Jenni Gilbert Belgin Aksoy is from one of Turkey’s most prominent families and could spend her days and nights shopping, enjoying extravagant dinners at Istanbul’s five star restaurants or partying till sunrise at clubs overlooking the Bosphorus.
Instead, she gets up before dawn to work out and to oversee her family’s Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, the country’s first destination spa; a modern six-storey stucco resort on tranquil Lake Sapanca, about a 90-minute drive from Istanbul.
Belgin, a 40-year-old single mother of one who is dubbed “Miss Spa” by local media, has also been on a major mission for the past five years to promote wellness and fitness on a global level.
In 2012 she conceived inaugural Global Wellness Day, initially organised as a national scheme in Turkey. In 2015 GWD went truly global, launching at the Global Wellness Summit in Marrakech, Morocco.
And this year more than 100 countries and 4,000 locations will take part in the one-day event on June 10, according to Belgin.
“For us Turks, a vacation is more sea and sand, with lots of food possibilities and not moving at all,” she says. “A vacation for your body and your soul is not a widespread concept.”
Belgin’s interest in living well intensified after battling cancer and is trying to spread the word that spas are about more than weight loss or pampering. “
I had thyroid cancer [nearly 15 years ago] around the time my son was born,” she says.
“I was breastfeeding him and had to stop when I had the operation. Since then, I’ve prioritised my health and wellness and put all the other thing – like work – into perspective.
“Instead of feeling sorry for myself, and saying,`I have no thyroid. My medication will give me cellulite and I’m going to gain tons of weight’, I started taking baby steps to exercise more and avoid sugar.
“I got hooked on being fit. Now, I get up at 5.30am every day to work out. My friends say: `Are you crazy? Why are you doing it? ‘And I say: `I’m doing it for me. Only for me. By the time I wake up my son, I’m full of endorphins. I feel great, and I’m ready for the new day’.
“I’ve always been interested in anything having to do with healthy living, especially after my illness,
“Turning illness into wellness should be our mission. If we can change one bad habit – if someone drinks more water, stops drinking soda, takes a 15-20 minute walk every day, we’ve fulfilled our mission.”
Richmond Nua reflects Belgin’s travels to the world’s top spas – from Canyon Ranch and Miraval in the US to Thailand’s Chiva-Som and COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali – and incorporates therapies from around the world.
Her Global Wellness Day initiative is a non-profit social movement to raise awareness of living well. It is free and open to the public.
“The fundamental purpose of the day is the to make us aware of the value of our lives, even if it’s just for one day of the year, to make us stop and think, to get away from the stress of daily living and our bad habits, and thereby find peace with ourselves,” says Belgin.
“Thanks to our ambassadors and supporters, we have taken an important step towards transforming Global Wellness Day into a movement which transcends all borders.
“Our bodies are such treasures that are given to us. After my illness, I felt I had to make changes in myself. I’m still learning every day.”
Global Wellness Day has a 7 Step Manifesto for an increased awareness of living well – deceptively simple but immensely powerful. Share it with your clients:
- Walk one hour as often as possible
- Drink more water
- Don’t use plastic bottles
- Eat organic, locally sourced produce
- Do a good deed
- Eat a family dinner – if you don’t have a family, “make” one with friends who meet regularly for dinner
- Go to bed at 10pm
GWD was set up to highlight the importance of wellness to a wider audience, with the motto: ONE DAY CAN CHANGE YOUR WHOLE LIFE.
During the global awareness day of June 10, complimentary wellness activities ranging from Zumba, yoga and Pilates to ballet and hiking, will be organised on a huge scale across the globe.
The physical activities are supported by workshops related to wellness, covering topics such as nutrition, happiness and mindfulness.
“We are thrilled that Global Wellness Day is garnering such support worldwide,” says Belgin.
“Our ambassadors have done such an amazing job we are able to expand our focus to include the goals of spreading a message of happiness, kindness, gratitude and mindfulness.
“We are also seeing an emphasis on the happiness and health of children, which continues to give me hope for the future.”
Those taking part in this year’s event include hotel and resort group Mandarin Oriental, which is planning to organise Digital Wellness events worldwide, encouraging people to put down their phones for a period of time and focus on their personal wellbeing.
Guests at Mandarin’s Oriental hotels will be prompted to disengage from and re-evaluate their relationship with technology by taking part in activity sessions, such as Tai Chi lessons.
“We love celebrating a day dedicated to personal wellness. It is a great reminder to slow down and prioritise our own wellbeing,” said Jeremy McCarthy, group director of Spa and Wellness, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
“Tai Chi is a wonderful activity to offset the adverse effects of technology. Slow, intentional movement brings us into the present moment and reconnects the mind and the body.”
For you as a salon, spa or clinic owner/manager or team member, Global Wellness Day is an opportunity to create initiatives to engage your clients for that one day, or the whole month of June, to not only generate more business but greater awareness that one day can indeed change your whole life.
