My big fit GREEK workout
Lucy Verasamy jets to beautiful Mykonos – and discovers that bootcamps don’t have to be all work and no play
FOUR or five times a week, my alarm goes off at 6am so that I can fit in a workout before I head to the ITV studios to present the lunchtime weather report. I discovered Paola Di Lanzo’s BodyBarre classes at her studio in SouthWest London by chance at the end of last year, and life hasn’t been the same since.
My friends think I’m nuts getting up so early out of choice. I even go to classes on my days off when I could have a lie-in, but after previously appearing on breakfast TV bulletins, I think I’ve now become accustomed to early starts.
Paola’s classes are low-impact but high-intensity: they are a mixture of ballet moves, dynamic Pilates and heart-racing cardio. There’s even a bit of boxing thrown in for good measure, while upbeat music blasts out of the speakers. I’m almost breathless explaining it.
Paola is testimony to her own unique training method – the motherof-three is in incredible shape. She has been featured in Vogue, on Gwyneth Paltrow’s website Goop, and has won an award from Tatler.
She counts celebrities such as Millie Mackintosh and Amber Le Bon as clients – not that you’d know from Paola herself. She’s downto-earth, personable and has a great energy – she’s friendly but also knows exactly what you need to put your body through its paces.
The smaller classes mean she remembers everyone’s name and corrects your form mid-move while working you to the core.
At the end of the harder classes, I’m usually in a crumpled heap on the floor – then I somehow agree that I’ll see her the next day.
When I found out that Paola was planning to hold an early summer fitness retreat in Mykonos, I signed up immediately. The Greek island is one of my favourite places – I went there for a short trip a couple of years ago and it wasn’t nearly enough time.
There are direct flights from the UK throughout the summer months, and our home for a week was a beautiful and spacious villa run as a retreat by a New York yoga expert called Danai.
Mykonos is charming but not in the typical way. Driving around the island’s winding roads, it’s unexpectedly barren, unkempt and earthy. Dotted around the landscape are perfectly square, bright white build- ings that look a lot like giant sugar cubes. However, there are some smarter, chic spots here and there.
OUR traditional Greek villa (actually it is three properties rolled into one) had more than enough room for the 16 people on the fitness programme. With pristine white walls and stone steps, the property had naturally cool en suite rooms, three pools, and a number of areas to have al fresco breakfasts, lunches and barbecues.
Every morning our schedule was made up of one of Paola’s energetic classes followed by an hour of slower-paced yin yoga with expert Natasha Kerry. The yoga was made even more zen-like thanks to the peaceful outdoor setting.
The 8.30am starts and the villa’s shady veranda meant we avoided wilting in the searing heat later in the day, but we also had spectacular views of the sparkling Aegean.
Straight after our morning sessions, we would have a massive group breakfast on one of the shaded terraces by the pool.
It was always healthy while hitting the spot – eggs, perfectly ripe tomatoes and feta, unlimited avocado and fresh fruit. It was the perfect time to catch up with everyone in one go and check out the plans for the day ahead.
It was all pretty relaxed – we could dip into the programme as much or as little as we wanted. There was also the chance to enjoy long lunches at a beach bar, flop out on an inflatable in one of the pools at our villa, or take a relaxed wander around Mykonos Town.
The old town is very tasteful, with clean white walls, colourful flowers, and bunting put up in hidden squares. The best part was getting
lost around the back streets. The restaurants, cafes and shops – from quirky stores to high-end designer boutiques – are all open until at least midnight. The streets were a great place to explore and stroll after dinner, or even take a little unplanned late-night shopping expedition for those essential sunglasses and bikinis.
During my time in Mykonos I tried some amazing seafood, from grilled octopus, tuna tartare and sea bass carpaccio to more traditional giant prawns and fresh fish fillets.
One afternoon we headed to a restaurant only reachable by walking along little wooden pathways by the water’s edge. Spilia is tucked into a cliff cave, and the sea urchins on the menu were collected and prepared by waiters in the rock pool next to our table.
THE restaurant at Nammos beach was another outstanding spot – even on a busy Saturday lunchtime the staff remained affable and unflustered. Service was swift and the food was so good that we couldn’t stop ordering.
To top it off, the setting was stunning: tropical gardens with shady parasols, and Frank Sinatra songs playing in the background.
Even though the tourist season was in full swing, the locals couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful, and it was easy to find lighter, fresh and organic menus so that we didn’t undo all our hard work.
The relaxed afternoons and evenings meant it felt more like a holiday rather than restrictive retreat. One minute we’d be stretched out, slathering on sun cream or snoozing on our loungers – the next Paola was taking an impromptu mini-workout on the beach (think tricep dips and sit-ups). We ended up caked in sand, but a quick dip in the crystal-clear sea soon fixed that problem. One evening, Natasha organised a sunset yoga session on a quieter beach in the north of the island. The place was deserted – or so we thought. Then one of our group spotted some nudists in the distance, and shortly afterwards a guy called Ricardo (thankfully with his shorts back on) came to join us. It turned out he was better at the downward dog than all of us. An island holiday wouldn’t be the same without a boat trip, and one day ten of us headed out on the water. The sea was a bit choppy at times, but at least trying to move around the deck while not spilling our drinks gave us the opportunity to test our balance and agility. After the retreat, one of the girls and I arranged to stay on an extra couple of nights in a small hotel next to the old town. We were really motivated to keep up with our active routine, so we ran through the pretty narrow streets in the early mornings. They were empty apart from a few restaurant owners readying themselves for the day ahead. Bemused locals smiled and waved, and there were a few encouraging shouts – and it was worth it to see some of the island’s ancient windmills in the distance at the quietest point of the day. We followed this with a few Paola-style mini-workouts at our hotel before breakfast. It was a perfectly balanced trip – by no means a strict, exhausting bootcamp with monitored food portions. Rather it was just regular, challenging exercise wrapped around guilt-free holiday time.
I returned home wanting to do it all again, and judging by our group chat on WhatsApp, which was still going strong a couple of weeks later, I wasn’t the only one. Needless to say I’ve already signed up to Paola’s retreat in Mykonos next year.