This December and January, Simon de Burgh will be joining the team at Azul’s Lotus Yoga Lodge to run two special Wellbeing Bootcamps specially designed for both fitness and wellbeing. We find out more…

1. ‘Wellbeing’ and ‘bootcamp’ are two words you don’t often see together. What does the week consist of and how does it have elements of both a wellbeing week and a more traditional fitness bootcamp?

The team at Azul and I both align with the core values of connecting your mind and body to achieve optimal health. The more traditional bootcamp style is to just beat the hell out of the clients without a care for the participants real wellbeing.

For me to get the best out of your body you need to be coached in both body and mind.

The week consists of solid training and restoring yoga. The workouts are all about intensity and effort, understanding human movement and a focus on mind muscle connections to help you achieve better results. The yoga classes also teach you how to connect your body and mind so there is a real sense of interconnection being taught by the coaches. One of the sessions includes an awesome way to train the whole body at your own level with a resistance band. It’s a tough workout but fun. We also use the wonderful Corralejo Sand Dunes National Park for a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) session and afterward we watch the sun go down. It’s a great way to end the day and reconnect the body and mind.

2. You won the best gym-based personal trainer of the year award, how did that feel and what’s next?

I was honoured to get into the final six from the 100s that were entered into the award and I was delighted to win. It meant that all my hard work with coaching clients and helping them get results was being noticed. That’s a great feeling. I’ve not sat back on my laurels though. I want to be worthy of the title and have continued to progress as a strength and conditioning (S&C) coach.

This year I have entered in a mentoring program with the UK’s top S&C coach Phil Learney and recently I have become a Physique Elite DTP Transformation Specialist. Their values of training the mind and the body together sit perfectly with mine. I’m one of 100 DTP trainers qualified in the UK and part of a worldwide network of top personal trainers. It’s a very exciting time.

3. This is the second time you’ll be running a wellbeing week in Fuerteventura, what makes it a good place for a week like this?

This will be my 10th visit. I love this little island, especially Corralejo. The scenery is dramatic. Corralejo town with the surrounding beaches and sand dunes is a wonderful, safe and peaceful place to explore. This makes it perfect to run a wellbeing camp because after a hard day’s training and yoga you can slip away (if you’re not too tired) and enjoy the local food and relaxed atmosphere. But be careful: after a week of staying here you may decide to stay forever.

4. December/January is normally a hard time of year for people to stay on track. Any advice for people?

It’s all about your mind set. The fact that we have people coming to train for the week means that they are already consciously or un-consciously motivated. The great news is that by attending the week I’ll be giving a few seminars on nutrition and motivation, how to spot negative influences and positive drivers. I’ll also make myself available for one to ones. I really want everyone to feel that they can ask me anything so that they go away at the end of the week feeling energised, confident and motivated.

The Wellbeing Bootcamp takes place 8-15 December and 12-19 January. Places are limited. For more information and to book please visit the Wellbeing Bootcamp page on the web.

About the instructor
Simon de Burgh is one of the UK’s leading personal trainers. The winner of last year’s National Men’s Health Survival of The Fittest team event and this year’s Best Gym-Based Personal Trainer of the Year Award in the National Fitness Awards, Simon is in hot demand. Passionate about connecting the mind and body to get the best out of people, you can find out more about Simon at New Wave Fitness.