Keeping the body you worked hard for all summer can be a tricky proposition over the long winter months – and heading into the festive season is disastrous for most of us in terms of keeping healthy. Luxury fitness retreat 38 Degrees North founder
James Davis shares his top tips on how to navigate the holiday season without losing your abs along the way.
Set winter goals, and be realistic about them. Focus on the outcome of what you want to achieve, not the immediate workout. When it’s time to train, remember why you’re doing it – your goal – and stay motivated towards that.
Make the right food choices. It’s all too easy to shrug on a layer of winter fat, but aim to keep filling up on lean proteins and leafy greens while minimizing complex carbs. Have a mince pie, but cap it at one.
Schedule your training. Look at your festive social calendar – don’t plan workouts the morning after a big night, but do still keep to your program. You might need to be flexible and adapt. That’s what winners do.
Watch the booze, it’s empty calories, if you are drinking opt for clear spirits like vodka with soda water and a twist of lime to keep the calories, and the hangover, reduced.
Remember to enjoy yourself. No one likes a Grinch, so get out there and have fun, but enjoy your training as well – training with a friend or personal trainer can give you a real boost in winter.
With an MBA and nearly two decades of international corporate experience, James became convinced that creating an environment for busy people to regenerate and reassess their health was vital. He thus abandoned his desk job to become the co-founder and driving force behind 38 Degrees North, which offers life-changing fitness training and teaching. Drawing on his passions for exercise and outdoor activities, James created Europe’s leading luxury fitness retreat company in 2012. Designed to provide an engaging, effective and enjoyable fitness experience in Ibiza and beyond, 38 Degrees North is revolutionising the way that people work-out on holiday. With a Masters level background in psychology, as a personal trainer and SUP instructor, James has built up a world class, leading team of experts to provide some of the best training in the world, working with hundreds of clients a year. 38 Degrees North is currently in the process of planning further expansion at several locations.
James is a great communicator, and passionate about his belief that anyone can improve on what they are doing now – and the work needed to achieve good health and fitness is something to be savoured.
Nestled in the coastal town of Santa Eulalia, overlooking the sea, beaches and stunning scenery, the retreat uses the beautiful outdoors to its best advantage, with carefully conceived exercises to strengthen, tone, burn fat, raise metabolic rates, improve flexibility, and for all round fitness and mental focus. It is the perfect base for a detoxing, de-stressing, wellbeing fitness holiday surrounded by landscapes of imposing mountains and stunning beaches.
The retreat’s team is made up of an exceptional group of mind and body experts: ranging from a former UK Kickboxing Champion, ex-Army PT, paddle boarding instructors, nutritionist, chiropractor, to a ‘transformational coach’ along with dancing, Yoga and Pilates teachers. The fitness programme mixes up yoga, circuits, running, boxing, cycling and aerobics with outdoor activities focused on getting guests out to see the hidden parts of this wonderful island: stand up paddle boarding across turquoise seas and mountain biking along pine scented trails.
Mixing exercise sessions with soothing therapies and advice on nutrition, this private retreat is ideal for everyone, from parents to businessmen and women looking to increase wellness. Personal training sessions are combined with group exercise classes, including rooftop yoga, Pilates and power ballet as well as stand-up paddle boarding sessions. Indeed, 38 Degrees North is the ideal balance of sunshine and sea with an incredible fitness team, world-class tuition, a lovely spa, and a cleverly balanced seasonal menu; all guaranteeing guests leave feeling like a better version of themselves.