Woman Visits Iconic German Wellness Retreat And Reveals 15 Things She Did There For Better Health

Wellness is not a new idea. The concept of maintaining one's health has been cherished through the centuries. Granted, each era brings its own new ideas on how to achieve that health, but it remains a focus of each generation. Before the current trends of intermittent fasting and facials, there was Franz Xaver Mayr. He was an early 20th-century Austrian physician who made the connection between health and the gut. He and his following even opened a clinic which focused on that, eventually expanding to a wellness and longevity retreat at his wellness resort, Lanserhof Sylt. Recently, a woman named Heidi Mitchell stayed at a German wellness retreat and shared her experience with The New York Post. If you want to learn how to achieve better health but don't have the budget to attend this retreat, here are 15 things she did there to help her achieve better health.

1. Escape Real World Pressures

This is the first step. If you want to heal, you have to let go of your deadlines and the stresses that come with your day-to-day life. Heidi mentions some of the things she left behind once she entered the retreat, including: "Relentless deadlines, continental moves, the news cycle."

2. Tune Senses Towards Your Body And The Environment

Additionally, Heidi mentioned how as soon as you walk into the German wellness retreat, things feel different. It is not the standard hotel check-in. She writes that there was "no check-in desk, no custom scent, no chipper guide to assuage your fears of eating only 750 calories per day." Instead, it was a calm environment that forced her to focus on her body and the environment around her.

3. Received Tests And Personal Diagnostics

As with any wellness retreat, the goal at Lanserhof Sylt is to help you achieve better health and longevity. To do that, they need to run some baseline tests and develop their own diagnostics and plan moving forward. For Heidi, this included "one-on-one consultations and daily interventions, calibrated to your [her] own genes, cells, and metabolism." Additionally, she also received a series of blood tests, body composition scans, and a fragility score assessment, as well as a meeting with the medical directors.

4. Physical Therapy And Massage

Who doesn't love a good massage, am I right? Physical therapy and massage both have incredible healing benefits, and both are offered at this German wellness retreat. While she admitted that the physical therapy was sometimes "hardcore," she also acknowledged the benefits that she reaped from it.

5. CellGym Sessions

If you're like me, you've probably never heard of this. According to their website, Cellgym is "an advanced system for Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Training (IHHT) which is based on over a decade of rigorous research and practical experience." You complete it by "alternating between periods of inhaling low-oxygen and high-oxygen air, IHHT initiates similar effects as traditional altitude training, utilizing our body's natural adaptability." Additionally, it offers numerous health benefits, including increased energy, improved circulation, enhanced cognitive focus, and a strengthened immune system.

6. Stints In A Cryo Chamber

Another way that Heidi achieved better health at Lanserhof Sylt was by braving the Cryo chamber five times. Mass General Brigham shares, "Cryotherapy is the practice of exposing your body to very cold temperatures, such as an ice bath, a cold shower, or a cryo-chamber (an enclosed device that exposes the body to extremely cold air cooled by Nitrogen)." So she went into that freezing, enclosed chamber five separate times to increase her odds of better health.

7. Met With A Dietitian

Then, she met with a dietitian who shared some interesting news with her. Not only was she not eating enough, but she wasn't eating consistently. Additionally, she wasn't chewing properly. She was instructed to chew each piece of food at least 30 times and refrain from talking while eating. She was also given the following advice: "No water for thirty minutes on either side of a meal. Nothing but tea after supper, which should end by 7:30 pm."

8. Started The Day With Epsom Salts

If you are thinking she started her day with a bath, think again. While that sounds lovely, Heidi started her day by drinking the Epsom salts. She writes, "To ensure my colon was cleared by week's end, every day began with a swig of Epsom salts."

9. Developed A Worry Window

This is something I feel like I could benefit from. As an anxious person, I am always worried about something. However, it detracts from the now. Having a set time to focus on these worries allows you to acknowledge them without letting them control you. Then, when that worry window has expired, you push them away; they no longer have power.

10. Worked On Sleep Retraining

Heidi claimed that she struggled with sleep. So much so that she had anxiety surrounding falling asleep. Given that good sleep is crucial to longevity and overall health, this issue needed to be addressed. She underwent a sleep retraining strategy that involved lying in bed and observing her breath for 30 minutes. Then, when she was finished, she was to get up and read in another room. The point was to leave her nerves "threadbare and her body tired."

11. Enjoyed Physical Activity

There were a plethora of physical activities at the German wellness retreat. After all, physical health and exercise are tied to longevity. Heidi mentioned running on a treadmill and frequent yoga sessions. 

12. Attended Lectures

In addition to strengthening your body, it is also imperative to improve your mind and knowledge base. After all, the more you know, the more you can do. Those who attend the retreat also sit in on lectures that educate them on health and its connection to the gut.

13. Enjoyed nature

When visiting Lanserhof Sylt, you won't spend your entire time indoors. Instead, you can enjoy bike rides, outdoor runs, or enjoy a good book and watch the sunset. Just getting outside and enjoying nature is key to improving your health.

14.  Made Deep Connections

Additionally, Heidi's journey to better health was not done alone. While at this German wellness retreat, she formed deep connections with fellow retreat members. She described all of her conversations as meaningful and claimed, "It was easy to forget that most of us had arrived here feeling broken."

15. Gained Confidence

By the end of her time at Lanserhof Sylt, not only had Heidi gained better health, but she had gained a new confidence in herself. She left with a trust in her body and the knowledge that she is beyond capable of doing hard things.