Metabolic health is crucial for overall wellbeing, impacting energy levels, hormone balance and disease prevention. Combe Grove’s transformative retreats combine science-backed strategies with natural healing practices to help individuals optimise their metabolic health, enhance vitality and achieve lasting wellness. Emma Clegg investigates.
Enfolded within 70 acres of wild woodland and meadows in Bath, Combe Grove offers a series of transformative metabolic health retreats that integrate science-backed strategies with natural healing practices.
For those seeking a holistic solution for specific concerns, such as prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes and menopause, as well as for those who would like to learn how to utilise metabolic health to significantly improve their physical and mental health, whatever their starting point, a visit to Combe Grove – currently the only medically measurable Metabolic Health Centre in the UK – is a game-changer.
So what’s the power of metabolic health; what does it mean? Well, it plays a central role in your overall wellbeing, affecting everything from energy production to hormone regulation. The team at Combe Grove, led by Dr Rebecca Hiscutt and Dr Campbell Murdoch, focuses on helping individuals navigate through various metabolic challenges, allowing them to find a regime to optimise their health, not as a quick fix, but as a sustainable way of life.
The goal of all the retreats, typically running over five or six days, is to jumpstart metabolic health, and they have been crafted with input from top medical and nutritional experts. Dr Campbell Murdoch, the consultant GP at Combe Grove explains, “When the body is metabolically healthy it is good at getting energy from food. It can also easily put any excess food into fat stores, and then release the stored fat when energy is needed. The body can do all this whilst staying in a healthy balance. In simple terms, good metabolic health means the engine for life is working well. The engine can work harder when needed and stay in good repair.”
The retreat programmes are all centred around the 5 Roots of Metabolic Health: nutrition, movement, sleep, mindset and environment. Using these five principles guests are supported in their search to regain balance and improve metabolic health, with each root addressing a key pillar of metabolic function. When harmonised, these roots work synergistically to create lasting change.
While some conditions may be reversible with good metabolic health, others can be slowed. Given that the approach is holistic, nutrition plays a crucial role because the body cannot function optimally on poor-quality fuel. The key message is simple: eat real food, rich in high-quality protein and balanced, healthy fats.
Root 1 – Nutrition: fuelling your metabolic engine
Nutrition is at the heart of metabolic health. The right foods fuel the body, regulate blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes. Nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The food ethos at Combe Grove emphasises low-carbohydrate, nutrient-dense meals with rich protein and healthy fats, choices that stabilise blood sugar levels and promote satiety.
For those with specific conditions, focusing on balanced meals that support hormonal and blood sugar regulation can alleviate symptoms and promote a steady energy level.
Root 2 – Movement: mobilising for optimal health
Physical activity isn’t just for weight loss. Regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammation, and prevents fat accumulation, particularly around the abdominal area. It also helps regulate blood pressure and supports heart health. Combe Grove’s metabolic health programmes integrate movement into a daily routine, offering activities such as yoga, swimming, tennis and guided nature walks. These enhance your physical fitness and help reduce stress levels, which are key contributors to metabolic imbalance.
Root 3 – Sleep: restoring balance through rest
Quality sleep is essential for metabolic health. A poor night’s rest doesn’t just leave you feeling tired – it can directly impact insulin sensitivity, leading to imbalances that may cause weight gain, fatigue and emotional instability. Lack of sleep also increases stress hormones, which in turn disrupt your metabolic processes. Retreats at Combe Grove foster an optimal sleep environment, free from technology and stimulating activities, and encourage ways of winding down and preparing for restful slumber.
Root 4 – Mindset: the mental tools for success
If your mindset isn’t aligned with your health goals, achieving lasting change can be challenging. A positive mindset can be supported through techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and goal setting. These practices help reduce stress, enhance emotional wellbeing, and make it easier to stick with healthier choices.
A shift in mindset is particularly impactful for people with Type 2 diabetes or menopause symptoms. By improving mental resilience, you not only boost motivation but also improve metabolic balance, which has a direct influence on long-term health outcomes.
Root 5 – Environment: the space for health to thrive
The environment, both physical and social, has a profound impact on metabolic health so it’s important to curate environmental factors to support relaxation, stress reduction and wellbeing. At Combe Grove this includes creating spaces for mindful eating, engaging in restorative activities and ensuring the surrounding areas of woodland and meadow encourage outdoor movement. Environment also refers to your work-life balance and social interactions. Somewhere that is balanced and low-stress can enhance your physical health and encourage positive behaviours that support metabolism.
The restorative retreats at Combe Grove are enhanced by the wholesome views over the expansive surrounding woodland. This natural philosophy is reflected in the interior, with natural floor coverings, preloved Ercol chairs, local Portland stone and tech-free spaces. Plus you will have a group of people going on the journey towards optimum health with you – this cannot be overemphasised, because dealing with individual health issues can feel isolating.
Accommodation is designed for convenience and comfort, with a natural and holistic approach to health and wellbeing. As well as the 70-acre grounds (including a kitchen garden that supplies produce to the kitchen), there is also a gym, spin studio, movement classes, swimming pools, saunas and tennis courts and treatments from homeopathy and reflexology to shiatsu and acupuncture.
Those unable to attend a residential retreat can take advantage of Combe Grove at Home, a 12-week online programme to reset your metabolic health. Metabolic Membership packages to the Combe Grove health club are also available for the local community where new members receive comprehensive health and fitness assessments and training plans. Finally a wide selection of treatments and therapies are designed for visitors to enhance your journey to wellness.
At Combe Grove, metabolic health is viewed as a dynamic and integrated system. By embracing it, you can make lasting changes that benefit your metabolic health and your overall quality of life. Whether you’re seeking relief from specific conditions or looking to reset your body for a healthier future, here are the resources to create a lasting impact.
Combe Grove, Brassknocker Hill, Bath BA2 7HS; combegrove.com
Typical profiles of retreat guests:
• People who would like to learn how to utilise Metabolic Health to improve their physical/mental health.
• Women navigating perimenopause and menopause.
• Individuals diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
• People who have had a significant life event or been under high levels of stress.
• Those who don’t accept that increased aches and pains, more medication and reduced health and fitness are inevitable with age.
• Those dealing with sleep, fatigue, weight gain or deteriorating health markers such as hypertension or high blood glucose levels.