I went on my first fitness retreat—here are three healthy habits I’m actually sticking to now I’m home
These changes are surprisingly sustainable
When you’re a busy working mom like me, the idea of going on a fitness retreat sounds like a break—even though it involves doing hours of exercise. So when I got offered the chance to go to my favourite trainer Cecilia Harris’s RWL Retreat in Portugal, it was a no-brainer.
My best friend had coincidentally won a place after entering an RWL Instagram competition (yes, those prizes are real) so we packed our suitcases and jetted off to the Algarve for four days of boxing, strength training, Pilates, breathwork, manifestation, cold pool plunges and mobility work, fuelled by delicious Mediterranean home-cooked food. Plus, we were actively encouraged not to tidy up after ourselves, which felt like the ultimate luxury.
RWL co-founder and personal trainer Harris told me that the retreats aren’t just about working out. The women-only retreats let attendees reconnect with themselves and recharge their batteries. “So many women arrive completely depleted,” says Harris. “They’ve spent years looking after everyone else: children, partners, careers, parents, households, and somewhere along the way they’ve lost themselves a little.
“The retreat is designed to give them permission to pause and reconnect with who they are outside of their responsibilities. And it’s not about restriction or punishment. It’s about nourishment, movement, fresh air, community, rest, laughter and feeling cared for again.”
Doing the retreat was exactly what I needed after a particularly stressful few months, which had left me inconsistent with my fitness routine and uninterested in cooking (and even eating properly)—usually my favorite things to do. I arrived hoping I could reignite my passion for both.
To be out of my normal routine of solo parenting and working, and having time to exercise and nourish my body with delicious meals that I didn’t have to make was wonderful.
But it was the daily cheerleading from Harris, the other coaches and my fellow guests that really reminded me that it’s OK to be vulnerable and to let others help lift you up. I left feeling inspired to take better care of myself, and committed to carrying some of the healthy habits from the retreat back home.
Here are three that worked for me.
1. Cold-water therapy
The author after a cold plunge at the retreat
At the retreat: I used to swim twice a week in my local lake where I live in Oxford, England, until my schedule got too busy. In the fall and winter, the water would be so cold it would sometimes take your breath away, so when I got to the retreat I wasn’t worried when I learned that we’d be doing a cold plunge in the unheated pool (average temperature 51℉/11℃) every morning.
But I had forgotten how amazing it makes me feel afterward: alive and energized, but with a calmness and clarity. It was also a fundamentally better way to wake up than doom scrolling.
Back home: I was still too busy to get back to lake swimming when I returned home, so I decided that ending my morning shower with cold water was the best way to replicate this self-care act.
The first day, I was a bit of a wimp and only managed about 30 seconds with the cold tap running before I had to jump out. Staying still in the cold was really unpleasant. Nothing like jumping into a pool in the sunshine in Portugal!
But I reminded myself how good I felt after those plunges on the retreat, how awake, energized and calm, and persisted. Day two was still uncomfortable, but I had got myself into a better headspace and I lasted longer than the day before.
The weekend after I got home from the retreat, I was away with my daughters at a festival and as a very reluctant camper, the only way for me to cope was to have a daily shower. Advertised as hot thanks to the wood burner, my first shower was, in fact, stone-cold.
But thanks to my experience the previous week, I managed to stay in long enough to wash and condition my hair.
I was now on a roll and I can honestly say that by the end of week two it was the best way to wake up. Similar to the way I felt after a cold swim in the pool or lake, it cleared my head, gave me energy and made me feel more capable of facing any stress the day might throw at me.
The expert view: Psychotherapist Rebecca Wilson, a licensed clinical social worker and founder at Rebecca Wilson LCSW, told me that cold water therapy is a natural method to improve mental health. Her favorite way to use it is an ice face or hand plunge.
“Using cold water to boost your mental health is a technique I often recommend to clients to help ground and calm themselves. This method works well for coping in times when you are struggling with anxiety or low mood. I recommend plunging your face or hands into a bowl of ice water and holding for 15-30 seconds.
“What’s happening inside is interesting. There is a release of feel-good endorphins, a metabolic boost, and an increase in oxygen intake and blood flow to the brain. The process upregulates your entire system, which lifts your mood and increases your alertness. If you’d like to make cold water therapy a proactive routine, it’s best to take the plunge in the morning as this is akin to a caffeine-free energy boost.
“You might notice an increase in productivity, a decrease in brain fog, and more motivation to tackle stressors throughout your day.”
2. Boxing before breakfast
At the retreat: Another of my favorite parts of the schedule was the boxing before breakfast with RWL’s Combat coach Rochelle Blenman. I used to do a lot of boxercise classes in my 20s but had forgotten how fun—and hard—they are. They are a real brain workout too and the level of concentration and coordination needed is no joke!
Plus, Blenman had a high-energy drum and bass playlist that kept my body moving, and the music and coordination-based cardio (even if I was punching with the wrong arm at times) improved my focus and alertness while keeping my energy levels and mood up.
Back home: Sadly, I couldn’t fit Blenman in my carry-on, so I started her Combat plan on the RWL app. I tried my best to get up before the kids on the first day back, but my eldest had been up a lot in the night with a toothache, so I hit the snooze button a few too many times. But after an early night, I managed to get up on day two at 6am for my fast-and-furious 20-minute online Combat session.
The on-demand online workout was similar to the retreat, with a follow-along choreographed boxing cardio circuit. I was moving non-stop, so while it’s only a relatively short workout, I was sweating by the end. I managed three more morning boxing sessions that week and found that by my last workout on the Sunday my coordination had improved.
By the end of the second week, having fit in three more early boxing sessions, I felt like my mornings were running smoother. While it was still a hustle to sometimes get my kids out of the house on time for the school run, I felt I was calmer and had more energy from having that time to myself during my early morning cardio.
What I really enjoyed about this new healthy habit was that boxing challenges your brain as much as your body. Getting some high-energy exercise before the chaos of the school run also felt like I had some precious time for myself before the start of a busy day.
The expert view: “Boxing combines movement, rhythm, intensity and focus all at one,” says Blenman. “In the morning especially, it helps wake up both the body and mind quickly. I also love how it makes people focus on learning combinations and movement patterns so they’re concentrating on the whole workout, instead of thinking about everything else going on in their lives. It becomes a real mental escape as well as a physical workout.
“Plus, morning workouts really do set the tone for the whole day. They boost energy levels and create a sense of achievement early on, which often leads to healthier choices throughout the day. Although it can sometimes be tough getting up early, there’s such a great feeling knowing you’ve already completed your workout and done something positive for yourself before the day has even properly begun.”
Bedtime breathwork, mobility and meditation
At the retreat: On the first night of the retreat, instead of doom scrolling in bed, we did a pajamas mobility and meditation session. We all lay down with a pillow and fluffy blanket as Blenman guided us through a series of stretches starting from our toes and ending at our neck, all while focusing on our breath.
We then had a short guided meditation designed to let go of stress and any anxiety from a busy day of travelling. Throughout, Blenman encouraged us to focus on breathing slowly to help us relax.
It was a revelation and I made a decision that night that I would adopt this pre-sleep ritual when I got home.
On the second day at the RWL Retreat we did another hour of guided breathwork, this time in the afternoon, which was intense as some uncomfortable emotions I’d been trying to ignore were stirred up—something we were encouraged to try and sit with in order to process them. By the end of the hour I felt like something had shifted in me. It’s hard to explain, but I felt lighter somehow.
Back home: With this in mind, when I got home from the retreat I rediscovered a breathwork expert I used to like called Stuart Sandeman, who runs Breathpod. I signed up for a free trial of the app and followed him on Instagram. Every night I’d get myself ready for bed, turn the lights down low and listen to one of the 10-minute programs, or a shorter Instagram Reel if I was feeling sleepy, at the same time as doing my gentle mobility stretches.
Out of all the healthy habits I learned at the retreat, this was the easiest one to stick to. I really looked forward to this gentle wind-down, and it felt like I dropped off to sleep quicker, I slept deeper and I didn’t wake up feeling groggy like I often would.
I even started doing it with my daughters when they couldn’t sleep.
It effectively signalled to my body that it is time to rest, and I found it helped me switch off from stress and negative thoughts.
The expert view: Certified breathwork facilitator Kamini Wood, CEO at Live Joy Your Way, explained to me why breathwork can be so powerful. “Many people think calming the mind means shutting off thoughts,” she told me, “but that rarely is how things work. The key is to regulate the nervous system first and we can do this through the breath.
“When we slow down, focus on the breath, the body, or the present moment, we interrupt the cycle of overthinking, future-tripping and emotional avoidance. The mind often calms because the body starts to feel safer. The biggest benefit is usually awareness.
“People begin noticing what they are actually feeling instead of immediately reacting, distracting, fixing, or numbing. Over time, this can improve emotional regulation, decrease stress and anxiety, increase clarity and help people feel more connected to themselves.
“It also helps build tolerance for discomfort, which is something many of us struggle with. Most of us were never taught how to actually be with emotion. We were taught to avoid it, explain it away, intellectualize it, or push through it. Practices like this help create space between the emotion and the automatic reaction to escape it. Ironically, emotions often move through more effectively when we stop fighting their existence.”
She adds: “It’s important to mention that this is not about becoming perfectly calm or emotionally ‘good’ all the time. It is about building a healthier relationship with yourself.”
RWL Retreats run in Lagos, Portugal, as well as the U.K. If you can’t make it to a retreat this year, get a taste of what’s on offer at the RWL app.
