New year, new you? Kent wellbeing experts share the top things to do to thrive in 2025

As the new year begins, it’s the perfect time to focus on self-improvement and wellbeing. We’ve asked top wellbeing experts to share the one transformative change they’d make this January to better themselves. Ready to uncover your next game-changing habit? Let’s dive in.

The Spa at Green Farm, Shadoxhurst

Green Farm is a complete rural retreat, surrounded by 12,500 acres of ancient woodland and traditional pastures, this small boutique spa will have you relaxed and revived in no time. From outdoor hot tubs, saunas, and a wild swimming pond, it’s completely designed to take in nature’s sights and sounds. Experience one of their luxurious ESPA treatments from muscle-releasing deep tissue massages to brightening facial therapies and there’s an extensive beauty menu to choose from too. So whether you’re coming for a single treatment or the whole day, it can be tailored to meet your needs with the addition of a farm-produced lunch, yoga, meditation, and woodland walks.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: Green Farm recommended to cut down on processed foods and add plant-based ingredients to your meal. “It’s also very important to ensure you eat enough protein, which is hard to do with entirely plant-based meals, we work closely with Alice Yeates, who guides us to ensure all Green Farm meals are completely balanced and nutritious particularly for vegetarian and vegan diets.”

Naomi Buff, Nourish by Naomi, Tunbridge Wells

Queen of Cacao, Naomi Buff, is a holistic well-being expert working with women to overcome overwhelm, stress, and anxiety through holistic modalities to create life-long impactful, and powerful change. These holistic wellness modalities include; nutrition, mindset, eating psychology, life coaching alongside (what’s she most known for!) sound therapy, bionic breathwork, reiki, and cacao ceremonies. See the magic for yourself and work with Naomi 1-1 either in person or online or join one of her many events across Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Orpington, Tonbridge, and West Malling.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Set yourself a minimum daily standard for every healthy habit that you try to implement. For example, if you want to meditate or exercise daily then your minimum daily standard might be 2 minutes meditation and 10 minutes of exercise – the goal is to make the minimum daily standard so easy to implement so that even on the days when life feels like its against you and you don’t have any time and want to give up on yourself you won’t as you can fall back on your minimum daily standard. Also just start with one thing at a time and gradually build on it.”

Virginia Hills, Virginia Hills Nutrition

Registered Nutritional Therapist, Virginia Hills, is on a mission to support women to feel their best and boost energy levels – whilst balancing stress and hormones with a specialty in peri-menopause. She’s pretty qualified with a suitably long list of letters after her name – Virginia Hills DipION, mBANT, CNHC – to be precise! Keep an eye out via our Muddy channels for Virginia’s workshop hosted with Wasted Kitchen that will address your nutritional needs and the recipes you need in your life. 

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Getting out in the daylight for 15-20 mins before 10am each day is key to lifting your mood & helping you sleep, especially in winter: it sets your body clock each day, calming your circadian rhythm. Why not grab your woolly hat & jacket & sit outside enjoying your morning cuppa, take the dog for a walk or squeeze in a 15-minute workout outside to set you up for the day & help you sleep well in the evening.”

Lucy Parker, FLOW Yoga Studio, Tunbridge Wells

They’ve only won the title of Best Yoga Studio in Kent in the Muddy Awards not once but FOUR times, FLOW is a true hidden gem, run in the back garden of husband and wife founders, Lucy (well-established and much-loved yoga teacher) and Ben (osteopathic genius). FLOW is all the things we love on Muddy – a friendly and approachable boutique studio run by people who really care about you and your mental as well as physical health. They have a full and lively schedule of yoga and meditation classes to suit all levels from beginners to more advance practitioners from Flow, Hatha to Dynamic Vinyasa and even Mum & Baby Yoga classes.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: Lucy Parker, Senior Yoga Teacher, Counsellor & Coach says; “Get to know your internal family of parts and establish a self-led inner system that is harmonious, respectful and balanced.  We’re all made up of parts of ourselves, and how these parts interact, speak, and behave greatly impacts our inner as well as outer interactions. Working with an IFS therapist helps you befriend all your parts, enabling you to strengthen your qualities of self to better oversee and care for your parts with clarity, courage and compassion, leading to a happier and healthier you. If you want to learn more, read my blog ‘Discovering IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapy’.”

Victoria Pack, VWell Studio, Hythe

We’re fans of this new Pilates, fitness, yoga, and holistic hub that has newly opened in a quiet mews in Hythe. Whether you’re a pilates or yoga fanatic, looking for sports rehab, need specialised pre/post natal fitness conditioning, interested in meditation, sound baths, and other holistic therapies, there’s a huge range on offer to help you tone your body and sharpen your mind. Join their membership system allowing access to everything and the whole team of awesome instructors. We hear they’re running additional classes in January including New Moon Rituals, ChairFit, LunchCrunch and Halo™ – ever expanding! 

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “If you do ONE thing this year, it should be embracing the transformative Wim Hof Breathing Method. This scientifically-backed technique combines controlled breathing and cold exposure to boost energy, improve resilience, and enhance mental clarity, offering a new dimension to your wellbeing routine. It’s a straightforward yet life-changing practice to build stress resilience and take your health into your own hands—look out for Vwell’s upcoming workshop – just bring an open mind and breathe!”

Sarah Swainsbury, Celebrity Circuits, Ashford

Ready to wave goodbye to yo-yo dieting? Finally achieve your fat loss goals with the help of Sarah and Celebrity Circuits without having to give up the good things in life, yes it’s possible! They’ve helped hundreds of women achieve their weight loss goals, founder, Sarah Swainsbury and her dedicated team’s specialty is female fat loss and more specifically, helping women just like YOU get motivated, get results, and feel AMAZING.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Get hold of a walking pad in the January Sales. It’s an absolute game-changer for keeping those steps up when it’s freezing outside. Perfect for ticking off some movement while you’re working or just catching up on the telly – it makes staying active easy and actually enjoyable, even in winter.”

Anissa Germain, Bora Studio, Tunbridge Wells

Right in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, you’ll find this brilliant Pilates and Reformer Fitness Studio with a speciality in Osteopathy, the classes are kept small so you can enjoy individual attention. Owner and Studio Director, Anissa Germain, is not just a Reformer Pilates instructor but also an Osteopath. She’s able to adapt the sessions to assist many of her clients during rehabilitation of back and sports injuries, hip and knee replacements, and general well-being.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: Bora Studio Owner & Osteopath, Anissa Germain says; “Incorporate Reformer Pilates into your weekly routine—it’s a low-impact, high-results workout that strengthens your core, improves flexibility, and builds lean muscle, all while supporting joint and bone health. Just one session a week can dramatically enhance posture, reduce stress, and increase energy levels!”

Joanna Jones, Sheldon Spa, Faversham

Sheldon Spa is nestled in pretty Sheldwich, near Faversham and Ashford. Founder Joanna Jones and her team provide a complete luxury treatment and therapy spa experience. Everything is focused on your well-being, leaving you feeling restored, balanced, and healed. We hear they’ve just added a renowned Chef to their team so the kitchen is proving very popular serving nourishing and delicious food. Enjoy some well-deserved pampering with fabulous treatments and gorgeous food (don’t mind if I do!).

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: Spa Manager, Joanna Jones says; “Be kind to your body. It hears everything you say. Being unkind to your body in any given moment, won’t change your body. It will, however, change the way you feel about your body. Be kind, especially if it feels hard to be kind to yourself. It all starts with the words you speak over yourself. Choose them wisely, daily, repeatedly.”

Kat and Val, The Health Boost, Sevenoaks

The Health Boost is an excellent ‘one stop shop’ for all your wellbeing needs, based in Sevenoaks. Friends, Kat and Val set up The Health Boost to share their love of healthy food and exercise to support your midlife body through the menopause. They are a great source of information and advice and can help with natural diet and lifestyle changes. Kat is a nutritional therapist and specialises in female health and weight loss and Val is a personal trainer with a specific interest in strength training for women.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Our recommendation for the new year is consistency. Consistency outperforms any New Year resolution because real transformation happens from sustained effort not sporadic intention. For progress you need the discipline of small daily habits that build to strong foundations long after the excitement of January fades.”

Laura McCarthy, The Granary Spa, Ashford

Nestled in the Kent countryside, The Granary Spa offers a peaceful retreat with personalised holistic therapies and beauty treatments. Set in a converted Victorian granary, it’s the perfect place to relax, unwind, and feel rejuvenated. The spa’s extensive treatment menu includes everything from beauty essentials to holistic therapies, all provided with a deep sense of wellbeing in mind. And it’s no wonder The Granary Spa won Best Day Spa at the Muddy Stiletto Awards — the team here genuinely goes the extra mile.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: Spa Owner, Laura McCarthy says; “Take time to pause, rest and reset… Making one small change to your day to think about you and your wellbeing can make the biggest difference. Try this, if you like reading, take time to read a book or magazine of interest, enjoy some fresh air and go on a nature walk. Or why not take a warm bath with aromatherapy oils and candles, or even enjoy a catch up with a friend or loved one.”

Milena, Apotheca, Faversham

A stunningly Instagrammable and thoroughly useful apothecary that not only offers natural remedies and beauty products but is also a destination for yoga classes and therapeutic treatments. Apotheca is a centre for natural health, based in the heart of Faversham. Pop along to one of their yoga classes or if you just want to lie down and let the practitioners do the hard work, then you have a huge choice of options at your fingertips. Whether it’s Acupuncture, Floragy Facials, Gua Sha Facials, Facial Cupping, Chiropractic Treatments, Reiki, Nutritional Therapy, Reflexlogy, Shamanic Healing, or just a good old Deep Tissue Massage, you will be certain to leave feeling refreshed and a better version of you.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Cheap, readily available and completely underestimated, the power of Apple cider vinegar before meals, countless benefits from weight loss, better digestion to improving blood sugar levels!”

Charlotte Shaw, Top to Toe Fitness, Faversham

We think we may have found the perfect fitness solution here for you, find this amazing gym at everyone’s foodie favourite, Macknade. Launched in 2022 by Charlotte Shaw, Top to Toe Fitness offers group fitness sessions 7 days a week plus 6-week courses for those who want to learn to lift weights correctly and advanced courses for those who want to push themselves a little harder. You won’t find any boot camp-style shouting instructors here, it’s all about community as having a training buddy (or 2!) is a brilliant way to help you stay on track and keep motivated. Top To Toe’s community is full of people who love to train hard, but also have fun, encourage and support each other.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Rest and recovery is an important part of staying healthy, don’t feel guilty about resting! Train too much without resting and you could see your fitness progress grind to a halt or even go into reverse. Exercise releases stress hormones and, just as working long hours with no days off can negatively impact your health, too much exercise without enough rest can lead to burnout.”

Sarah Best, FindurFit, Tunbridge Wells

Sarah Best FindurFit fitness instructor lifting weights HIIT workout

Glide into midlife with FindurFit! Sarah Best is a REPS registered qualified Personal Trainer, HIIT, Spin, Box, TRX, and Barre Instructor and Fitness Instructor for Children and Crossfit Coach. So definitely an all-rounder and just the person, as the name suggests, to help you FindurFit when it comes to exercise. Join her community of like-minded people who are juggling work, family life, and trying to keep on top of their health and fitness. Enjoy her online fitness bites workouts, in-person classes in Brenchley, 1-1 personal training, or corporate online workouts. Sarah will help you feel confident, strong, and energised with fitness workouts that fit around your life.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Build strength – safely and steadily. For women, and particularly those in their midlife, this is vital. And a great way to do this is lifting weights which strengthens joints, prevents muscle loss and builds better bone health. Keep accountable by logging your workouts. Either print out a chart or tick it off in your diary. You can then look back over the month and see how consistent you have been.”

Kathryn Freeland, Stede Court Private Fitness Retreat, Biddenden

Stede Court is an exclusive luxury fitness & wellbeing retreat, set in seven acres of beautiful gardens and woodland, near picturesque Biddenden. Run by Kathryn Freeland, who has over 20 years experience training private clients and celebrities including Cate Blanchett and Claudia Winkleman – if it’s good enough for them! They offer residential and day bespoke private fitness and wellbeing retreats for small groups and 1 to 1 personal training. Combining varied exercise such as yoga, circuits, gut-friendly food, mindfulness, cold water swimming, saunas, and treatments such as massage and reflexology. Don’t you feel the stress melting away already?

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: “Be honest. Ask yourself… Do I really want to be having this conversation again with myself next year? What can I see myself sticking to in the long term? Do I enjoy that activity or way of eating & can I make time for it in my life? What reasons may I make for stopping? Is it what I want to achieve or is it social media guilt or a fad? A bespoke retreat can guide you so that you maintain your personal long term wellbeing.”

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