With a celebrity following including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Lara Stone, James Duigan of the The Bulgari Hotel ‘super-gym’ in London and the Bodyism Clean and Lean Health retreat at One&Only Hayman Island, talks the benefits of having healthy holidays. Plus, the clean and lean advocate shares his number one tip to long, lean limbs.
RESCU: Why is a health retreat a good way to start a new health regime?
James Duigan: It’s a clean break – a fresh environment to escape all of the distractions in your daily life and access how you are physically and mentally. A healthy retreat should help you find ways to change the way you feel about yourself and give you a new attitude towards self acceptance and total wellbeing.
RESCU: What advice would you give for a health retreat first-timer?
James Duigan: Really enjoy the process and understand that you deserve the break. You deserve the time to feel great and learn new things about yourself.
RESCU: What does a day at Bodyism’s ‘Clean and Lean’ retreat look like?
James Duigan: Great question! There’s a number of options. Located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef it is a place of astonishing natural beauty and restorative peace – we make great use of the resorts’ pristine pools and natural elements such as the beach and ocean.
Training with us can range from a single session to a full ‘Clean and Lean’ week. All our one on one sessions introduce a simple and achieveable blueprint for a long, lean, athletic body for the long term specifically designed using the Clean and Lean approach.
All guests to the resort are invited to partake in a complimentary 30 minute classes – Boxing, Clean Lean introductory class, foam rolling, TRX or beach bootcamp.
The perfect day might include an amazing ‘Clean’ breakfast, meditation session with our yoga instructor, a Bodyism shake tasting session, a hike to Blue Pearl Bay, a training session, a relaxing massage, a beautiful dinner followed by a serenity shake then a restful sleep in bed!
RESCU: What do you recommend for keeping up healthy habits post retreat?
James Duigan: Once you feel great about yourself and the way your body responds to moving and eating well, you’re on the road to total wellness. Have a plan, it helps keep you accountable and you can check things off as you go along. It can be as simple as putting aside the time to shop for clean and lean foods on the weekend to set yourself up for the week.
RESCU: If we’re strapped for time, what are the best exercises to fit in a 15-minute window?
James Duigan: Firstly move all day, take the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus one stop early and walk a bit further to work. Other than that you can squeeze a lot into 15 minutes!
You can do a little circuit a couple of times that gets you moving and burns calories. The bigger your moves are the more fat you’re going to burn as well.
10 lunges, 10 push ups, 10 squats, 15 bench tricep dips and 10 burpees. Do that circuit four times over with a minute rest in between.
RESCU: What’s your best advice for choosing mindful eating decisions on the go?
James Duigan: Good healthy habits are a choice that will last you a lifetime. You deserve to feel nourished, energised, relaxed and happy every single day. Be aware of how certain foods make you feel and use our little guide of ‘good, better, best’ options. Break it down and think simple -iIf the only option is a burger ask for avocado instead of the bun, that kind of thinking will help you in those situations.
RESCU: You’ve worked with some of the best celebrity bodies in the business – what’s your number one tip for long, lean limbs?
James Duigan: Try to use the Bodyism band every morning if you can. 10 minutes will make a huge difference for your lower body. It will not only help you to get nice legs it will also help to lift up your bum and protect your knees from getting injured. Then add 30 disco lunges (15 each leg) to your routine and you will see great results within a few weeks.
RESCU: So we might not be appearing on-screen anytime soon, how do we keep up the motivation of a celebrity?
James Duigan: Remember that you are giving yourself the gift of a strong, happy and healthy body. Your body will thank you for it!
image credit: healthy holidays supplied
