A GROUP of Furness women have immersed themselves in a retreat that is rejuvenating for both body and soul on the banks of Windermere.

"I wanted my girls to return from a three-day retreat physically exhausted and mentally refreshed," said Barrow-based fitness guru and motivator Rebecca Salisbury. Mrs Salisbury organised the three-day intensive bootcamp/retreat hybrid for 16 of her devoted clients during the third weekend in September.

Energetic and kind Mrs Salisbury, who is a former bikini fitness competitor has seen her all-female bootcamp and personal training business go for strength to strength over the past 12 months. However, she now wants to go the extra mile for her girls and help them achieve a healthy state of mindfulness as well as a toned body.

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Her retreat was held at the stunning Silverholme Manor which looks over the tranquil waters of Windermere.

One of the most important features of the camp was a ban on all mobile phones and social media. Mrs Salisbury said: "I thought there would be more resistance about the loss of phones but the girls seemed to love that part of the experience, the phones could have gone in to the lake for all they cared, it was a welcome break.

"On the first night of the retreat I asked all of the girls to begin filling in a journal each, to record what they each feel grateful for.

"By the end of the weekend I was overwhelmed to hear the entries from my girls, which ranged from feeling grateful for their families at home, to the simple joys of waking up in the countryside and hearing the birds singing outside.

"There were actually four women who completely dissolved into tears because they were overcome with emotion.

"I feel like I really achieved something with the girls because my aim was to encourage them to leave behind any worries about the past and dispel any paranoia about how they are being judged. I wanted them to concentrate on themselves and their future. Showing compassion for others and to themselves."

Mrs Salisbury runs weekly bootcamp sessions in Barrow as part of her business Transfigure Fitness, as well as one-to-one personal training. She employs the use of high intensity interval training in many of her workouts.

Her bootcamps, which began with her Little Black Dress Challenge in autumn 2015, sell out within minutes of going on sale. Mrs Salisbury used HIIT training at Silverholme to coincide with the sunrise as she wanted the girls to start their day early and wake up in tune with the day ahead.

However, it wasn't just circuit and resistance training that Mrs Salisbury used for this particular retreat. She said: "The point of this weekend was to get the girls out doing activities that are good for staying in shape but what they may never have thought to try before.

"The Transfigure girls teamed up with YMCA instructors to do things like raft building and orienteering but I also incorporated activities that the girls could do for free themselves at weekends. I was really surprised to find out that some of the girls had never been for a walk up High Dam, which is a favourite for me and my husband.

"I also just picked up a rounders bat and ball for them and they played for hours, working up a sweat and having fun together."

It is the element of fun that Mrs Salisbury credits with the huge success of her business, she said: "I think what I offer to the girls is a new set of friendships and a sense of community as well as an effective way of getting in to shape.

"All the girls bring a friend to bootcamp or meet friends there and we had that feeling again with the retreat,

"There were younger women and older women from completely different circles, who probably would never have spent a weekend away together under normal circumstances, but got on really well and were changed by what they have learned at Silverholme."

Mrs Salisbury incorporated exercises for mindfulness and mental wellbeing in to her action packed days including a body scan technique, which is an introduction to meditation. She hopes to run more retreats in the future and is currently in the process of introducing her fast-selling bootcamps to the Ulverston area. For proactive and ambitious Mrs Salisbury, the sky is the limit.