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Unlock your best self in 2025: Wellness tips from expert Carlie Barlow
4th December 2024
As 2025 approaches, it’s only natural to reflect on the past year and consider how to step into the next one feeling refreshed and ready. Whether you’re setting New Year’s resolutions or simply looking for ways to boost your wellbeing, now is the perfect time to embrace these positive changes.
To help you get started, we’ve teamed up with Carlie Barlow, Warner Hotels’ wellness partner and the mastermind behind our transformative retreats and wellness weekend breaks. Here, Carlie shares her top tips for staying well this winter and building a strong foundation for the year ahead.
Q1: Where does your passion for wellness come from?
I have been moving my body and training my mind for over 30 years and have dedicated the last 20 years of my career to specialise in wellbeing because I believe that everyone deserves to live a healthy and fulfilling life. My own journey has taught me the profound impact that wellness practices like meditation, yoga, and breathwork can have on your overall quality of life, and I'm committed to sharing experiences to help others feel the same.
I'm inspired to help people unlock their full potential through practical strategies to help cultivate resilience, reduce stress, and enhance their overall well-being.
I believe that a holistic approach to wellness is essential. By nurturing our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health we can create a more balanced and harmonious life."
Q2: Can you share a wellness practice that can easily be incorporated into everyday life?
The reality is that over 90% of us are using less than 50% of our breathing capacity. We inhale short, shallow breaths and sit and stand with our back hunched and shoulders rounded, meaning we’re not using the whole of our lung capacity. There are so many benefits to practicing breathwork, including being more present, feeling more focused, reducing pain and improving energy and a sense of relaxation.”
5-minute easy breathwork practice
Try this simple yet effective calming breathwork practice for yourself, called ‘counting breath’:
- Sit upright in a comfortable position and soften your gaze
- Breathe in through your nose for one, pause, and then out through your nose for one count
- Repeat, this time breathing in and out for two counts
- Repeat, this time breathing in and out for three counts
- Continue breathing in and out, deepening your breath until you reach your maximum count capacity
How do you feel? You can regularly practice this technique to calm both the body and mind by bringing the nervous system back into a state of peace.
Q3: What are your top three tips for starting the new year feeling your best self?
How to successfully keep your New Year Resolutions this year
1) Set intentions
Intentions are broader and less restrictive than resolutions. An intention may sound like ‘I intend to prioritise my mental health this year’. Based on this intention, a resolution may sound like ‘I will meditate for five minutes a day.’
By consciously setting an intention, you are creating accountability, taking control and being proactive. You are actively living your life with purpose.
2) Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude can be simply taking that time to reflect on all we are grateful for. Making a conscious effort to appreciate what makes us feel good is strongly associated with a greater sense of happiness and well-being. When you start to write them down, this trains the brain to focus on the positive things in your life, helps lower stress levels and provides a better quality of sleep.
Keep a notebook in an easy to reach place and take a few minutes each day to write what you are truly grateful for.
3) Prioritise sleep and rest
The National Sleep Foundation states that 7-9 hours of sleep a night is recommended for adults, however, having enough sleep is as individual as your fingerprint. What is important is that you wake up feeling rested and ready for the day ahead.
There are a number of things you can try to help improve your sleep. These include, consistent evening routines and waking times, regular exercise, holistic therapies such as massage or acupuncture, meditation, breathwork practice, and herbal teas.
Q4: What is your favourite wellness ritual and why?
Morning wellness rituals:
- Wake up before anyone else to meditate and set your intentions for the day
- Plan meals and exercise for the day (and stick to it!)
- Make a fresh green juice with extra ginger!
Evening wellness rituals:
- Complete a job list for the next day
- Enjoy a bedtime wind down drink that includes magnesium
- Practice breathwork to feel calm and relaxed
Q5: What can guests expect from Warner Hotels' wellness retreat and weekend breaks in 2025?
Top 5 reasons to book a wellness retreat or wellness weekend in 2025
- You'll reconnect with yourself – by stepping away from your day-to-day, you can gain clarity on the areas of your life and self-care rituals you want to prioritise.
- You’ll learn new skills and practices – with many expert-led classes on offer involving movement and stillness, you'll have the opportunity to learn something new.
- You’ll meet like-minded people – so many of our guests have made lifelong friends at our wellness retreats and weekends. The supportive community helps you gain motivation, inspiration and feel encouraged.
- You’ll see long-lasting health benefits – breathwork, yoga and meditation practices are all designed to help you de-stress and relax.
- You’ll return home feeling rested, restored and renewed - what you should expect from this experience is a calm mind, a full stomach, and a happy heart! We aim for you to leave feeling refreshed and ready to incorporate new self-care skills in your life that will last a lifetime.
Join Carlie for a restorative wellness retreat or restful wellness weekend
As you step into 2025, remember that small, intentional changes can lead to a life of balance, health, and happiness. Our six new wellness retreats and weekends provide you with the tools you’ll need to initiate small changes to daily routines that make a huge difference to the way you feel. You’ll gain a better understanding of wellness and indulge in a weekend of self-care. Wellness workshops, classes and activities are on the agenda, and will guarantee you leave feeling rested, restored and renewed.
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