Turning the first page in a diary inspires great hopes and aspirations; 2025 could be the year you finally achieve long-set goals.
Traditionally, gyms are packed with ‘turkey burners’ in January, with most giving up after only a few weeks.
One way to keep the fitness candle burning is by choosing a form of exercise that’s rewarding and fun.
Designed to kickstart a new lifestyle regime, bootcamps focus on a range of activities from boxing and kettle bell lifting right through to stretching and spa sessions.
Book into one of these weight-shifting and mood-boosting retreats and make 2025 the year you don’t give up.
Best for beach and calorie burning
Algarve, Portugal
Life in the Army requires serious discipline – one of the keys to fulfilling fitness goals. Based on a military-style workout, Bootcamp Insanity focuses on the development of resistance, strength, agility and energy, through functional training, weight training, cardiovascular exercises and running in short and intense circuits.
Taking place at the Pine Cliffs luxury resort in the Algarve, sessions are interspersed with spa treatments and massages to soothe tired muscles. Guests also have access to the resort’s Thermal Oasis at Serenity, which includes a steam room, Kneipp pool and sauna with Himalayan salt.
A relaxing stroll along the nearby white sand Falésia beach is also perfect for a mental workout, while regular nutrition consultations will prevent any overdosing at the breakfast buffet.
How: A three-night programme starts from €974/£822, including full-board meal plans. Stays at the resort cost an additional £175 per night. Visit pinecliffs.com and serenity-spa.com/en/programs/.
Best for releasing tension
Crete, Greece
Too often, good results achieved at a bootcamp fizzle out within days of being back home. Instead of rushing into a retreat, set your sights on a spring programme and use the next few months to get in shape. Having a target to aim for – particularly one in a sunny destination – will help you keep on track.
Based at the Daios Cove resort in Crete, the BXR team offers supercharged boxing sessions designed to improve mental and physical health. Start the day with yoga sessions, watching the sun rise over surrounding hills, and continue with blocks of high energy and resistance training in special BXR-designed indoor and outdoor gym areas.
And don’t worry about holiday FOMO – bike rides, hiking sessions and swims are factored into programmes, making the most of the location.
How: Two seven-day retreats will run back-to-back from May 8-21, costing from £3,600pp. Visit bxrlondon.com.
Best for budget burns
Shrewsbury, UK
Rather than invest large sums of money and huge amounts of time into a bootcamp, it’s possible to dip in and out of intensive sessions at one of Love2stay’s activity centres in Shrewsbury and Caersws, Mid-Wales.
Sessions – which range from £6 to £15 – include conditioning classes, kettle bell surge classes, interval training, yoga and an Army-style assault course. The Shrewsbury centre also has a natural biotop swimming pool for cold-water swims, promising to boost immune systems, improve mental health and reduce stress.
Stay in a choice of five-star glamping options, including safari-style lodges, hillside cabins and shepherd huts. All come with fully equipped kitchens and some even have rolltop baths, hot tubs and wood burners.
How: Stays from £125 per night for a safari lodge, based on up to 6 sharing. Visit love2stay.co.uk.
Best for big achievements
Catalonia, Spain
The idea of running a marathon might sound like madness, but it’s possible to achieve it with commitment and dedication. Getting fit is all about achieving goals – and there’s no greater target than a 42km race.
Learn how to cycle, run and swim in readiness for a marathon, triathlon or other important physical event at this small group camp in an off-grid country house now operating as a boutique sports hotel.
Set up by a husband-and-wife team, who between them are a qualified sports massage therapist and endurance athlete and a qualified triathlon and cycling coach, courses are carefully tailored to individual needs with a maximum of four guests assigned to one coach. Along with training exercises, expect swimming stroke analysis, running coaching and neuromuscular physiology analysis.
How: An 8-day trip costs from £1,011pp, including full-board accommodation, coaching, transfers from Girona. Visit responsibletravel.com.
