RFH's Fitness is a boot camp with a difference

Nov 12 2010 By Jane Tyler

Fitness and holiday are two terms that don’t have to be mutually exclusive, writes Jane Tyler.

When I was offered the chance to go on a boot camp holiday my first reaction was no thanks, absolutely not, holidays are for chilling and relaxing, not trekking for miles across an isolated moor, being freezing cold and so hungry you would eat your own foot.

And that is the traditional view of boot camps: run by ex-Army types who revel in inflicting pain and misery on us plump and pampered city girls.

No, I was assured, this will be in Spain’s Andalucian mountains in a luxury hotel. And it’s not a boot camp – it’s a “healthy and active holiday”.

Suddenly I was interested.

RFH’s Fitness Boot Camp is about as far removed from pain, misery and deprivation as you can get.

Yes, it’s run by a former soldier. But Mel Richards is nothing like those terrifying drill sergeant types you see barking orders at the poor saps on the parade ground.

Active holidays are growing in popularity with women (and men) who see them as a great way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle.

RFH Fitness’s base is at the four-star Finca Eslava hotel just outside the beautiful town of Antequera, 50 minutes away from Malaga airport which has plenty of flights from Birmingham.

The hotel was lovely with gorgeous gardens, an outdoor pool, comfortable rooms and all just a (healthy) 20-minute walk from the town.

It was chosen because it is next door to the town’s leisure centre which is equipped with a 25-metre indoor pool, sauna, jacuzzi, weights room, a room used for pilates and circuits, spinning studio and fully equipped gym.

Once you’ve booked you will be sent a pre-holiday questionnaire detailing your lifestyle, food diary and fitness levels, as well as what you want to get out of the trip.

The first morning of my stay was spent having tests to assess how fit I was. This involved running on the treadmill, seeing how many press-ups I could do (not many), testing my core strength by timing how long I could hold “the plank” abdominal position.

I was bent, stretched, squeezed and measured to see how flexible I was (not very), then weighed and had my body fat, water and muscle analysed.

Although overweight with a too-high BMI, I was found to have a higher than average muscle content because of all the exercise I do, which is good. The body fat I had around my vital organs was also at an acceptable level, although I was advised to try and lower it.

Once equipped with this, Mel and his team of fitness instructors set to work putting me and my fellow boot campers through our paces.