Relaxing retreat to boost fitness

Father-and-son team Ian and Sean Roberts are launching the Eden Hill Health Retreat in the Shropshire Hills near Church Stretton.

They are lining up a series of week-long residential courses in health and fitness, making it easier for people to get in shape without having to resort to exhausting fitness regimes.

The events will include simple, easy to maintain fitness classes and advice about healthy eating.

Sean, who also works in partnership with Telford & Wrekin Council providing personal training classes across council-owned gyms, will head up all the retreat’s fitness classes.

The 31-year-old from Sambrook, near Newport, will be holding the retreats at 500-acre Eaton Manor Country Estate.

He said simplicity was the best way to achieve long-lasting results.

"After 13 years in the health and fitness profession I’ve seen so many people work and exercise themselves into the ground because they believe that a high intensity fitness programme combined with a strictly controlled low calorie fad diet is the best way to achieve weight loss and a new body shape.

“However, the truth is, in many cases this kind of regime cannot be sustained over a long period of time and therefore people either make themselves poorly or end up right back where they started."

Sean said keeping things simple, and teaching activities that people could continue with when they left the retreat, was crucial to its success.

He said a common problem was that people felt confused by the conflicting information that was available.

"This is made worse with new trends in fitness and diet emerging almost daily - it’s hard to know where to start," he added.

He said the retreat was not a boot camp, and aimed to provide a comfortable, relaxed experience.

Sean's father Ian, who over the past 25 years has owned a number of businesses in the hospitality sector, will be operations manager, while Sean’s fiancee Maxine Boulton will run the retreat’s studio classes. His sister Sammy will look after the administrative side.

There are 13 places available on the Eden Hills Health Retreat in January. For more information or to book visit the website at www.edenhillshealthretreat.co.uk or contact 0800 107 6383.