Aprivé Wellness Blog
Aprivé Wellness Goes to Nugget Point Spa
Mountain-top luxury wellness in Queenstown
Perched high above the Shotover River in stunning Queenstown, New Zealand, is Nugget Point Spa. This boutique hotel's luxury wellness includes a Greecian-inspired spa facility for the ultimate day of relaxation.
Luxury Wellness for Real Relaxation
Choose a massage, manicure or pedicure and spend the rest of your afternoon relaxing in this beautifully-styled spa. Slowly sauntering between each water feature, it was the ultimate Sunday afternoon! Try one or all of their features:
Hot Tub
Cool pool
Steam Room
Sauna
Rain showers
A Luxury Spa for Aprés Ski
Nugget Point is a 2 minute drive from the base of Coronet Peak, one of New Zealand's favourite family ski resorts. Needing no more than your swim suit and a good book or magazine, Nugget Point Spa is the perfect post-skiing pit stop before you head into Queenstown for a meal.
This view makes your wellness experience that much more special as you realise how truly remote you are. So far from your office and commitments, lie down in the sauna and take a deep breath. The sauna was my favourite feature, closely followed by a cooling swim in the mosaic pool.
Treats & Boutique Accommodation for a Real Escape
Nugget Point also boasts stunning boutique accommodation and a beautiful restaurant for those looking to stay as close to this beautiful spa as possible. They even offer discounts for Queenstown locals, including a local's brunch.
I had such a truly rejuvenating and relaxing afternoon at the beautiful spa, I can't recommend it enough.
My dress is by Bali-based label Mr Zimi
Stay tuned for my next luxury spa review....
Wellness Consulting - Creating health and fitness content from industry experience
Why Runners Get Achilles Tendon Injuries
Running content and commerce hub Running Divas asked Aprivé Wellness for some expert health and fitness content about Achilles Tendon injuries:
Not many medical terms for muscles and tendons are well known, but the Achilles is one of the famous few. Achilles tendon injuries in runners are fairly common but the reasons why they occur are still poorly understood. To understand achilles injury, let’s start from the beginning.
What is the Achilles?
The Achilles is a tendon the spans from the middle of the two Gastrocnemius heads (bulky calf muscle) and attaches onto the heel bone.
What makes you likely to injure your Achilles?
The jury is still out on this one. When it comes to running, it comes down to technique and the biomechanics of your feet and ankle joints. As Achilles tendon injuries are multi-factorial, there are countless biomechanics factors that come into play including ground reaction forces, muscle activity and joint motion.
Only one biomechanics variable has been shown to definitely increase Achilles injury risk:
-High braking force placed on the achilles tendon
Other factors that may contribute:
- Low arches
- Running on soft surfaces
- Poor ankle range of motion
How do you know if you’ve injured your Achilles?
If you’ve ruptured your Achilles, you’ll know! Often patients hear a loud crack, and the tendon can be seen under the skin, recoiled halfway up the calf like a retracted rubber band.
An overuse injury or tendinopathy isn’t as obvious, but patients report pain on walking, particularly on the push-off phase, pain with calf raises, steps and often pain when touching the tendon. Your physio will often feel a difference in the consistency of the injured tendon: Often it will feel lumpy and thicker than the uninjured side.
*To read the full article - Click Here
Image: Mark J Sebastian
Aerobic Fitness Programs - Vital for Holistic Wellness
The modern wellness guest wants tranquility and the mental & physical benefits from cardio workouts- so why are curated aerobic fitness programs still missing from many wellness retreats and luxury hotels?
YOUR GUESTS JUST WANT TO RELAX AND ESCAPE THE STRESS IN THEIR LIVES - SO WHY NOT OFFER A MODERN FITNESS PROGRAM TO LEAVE THEM MOTIVATED, INSPIRED AND REJUVENATED?
Aerobic Exercise - Ultimate Wellness for Mind & Body
Exercise that gets your heart pumping has benefits for both the mind and body. Thanks to countless studies, aerobic exercise has been proven to be a reliable aspect of the treatment of stress, anxiety, and depression. Clearly, it's an instant mood elevator, but it has far more physical benefits than exercise that doesn't get your heart racing. While yoga and stand up paddle boarding might leave you feeling great, the long-term physical effects aren't as extensive. Don't get me wrong, yoga and Pilates have their very vital place in a wellness retreat, but their inclusion shouldn't mean the exclusion of aerobic exercise.
Strangely though, few wellness retreats offer carefully curated aerobic programs.
Current retreat & hotel fitness offerings: Too generic
Many luxury wellness retreats and hotels offer you the options of hiking, stand up paddle boarding and yoga, but a personalised touch is the newest trademark of luxury travel. As a Physical Therapist and Wellness Consultant, I know no two people are alike even though they may have the same gender, background, and age.
These days many people feel pressure to be able to do a Bow Pose in yoga, hike to the mountain peak or do a plank in Pilates. When they can't live up to this pressure, they're left feeling isolated and incompetent - the opposite goal of a luxury retreat or hotel.
Whether they can't participate because of anxiety, injury, pain or fitness, wellness retreats need to offer personalised programs to motivate and challenge people in an inclusive way.
A Modern Approach to Health Wellness Fitness
Your guests just want to relax and escape the stress in their lives - so why not offer a modern fitness program to leave them motivated, inspired and rejuvenated?
Rather than a 'one size fits all approach' created by a general wellness curator, luxury guests demand professional yet evidence-based programs to challenge them, and teach them strategies they can take home.
Why not offer an 3 in-room workout videos to cater to different levels of fitness, or a simple 5-pose Pilates program?
As a Physical Therapist, Personal Trainer and Pilates instructor, I can incorporate my medical background with holistic wellness strategies to create tailor-made programs for different luxury clients. These modern yet simple programs can really help motivate and inspire people during their stay and long after. Programs that can be created for your wellness resort:
Beach-side Retreats
- Better cardio fitness in 10 days: an intensive program
- Beach workout: abs, legs and glutes
- Water fitness: Intensive workouts for pool and beach
- Joint-friendly workout: Water & low impact fitness
- Say goodbye to back pain
Remote Retreats
- Balance and concentration workout for 50+
- In-room workouts for low back pain
- High intensity walking programs
- Yoga for sore knees
- Fitness program for anxiety, depression and stress
Mountain top/Winter Retreats
- Après Ski Cool Down
- Ski Fitness program
- Optimal hiking fitness (Different programs for different age groups)
*All of these programs utilise elements of aerobic exercise to optimise mind and body wellness. They're not personalised per client, but they're unique enough to cater to your particular clientele.
Your guests deserve to achieve their wellness goals, and rather than offering stock standard programs that may leave your guests injured or anxious, by consulting with professionals with backgrounds in sports science and biomechanics like Aprivé Wellness, you create an inclusive, safe and personalised wellness service.
Fitness is an inconspicuous luxury
Style.com recently published an article that said "wellness has become an important part of the luxury lifestyle," and the article's focus was fitness clubs like Soul Cycle and Barry's Bootcamp. The article goes on to say that not only does fitness help you look and feel good, it's also a way for high earners to make more inconspicuous luxury purchases.
"If five years ago it was a Céline bag, today’s ultimate status symbol might just be a SoulCycle hoodie and a green juice."
Now, more than ever, luxury guests are demanding the worlds of indulgent luxury merge with functional fitness.
Do you need help creating inspiring, safe fitness programs for your retreat or hotel?
What is Wellness Consulting?
It's a service that offers products and programs to help a person or company achieve better physical and mental wellbeing.
Whether you're a health retreat looking to expand your services or a corporation needing expert insight into wellbeing, a wellness consultant can help.
The best wellness consulting services use a combination of evidence-based knowledge and holistic medicine. That's the professional approach we use at Aprivé Wellness.
Why has Wellness Consulting Emerged as a New Industry?
'Wellness' is the word of the moment, and Wellness Consulting is the newest vocation to evolve from this 3.4 trillion dollar industry. As a health professional, I've always endorsed a holistic approach for patient treatment and therapy. This holistic approach to injury, health and wellbeing is now recognised by the rest of the world as the wellness industry, and as it affects each and every one of us, it's gaining rapid momentum.
What Knowledge do Wellness Consultants Have?
To guide people along their path of mental and physical wellbeing and change, wellness consultants have emerged from a variety of fields. I'm a qualified Physiotherapist, Pilates instructor and personal trainer, but other wellness consultants can be anyone from nutritionists to wellness retreat proprietors, entrepreneurs and fitness gurus.
Thanks to my background, I can offer wellness consulting services in a myriad of different ways:
- Wellness Retreats: Implementing holistic, evidence-based programs
- Corporate Wellness Programs
- Hotel Wellness Strategies from in-room services to gym programs
- Personal Trainer Education in medical and holistic wellness
- Nutrition programs with safe, effective strategies
Wellness isn't a trend, it's a necessity.
Thanks to vocal advocates for mental and physical wellbeing like Arianna Huffington, the world has begun to recognise the importance of a well-rounded approach to lifestyle.
Do you need a Wellness Consultant to Enhance Your Business?
If you need help adding a competitive edge to your wellness retreat or wellness services, I'd love to hear from you: Click the "Contact Aprivé Wellness" button on our home page and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Love social media? Connect with me on twitter
Wellness Trends: The Luxury Hotel Pillow Menu
Why you should use the pillow menu
A pillow menu is now a common feature in luxury hotels, but do you really need it? Yes! Luxury hotels have recognised spinal health as an important element of health and wellness. These opulent accommodations have seen the rise in exercise trends that optimise spinal mobility like yoga, Pilates and Barre, and they want to help you retain your progress.
Maintain the Results of your Wellness Routine
Luxury hotels know it's difficult to maintain your wellness routine while you're away, so they're doing their best to help. A pillow menu is now a vital ingredient in hotel wellness offerings. If you have neck pain and work hard on your deep neck flexor strength and cervical spinal mobility at Pilates, all your hard work can go to waste by sleeping for a week on a bulky, oversized pillow. Thanks to a pillow menu, you can choose the right pillow for you to maintain all your hard work and keep your neck pain at bay.
Recognise the Importance of Sleep
Wellness has been recognised as a status symbol of luxury, and sleep is a vital part of wellness. Thanks to sleep advocates like Arianna Huffington, the importance of sleep is now ingrained in the luxury lifestyle. By offering a pillow menu, luxury hotels are showing you it's OK to sleep well, and they encourage you to enhance your sleep as much as possible by choosing the right pillow for you.
Decrease Your Allergen Exposure
Some of us may love the mobility of a duck-down pillow, while others will be up all night sneezing from the feathers. The low allergenic options are endless at luxury hotel chains; like Sofitel that offer the Polyball Pillow: a firm pillow made odourless and non-allergenic for those sensitive to allergens. This is just one example of a pillow menu item designed to decrease allergen exposure to keep you 'living well.'
Indulge in the Personal Touch
Guests are expecting more personalised luxury hotel products than ever before, and a pillow menu helps add that personal touch. With some hotels offering six or more pillow items and others offering a choice between three, by selecting your pillow preference you have more control over your luxury stay, enhancing your hotel experience.
Photo: Sofitel So Bangkok
Tips for Choosing Your Pillow
The hardest thing about being offered a pillow menu can be making your choice. Below are some tips for choosing the best pillow for you:
- Most people only need 1 pillow, not 2 stacked
- Your neck should always be in a neutral position on your pillow - If it feels like your chin is being pushed toward your chest, the pillow is too big and bulky.
- If you lie on your side to sleep, you can have a slightly bulkier pillow, but only enough to fill the space between your ear and the tip of your shoulder.
- If you lie on your stomach to sleep, try to change this habit! It puts excessive torsional stress on your neck. If you can't break the habit, choose a very flat pillow to decrease the forces on your neck.
- Whatever filling you choose for you pillow, try to make it consistent throughout, rather than letting it bulk on one side.
- Always see a good health professional for treatment if you encounter neck pain. The earlier you get treatment, the better it is.
Now you know how to select your pillow - Which pillow would you choose?
The 5 Best Parks for Working Out
My favourite parks around the world for exercising outdoors
Travelling can stifle your wellness buzz, disrupting the balance you try so hard to maintain when you're at home. Research has shown working out outside has mental benefits that far outweigh those you get from a gym session. Big cities can feel like a concrete jungle, but the beauty of these inner city parks will surprise you. Perfect for working out, meditating or doing outdoor yoga or Pilates, visit these unexpected gems next time you're in town.
1. Stanley Park - Vancouver
Nestled right near the CBD, Stanley Park blends beautiful waterside views with luscious green forests for the perfect bike, walk or run. You'll love the totem poles, the ocean views and the hill-top cafe for a mid-run snack. I love seeing the squirrels and racoons you find in the park year-round.
2. Lumphini Park - Bangkok
Thailand's capital is hugely populated, so this green oasis is a welcome break from the hustle and bustle. Lumphini Park is one of my favourite places in the city, and houses an array of animals to keep your walk interesting yet safe; from huge monitor lizards to little turtles.
You'll see countless exercise groups during your run or walk; from a running group who uses an air horn to warn oblivious runners of their approach, to the elderly Thais doing Tai Chi in the beautiful white gazebos.
Aprivé Wellness Tip: Take the Sky Train (BTS) to Silom Station and you'll arrive right near the Lumphini Park gates. End your run there, and grab a freshly squeezed orange juice for 30 cents on your way back to the train.
3. East Coast Park - Singapore
When I lived in Singapore, I heard so many people complain about how hemmed-in the city felt, but it doesn't have to. East Coast Park is the perfect place to unwind, hire a bike, go for a swim or take a long walk.
Running along the east coast of the island, you'll see small sandy alcoves, palm trees and blue sky to get your outdoor workout fix. My favourite part of the park was hiring a bike and riding it the full length of the track, stopping to watch the wakeboard park as people tried their best at a new sport.
4. Central Park - New York City
You can't mention inner city parks without including the infamous Central Park, and it's the ideal place to get your outdoor workout fix while in NYC. If you prefer running on a track, head to one of the oval spaces where you can run laps. If you'd rather mix up your run, take one of the paths around the park, and cut in wherever you choose to see the duck ponds and features of the inner city oasis. If you cut in around 36th street, there are park benches and playground equipment you can use to help you stretch.
5. Royal Botanic Gardens - Melbourne
Next to the CBD, just over the river, are the luscious botanical gardens, the perfect mid-day workout spot. Join Melbourne locals and run 'The Tan,' the brown gravel track that wraps around the gardens, or make your own way through the gardens on the multiple tracks and pedestrian roads. Stop in at the café after your run, and enjoy the stunning lake views. You might even see a turtle pop up as you make your way through the park.
If meditation or yoga suits you more, you'll find plenty of grass for your practice by the lake.
Aprivé Wellness Tip: Jump on a tram to get to the Botanic Gardens, and jump off when you see the huge Anzac War Memorial if you're not sure where to go. The Garden gates are next to the memorial.
Whether you're visiting a city on business, or you need an outdoor escape during a holiday, visit these parks for an outdoor workout. They're all luscious escapes from the busyness of the city, and an ideal way to help everyone 'live well.'