'I went on a week-long fitness break on a remote Italian island'
Images of the exclusive Forte San Giorgio hilltop hideaway on the Tuscan island Capraia looked pure James Bond; and the lure from Wildfitness was strong.
It seemed to cover all possibilities. CEO Hannah Beadle promises, 'If you’re keen to get moving again but don’t know how, or think you’re too unfit, time poor, out of practice, achy, old, or plain stuck, this team will, without doubt, show you how to find your flow and feel yourself again.' It was the last phrase, of feeling myself again, that most appealed.
Early mornings
It’s 6.45am and I’m watching my husband, with a casual flick of the wrist, send a frisbee the full diagonal length across the vast heliport. ‘Whaaaaaat!’ staggers one of the coaches, who little suspected this was coming. ‘Whoo-hoo!’ shouts the other. ‘John’s on my team!’
We’re the newbies, having joined a group of three experienced coaches and five repeat guests, who between them have completed 27 Wildfitness retreats. That’s quite a vote of confidence and is reassuring us, even if learning the ropes feels rather daunting. Right now, there are ten people aged between 30 and 60 buzzing like mosquitoes all over the heli-cum-frisbee pitch. And the sun is not yet over the turrets.
How it started
Wildfitness began in 2001, when founder Tara Wood, returned to her African roots on the Kenyan coast, with a science degree from Oxford University in hand. Having grown up in nature, she knew that modern lifestyles were causing problems; from stress and malaise to chronic injuries. She decided to set up her own ‘jungle gym’, inspired by the rejuvenating effects she witnessed by those around her, who immersed themselves in Kenyan wilderness: hence the name Wildfitness. Her vision? To help anyone rediscover the joy and transformative power of their own natural potential.
Joining the tribe
While our initial enticement was the dreamy location – envisaging stargazing and whale spotting from the turrets of Forte San Giorgio – it’s turning out to be the most full-on week of movement and exercise since school (although I don’t think I did this much exercise even then). Each day starts with a 6.45am team sport warm-up, then learning to box, monkey-style rope hanging (harder than it sounds), swimming laps, and a lot of bonding ball games. Everybody must join in, physical health permitting, and anyone standing on the sidelines is clocked immediately and encouraged to engage and participate with ‘the tribe’.
I’m clearly more of an observer in the first instance, and worry that I don’t know all the rules. My husband John is much more gung-ho and throws himself into all the group games, sneaking in new rules and bending others mischievously, which earns him the tribe name ‘charming rogue’. By the end of the week, everyone has been given a tribe name.
The three Pillars of Wildfitness
The Wildfitness philosophy centres around three core pillars. Put simply: Sleep; Eat; Move. It is the practice of listening to your body and mind and responding to your instinctual needs to relax deeply; enjoy sustenance from unprocessed food; and move naturally. A straight forward philosophy that has the power and potential to change lives.
Pillar One: Sleep
Over the week, Hannah, both hands-on head coach and CEO of Wildfitness, discusses the skills and knowledge needed to respect the body’s natural rhythms and how to recognise stressors. Quality rest and restorative recuperation are essential for rejuvenation and balance.
Pillar Two: You are what you eat
Hannah says that modern lifestyle has complicated our relationship with food, so understanding the simplicity of healthy eating is key. Most importantly, she wants everyone to return home feeling empowered with the habits to continue a life of eating well and living healthily.
Not on the menu is: sugar, coffee, carbs (at most meals), and alcohol. That said, no one is ever left hungry. Ever. Francoise, the resident French chef piles platters high with delicious seasonal Tuscan fare. On arrival, slivers of Parma ham and a jug of chilled melon juice were a good portent of what was to come. And throughout the week, ambrosial food supplies additional impetus and fuel for long days jumping around the helipad and castle lawns.
Daily breakfast, post the frisbee, rounders or basketball matches, is smorgasbord of egg dishes, pineapple, hams, salmon, cheeses, yoghurt, nuts, and dried fruits. There’s no coffee, but a wooden canteen of a dozen flavours of herbal tea seems to keep everyone satisfied. If you’re desperate for your caffeine hit, wishes will be met – but only with the best quality money can buy. Quality counts in everything Wildfitness address, especially food, ‘eating badly never makes you feel well; but eating well always makes you feel good.’
Pillar Three: Moving
Coach Chris never stops moving. He has a sort of balletic ease that makes you immediately assess and correct your own posture. One afternoon he has us all squirming joyfully around the floor. Another day, we’re seeing how many different types of sitting positions we can form. Learning how to feel graceful in movement helps develop a lean, strong, and injury-free body, teaches Chris. It is also boosting our mental agility as we learn to use our surroundings as our gym.
Final thoughts
By the end of the week, I realised I’d moved, eaten, and laughed more than I had done in ages. Time will tell how well I manage to encompass breaks from my smartphone, or how I succeed at trying a new thing each week. The main plan though, is to implement all that learning into daily life back home, and to just live that little bit wilder.
A week with Wildfitness at Forte San Giorgio on Capraia is the perfect combo of pure luxury and total reset. Lessons learned included valuable insights about myself, uncovering strengths and abilities I didn’t know I had (like a good cross reach in boxing), and both uncovering and overcoming some mental obstacles. While I am already very grounded with nature in my daily life, I found reconnecting with team-sports was a real joy. I’ve already joined the local Padel club, as living more actively is a challenge we could all embrace.
Go there!
Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,674pp, including activities and transfers at Forte San Giorgio. Book through Wildfitness, next dates 17 and 24 May, 2025. To reach Capraia, fly to Pisa or Florence, then take the ferry from Livorno.
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