An introverted night owl goes on a group fitness retreat
Early starts. Healthy food. Group activity. How did I get on at The Body Camp in Mallorca?
I had been thinking about going on a retreat for a while. By myself. There’s a few that have intrigued me over the years, one famous one that offer deep therapeutic work but has mixed reviews. There are also creativity or yoga focused retreats that have been recommended to me, too. I am feeling very open to new experiences at the moment. I wrote recently about getting some main character energy back post-pandemic, post-breakdown.
I knew I wanted a retreat that was an ‘all-rounder’ and the right level of adventurous for where I am right now. As you all know, over the last six months I’ve been healing from burnout, a terrifying period where my nervous system went completely haywire and I was struggling to do anything except eat toast in bed for weeks. When looking into retreats, I knew I didn’t need to sit around journalling about my feelings any longer, it was actually some body work that I was craving. I don’t enjoy exercise. I don’t enjoy putting leggings on. I don’t tend to understand people who actively enjoy doing burpees. But I knew instinctively that I wanted to feel strong again. My brain was healing, and my body wanted to as well. My anxiety started to subside, and I was left with a body that desperately wanted to move. I wanted to sweat and run and kick again. It felt like the last piece of the puzzle. Finally emerging from the cocoon.
The retreat found me. On one of the worst days during my burnout (at the end of last year) I got a very kind DM from the PR manager of The Body Camp (a holistic retreat in a remote location in Mallorca) inviting me to stay there. He’d spotted a tweet of mine explaining that I was not OK and taking a break. I didn’t reply straight away, I let it linger in my inbox, because it seemed like the opposite of what I needed. I was too exhausted and anxious to think about self-improvement. The message and intention was super kind, but I did not feel I needed bootcamp or smoothies or pep-talks or even sunny weather. I just needed to stay warm in bed. Six months later, I was feeling much better and I found myself thinking about the message. I reached back out to him. I Googled The Body Camp and read an inspiring article about the one of the founders Kate Whale. I also found a video of fellow writer and journalist Bryony Gordon speaking movingly about her experience six years ago. I really do despise exercise and early mornings, but I felt ready to push myself out of my comfort zone again, because sometimes that is what self-love looks like. (Sometimes it looks like watching all three seasons of Motherland in a few days. Sometimes it looks like doing something that will stretch you.) In a matter of weeks my place at The Body Camp was secured and my flights were booked.
When you enter the vicinity there is a sign that says “you are exactly where you need to be.” I felt sceptical at first (the burnt out cynic enters the building), but it felt very true. I was about to find myself nestled amongst total strangers, crying into a microphone at dinner-time and then singing songs from The Greatest Showman by a pool. There were 13 of us (all women) and we all had a different story of how we found ourselves there. Someone had booked it last minute, another wanted a complete reset, others were reflecting on their career, relationship, parenting, self esteem. We were a mixture of ages, and everyone had something they were working through.
What is it?
It’s hard to explain what the Body Camp is, because from their Instagram feed you might assume it’s where celebrities go to do bootcamp. But it’s actually not that at all. A lot of it isn’t posted about, as to keep an element of surprise. You aren’t told about the itinerary in advance, because they want you to stay present and in the moment. Everything was planned seamlessly so you have a fully active morning (6.45am-1.30pm) and then you can do your own thing in the afternoon (or partake in some lower activity things like yoga classes or a soundbath — for me it was very much SLEEPING alone in a hammock.) There was hikes, bike rides, pool activities, group reflective work, food workshops, communal dinner times, massage and reflexology treatments and sunbathing. It’s a chance to eat new food and not drink alcohol for a week. It’s a bit of everything all rolled into one. It pushed me super hard, but it also brought me deep relaxation. It’s not just one thing, which I loved. The people who work at The Body Camp want to give you an experience you’ll never forget and I guess the word ‘holistic’ really does ring true. It’s a really small team running it, and they are genuine, fun and interesting people who want you to have a great time.
My cynicisms slowly evaporated as the days went on. I write a lot about community and going back to basics in my books (especially in Disconnected), and here I was experiencing what I know in my bones to be true: that nourishment comes in the form of many things: support, friendly faces, fresh food, fresh air and movement. You don’t have visit The Body Camp to get these things, but it was a nice reminder. Sitting around a table without our phones, sharing food, not really talking much about work, made us all feel connected. (Someone on the trip said she’d felt more comfortable during the week than she has on some recent family holidays.)
I think you get what *you* want to get out of The Body Camp. Some people want hardcore fitness for example, but I didn’t. I wanted to meet new people, move my body in new ways and not necessarily “self improve”. I was not interested in losing weight, but I was interested in trying new fitness experiences and food that might impact my energy levels. (Energy levels is my no.1 curiosity right now). During this phase of my life I’m not actually actively looking to “better” myself constantly. Or always be ‘positive’. Even though The Body Camp is all about creating better habits, it doesn’t feel forceful. It’s about getting to know yourself. Knowing when going for a run is the best thing for your body, or going for a nap. Both things are celebrated and encouraged and it’s all about setting your own boundaries at all times.
The verdict? At times it felt like two different retreats. One minute you’re doing a workout to noughties classics, the next you’re having really deep chats around a fire. But actually, I think that is what makes The Body Camp special. It was an experience and a chance to think about some big changes I want to make. The only parts I didn't massively vibe with were the elements that felt like a grown-up (sober) Fresher’s week (sport's day games involving waddling around with a large vegetable between your legs) which was not my cup of tea, but that's just me, a lot of people absolutely love that element. Apart from that, it really was the perfect reset. I felt happy and healthy on the flight home and my skin looked great too. I met such lovely people. It’s a truly wonderful unique place to unwind, have fun, build strength and make new friends. I'm really glad the Body Camp exists.
Here are some favourite moments below.
A ~complete~ break from real life. The hotel grounds are super peaceful. Waking to birdsong, lots of herbal tea, and surrounded by beautiful greenery.
Making zero decisions for a week. The camp think through everything, they take all decision-making away (so much of our fatigue can actually be decision fatigue — what to do next etc) even down to where you’re sitting, it’s all mapped out for you.
Letting go. I don’t love fancy dress or karaoke and definitely don’t go seeking it, but on the retreat I just let it all go. Who cares. I joined in and it felt good to just have fun.
Full on encouragement. For a whole week, you have people clapping, celebrating, and believing in you. It’s amazing what can happen when you have a group of people continuously on your side. (It also highlights who isn’t very encouraging in your real life back home…)
A surprising emotional release. I did some boxing, which I’d not done for years, and I felt a bit silly putting on the boxing gloves. We were in pairs and I started really going for it on the punch bag (with my partner holding it) and she was taken a bit by surprise at how hard I started punching it. Afterwards I had a BIG sob. Something was released.
Being curious all week. Even though this was not my usual vibe I felt curious about stuff all week. How do I feel getting up super early in the morning? How come I felt so energised after yoga nidra? What food makes me feel less lethargic? How come I felt so good after a morning ice bath?
The power of sharing with strangers. It was really nice not knowing what people did. We weren’t allowed to ask what people do or talk about our jobs which I LOVED. Networking makes me feel instantly tired. At the end of the trip we told each other about what we do but by then it felt really irrelevant, and it was nice to just make friends based on who you really are.
Trying out plant-based food. I learned so much from the brilliant chef Ben Whale (plus lots of fun facts about mushrooms!). I enjoyed learning how to swap things out easily — an amazing spinach Thai green curry with tofu, a mini magnum with no sugar, healthy donuts, smoothies, eggs with pesto! Incredible food, and inspo for WFH snacks (plus they have a book here).
REALISING HOW MUCH I LOVE ALL FOOD. I also realised, having had quite a restrictive (delicious) plant-based diet for the week, that food is a huge part of my joy in life. I went to the M&S at Stansted airport when I landed home and immediately bought a delicious prawn pasta salad. I missed burgers and red wine. I’d rather eat the yummy things I want to eat than have perfect abs. I’m going out to Lina Stores with friends tonight to eat all the pasta. BUT I really enjoyed feeling healthier and I will be incorporating some things I learned into daily life, such a mega healthy breakfasts to start my day, especially during book launch week. My habits have definitely improved or at least my awareness of things, but only by a fraction, and that feels good enough for me. What does James Clear say? Be 1% better, or something.
🌱 Do go if:
— you want a total reset week, want a healthy eating week where all your meals are cooked for you, you have a schedule and you want to feel like you’ve had a detox (plant-based food and no alcohol.)
— you want a light-sprinkling of reflective inner work. General chats about boundaries and goals, but this isn’t therapy.
— You want a full digital detox (phones are encouraged to stay in your room)
— You want to do outdoorsy things like a guided hike, and group bike ride — and enjoy a variety of activities all packed into one week.
— If you want to meet new people and want quite a packed week of activities and have some community spirit.
— You want to work on your fitness levels / get a good amount of exercise in.
🌱 Don’t go if:
— you need proper therapy or are looking for a heavy personal development week. The Body Camp isn’t a trained therapist/mental health facility, and it’s definitely not to be used as rehab.
— being restrictive with your diet is triggering for you at all. (Rest assured there is absolutely no mention of weight loss, or weighing or measuring.)
— If you don’t like playing games.
— If you want a super chilled week. If you want things like meditation/alone time/lie-ins there are other retreats better suited to this. This is a high-energy schedule (even though there is some down-time in the afternoon/evenings and some yoga), and it’s pretty full on.
Note: To be really clear, The Body Camp Mallorca reached out to me offering me a week’s stay in return for an honest review. I don’t usually take up these press offers to be honest, I’d rather pay for my holidays as normal, so that it’s actually a holiday and I’m not scurrying back to my room to write everything up. But for this, I was really intrigued and I went with the intention to experience it fully and write about it as part of an honest review. I was super curious and wanted to tell you guys about it.
Body Camp Mallorca is open from now and runs through until the end of September. Prices for a week’s stay start from £1650 (runs Friday-Friday), which includes the programme, accommodation and all food and drink. www.thebodycamp.com. Vueling, EasyJet and BA fly daily to Mallorca. Flights and transfers to camp not included.
I also have a discount code available for paying subscribers below.