Wellbeing – Stratfield Fairlane

Gyms, yoga studios and personal trainers across the world are fuelling our desire to stay fit during social isolation by offering online classes and at-home workouts, which strengthen both mind and muscle.

Home workouts. You know the drill by now – and as we have entered a third, long lockdown they are going to be even more important for keeping both mind and body in top condition. But, before you head straight to YouTube for another round of Joe Wicks’ PE, allow us to introduce you to London’s top gyms, personal trainers and fitness coaches offering virtual classes that promise powerful results. Whether you’re looking to feel the burn with Barry’s Bootcamp or sculpt with celebrity favourite Bodyism, these are the online fitness classes to try during lockdown 3.0.

Core Collective

Core Collective’s studios in Knightsbridge, Kensington and St. John’s Wood may be closed, but you can still enjoy Core Collective’s ab-crunching classes online even if you’re not a member. Live workouts are being hosted on Zoom and customers can also enjoy access to the studio’s On Demand library of workouts, including pilates, power yoga and strength classes.

APPI Pilates

While APPI’s (the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute) twin focus on pilates training and physiotherapy means its studios in Hampstead and Wimbledon have been allowed to stay open, for those who feel safer working out at home, its master instructors are offering a series of online classes. Running the gamut from reformer and cardio pilates to special classes for pregnancy and conditioning, each workout is informed by APPI’s core mission of helping clients achieve recovery, fitness and strength through safe exercises that work with the body.

The Louisa Drake Method

Louisa Drake’s workouts strengthen your stomach muscles through a core-crunching combination of pilates, yoga and barre. Her low-impact, sequencing exercises can also be broken down into bite-sized workouts, for head-to-toe body conditioning and a calm state of mind.

Peter Gaffney Personal Training

Designed for high flyers without time to waste on personal training sessions that don’t get results, Peter Gaffney’s fleet of mobile trainers have turned their focus to virtual sessions to keep clients motivated during lockdown. PGPT’s 12-week online course is split into four phases: body appraisal and audit, metabolism stimulation, strength physique training and optimal energy positioning. Taking in nutrition and recovery, as well as exercise, this is the ideal option for those looking to step out of lockdown with their lives transformed.

Bodyism

Notting Hill’s chic Bodyism gym, popular with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Emilia Wickstead, has launched an online membership offering. While you no longer have access to the sleek Bodyism studios and café, you can join daily live classes or sample more than 200 pre-recorded sessions including pilates, yoga and meditation, led by the studio’s esteemed team of ‘bodies’. These sculpting routines are ideal for tight quarters, requiring little more than a mat.

BLOK

East London’s coolest boutique gym BLOK launched an on-demand streaming service during the first lockdown, offering everything from HIIT and boxing to barre and pilates. You can also join live classes, led by BLOK’s teams in both London and Manchester. Its playlists, available on Spotify, transcend home workouts and offer the perfect background beat while working from home.

Hotpod Yoga

The inflatable purple cocoon may be gone, but you can still enjoy Hotpod Yoga’s guided classes online. Instructors encourage you to boil a kettle to create heat, as you work through a series of vinyasa flow sequences that are designed to stretch and strengthen the body while resting your mind.

1Rebel

1Rebel is screening a multitude of calorie-torching workouts online, which you can sample at any hour of the day via its 1Rebel TV membership. Squat, lunge and strengthen your plank from the comfort of your living room, with online videos that also focus on weight training and improving your outdoor running technique. The diversity will have you hooked.

Barry’s Bootcamp

It’s hard to imagine the renowned Barry’s Bootcamp burn without red lighting and a pumping soundtrack, but London’s toughest gym has taken its high-intensity regime online. Workouts are live-streaming on Instagram from instructors across the world, combining energetic floor exercises with outdoor running.

Premier Global NASM training courses

Been bitten by the fitness bug during lockdown and ready to take your hobby to the next level? Premier Global NASM personal training courses offers online courses in gym instruction, personal training and nutrition so you can step out of lockdown 3.0 with a new career waiting for you.

If you wish further information on the above personal trainers and fitness coaches/classes, please contact our wellbeing managers.

From stunning seascapes to the uninterrupted wilds of the bush, expansive deserts to ice-capped mountains, Africa’s diverse landscapes, wildlife and culture are indescribable. But choosing where to base yourself is no easy task – there are a wealth of luxury healthy holiday destinations and resorts on offer on this vast continent. In need of a little inspiration? These are the best luxury wellness retreats in Africa for incredible fitness, yoga, spa and adventure retreats like no other. Visit luxury eco-lodges in the desert, spot wildlife on the savannahs, and immerse yourself in traditional spa therapies in the city with these unique wellness resorts.

Shanti Maurice, Mauritius

An oasis in the Indian Ocean on the island nation of Mauritius, this award-winning wellness resort offers programmes with an Ayurvedic focus: yoga, spa, sleep, detox, meditation, and weight management. The water-facing suites and villas at Shanti Maurice have their own private pools and terraces, while the in-house restaurants offer a taste of traditional Mauritian home cooking as well as international dishes, all with a wellness spin. Guests can unwind in the spa, which uses a mix of ancient healing modalities and modern innovation: hydrotherapy, fusion massages and Watsu treatments are all available for the ultimate relaxing escape, making it one of the best luxury wellness retreats in Africa.

Six Senses Zil Payson, Seychelles

Located on an idyllic, remote beachfront on Félicité Island in Seychelles, Six Senses Zil Payson offers next-level luxury. Surrounded by tropical gardens and panoramic ocean views, each villa has its own private infinity pool and butler service to make your stay as relaxed as possible. The signature Six Senses retreats—yoga, detox, fitness and sleep—are all available, though guests can also opt for an a la carte wellness stay rather than a dedicated programme. Hiking, water sports, and trips to the nearby UNESCO Vallée de Mai nature reserve are some of the more unique activities available, while the spa, and yoga and meditation classes offer a more traditional wellness experience.

Bushmans Kloof, South Africa

This wilderness reserve is the embodiment of laidback luxury. Situated in the foothills of the Cederberg mountains on South Africa’s west coast, the resort is surrounded by natural formations and landscapes that date back more than 10,000 years. While the surrounding scenery is guaranteed to kick start the relaxation process, the resort’s award-winning spa will take care of the rest. Drawing on traditional holistic healing philosophies, spa ingredients are derived from local natural ingredients including rooibos and baobab tree oil, while a state of the art fitness centre and crystal steam room is also available to access at your leisure. Outdoor excursions ranging from mountain biking, hiking and kayaking can be arranged upon request.

Paradis Plage, Morocco

Located on the stunning Agadir coast in Morocco, Paradis Plage is a destination resort for yoga and surf. This is an ideal destination for anyone looking to benefit from time spent outdoors: with 340 days of sunshine a year, there’s no bad time to visit. Pro surfers or novices looking to hang ten will find themselves hard-pressed to leave the surf, while the pristine golden sand of the beach offers the perfect place for a little rest and relaxation. The resort offers nutritional organic cuisine and its eco-spa uses ingredients derived from natural local ingredients.

Finch Hatton, Kenya

Boasting one of the largest bush spas in East Africa, this luxury Kenyan spa safari is one of the top luxury wellness retreats in Africa. When guests aren’t spotting wildlife on game drives, the five-star tented camp provides guests with plenty of opportunities to unwind or workout with infinity pools, gyms, air-conditioned spa facilities, and stunning yoga pavilions with panoramic views across the Chyulu Hills of Tsavo West National Park.

Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia

Beyond has a plethora of resorts across the African continent, but perhaps the most unique is the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia, located on nearly 13,000 hectares of the world’s oldest living desert. With just private 10 suites, this exclusive eco-conscious resort provides the opportunity for unique experiences like desert hiking, helicopter or hot air balloon excursions, and stargazing with a state of the art telescope and guided by the in-house astronomer, all designed for guests to enjoy the awe-inspiring landscape. The on-site wellness amenities include a gym and spa, and suites include a retractable skylight over the bed and 180º desert views from the glass rain shower.

Temenos, South Africa

Nestled in the heart of McGregor village in the western cape of South Africa, Temenos is a healing wellness resort and spa and the perfect destination for independent travellers. The original property—an old farmhouse and stables—date back to the 19^th century. Its accommodation options include boutique cottages, a hermitage and self-catered residences for those looking for an added element of privacy. On-site activities include daily yoga and meditation, guided walks and a wide range of healing spa therapies. The resort also offers specific retreats throughout the year, ranging from creative and arts-focused weeklong experiences to packages that focus on embracing the art of wellbeing.

Four Seasons Serengeti, Tanzania

Located on the expansive plains of the Serengeti, this luxury wellness retreat offers guests an immersive experience in one of the world’s most famous national parks. Home to the ‘Big Five’ (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephants, and rhinos), the Serengeti is renowned for its epic animal migrations, the largest in the world. Perched beside a watering hole, guests at the Four Seasons Serengeti can watch animals in nature from their infinity pool, with a champagne breakfast in a hot air balloon, or up-close on a game drive. Once the sun sets, the spa is there to massage and pamper you back to your best self, so you can while away the hours under a starlit sky. Packages include all meals, accommodation, and access to resort amenities.

Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, Botswana

From stargazing to elephant spotting, Belmond’s Botswana lodge is a world away. The remote eco-luxury camp is a rare gem in Botswana’s first national park, which also happens to be home to one of the biggest elephant populations on Earth: around 50,000 of them. Guests will stay in glamorous tents or luxurious stilted lodges, kitted out with all the modern amenities you’d expect in a cosmopolitan five-star hotel, and can unwind after a long day of wildlife safaris in the spa.

El Fenn, Morocco

With the heady scent of spices and the vibrancy of the souks, Marrakech is the perfect place for wellness travellers in search of a revitalising healing holiday. And while there are countless luxury resorts throughout the city, none are like El Fenn. Owned by Richard Branson’s sister, the 28-room boutique hotel boasts three pools (two made of marble and one on the rooftop overlooking the Atlas Mountains), as well as a traditional hammam bath. Its spa uses local ingredients including the popular all-healing argan oil, while the hotel also offers active adventurers personalised jogging tours around the medina and hiking trips to the Atlas Mountains.

For more information on the above retreats or for booking, please contact our wellbeing expert team.

Category: Wellbeing

The best at-home workouts for body and mind