service. Our groups tend to be a mixture of all levels of fitness, ages, shapes and sizes, and our programmes are tailored to meet each individual so that they can meet their goals.

What is included in the cost?

You may see some weight loss retreats advertising themselves as cheap – while this is all well and good, do make sure you know what is included in the cost before you sign up.

Some of these so-called “cheap” camps will charge you extra for things like en-suite rooms, towels, snacks and even water!

At our camps, everything is included. Your food, snacks and drinks will have the emphasis on being healthy while still being tasty and satisfying. Three main meals and three snacks will ensure that you never go hungry, plus herbal teas and water are on tap!

And all our venues offer clean, luxurious, and (usually) en-suite rooms – no dormitories!

Activities

If their website details it, check out the sort of activities you’ll be doing to make sure that they:
• are varied, so that you get to try lots of different activities as well as work different muscle groups;
• do not require lots of equipment (meaning that when you go home, you can keep up with the new routines you’ve learnt, without having to join an expensive gym);
• appeal to you – at least a bit! For example, if running for a bus is the only running you do, suddenly being thrown into lots of 10k runs and very little else won’t make for an enjoyable time at your camp.

A varied mix of activities – such as gym and outdoor based exercise classes and workouts intermixed with sessions on nutrition, workshop activities and low impact exercise such as yoga, pilates, and Nordic walking etc – is ideal, as it meets all the points mentioned above.

Finally, whatever weight loss camp you decide to attend, don’t forget to check out the credentials of the Team – being in the care of qualified, experienced people will help you achieve your goals – as well as give you peace of mind. (You can read about our Team here).

Learn More:

Sign up for our Newsletter – regular weight loss tips & special offers on bootcamps. Click here to subscribe.

What happens at a women’s weight loss retreat?

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If you are thinking about attending a women’s weight loss retreat (not just a Brealy Bootcamps one), but have a few questions as to whether it will be suitable for you, the following information may help you make your decision.

First of all, note that a women’s “weight loss retreat” will mean different things to different people, no matter whether they are running the camp or attending it! We all have different ideas and expectations, so, do your research first to ensure you find the retreat that is most suitable for you:

• what sort of events / activities will you be taking part in? Are they a mix of cardio, plus high and low impact exercise to not only burn those calories off, but shape and tone your body too? A variety of exercises and activities will help keep you engaged in what you are doing, so you (should!) enjoy them more;

• how big are the groups at each retreat? Obviously, the smaller the groups, the more personalised and individual attention you will get – helping you to achieve your goals that much quicker and prevent the likelihood of injury;

• what sort of diet will you be on? Some retreats will severely restrict your calories or put you on to a liquid only diet. Others, such as ourselves, provide tasty and nutritionally sound meals that provide the foundations to helping you lose weight – and maintain that weight loss;

• is the focus purely on losing weight, or does the retreat programme include looking at all areas of your health and well-being? For example, our weight loss retreats are designed to help you think about the relationship between your lifestyle, weight, nutrition and health – and creating a balance.

In a sense, that may sound rather old hat. It isn’t revolutionary to suggest that there may be a direct link between what you eat, your weight, your fitness and your overall health – but, you’d be surprised how many weight loss camps do not have the same ethos as we do.

What happens at a Brealy weight loss camp?

There are a few things that make our retreats different to some others – our groups are small for a personalised service and we have an online support community after the event, where you can talk to other women who have been, or are going on, the same life changing journey as you.

Ours is a holistic approach, an equal balance of exercise, nutrition and behaviour on all our events.

What is a typical day like?

aug122Depending on the type of bootcamp you are attending, a typical day may consist of 8-9 hours of different activities – for example, a variety of toning and cardio activities such as circuits, Nordic walking, kettlebells, pilates, yoga, and boxing etc as well as health, nutrition and well- being workshops.

Many of our venues have a sauna and pool, so you can also have a leisurely swim after sweating out some toxins and warming your achy muscles in a sauna.

We try to get outdoors as much as possible (weather permitting) and show you how you can exercise and get fit without the need for lots of equipment or gym memberships.

And while the other ladies at the weight loss camp will be people just like you, you don’t have to worry about needing your own space. It is up to you as to how sociable you are during your free time. Some of our ladies will go off to their room for a hot bath and to watch the TV while others may sit together and chat over a herbal tea – it’s your choice!

Eat smart and move more!

At Brealy Bootcamps, we believe that the idea that dieting alone won’t deal with weight loss and weight maintenance. It is perfectly possible, for example, to have a near ideal weight, yet still be substantially unfit and as a result, be putting your health at risk.

Our workshops will help you identify just what aspects of your life are influencing your weight and fitness choices. Lifestyle is a generic concept that encompasses a range of factors, all of which are important to understand and take control of if you are to start to improve your body and the way you feel about it.

So, a weight loss camp is more than simply doing exercises and learning about eating the right sort of foodstuffs. It is about establishing mechanisms to empower you to start having more self-confidence and to do things differently in terms of your overall lifestyle.

If this all sounds a little theoretical, then be reassured that at our camps there’s lots of emphasis on fun and practicality! This is about groups of women coming together to participate in sessions that have been designed by women and for women, with the ultimate objective of helping you achieve your goals.

Whatever your age or fitness level, you are likely to find the approach here to be radical, enjoyable and above all beneficial!

Learn More:

Sign up for our Newsletter – regular weight loss tips & special offers on bootcamps. Click here to subscribe.

7 great benefits of weight loss retreats for women

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SuccesskeyAt Brealy Bootcamps, we are often asked what the benefits of weight loss retreats for women are. Everyone is unique and will notice differences particular to themselves – which we love to hear about! – but in the meantime, here are 7 great reasons to attend one of our women’s only weight loss camps!

1. identifying the causes of failure. It is not unusual for some of our clients to have previously tried to better manage their weight and improve their fitness levels but perhaps with less than outstanding success. Sharing those experiences with others and learning from expert tuition, may help identify and deal with those inhibitors in future;

2. understanding your body better. It’s sometimes surprising just how many of us have picked up serious misconceptions about weight, health, nutrition and fitness, over the years. That might lead to serious errors in lifestyle approach but fortunately ones which can perhaps be relatively easily dealt with;

3. focusing on yourself. Many women today have phenomenally busy lifestyles and it can be difficult to find time to concentrate on yourself and your own personal needs. A retreat may seem a little indulgent but the investment of time is designed to help you find solutions to not only manage and maintain weight loss, but is about changing behaviours and achieving balance. All these things will help you feel and function better, meaning you’ll be more able to cope with a hectic lifestyle;

4. forming a support network. When trying to change aspects of your lifestyle, it can be very difficult to get started when you are working in isolation. Sharing your experiences with others while also getting one-to-one tuition from one of the team, will kick-start you into a new regime more easily than if you were trying to do it entirely on your own;

5. learning new techniques. Some exercise regimes are arguably far less effective than others. Learning about the right sorts of exercise is important and the same thing can be said about foodstuffs. For example, you can learn some practical tips relating to managing blood sugar levels and thereby avoid feeling hungry in between meals during the day as well as avoiding those awful 3pm slumps;

6. enjoyment. Brealy Bootcamps are bootcamps in name only and not by nature. These aren’t endurance tests designed to push your powers of physical or mental persistence to breaking point. They are practical and fun-filled sessions where the objective is not only for you to lose weight and feel more informed about your lifestyle choices, but also relaxed and in a stronger frame of mind.

7. finally, let’s not forget the health boosting benefits of a combined programme of frequent exercise, nutrition and balance. Exercise not only tones you up and increases your fitness, but, on the inside, it makes amazing, positive changes. For example, stronger bones, so you are at less risk of osteoporosis: stronger muscles that help you burn calories more efficiently and support your internal organs by helping them function more optimally; and glowing skin. Throw in great nutrition and a framework of how to cope with emotional and mental concerns such as stress and sleep disorders – and you will be in great shape.

While these are obvious advantages that everyone should benefit from, some of our past “campers” have also shared some of the things they have noticed since their weight loss camp.

They include having whiter teeth (no coffee or red wine stains!): having the confidence to change careers; going from hating running to competing in 10k marathons; to stopping being on anti-depressants (with the blessing of her doctor of course).

As you can see, while you may be coming to one of our weight loss retreats to lose weight, you will gain so much more!

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What to expect at a female only fitness weekend

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Working out in the great outdoors!You may sometimes wonder on a Monday morning, following a relaxing weekend where the most energetic thing you managed was a bit of retail therapy, just why you feel so tired and washed out and whether there’s anything you can do to change things round a bit.

Or, perhaps, you feel that your existing fitness regime needs a shake-up or that you want to kick start some weight loss?

Whatever the reason you are considering attending a fitness bootcamp, then the good news is that there are a number of options available to you.

Firstly, don’t let the word “bootcamp” put you off! There are many different types of bootcamps. For example…

• there are military-style fitness camps, typically where you are shouted at by instructors and the focus is purely on hard core exercise. Most of these do not focus on the other things that affect your physical and mental shape such as nutrition and balance. So while you may get an extreme workout, you typically will not learn anything about eating smarter or changing your behaviours when it comes to food or dealing with stress after the camp;

• there is also the other extreme – these are classed as fitness breaks, but, are in fact, more like spa breaks. These are where you can get beauty treatments a-plenty and there are activities you can take part in – if you want to. Given the choice between laying next to a pool reading a magazine or actually being in the pool and doing some serious laps requires a lot of motivation to actually get up and move.

There is certainly nothing wrong with spa breaks – nurturing yourself is good for you and we all love a bit of pampering! But if the main reason for you attending a bootcamp is to get fitter and lose weight etc, then going on a spa break may leave you feeling refreshed – but not much else!

The good news is that at Brealy Bootcamps, our ladies only fitness breaks offer the perfect combination of exercise, plus healthy food (and nutrition workshops) and holistic treatments such as NLP and hypnotherapy to help give you overall balance.

At many of our venues, we do have spa and beauty facilities as well – which you will enjoy even more knowing that you’ve “earnt” it, having exercised during the day!

What we offer is a weekend of exercise and relaxation, where the emphasis is on having fun in the company of other like-minded women.

What happens at our fitness weekends?

We understand that there are major differences between men and women when it comes to exercise and everything about our weekends is designed specifically with the needs of women in mind. (Though we do offer mixed day bootcamps too, if you want to bring a man along).

We provide a structure of support and encouragement to help you to change your ways of thinking about yourself, your body, your approach to life and your eating.

You’ll have an expert fitness assessment before you start, so there’s no risk of you being asked to do more that you are capable of and don’t worry – you’ll find all levels of ability here so you won’t feel out of place.

Alongside our fitness weekends, we also offer weekends focusing on walking, dancing and toning. Traditional exercise and workout sessions including pilates and kettlebells can be combined with Latin and Bollywood dancing on a Dance and Tone weekend or with Nordic walks and power hikes on the Walk and Tone option.

Throughout the weekend, in conjunction with the fitness sessions, you’ll learn how to better manage all aspects of your diet and nutrition with the emphasis placed on eating smarter, so that you never feel hungry and tempted to snack.

On your way home, even after just a couple of days, you may feel a difference in the way that your clothes fit you.

Our aim with these weekends though is not just about weight loss. Our ethos is to help you change your lifestyle through exercise, nutrition and balance, so you take away what you learn from us and use that to develop new habits and a whole new way of looking at your life.

You should find that your energy levels rise and that come Monday mornings in future, you are raring to go!

Learn More:

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Top Ten Foods To Be Eating In 2013

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Most of you are probably eating a few of these foods regularly, and some of you may be eating most of them, but we should be eating all of them on a regular basis.

Check the list below, see what you’re missing, and adjust your basket accordingly on your next shop.

1. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a cruciferious vegetable as is kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. This family of veggies are potent cancer fighters and great for supporting detoxification. Cauliflower doesn’t have to smothered in cheese sauce to be delicious, try adding it to your mash to lighten it while giving you a veggie boost, great for introducing vegetables to children.

2. Avocado
Avocado is high in oleic acid, the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, which is known to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes. Not just for salads, try adding avocado to you breakfast plate along with a scrambled egg and grilled tomatoes for a super breakfast that will keep you going till mid morning snack.

3. Eggs
Eggs are one of the best sources of protein, complete with all nine essential amino acids, they are loaded with vitamins especially Vitamin A and Omega 3 and nutrients and are rich in choline an essential nutrient for cardiovascular, brain and cell health, which has also been linked with lowering cholesterol. A boiled egg makes the perfect snack, it’s portable and at around 70 calories will fill you right up to your next meal.

4. Brazil Nuts
Selenium, selenium, selenium. This essential mineral is absent from most women’s diets. Selenium is vital for thyroid and sex hormone production, the manufacture of antioxidants. Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium and just three nuts a day will give you all the selenium you need, add to your trail mix snacks or chop and sprinkle on top of homemade muesli.

5. Berries
Blueberries, raspberries, currants, purple grapes, and blackberries are low in sugar and fructose and loaded with phytonutrients, which is just a fancy word to say they are chock full of compounds that promote good health. In addition have been linked to anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-carcinogenic effects. Remember to balance the sugars they do contain by having berries with some protein.

6. Oats
One of the easiest ways to significantly lower your cholesterol is to eat whole-grain oats daily, The fibre in oatmeal forms a gel that slows down your body’s absorption of cholesterol, so adding regular servings or porridge, homemade muesli or flapjack to your diet is a must.

7. Beans
Beans of any kind are nutrition dynamos. But red beans made our top 10 list for several reasons: they’re rich in antioxidants and packed with protein, folate, minerals, and fibre, helping to boost the body’s ability to burn fat, helping you feel full, controlling blood sugars, and even reducing cancer risk. Mixed Bean Chilli anyone??

8. Turmeric
Best known as the spice behind curry, research is now showing how it can potentially play a role in weight loss, along with preventing Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and other conditions. You don’t have to keep this spice wonder for curries, it can add and earthiness to warming casseroles and even a sprinkle over eggs adds a little lift.

9. Hot Peppers
All peppers contain compounds called capsaicinoids. This is especially true of chilli peppers, which derive their spicy heat—as well as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer, heart-healthy effects—from very high levels of capsaicinoids.

Chillies are high in antioxidant carotenes and flavonoids, and contain about twice the amount of vitamin C found in citrus fruits. Almost any dish—from homemade soups, stews and chili to stir-fries, salads and salsas—can benefit from small amounts of hot peppers.

10. Chocolate
Yes, you are reading this right….Enjoying a small amount of flavonoid-filled dark chocolate may prevent clogged arteries and reduce your risk of developing heart disease. But be sure to buy one with at least 70% cocoa solids to get the health benefits.

Learn More:

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3 Top Fun Weight Loss Tips For Women

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As countless women across the globe know all too well, losing weight isn’t easy. Try as you might, you just can’t motivate yourself to do some boring exercises or dieting, even though you know it’ll be worth it in the end. Weight loss can be frustrating, gruelling, and tedious. So how does one deal with it? If you are tired of getting nowhere in your efforts, you should read on for the top 3 weight loss tips to get thinner in no time!

There’s an old tip that many women seem to pass up every time. Not only should you subtract unhealthy foods- add healthy ones! It’s true that cutting back on portion size is a huge part of weight loss, but that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself when eating healthy foods. It’s well known that when you remove something from your diet, you want to keep going back, and the effort could be in vain. But when you add healthy foods to your diet, you’ll see improved results, and you don’t have to hold back.

Another important tip: Get active, but don’t see it as exercise. Exercise makes many woman immediately think of hard-core workouts or lifting weights. However, exercise comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether it be going for a bike ride or walking the dog, any movement counts towards your goal. If the word ‘exercise’ turns you off, don’t see it like that. See it like one simple step towards your goals.

Last but not least, you don’t have to get rid of the foods you love to eat. It’s a lot easier to eat smaller portions of your favourite food with healthier ingredients than to give it up completely. If you like bacon, try switching to thinner, leaner meat, and eat it with wheat toast in the morning. Ice cream? Try low-fat. There are many healthy alternatives to your favourite foods.

These are only a few of the countless weight loss tips that women should try. If you found losing weight a tedious and difficult process before, now you can do it with new-found confidence and cheer. Every woman knows that losing weight isn’t easy, but it can be a lot less difficult with these three tips.

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All About Brealy Bootcamps

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Brealy Bootcamps have been helping women of all shapes, sizes and levels of fitness to lose weight and achieve their personal fitness goals since 2010 through our weight loss and fitness retreats.

Regardless of your personal goal, if you’re serious about improving your health & fitness, the Brealy Bootcamps team will work closely with you to help you achieve it.

All of our weight loss retreats, holidays, and bootcamps are all rather special; they are all designed by women, for women. What’s more, these programmes are proven to work, and have brought great results for many thousands of women across Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Somerset.

Here’s what one of those women said:

“Having been to 3 other camps I can honestly say that this camp was the best ever. The personal attention together with a well balanced exercise and information program has me longing to implement everything as soon as possible in my normal life.” Jeanne 48, Weight Loss Retreat.

When you hear the word ‘Bootcamp’, you probably think of drill sergeants in the army, 10km runs and aching muscles everywhere. Well, that’s not what Brealy Bootcamps are about; we believe that if you actually enjoy the exercise you are doing, it will be that much more effective.

Our Bootcamp programmes work because they build on your personal resolve to make a change in yourself, and help you to bring it about. Not by forcing you to do things you don’t want to, but by encouraging you to achieve more than you could have thought possible.

There are 3 different ‘pillars’ that are essential foundations for all of our Bootcamp programmes:

Exercise – The exercise element of the Bootcamp programmes focus on creating lean muscle, and building your metabolic rate, so that you can burn calories all the time; even when you’re sitting down!

Nutrition – While most Bootcamp programmes focus on the old fashioned principle of ‘eat less, move more’ and only achieve short term gains, we teach you how to ‘eat better, move smarter’ for long term results.

Behaviour – Changing your behaviour is an essential part of your weight loss or fitness plan, and we can help you to develop new and long term habits to help you achieve your goals; as well as the healthy lifestyle you desire.

By following our programme and adopting the Three Pillars philosophy over a week, you will lose an average of 7.5lbs, drop a dress or jean size, and go home with a new mind-set that guarantees continued weight loss.

Learn More:

Sign up for our Newsletter – regular weight loss tips & special offers on bootcamps. Click here to subscribe.

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In praise of… beetroots

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When it comes to superfoods, there is rarely anything more ‘super’ than the humble beetroot. This much bemoaned root vegetable is packed with so much good stuff, it’s surprising that the government hasn’t made it obligatory that we eat at least one beetroot a week.

What’s it got? Well, there’s potassium, magnesium and iron (plenty of iron), folic acid, and vitamins A, B6 and C. You’ve got carbohydrates, protein, plenty of antioxidants, and you’ve also got fibre. Soluble fibre at that.

What can it do? You’d be amazed. It helps reduce blood pressure, and therefore heart attacks and strokes, and that’s because of its high nitrates content (which comes from good soil, gardeners!) The pigment in beetroot is the antioxidant, and the folic acid is brilliant for tissue growth – and especially brilliant for mothers-to-be, who should be guzzling beetroot juice like there’s no tomorrow.

Here’s the best bit – all of that combined can help boost your stamina, and make your muscles work more for you. There’s plenty of evidence that shows beetroot juice can help you exercise for up to 16% longer than without.

There are so many types of beetroot out there, and it’s always best to grow your own, wherever you can. Even in a small pot, you’ll be able to grow a bunch of beetroot ready for picking come autumn.

Beetroot Juice Recipe

  • two raw beetroots
  • one apple
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • half a grapefruit
  • two glasses of apple juice
It’s essential that you use raw beets for beetroot juice, as the nitrates are stronger when raw. Top and tail the beets, peel and dice. Peel and dice the apple, and chop the cucumber.
Put everything in a blender, and squeeze the grapefruit in. Start blending, and gradually pour in the apple juice until you reach your preferred consistency – thick and gloopy or juicy.