Why forensic fitness is the future
Nowadays, bespoke is the modern buzzword — we can personalise everything from our luggage to our lunches. So it was inevitable that a one-size-fits-all approach to fitness would eventually be sidelined in favour of something more precise: these days, hitting peak wellness means going right down to genetic level.
Creating a diet and training type based on your gene variants used to be the preserve of elite athletes, but the game-changing affordability of DNA testing means that “precision” or “personalised” fitness is going mainstream. According to research from digital health venture fund Rock Health, since 2011 more than $1.9 billion of capital (about £1.5 billion) has been raised to fund companies that use predictive analytics based on your genes.
And the phenomenon has already hit the capital: London’s top gyms, spas and restaurants are leading this trend for targeted, DNA-based advice.
The Retreat: Peak Health
Describing itself as “the next generation of wellness retreat”, a Core Peak Health holiday requires a bit more prep than just packing a suitcase. Three weeks before arriving at the hotel (the very luxe Capra in the Swiss Alps), guests provide a DNA and blood sample, which is sent off to genetic testing company WellCODE. “Precision medicine is huge right now and we wanted to apply that principle to wellness,” explains Andrea DeBellis, head of PeakHealth. “A genetic test like this enables us to create a really specific programme which actually works for you, whether it’s what time of the day you should be working out or whether your body can tolerate certain foods.” The Peak Health team uses the data to produce a 20-page report (bedtime reading?) to “create a totally immersive and precise 360-degree transformational experience”. Expect daily personal training sessions, spa treatments and probably not a lot of Toblerone.
From £3,585 per week (genetic testing extra), peakhealthretreat.com.