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CLUBWEST, FEATURED ARTICLES (PREVIOUS EDITIONS)

Need to get away from it all? Travel in pursuit of wellness

ClubWest

(To view our May/June 2018 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

By Lorraine Simpson

Have you ever returned home from a trip claiming you “need a vacation to get over your vacation”?

You wouldn’t be the only one!

Traveling for your physical or mental health isn’t a new concept, but it might have you thinking about enforced exercise, strict diets, or engaging in activities you’re just really not interested in.

So what do I mean when I say Wellness Travel?

Wellness travel promotes your health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, through activities that you do during your trip. The idea is to return home feeling healthier and better than when you left!

While there’s nothing wrong with a fly and lie on the beach sort of vacation, you may be searching for something more meaningful.

Perhaps you would like to go hiking or cycling on a trip?

Maybe partake in the luxury of a spa vacation?

How about a yoga retreat? Perhaps even a luxury river cruise that incorporates many activities to destress and enhance your wellbeing.

With the growing trend for staying healthy while you travel, you can make your entire trip an adventure to feeling better in both body and mind.

If wellness travel makes you think of spartan facilities and strict bland diets then you’ll be happy to know that thing have come a long way.

There are plenty of wellness retreats in five-star accommodations and options for as little or as many restrictions on your diet as you like.

Perhaps your particular needs do not involve diet changes or exercise but simply a vacation to regroup after a major life change.

A floating market in Bangkok which participants in the compassionate retreat attend.
When I lost my husband a few years ago to cancer I decided to go away on a Culinary Vacation in Italy.

I joined a group of people who all had similar losses at some point and they knew my situation. I laughed so much that week; I cried, too, sometimes but it felt very healing to be among people who just understood.

Everyone allowed you to laugh uncontrollably at silly things without judgement or they would be an ear if you just wanted to talk. It was a very healing week for me and one I will never forget.

Vacations are often an exercise in overindulgence, which can lead to feelings of guilt when we return home.

How good would it feel to enjoy what a new destination has to offer, without the negative consequences?

That’s what wellness travel is all about; reenergizing, rejuvenating and finding balance.

Taking part in physical activity while you’re away can teach you how to incorporate it more into your daily life at home. A wellness trip might include eating and enjoying culinary events to tantalize your taste buds, but it may also involve physical activities like hiking, paddle boarding, yoga, surfing, or even running.

If you’re not sure where to start with searching for a wellness trip then think about the kind of place you want to go and the activities you might enjoy.

Yoga in sunny Italy with wine tasting by bicycle, or maybe in the unspoiled nature of Costa Rica? Hiking in Croatia?

A week in a wellness spa? Perhaps a medical spa in Eastern Europe where treatments are legendary – especially for anti aging – may be more up your alley.

Perhaps you have been battling a major illness and want to celebrate your recovery with a trip you have always wanted to do?

The possibilities really are endless!

Just a few weeks ago I was in Hungary with a group of ladies who were going on a Danube River cruise. Before the cruise they all visited a dentist and an optician of a very high quality whose services were far less expensive than back home.

Going natural – shooting during a safari with a camera – can prove just the tonic for someone seeking relaxation.
Some people feel uncomfortable traveling alone as they traveled with a loved one for many years who has since passed.

We take care of you; carrying your suitcases, making sure you are in the right place at the right time and just by making you feel like you are as protected as you had felt before. This is all part of the traveling concierge service you get when you travel with us.

Wellness travel is a vacation which focuses on putting you first and it’ll help you to come back feeling refreshed and in a better frame of mind, rather than marking your vacation as just another check on the long list of things to do this year.

So, where would you like to go?

Here are my top wellness trips; each with a different purpose.

1. Wellness River Cruise

In addition to a plethora of wellness activities offered on board and on shore, Ama Waterways incorporates healthy eating and locally-sourced ingredients into its culinary offerings. Gluten-free, low-sodium and vegetarian options are available and the company features a hydration station with infused detox and gemstone water.

Concierge Travel Group will offer two specific wellness river cruises for 2019 as a small group – including a private excursion just for our group – as well as gifts and recipes in rooms daily as well as your very own traveling concierge for anything you need.

2. Wine, Women & Wellness in Italy with The Wine Ladies

Next spring we will take a small group of women to Italy for a week of wine tasting, healthy eating and, of course, some activities including cycling, hiking and yoga in stunning locations.

3. Compassionate Friends Retreat

After a major life change or loss you may just want to break away from routine, getting completely away. Spending time with people who understand what you are going through automatically removes the so called “elephant in the room” and help makes you feel comfortable. Our escorted trip is open to all – without question – and offers a safe, comfortable environment for you to enjoy a vacation which can be a vital catalyst which sets you back on the road to wholeness.

• Thailand April 2019 — Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket
• Sicily September 2019
• UK Castles, Gardens & Shopping May 17 2019

Top Tips for choosing your Wellness Vacation

1. Don’t go anywhere you are positively convinced you won’t like, no matter how enticing the price or how much your travel partner tries to convince you with comments such as “Trust me, you’re going to love it!” Maybe not;

2. Don’t travel with someone you find annoying, frustrating, argumentative, causes you stress or will more than likely undermine your wellness goals. (e.g. I know you have to get up at sunrise for that yoga class, but there’s this all-night party….)

3. Don’t stress the small stuff. Regardless of how well you plan there are bound to be at least a few bumps on the journey. Go with the flow and maintain your sense of humour. Accept what is, and let it go;

4. Identify your biggest stressor and avoid it. It could be the airport experience, flying itself, a noisy resort environment, lack of reliable WIFI (unless your goal is a digital detox), a hotel environment (either too high-end or too basic) that is not comfortable for you.

5. Be flexible and kind with yourself. It is impossible to simultaneously experience the riches of your destination while maintaining the wellness plan you are accustomed to at home. So, do your best to drop that perfectionist way of thinking. You may not be able to work out every day or have the willpower to say “no” to that luscious, creamy Napoleon dessert, and that’s OK—more than OK, actually.

In order to truly explore new places, we need to ditch some of our usual modes of thinking and doing.

(For More information on wellness travel and our Compassionate Friends program visit our www.conciergetravelgroup.ca/wellness, call Lorraine Simpson on 289-273-8095 or email info@conciergetravelgroup.ca)

CLUBWEST, FEATURED ARTICLES (PREVIOUS EDITIONS)

Back on Track

ClubWest

(To view our January/February 2018 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

Highly touted as a fourth overall Midget draft selection, Grimsby’s Brandon Saigeon has shown determintation, perseverance to overcome early obstacles.

By Joanne MacDonald

Brandon Saigeon wears #17 for the Major Junior Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League, but his hometown Grimsby will always claim him as their own – and for lots of reasons that only start at centre ice.

Dynamic is a word sportswriters and scouts have used to describe his elite playing skills, competitive, driven, cerebral.

Off ice, he’s a thoughtful and respectful 19-year-old young man who measures every statement he makes to ensure it’s a nod of credit to the work of his entire team.

The Black and Gold went into the Christmas break on a five-game winning streak thanks to the 5-2 home-ice win Dec. 17 over the Peterborough Petes.

Before starting pre-school, Brandon was shooting tennis balls in the laneway by the hundred.

Hamilton’s powerplay was at work early in the first period. Ryan Moore scored to go ahead 1-0 and Saigeon also connected with the man advantage to make it 2-0 as the team cruised to the win.

Through 34 games, as of Christmas time, Saigeon leads the Bulldogs with 37 points, 17 of them goals. He also holds the top faceoff percentage on the team and leads the league in powerplay goals.

The Bulldogs wrapped up the first half of the regular season in first place in the East Division and first overall in the Eastern Conference. They’re in the thick of it and as of late December the Bulldogs stood with 48 points in 34 games with 21 wins and seven losses.

Predictions for the new year? Not taking a chance, Saigeon says with a smile – unwilling to jinx what has been a great start to the season – he’s just happy the hard work is paying off for the whole team and says there’s no other group of guys with which he would rather win.

Determination keeps Brandon Saigeon reaching for his goals, just like this one.

“I’m working hard for the Bulldogs right now. The farther we go in playoffs the more NHL interest there will be throughout our whole team,” he said.

Serious injury tested the mettle of the young hockey star when his second year in the OHL was cut short by almost half the season when he broke both forearm bones, shattering the radius and ulna in his left arm in a January 2016 game against the Mississauga Steelheads.

But he’s back with his signature work ethic and the resiliency that runs through his DNA.

By the age of three, Saigeon was shooting rows of tennis balls in the driveway at his netminding grandfather, Wayne Saigeon.

And his dad, Brent, an athlete who played competitive tennis at the national and international level and was a member of the Canadian Jr. Team, removed the tennis net from the backyard court and replaced it with two hockey nets.

Saigeon credits the support of his dad and mom, Charlotta – another athlete in the family’s star lineup – for teaching him how to carry himself as a young athlete working to achieve his goals.

Charlotta was an Olympic swimmer and competed at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“My Dad went to the University of Houston Texas on a tennis scholarship and it was there he met my Mom who was studying on a swimming scholarship.”

Brent says Brandon has always worked hard to improve his game.

“Whether it be shooting hundreds of pucks a night on our tennis court or running the hills at our local park for conditioning, he has always worked hard to get better.”

It’s a work ethic that has been passed down the family line. Says Brandon, “I think I got that edge earlier than most kids with my parents both being athletes and so supportive.”

…

To read the full article, click here for the January/February ClubWest online magazine.

FROM THE PUBLISHER (PREVIOUS EDITIONS)

From the Publisher January/February 2018

ClubWest

(To view our January/February 2018 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin

For one, I appreciate the efforts of someone like Brandon Saigeon.

Yes, he is a talented young man, but he also has heart and determination.

As a very high pick in the OHL draft – fourth overall – one might think he was a silver spoon type, someone who had doors open and a path paved because of what he could do on the ice. Hockey simply doesn’t work that way.

No matter what your “specialty”, it is all about production. If you check, your opponent does not tally points. If you score, the puck needs to find the back of the net. If you stop pucks, your team had better win: night in, night out.

So for a teenager trying to make a name for himself and just plain get noticed, suffering a serious injury like shattering two bones in a forearm is major setback.

Confidence, development and most of all time on the ice is gone in an instant. Confidence can get rebuilt, development (while delayed) can come with solid coaching but making up for the time is near impossible.

Hard, painful work on rehab and training can help make up for that. Hours upon hours in a gym, effort fans don’t see, is what pushes one down the tough road to success.

Finally, and undoubtedly, a little later than he would have hoped, Brandon’s game is rounding into form and he and his mates with the Hamilton Bulldogs are starting to roll the way scouts had predicted for Brandon coming out of midget hockey.

Good on him!

I recall doing the story with him when he got drafted by the Belleville Bulls. He was a quiet, unassuming youngster who just wanted a chance. He is the same youngster today.

For me, it has always been my interest to tell the story behind the story. Yes, we have a solid prospect here with an opportunity to get to the promised land of the NHL. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. However, it won’t be through lack of effort and it is that story that needs to be told.

How many kids play hockey? How many kids are a top prospect? How many players average more than a point per game in Junior? The numbers dwindle pretty quickly.

Brandon has an interesting story to tell and we are happy to do just that.

Now it is time to sit back and see how things play out while rooting for the young man.

Publisher, ClubWest Magazine
Mike Williscraft