For many of you Chrissy is a household name, but for those who don't know meet our favourite pilates instructor, health guru, and all-round inspo Chrissy Sundt of Silver Linings Retreats.
Silver Linings Retreats have some amazing at-home offerings so you can enjoy a retreat experience from the safety and comfort of your own home. They have options for 1, 3, or 5 days so it's the perfect accompaniment to a cleanse!
Here Chrissy shares an honest look into how she’s coping (and occasionally even thriving) while living at home during the era of COVID-19 —all while sheltering at home.
1. How are you coping during this time?
I feel incredibly grateful to be at home in the countryside during these challenging times. Having my family and plenty of beautiful green spaces on our doorstep is a huge blessing.
Work has also helped me to stay focused. Early conversations with some of my colleagues in the wellness world showed me just how difficult things were for them (most instructors and wellness practitioners are self-employed). So we came up with the SLR@Home concept: ’a retreat you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home’. I brought together my favourite team of wellness experts to create a 3 and 5-day programme of movement classes, meditations, workshops and more. We all created these in our homes and to the best of our technical abilities to try to help people through these challenging times. I honestly think I would have stopped brushing my hair had it not been for the fact that I have had to appear on the videos or to teach live classes!
2. Have you got a daily routine and if so, what is it? Structure can be hard with our normal activities taken away from us!
Yes, I have definitely got into a pattern whilst in lockdown. I always workout in the morning but I vary my workouts so it might be Pilates one day and a Vinyasa class the next. The wonderful thing is that many of my favourite teachers around the world are suddenly live and online. I’m super efficient these days with my own workouts (due to lack of childcare!), so I find that 30-45 minutes is perfect for maintaining strength and stamina.
Then I often teach private clients via zoom or use the mid-morning time to prepare and film content for our SLR@Home programme and live session trailers. It’s been really fun getting creative.
In the afternoon I usually play with my daughter, try to keep the laundry under control and prepare food for the evening meal. I try to make time to do a short meditation. I really like ‘Insight Timer’ for short but really effective practices.
Evenings are quiet, we have caught up on some great films which I don’t normally get time to do and had some fun Zoom parties which is so perfect for staying in touch with family and friends.
3. How important is taking care of your health right now?
It is always important but I think this pandemic has really shown us how important it is to stay active in order to really take care of both our physical and mental health. Being in lockdown is a totally new experience for all of us and our new ‘normal’ takes some adjustment. I have found that making a daily breath or meditation practice as well as a workout part of my schedule is key. Part of the reason I created the SLR@Home retreat programme was to help existing and new clients reduce anxiety and stay strong and centered in these challenging times.
We also owe it to those on the front line to take care of our health so that we are less likely to put strain on their precious resources.
On a more positive note, I hope we all come out of this crisis re-evaluating the importance of our health and wellbeing. Wellness isn’t a ‘buzzword’ it is a fundamental.
4. Have you managed to stick to your typical diet or are you opting for more comfort foods?
Well the good news is that I have been doing a lot of home cooking which has been lovely, and my mother has been with us in lockdown so I have had a chance to learn a few of her signature dishes. I grew up fully vegetarian and only became pescatarian in my twenties. I find that in moments of stress, I revert to my ‘veggie roots’ and reach for the pasta and cheese perhaps a little too frequently. I have found doing a couple of one-day Radiance cleanses has really helped. I have even persuaded my partner to join me….he loves the nut milks!
5. What will you miss if anything when things go back to normal?
I am excited about getting back to being able to travel freely and to planning our retreats in the Bahamas and Menorca in 2021 but I have loved having so much quiet family time. Normally I am back and forth a lot between London and my home as well as travelling for the retreats. It has been really good to take a pause and re-evaluate how much travel is really necessary.
I am hoping that this new-found love of ‘at home’ training will continue as it’s a fantastic way for me to stay connected with our Silver Linings community and still maximise quality time with my family.
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