WINTER weariness, stress and flab are complaints which present themselves with peculiar insistence at this time of year. In response many of us tend to rush on a quick sun or activity holiday, only to become even more stressed than before, or worse: our exhausted bodies finally succomb to a virus and the best part of the break is spent feeling ill and miserable.
The more enlightened among us have found the answer: take a mini break in advance to prepare for the big ordeal - your main annual holidays. If you can afford it, taking the first tentative steps towards fitness in the tranquil environs of a health farm sound's like one of life's brighter ideas.
If you prefer a cosy, go at your own pace approach, Powerscourt Springs, Ireland's newest health farm, may be the place. "We aren't a regime, we're more into pampering. We realise that although some people want to climb mountains, others just want to slob around," says Patricia Kinsella, who runs the farm with her partner, Fiona Hanby.
Located in the Wicklow Hills, a mile outside Enniskerry, the 50 acre Powerscourt Springs has only been open for five weeks. The building has huge windows to take advantage of the marvellous views. There are gleaming wooden floors, a large gym, and enormous sofas to lounge around in before your aromatherapy massage, or after your optional aerobics class. Though menus include the calorie total of each dish it's quite clear this is not a place to starve, sweat or do penance.
There's even a smoking room, opening on to a paved garden and guests have been known to repair to the local pub of an evening for a few pints.
Health and beauty are equally important for the guests, says Fiona, but everyone is different. The 55 year old man who wanted to eat a maximum of 450 calories a day and do constant aerobics was told to bring a letter from his doctor first. The needs of each visitor are assessed on arrival. "If they asked to be pushed, we will do it, but only so far," says Fiona. "We can organise a light diet if requested, with a limit of 700 to 1,000 calories a day."
As she shows me the brand new pool, decorated with mosaic, she has a warm exchange with one of the farm's guests about the difficulties of dealing with tired skin. Jacqui McDonald, the farm's salon manager, recommends facials every five to six weeks as a way of tackling the problem. Next month, Thread Vein Therapy will be available, whereby a machine with a tiny, heated needle treats broken and damaged facial veins.
There is a variety of body massages on offer, including aromatherapy (where a blend of oils is used, depending on the needs of each person; a special treatment is available for pregnant women) and Swedish massage (said to be good for poor circulation and shoulder tension).
The G5 Massage gets more specific, concentrating on breaking up fat deposits and cellulite in the thighs and buttocks. "Massages are a good way of breaking up toxins in the system," says Jacqui. "I recommend a half hour massage once a week as a way of reducing tension and staying healthy."
The Body Exfoliant is a peeling treatment for dry skin (a good pre holiday treatment, says Jacqui), and the Pannicocyt, Cellulite Treatment is a "shoulder to toe seaweed wrap, providing vitamins, and mineral salts to detoxify the body. Next month, the new Peppermint Body Twist will be available; essentially the same as the seaweed wrap, a peppermint solution is used instead of a seaweed one and this is recommended for fluid retention.
Powerscourt Springs is modelled on Champney's, a luxury health farm in England. "The difference is that in Ireland, you can't charge £1,000 a week," says Patricia. Even so, at £499.95, a week Powerscourt Springs is not cheap. More affordable is the Health Farm Day, at £34.95, which includes a sauna, a massage, a three course lunch, a session in the gym, and an exercise and relaxation programme.
Cloona, situated in a converted woollen mill three miles from Westport in Co Mayo, is a health farm for those interested in a cleansing programme. It is available only on a Sunday to Friday basis, because "the nature of the cleansing requires more than a couple of days", says Dhara Kelly, who runs the farm jointly with his wife, Emer Gaffney. The programme involves a very specific diet of "high water content" foods, including a citrus fruit breakfast, a lunch of soup and organically grown vegetables, and an evening meal of "sweet fruit" (non citrus fruits). "The diet gives the digestive system a break," says Dhara, "but it may involve a small amount of discomfort. People can get withdrawal headaches from giving up caffeine." Smoking is not allowed either.
He notes that proteins require a great deal of time and energy to digest, leaving the body feeling sluggish and less able to get on with its other important work such as cell regeneration and auto immune repair: "At best, it takes the body eight hours to digest a steak," says Dhara. "But if the digestive system is feeling sluggish already, a heavy protein meal could take up to a week to digest. With the diet we offer in Cloona, you get the nourishment, but the body has more energy to catch up on other processes.
Quoting the Hay Diet, he says that, ideally, the body works best when given only one food type to digest at a time (the four food types are categorised under this system as protein, including dairy; carbohydrates and starches; vegetables; and fruit). Combinations of food, like the classic meat and potatoes dish, are much harder for the body to digest, because it has to create more than one digestive "environment".
A typical day at Cloona involves a two hour yoga session in the morning and a three to five mile walk in the afternoon. In the evening there is a sauna followed by a 20 minute massage. "It is an active course and people can feel the pressure," says Dhara. "It is not a programme where you just have things done to you. You find out how it feels to do something for yourself. At the same time, there is no pressure to perform to any standard. We tell people to be aware of their limits and not to overdo it."
THE walking and yoga are important components of the course because they help people to identify where they are holding stress and tension in their bodies, says Dhara.
The farm caters for 10 people at a time, 70 per cent of whom are on a return visit. Ninety per cent are women, mostly in their forties. Visitors include professional people in stressful jobs such as teachers, nurses and businesswomen; as well as women working at home who need a break from family demands.
Quite often people want "to be in shape and feeling good for their holidays. They like to be in the best of form, knowing that holidays can actually be tiring, particularly with children involved", says Dhara. The course costs £225, with optional extras such as reflexology and therapeutic massages also available.
Those in search of a more spiritual retreat, along with a macrobiotic diet, can make the journey to Lios Dina, overlooking the spectacular Inch Strand in Co Kerry. "We recommend a stay of between three and six days," says Anne Drechsler, who runs Lios Dana with partner Michael Travers. The centre also offers special courses throughout the year (either week long, or over bank holiday weekends), including yoga, the Alexander Techniqe, shiatsu and creative writing.
For those staying at the centre who are not attending a special course, the daily routine is very relaxed. Yoga, meditation, shiatsu and aikido with Anne are part of the day only if people want. "We find out what the person wants from their stay; rest, fitness, or whatever," explains Anne. "There is no real schedule, apart from meals. People's lives are already full of schedules. We think it is better to organise the time according to the person's needs, the day, and the weather.
Those who come to Lios Dana are often looking for "a retreat of sorts; a chance for rest and quiet self reflection, to tune into a more intuitive, spiritual way of being". Anne is hopeful that "after a few days at Lios Dana, people will realise the importance of taking short, quiet breaks to check out what their needs are, rather than running around feeling pressurised and stressed. People should understand that you need to stop before you drop. You need to walk, sleep, dream: all the human things."
Anne believes that modern life is dominated by the intellect: "We're overloaded on the mental and end. After a few days, with rest, walks, yoga and meditation, people begin to reach a different level."
Anne says that the macrobiotic food served at the centre plays a vital role in providing a balancing influence: "Some foods are cooling, like tea, coffee, and raw fruit and vegetables. Others are warming, like home cooked soups, cereals, pulses and vegetables. I make recommendations, depending on the person's condition. In the Irish climate, I generally recommend eating more warming food. People tend to eat salads all year round. When a person has a habitual way of eating he or she can benefit from trying something different to release new energies."
"We don't serve animal foods," she adds.
DURING an ordinary week when there are no residential courses, there are between six and ten people staying at Lios Dana. "They come from all walks of life," says Anne.
"We get individuals, couples, families and groups of friends." A stay at the centre works out at around £35 a day, with shiatsu massages available as an optional extra. Special bank holiday weekend courses are £150.
For people who are attracted to the healing properties of seawater, the Thalassotherapy Centre, in Cork is worth checking out. Situated at the Rochestown Park Hotel, Douglas, the centre takes its name from the Greek for sea (Thalassa). The brainchild of a French doctor, Christian Jost, the centre is similar to over 50 similar enterprises in France, the first of which was opened in 1926.
Those who attend have a consultation with Dr Jost before availing of the different treatments. There is a seaweed wrap for "detoxification, revitalisation and remineralisation", says manager Claire Cull inane. There is a seaweed bath with 171 computerised jets of warm seawater, designed to work at different intensities around the body. "Lower intensity is for relaxing; higher intensity is for slimming," says Claire.
Also available is a range of treatments and physiotherapy in a seawater pool for those who suffer from arthritis and rheumatism.
The centre offers physiotherapy, facials, massage and employs a consultant dietician. The clientele includes equal numbers of men and women, of all ages between 25 and 75.
The cost is £323 for four days (with four treatments per day) and three nights in the manor style hotel; but those who live locally can come for individual sessions, which work out much cheaper. This is a busy time of the year, notes Claire: "Coming up to the summer, people want to lose a few pounds and look good in their bikini."