A NEW fitness retreat is set to create a refreshing and original approach to cleansing the body and mind through exercise, healthy eating and team work. 

Barrow-based personal trainer and body building competitor Rebecca Salisbury is already in huge demand for her all-female bootcamps and intensive training sessions and has now set up her first three-day fitness retreat in the Lake District. 

Mrs Salisbury, whose pioneering approach to fitness has taken the town by storm in recent months, offered 16 places at the luxurious Silverholme Manor, a five-star Georgian mansion on the banks of Windermere. 

The all-female retreat sold out as soon as details were released and Mrs Salisbury was inundated with so many applications she had to select the lucky 16 women from a hat. 

She said: "This retreat is one of my dreams, I've been thinking about it for a while now but I had such high standards in my head I didn't expect to find somewhere as perfect as Silverholme Manor. When I walked in there with my husband, I just knew it was the place to hold the first retreat." 

Mrs Salisbury had some very specific goals when it came to planning her retreat. Having travelled a lot she has taken inspiration from what she has seen grow in popularity over the past few years in bigger cities and abroad. 

She said: "I want the retreat to be a place where the girls can really get away from everything, whether it be careers, children or even husbands and just concentrate on just making themselves happy. 

"The retreat will combine healthy eating and lots of exercise with cooking lessons, outdoor activities and bonding sessions. 

"I have banned mobile phones for the duration of the retreat. Social media is a fantastic tool for marketing and networking but it can be toxic too in the way that it can make women feel self conscious or paranoid. I think it is very important that the girls have minimum screen time for the weekend. 

"I do have a chill night with a movie planned for the Friday so the girls can get to know each other but after that I want to encourage them to sit out by the lake with a good book or soak in the bath when they get any free time at the manor house." 

Not that the girls will get much down time at the retreat. Mrs Salisbury already has 5am bootcamp sessions planned, where she will put the group through their paces in some of her signature high intensity workouts. They will go on daily hikes and take part in canoeing and other water sports, so as to vary the types of exercise and show the women how keeping fit can be fun. 

Mrs Salisbury said: "When I was young I used to love doing YMCA courses and all sorts of outdoor pursuits. I have the best memories of coming home exhausted from a physical day and eating wholesome, home-cooked food with my mum. 

"That is similar to the dream I have for the retreat. Back to basics – healthy, substantial meals, hard but enjoyable exercise and a relaxed atmosphere. I want the girls to feel physically tired but mentally recharged at the end of the weekend." 

Mrs Salisbury hopes to run retreats every few months if the first one is a success and will continue to work with local ladies to give them a healthier, more positive outlook on life. She is currently working with girls on her eight-week 'Shredded for Summer' plan which includes three high intensity bootcamps each week, one to one goal-setting sessions and a recipe book she has put together herself. 

Mrs Salisbury got serious about fitness when she entered her first bikini fitness competition last year and she is in training for her next big contest. She will appear on stage in Whitehaven for a UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation heat on June 11 and is now well in to her training regime. 

She said: "I have been working hard with my trainer Kade Kendall, who has been fantastic, and I'm eating very lean meals at the moment. It's hard work but I like to challenge myself."