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Healthy Adventures

Pick the perfect style and location for your next break and you’ll be happier, healthier and refreshed to the core. Here are ideas for active time-outs that’ll tempt you from your comfort zone – in all the best ways possible

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1. Get fit the fun way
An active holiday doesn't have to involve a personal trainer with a whistle and pre-dawn wake-up calls. Who said, for instance, that cycling through vineyards and visiting cellar doors was all hard work? There are many ways to exercise your body while giving yourself a break. Like trekking in the Himalayas, following in the footsteps of the great mountaineers to base camp at Mount Everest. (No need to push on – we get the idea that you're up for a challenge!) But if you're more of a hot-weather person who prefers to use oxygen tanks for diving rather than for climbing, consider a diving holiday off the coast of Australia – or across the Indian Ocean in the Maldives. If you fancy yourself as a Layne Beachley or a Kelly Slater, go on a surfing safari up the coast or head for the South Pacific, where you can beach-hop in the morning and lie in a hammock in the afternoon. If you have a particular passion or long-held wish, now is the time to realise it!
TIP: If you're planning to launch into an adventure holiday, prepare your body so you can make the most of your time, says Shiike Vanderwerff, a Gold Coast-based personal trainer. "Improve your health with cardiovascular training, such as jogging, so that you are fit enough to enjoy the break. Get used to being active every day. And make sure you increase joint stability and balance to prevent an injury." If you're a relatively inactive person, you'll need about 12 weeks to prepare.Wear in equipment such as hiking boots before you go, to avoid blisters.

2. Stretch your legs
If you prefer your getaways at a calm but vigorous pace, a walking holiday may be the way to go. A journey through the Northern Territory, central Australia or across the rugged Flinders Ranges is a great way to enjoy the wonderful variety of scenery unique to Australia, all the while getting fit and healthy along the way. The Heysen Trail is a long-distance walking route stretching over 1200km through South Australia, and is a showcase of the country's history and scenery. Scattered through landscapes marked with settler ruins, Aboriginal rock carvings and cave paintings are deep gorges of red quartzite, towering bluffs and secluded springs and rock pools to provide respite from the day's rambling. The trail also provides good opportunities to see wildlife such as red kangaroos and emus in their natural state. For those wanting more challenge, switch to a mountain bike. The Bicentennial National Trail stretches 5330km through the bush, wilderness and mountain areas along the east coast of Australia from Cooktown in tropical North Queensland to Healesville, Victoria.
TIP: Consider investing in a folding bike, which is easy to store and transport. These travel bikes will fit in a suitcase, and can be taken on a train, for example.

3. Shape up
Health retreats and spas are a great place to kick-start a weight-loss programme, commit to a fitness regime or overcome a recent illness or stressful setback. At Currumbin Valley's Camp Eden, for example, the guests' day begins with a 6am wake-up call for qi gong exercises, followed by a lung-opening bushwalk. This leads into a variety of options for shedding kilos and building muscle tone, including mountain bike riding, abseiling, water games and kayaking. Personal trainers, naturopaths and massage therapists are on hand to help finetune your regime and resolve. A range of spas across Australia cater for various tastes and budgets. The Gaia Retreat and Spa, just outside Byron Bay, is more relaxing than punitive and offers wine with meals for those who don't want to risk rocking the boat on the fitness front. Daylesford's Hepburn Spa near Melbourne offers hydrotherapies using the region's spring waters. Try: Camp Eden (www.campeden.com.au), The Golden Door (www.goldendoor.com.au), Hippocrates (www.hippocrates.com.au) or Hopewood (www.hopewood.com.au).
TIP: "A week before your retreat, steadily come off coffee, tea and alcohol," advises Melbourne naturopath Jill Thomas. That way you won't spend your time away nursing withdrawal headaches.