When it comes to the war on sugar, Sarah Wilson is leading the charge. The best selling author, journalist, writer, healthy eating advocate and bike enthusiast has captivated a global audience with a clear message: Quitting sugar dramatically improved her health and it could spark the same shift for others. Life is sweeter without the white stuff.
Skye Gilkeson
Westin Hotels Well Being Breakfast. Image © Skye Gilkeson
So far, about 500,000 people across 43 countries have taken up Wilson’s I Quit Sugar program globally and more than 800,000 visit one of her social media sites, daily.
The reason for her reach is not just the success of the program, but the fact that Sarah is teaching and living the anti-sugar approach, personally. It’s not a campaign, but a lifestyle change. That makes the message real and it resonates with people. I admire that about Sarah.
Of course, when you’re inspiring people around the world, travel will be on the cards. In fact, Sarah spends upwards of 3 months a year on the road. So it makes sense that the wellness guru has been named Asia Pacific Westin Well-Being Brand Advocate.
I was invited to a well being breakfast where Wilson spoke about the new role and gave us her insider tips on how to eat, move and rest well while travelling. As the creator of The Fit Traveller, I obviously jumped at the chance to hear what she had to say. Also, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and a healthy spread will win me over every time.
A table rich with colourful fresh fruits and vegetables where green juices were waiting, welcomed us at the Westin Sydney. I made my way to a table, ready to hear the presentation and check out the menu. Sure, I tucked into the poached eggs and asparagus, but I was listening!
I was happy to learn that Westin Hotels is fostering something close to my heart; the importance of maintaining healthy habits while travelling. In fact, they’re investing more than $AUD18 million to enhance guests’ well being. Advocacy by big names like Sarah is just part of the movement. The hotel group has launched a well-being hub, freshened up their menus and they even lend out yoga mats and training gear in case you forget to pack your sneakers. It all part of their six pillar push to Feel Well, Work Well, Move Well, Eat Well, Sleep Well and Play Well.
Sarah shared her story of how she found wellness. When diagnosed with the debilitating auto-immune disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis, she researched ways to heal herself. Quitting sugar in 2011 was an experiment, that proved to be the key to regaining her quality of life and managing the disease, and the I Quit Sugar movement was born.
It was surprising to hear Sarah say she finds travel is a great time to rebalance. Many find their good habits are the first to go when they are exploring new countries and menus. Sarah’s tips are simple and sensible. Establishing an active morning routine, taking time to decompress and making careful meal choices to beat the bloat are all key.
I asked Sarah about her travel plans for this year. When you travel for business and your life is your business, it can sometimes be difficult to draw a line between the two. As expected, Sarah has a strategy, “I’ve covered so much of the planet either hiking or mountain bike riding. One place I haven’t been to is Switzerland so that’s on the cards…In June I am committing to having a real holiday..if I go to India, I think I’ll keep that just for myself…I won’t be taking a computer.” Sarah chooses her destinations based on “great views and amazing mountains to conquer and interestingly enough great hiking destinations and great foodie destinations often go hand in hand.”
But there’s a lot to do while the wellness warrior is at home this year too, “I’ve got a new cookbook it’s sort of going to be bigger and better than all the others..focused on food sustainability..generally chipping away at getting Australians to cook.” she explains.
Her mission to “promote practical, sensible wellness'” will continue both at home and overseas and I’m eager to see what Wilson has up her sleeve.
Skye is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fit Traveller.
She is a journalist, writer, photographer, intrepid traveller and a former personal trainer with a passion for helping others reach optimal health.
As a TV journalist and producer, Skye has worked for household names such as 60 Minutes, Sunrise, TODAY and Nine News. She has also written for Women’s Health, Fodor’s Travel and Yahoo7 Travel, among many others.
Equally comfortable in a 5-star resort or hiking a far-off mountain, Skye loves the unexpected and enriching life experiences that each trip brings and can often be found in a backstreet chatting to locals with her camera in hand.
Skye is based in Sydney, working to master the balance between motherhood and her appetite for adventure.
Read more about Skye’s story here.