z THE PRO business
HEALTH COMES FROM WITHIN AT
BOOT CAMP
MARBELLA
WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF BOOT CAMP MARBELLA
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he word ‘bootcamp’ normally conjures up images of a beefy sergeant-type trainer leading a hapless group through military-style exercises, placing them on a lowcalorie diet and insisting that they lose a certain amount of weight. This image, however, is far removed from what you can expect from local fitness leaders, Boot Camp Marbella. The company, founded over seven years ago by Jan Dendauw, has taken on a more integrated approach to fitness, health and wellness. “Stop focusing on the outside,” says Dr. Vanessa García of the Boot Camp Marbella team, “and start working on the inside.” Long-term change, she tells me throughout our interview, can only arise by embracing life-changing habits aimed not only at hopping down the Body Mass Index scale, but also being a healthier person – both physically and mentally. Vanessa, who is Jan’s partner in business and in life, knows plenty about the differences that the right health choices can make. As someone who, in her 30s, was faced with autoimmune disease, she found that simple changes – such as reducing stress, sleeping well, and shopping for
and preparing the right foods, led to a big change in vitality, and a significant reduction in the need for medication. “I may not have been dealt the best hand of cards health-wise, but I have seen how the right nutrition, stress reduction and mindfulness eating, have made a huge change in my life.” The joy Vanessa exudes, her passion for health, the light in her eyes, are the manifestation of health; there can be no doubt that mental wellbeing affects our physical health and viceversa. At Boot Camp Marbella, clients may be facing many battles, including excess weight, stress, a hectic lifestyle, big professional and personal demands. Many are exhausted by the time their feet first feel the warmth of Marbella’s toasty sands, but as soon as they realise that the focus is not on ‘thinness’ but on the funnest aspects of fitness, their cares melt away. The team offers an exciting week of training; guests stay at a fourstar hotel and enjoy a plethora of activities, including Pilates, yoga, boxercise, circuit training, beach training, cycling, runs, hikes, and, on Fridays, the largest assault course in Spain. Says Jan, “There is a wide
variety of activities, which we make sure to cater to age, fitness level and personal interests.” Meanwhile, holistic exercises such as yoga tackle chronic stress, boost the mood and energy levels, while tasty, seasonal food provides them with the fuel they need to work out optimally. Before the action begins, all clients have a nutritional consultation with Vanessa, who also has a clinic in the Camojan business centre. Her English is impressive – a result of her British education as a child and extensive travels in her adulthood. Her specialisation lies in aesthetic medicine, yet her deepest passion is centered in nutrition and psychology – in which she has a Master’s degree. “Our clients often have big emotional stressors, which we can identify and help heal from within. I don’t ever give them a ‘diet’; instead, I focus on a healthy eating plan they can sustain when they go back home.” Jan adds, “Boot Camp Marbella is a kickstart to a healthy, fit lifestyle; we provide the motivation but ultimately, every person has to make the effort to exercise regularly, to buy the food they need to stay at a healthy weight, and to reduce stress from their lives.”
‘Stress’... the image that pops up is once again that of a worried executive sitting at their desk, head in hands… in fact it has a myriad of significant effects on everything from inflammation, to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. “Sometimes, when we are tired, we swell up… it is our body’s way of telling us to slow down, to stop working, to be more self-compassionate,” notes Vanessa. Boot Camp Marbella’s integrated approach to wellbeing arguably takes it into a league of its own. There are no ‘fast’ solutions when it comes to fitness and health, and a bad diet cannot be out-trained. However, a week with Jan, Vanessa and their experienced team will enlighten you on why you may be stuck in a rut when it comes to weight loss or achieving better fitness. Jan hits the nail on the head when he says, “We synthesise all the information you need, but in the end it is all about giving you the power to master your choices and take the responsibility for your fitness, health, and happiness.”
g Tel: 620 126 351. www.bootcamp-marbella.com
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