The Shandon Spa Experience

     The Shandon Experience

There I am above, acting all mysterious overlooking the Donegal fields 😂

The Shandon spa reopened its doors August last and I for one couldn't be happier! I Was lucky enough to spend this afternoon at the Shandon Spa with Ruairí. At first glance, the location and treatments are amazing at super inexpensive prices and located at the beautiful marble hill beach, a mere 35 minute drive from Letterkenny!

I'm a water baby, I love the beach and being anywhere close to the beach, the Shandon is the perfect chill out location!

After a lovely big smiley greeting and consultation, we were shown to our changing rooms where we changed into our fluffy robes ahead of jumping into the elevator and arriving on the treatment floor. We both decided to go for full body massages, today was a relaxation day, no heavy sports massages, just remedial sheer bliss.

I could literally feel my cellulite being slapped out of my system as soon as the massage began, haha what a feeling! ;)

The Spa uses Thalgo products, an exclusive range of skin care and body products, all seaweed based. 

I usually find it hard to "switch off" but not today, the massage was exactly what I needed.

My skin was silky smooth and my tired body rejuvenated in less than an hour! 

THE THERMAL SUITE

After our treatments, we lay in the relaxation room for a while before bouncing back into the elevator and going straight down to the thermal suite, the part I was most looking forward to. 

The Outdoor Canadian hot tub, vitality area, sauna, hydrotherapy pool and relaxing heated loungers all have amazing views of the beach area. 

The sauna was the perfect temperature, not as hot as many I've been in but just nice, with added healing aromatherapy. 

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• We waited for a few minutes until the outdoor tub was free and jumped into it, I was a bit curious as to how it would feel since it was cold and a little windy outside but trust me, once you have your bum sitting down, the outdoor air can't touch ya!
• This tub was soooo cosy and relaxing with amazing views of the waves crashing against the rocks in the distance.
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  Cold outside but warm inside here ;)
  

I then had the vitality hydro pool all to myself (below) I'm not a massive swimmer so this was nice just to float around for a while :)

3 hours later and we were getting hungry... once it's food time, nothing can stop us ;)

We went for showers and drove to the beach where we ate our wee lunchbox meals. 

(Turkey salads and extra berries for me, super exciting ;) ) 

Imagine my excitement when I noticed this wee coffee shop, the shack! How have I never seen this before?!

I asked for an Americano and Ruairí had a green tea which we took along for a wee stroll on the beach! 

The perfect ending to the day. 

We then had to go grocery shopping - not so perfect ;)

It's so important to take time out for your body AND mind. When I feel myself little anxious or stressed to a newer level, I prioritise my health and book time OUT. 

A quick 35 minute drive from Letterkenny to get away from it all is the perfect retreat. If you haven't tried the Shandon yet, please do!

Mention "Lisa Dee" when booking, for an additional discount!

Treatment menu is below, the Shandon also have a Facebook page 

The "Perfect Body" Trend.

I feel like I need to say something...

I am so damn sick of articles like the above showing up everywhere and it's just getting crazier! 

Thigh gap no more, it seems we've now moved on to the Thigh brow... Or do we want both? 

Where does this whole "perfect body" idea end?

Seriously, someone (famous) decided to name a crease on their leg as a "thigh brow" and it's the hottest new trend to hit the Internet.

Whaaaaaaaaat? 

How is it a trend?! 

You can't buy it?

How do you work it?

 What do we wear on it? 

That crease, everyone pretty much has it, especially when you have an ass and thick thighs.

All you do is lean forward as you sit down... It shows on everyone!

But it's now a body trend.

"What if you don't have a big ass, will your thigh brow not be as thick?"

These are serious questions people are asking!!!

One massive magazine has celebrated it as a "body positive movement now taking the internet by storm".

Honestly, I don't think there's anything positive about it at all.

I practice what I preach, I'm a firm believer in taking care of our bodies, exercising and eating well to make our bodies the best they can feel and look without actually changing our genetic makeup!

Things like this just freak me out a little.

Sit down, look at that line where your hip meets your leg and think for a minute... 

What on earth has society come to that THIS has made headlines?

THIS is what the next generation of girls are growing up with?!

We now have young girls obsessing over buying higher cut bottoms just to take a photo to post on Instagram and use the #THIGHBROW hashtag.

In reality, where else can they show their new thighbrow?

Sometimes, stupid shit like this makes me want to cry. Cry over this sort of crap that people get so bogged down on and then believing they are not amazing enough as they are.

Social media has a lot to answer for but so many are too bogged down in it and obsessed with it to see it!

As a health enthusiast and fitness professional, I see girls with the lowest of low self esteem issues and I do genuinely think silly articles like the above only heighten those issues.

I'm not naive, I do realise that celebrities and media have been around for years but you can't argue that right now, many (not all) celebrities are known for who they're in bed with, who lost the most weight and who has the hottest new lip colour.

30 years ago, young girls looked up to talent and heart.

No one can tell the difference anymore!

A herd of sheep following each other round in circles and nobody knows what the hell is going on.


What can you do to help? Notice the young girl next to you. Ask her who her idol is, then ask her WHY. If her answers makes you sad, that's when you know it's time for you to help show her the amazing world she's missing out on.

Gossip and social media sites should not be our "world".

I talk about this all the time,  but I sometimes I felt like a hypocrite.
In a social media world, me a personal trainer and health promoter who also does bikini competitions and fitness modelling, speaking out against the media and the idolised "PERFECT BODY" and how it really doesn't exist. Telling girls not to obsess and idolise those celeb bodies when there I go myself posting a photo of myself in a bikini. That's a strange inner struggle to have but I have it, I struggle in the hope i'm not making the issue worse. I want girls to feel GOOD not worse.
The difference is I've accepted my body as my body, I train and eat to nourish and fuel my body.
I enjoy sweating in the gym. The body confidence is a side effect. 

My career and my life is based around girls wanting to feel good in their own skin, it's only natural
that many dream of that so called perfect body too.
 I don't sell the perfect body, I bring out that wee confident sweaty fox inside each girls that trains and eats to fuel her body and her body confidence.

When I started working for myself in this industry, it was solely based around empowering other girls locally through health and fitness; "Come to my class, exercise with me, I'll talk to you about your eating habits and what will help you get healthier and lose excess weight (IF you need it) and I promise you'll start feeling better in your body".
That's it.
I never promised the perfect body or the perfect size. Why?  It. Does. Not. Exist.
YOUR perfect body exists though and that's when you start feeling good about yourself, your accomplishments and your daily effort towards better health.

You are more than a body trend.

I feel a little sad and happy at the same time as I finish this,
I've so much more to say!
For now,

Lisa Dee xxx

EMAIL ME lisadeefitness@gmail.com

MY FACEBOOK PAGE:        https://www.facebook.com/lisadeefitness