Sweet Escape
If you follow us on social, you know we’ve been away on retreat in Spain, immersing ourselves in all things Longevity to celebrate the launch of our new Enhanced NAD+ Complex.
From rigorous hikes and infrared saunas to polyphenol-rich foods and, of course, our daily supplement rituals, read more about our week away below.
The focus:
As part of the launch of Enhanced NAD+ Complex, the retreat programme was focused on the science of longevity and understanding how to optimise healthspan. Each evening Rhian hosted a variety of discussions and got into the details of NAD+, why it is essential to a long and healthy life, how you can use lifestyle hacks to improve longevity, and why setting long-term health goals is not only more motivating but also provides us with a sense of true purpose when it comes to prioritising our wellbeing. Each guest received a longevity-focused welcome kit, including a jar of Enhanced NAD+ Complex along with some of our favourite detox essentials (Deep Detox, Cellular Hydration, Digest + Debloat and Biome Restore).
The food:
Our retreat chef, Phillipa Fern, is well-versed in creating recipes focused on polyphenol-rich foods. Her expertise is at the intersection of food that is delicious, locally sourced and, importantly, health-forward. From crispy branzino served with Spanish tomato salsa and burnt radishes to pulled mushroom 'shawarma’ on charcoal tacos with a shitake tahini dressing, the creativity and flavours were next level throughout the retreat. Love the sound of these dishes? Phillippa also designed the recipes for The Metabolic Reset and The 5-Day Cleanse if you want to get your fix of retreat cuisine in the comfort of your own home.
The hormesis hacks:
Not all stress is created equal. In fact, there are certain stressors, in certain doses, that trigger an adaptive response in the body to improve resilience; a process called hormesis. These hormetic stressors include everything from gentle oxidative stress, heat shock, and calorie restriction, to fasting, cold immersion, and exercise, and in the right amount, signal the body’s natural healing and repair pathways and, in doing so, can counteract the damage that leads to cellular ageing. It only made sense, therefore, to incorporate hormesis hacks into our retreat schedule. Our rituals included rigorous daily hikes, cold exposure either through contrast showers or cold plunging (turns out an unheated pool during a cold spell in the mountains = an inadvertent cold plunge), breathwork and daily sessions in the infrared sauna.
The yoga:
Jaime Hepburn, the founder of Basic Space and Basic Space at Home, is one of our favourite London-based yogis, so when she agreed to come and teach on retreat we were over the moon. A fan of ARTAH herself (she’s currently doing The Metabolic Reset and swears by Cellular Hydration), Jaime’s teaching is second to none when it comes to creating a practice that is as strengthening as it is restorative. She led daily flows focused on detoxification, fluidity and restoration and, as always, managed to get us out of our heads, helped us cut out any mental noise, and left us feeling nothing short of gooey by the end of each practice.
For a little retreat practice in the comfort of your own home check out Jaime’s practices on Basic Space.
