The healthy lifestyle has already started turning into a dominant pattern for the modern human being. At the helm of this ship is fitness, an integral part of paying tribute to our physical and spiritual selves. In 2016, in the US alone, 20.9% of the population engaged in sports/exercise on a daily basis! That’s a whole lot of people leading healthy lifestyles.

Even the most active of people, however, consider vacation “break time”; or at least they used to. The trend of an active vacation is growing and an increasing number of destinations now feature fitness as a concept. In this entry, we will feature top fitness travel destinations.

Koh Samui, Thailand

Fitness means more than good looks – it stretches across the psychological, the physical and the social aspects of our culture. The Absolute Sanctuary Fitness offers balance between the three, featuring programs that will help you improve your fitness levels, while providing mind clarity.

The goals are set in accordance with your fitness aims and your fitness assessment. The activities that are included are everything from weight training and cardio exercises, to beach boot camp, Pilates and even Muay Thai kick boxing lessons. These sessions are balanced with yoga classes that feature Hot flow and Yin yoga, as well as the Ashtanga.

Towards the end of the day, you can relax with a back, neck, shoulder or a Thai massage.

Monchique, Portugal

Even though a growing number of people are looking to get into fitness as a road towards a better lifestyle, many of us are approaching this with weight loss in mind. The Longevity wellness retreat, located in the mountains of Monchique in Portugal, is an excellent way to lose weight on your vacation.

The experts here will start you off with an extremely personalized program that targets everything from weight loss to other physical, emotional and mental imbalances. The feature program focuses on teaching the participants how one’s attitude and emotional state can influence the weight loss success – something not enough people pay attention to.

This program features a variety of activities, ranging from Pilates and yoga to hiking. After you’ve completed the Longevity wellness program, you’ll feel relaxed and energized, in addition to a couple of pounds lighter.

El Albir Beach, Spain

In the neighboring Spain, near the gorgeous El Albir beach lies the world’s leading medical spa, the SHA Wellness Clinic. The entire concept, when it comes to food, is based on an ancient macrobiotic diet that roots back to the era of Hippocrates, when it was widely believed that a simple and balanced diet is the road towards a long and healthy life.

Although it revolves around the concept of a balanced diet, the SHA Wellness Clinic includes a weekly activity and exercise schedule that features hiking and yoga.

Melbourne, Australia

The Restart Health Escapes organizes both individual and corporate retreats that feature full room and board, healthy fresh meals, a thorough health and fitness assessment, beachside yoga, but also everything ranging from language lessons and spa treatments to cooking classes and personal lifestyle counseling. To top it off, activities such as kayaking through caves and Muay Thai kick boxing lessons are included, so you better come prepared with quality and durable gym equipment in order to feel as comfortable as possible.

Crete, Greece

Food and physical activity are pillars of physical health and the Wild fitness Food+Fit retreat brings the two together in the best possible way. The 10-day “vacation” includes outdoor movement activities that range from running to jumping and climbing, followed by food workshops that go into detail as to where a particular food is grown, how to prepare it properly and what effect it has on our bodies.

The retreat is located at Milia, a village that features refurbished farm buildings, set in the White Mountains National Park. Health, inspiration and breathtaking sights are to be expected here.

These five locations feature excellent health and fitness programs that will help you stay or even get fit on your vacation. The road towards spiritual peace is paved with fitness, healthy eating habits and a good mental balance.