I went to a health retreat and this is what I learnt

Doing tai chi on the grounds of the Mantra resort - and proof we don't look like hippies. Picture: NuYu Source: Supplied

We started our day with a walk along Salt Beach. Picture: NuYu Source: Supplied

I HAVE just been to a health retreat, but I kind of bluffed my way to get there.

When I was filling out the registration form, I ticked the box where it said I complete 20 minutes of exercise each day.

That's a lie. My walk to the bus stop doesn't even crack 20 minutes each day. I convinced myself that it would all be fine - I mean, I eat healthily enough, right? But imagine my apprehension when I pulled up at Mantra Salt Beach resort on NSW's Tweed Coast with six fit and healthy young ladies by my side. How on earth am I going to survive a two day lifestyle overhaul, when I can't even haul myself over and out of my office chair?

The NuYu Total Health Retreat sets out to do exactly what its name claims - create a new you. Over a recommended four week program, participants' eating habits, their attitude to exercise and their outlook on life are slowly transformed. The people who come here are not just looking to shift kilos - they are people who want to change the way they live.

We were given a taste of all NuYu has to offer over a two day period. So what could I possibly learn in such a short space of time? A whole lot more than you would have guessed!

1. Paddle boarding massively hurts your body
If you're anything like me and have seen pictures of celebrities paddle boarding in Hawaii and thought 'what a cruisy life', then you are very wrong. Paddle boarding is hard! My legs ached from trying to balance, my arms ached from paddling, my brain ached from concentrating, my stomach ached in places I didn't even know existed (I think they're called abs) - but I had the best time on the water. It was exiting being able to paddle down an inlet to the mouth of the ocean, then turning around and paddling into the mangroves and seeing all the wildlife. Sure, it was hard to figure out how to turn the board around and it took a little while to find my balance, but I didn't fall in the water once and I consider that to be quite the achievement.
Takeaway point: Paddle boarding is a full body workout and not cruisy at all

I saw pictures of myself paddle boarding, and it was not pretty. Instead, let's just pretend I look like Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio. Picture: Splash Source: Supplied

2. Playing team sports is actually fun
Whenever I had to play a team sport at school I was always so concerned with whether I looked stupid while kicking the ball that I forgot to relax and enjoy myself. Enter a game known as Nu-Ball, a cross between touch and netball and a whole lotta fun. Put simply, you're split into two teams and when you have the ball, you're not allowed to move with it. Sounds easy enough, right? Except for the fact that you're not allowed to run. At all. Power walking is the way to go in this sport, and if you're caught running it's a five push-up penalty. The no-running rule is so that everyone on the field no matter their fitness level is on the same level, and it's fun because your instinct is to run after the ball. It's so much of a mental battle that you forget completely that you're exercising until the game is over and you can hardly breathe from exhaustion - or elation, if you were on the winning team like I was.
Takeaway point: Team sports are good because you don't even realise you're exercising

3. A 200g bag of CC's has as many calories as an entire day's worth of food at NuYu
I kid you not. Think how easy it is to put away a bag of CC's while watching a movie without even realising the amount of junk you're consuming! But before you start to think that the food at NuYu must be all lettuce leaves and water, consider this: All the meals at NuYu have been picked out by celebrity nutritionist Joanna McMillan, and all dinners are served at Season, one of Australia's hatted restaurants. Having sampled five of the dinner options, I can safely tell you that your taste buds will not be deprived.
Takeaway point: Make sure your diet is stocked with foods that are low HI - that's low Human Intervention. You can't go wrong

4. Skipping morning and afternoon tea is not OK
If you regularly congratulate yourself for not snacking throughout the day, then you'd better read on. Not eating between meals means you're more likely to overeat when it comes to lunch and dinner. Throughout my time at NuYu, I felt like I did not stop eating. Morning and afternoon teas are essential, and they're way more exciting than a simple piece of fruit. Baked pears with ricotta; carrot, capsicum, cucumber and snowpeas with hummus and tzatziki; apricots and cheese - the options were endless, and completely achievable at home or in a snack-bag at work.
Takeaway point: Snowpeas are the new chips

5. Diet Coke is really bad for you
Decades of Weight Watchers programs telling us that "Diet Coke = No Points" have propelled the misconception that Diet Coke is OK if you're on a diet. This couldn't be further from the truth. The levels of caffeine, aspartame and potassium benzoate in Diet Coke play havoc with your mood, erode your teeth, dehydrate you, and various studies have found a link between Diet Coke drinkers and an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks, kidney damage, bone density loss, cell damage and heart and blood vessel diseases. Eek.
Takeaway point: Swap the DC for sparkling water

6. Never eat so much that you couldn't go for a run around the block afterward
It sounds whacked, but the logic is fair. We are so used to eating and overeating that we have lost all perspective when it comes to how much we should actually be consuming. NuYu's philosophy? Only eat as much as would allow you to go for a quick run around the block - or up to the top of a lookout like we did - afterward. Be full, but not bursting.
Takeaway point: J-Lo (aka Jenny from the Block - how appropriate) also shares this philosophy

A brisk walk to ta local lookout. I wish I could say that is me bounding up the stairs... It isn't. Picture: NuYu Source: Supplied

7. It takes 21 days before new practices become habit
A typical course at NuYu goes for four weeks, and this is because NuYu is about lifestyle change, not just weight loss. People who enroll in the NuYu program have no practical idea about why you need to eat well, about why exercise is important, and about how to implement these kinds of things into a normal day, so the trainers have to start from scratch. They liken it to sending a child to kindergarten - if you were to send them for just an hour every couple of days, there is no way you'd expect them to learn everything they need to equip them for life. So why do we expect the same from people who need to get fit and so seek out personal trainers or gyms for an hour every week? Just like a child learning at school, time needs to be spend with people for good habits to be formed, and three weeks is when the logic about living a healthy life begins to kick in.
Takeaway point: Weight loss is not about kilograms - it's about lifestyle

8. Tai Chi is not for hippies
This is so true, man. After spending 20 minutes going through some breathing exercises I am a total convert. No amount of caffeine has ever helped me feel so awake at 7am in the morning.
Takeaway point: If you want to wake up, skip the coffee and breathe

9. Stress, depression, blood pressure and weight are all linked
The success stories at NuYu speak volumes - people who enter the retreat with severe depression, high blood pressure, back problems, insomnia and many other health issues leave not only lighter but healthier. We heard countless stories about people who had success with the program - one lady in particular entered NuYu with dangerously high blood pressure and on two different types of oral medication, as well as daily insulin injections. She left four weeks later with her blood pressure count back in the healthy range, and no further need for any medication. A boy suffering from chronic back pain lost 52 kilograms after spending 4 weeks at NuYu, and recently set a rowing record at his local gym. Similarly, another girl we met lost 30 kilograms after going through the NuYu program earlier this year, and has since done the Harbour Bridge run and climbed Mt Kosciuszko.
Takeaway point: Exercise does change your life

10. Health retreats aren't just for overweight people
This is possibly the most important point. Whether you think you have 5 kilograms to lose or 50, a retreat like this focuses on the way you look at food and exercise, not on how much you weigh. At NuYu the message is clear - your size and your fitness level don't always correlate. People of all sizes can have no concept of healthy eating or healthy living, and this retreat aims to educate you on those very points with both fitness programs and seminars, cooking classes and testimonials. After just 2 days at NuYu I feel happier than I have done in months, and I am certain it's because I spent the days outside, in the sunshine, being active.
Takeaway point: Make time to exercise - it really is worth it.

The ultra-luxurious Mantra Salt Beach. Picture: NuYu Source: Supplied

While a four week stay at NuYu is recommended, other programs are also available. Prices start from $1490 per week which includes all meals, accommodation at the 4.5 star Mantra resort, and over 50 hours per week of personal training. This reporter was a guest of NuYu at Mantra Salt Beach.

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