BUILDING A STRONGER YOU - PART I

PART ONE GOSHEN VERMONT October 20- 25, 2024
PART TWO SEBASTIAN FLORIDA February 2-7, 2025

THE RETREAT: A TWO-PART SERIES

A two part series created as a complement to each other; one in the fall in Goshen Vermont and one in midwinter in Sebastian Florida. 

They can be taken separately, both retreats will build the foundation of cognitive, physical and emotional strengths.

Both retreats include hikes and lots of outdoor time. Both include new insights in how to be the strongest that you can be. Both include accommodations, meals, cooking classes, lectures and time around campfires. Both are five days and five nights of unique experiences that push participants to bring about real changes in their health.

The first retreat in Vermont, will be learning about our unique DNA through test results from 23 and Me.

23 and me refers to the easy online test. 

DNA from cells in your saliva sample reveal the uniqueness of you.

It is highly recommended that you get the 23 and Me DNA kit 

Daily hikes, workouts and nourishment that specifically targets strength building is the focus. Understanding high quality proteins and zeroing in on the right portion for your daily intake will be covered and you will be able to calculate the results based on you and your lifestyle.

Our programs and retreats always incorporate well sourced, high quality foods. Each program covers products, supplements and products that are made and produced by companies that are committed to high standards. All ingredients used in the meals are from the highest available producers.  We look for 100% organic, grass fed, wild, regenerative growing practices, biodynamic and glyphosate free labeling. Each program includes all meals. With Jan providing cooking classes prior to a lunch or dinner,  you will learn how to prepare delicious meals that are nutrient dense, while understanding labels and food sourcing.

Nutritional lectures cover understanding the science behind many studies.  John interprets studies that reinforce the importance of nutrients in health and how it affects specific aspects in disease and also in athletic abilities. We include the most up to date studies on health and wellness and we have fun.

We source and find the best of the best. 

Both of these programs will include  all the meals and recipes, activities, lectures and cooking classes.

The October retreat takes place in Goshen Vermont and includes a private room and bath. 

We begin each class with a short meditation and then we journal notes about our own health. This provides insight and also conversations around our health challenges and opportunities.

Building A Stronger You

Part One will take place in Vermont at the Blueberry Inn October 20-25, 2024

Part Two takes place in Sebastian Florida February 2-7, 2025

LECTURES AND COOKING CLASSES WILL FOCUS ON:

Enhanced Immune Function

Finding Deeper Sleep

Increased Mental Clarity

Stronger Heart 

Improved Detoxification 

We strongly suggest that you sign up for  23 and me .

This is a home-based saliva collection kit which reveals your  DNA.

Your results are sent to you in an email. Please allow four weeks to view the results. 

This is not required to be a part of our retreat, but we believe this affordable test ($229.00)  reveals insights in how your DNA can affect your chances of developing certain health conditions. Your personalized reports break down your genetic data, the science and potential next steps. A lecture will report…

This is a tool that provides personalized genetic insights that can help make it easier for you to take action on your health. One of the lectures will be to review this genetic test and learn specific details that are unique to only you and ways that diet and lifestyle can enhance your overall health.

RETREAT COSTS:

Private Room per person: $3,230 per participant

Share a room $2,800 for two each person

Share a room $2600.00 for each person sharing a room of 3.

The Inn has two rooms which are ideal for 2-3 persons to share: Each room has a queen bed downstairs and two twins upstairs. Private bath is downstairs. 

All rooms in the Inn have private baths.

NOTE: Please indicate if you are sharing a space with another with the name and contact information.

*RESERVATIONS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Before signing up, Read Our Cancellation Policy In Full

Questions: Please call Jan Buhrman 508-360-4491

A TYPICAL DAY SCHEDULE:

There will be time around the campfires, lectures, and cooking classes each day. We will begin by looking at personal health challenges. You will be paired with partners each day to touch base to support one another in working through your challenges. We will journal and keep track of food and take notes on how we feel. We’ll also explore how you nourish your health through spirit. This is a community-centered approach to finding balance both in foods and our way to health.

Exercise has many known benefits, and hike we will do! Research shows regular physical activity also benefits the brain. The health of your arteries and veins is important to your heart health, your brain health and of course, your muscles. YEP! it is all connected. And naturally, your diet plays a large role. Our meals, cooking classes, and recipes will emphasize plant-based foods, but also high-quality meats, fish, eggs, and healthy fats.

Our daily lectures enforce a healthy lifestyle and meals will take on new meaning in deliciousness and creativity!

There are many dimensions to health that require a regular commitment to become a habit. It can be challenging to find balance with respect to how much attention or time we allow for each on a daily basis. Our intent and interest in different areas of health often change over time and we shift our energy accordingly. What if there was a synergistic effect where multiple components of health accompanied each other in one experience and their benefits were greater than the sum of the parts?

Getting outdoors and moving, in nature, is the best model of integrated self-care possible.

In this five day in person retreat, we will be hiking everyday! 

Exercise is the single most important thing anyone can do to improve overall health and resiliency to disease. In addition to hiking the Long Trail , (right outside our door!) we will look at what makes us each unique. We will cook and eat our meal together and share our daily health challenges and approach it all in a fun, intimate and interactive manner.

Join us for this journey that will establish a new set of standards for your self-care. Body, mind, and spirit will be nourished by a combination of amazing, delicious organic meals, a wonderful, caring community of friends, and the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont.

A typical day schedule looks like this:

6:00- 10:00 Hot Lightly Roasted Coffee with Vermont Grass Fed Cream or Black
6:30- Hike and Explore
7:30 Cooking Demonstrations
8:00 Breakfast
9:00-11:00 Lecture, Stretching and Journaling
11:30 Question and Answer
12:00 Cooking Demonstration
1:00 Ginger and Chicken Soup & Fall Salad
2:00 Hike
3:30-4:30 Lecture
4:30-6:00 Free Time
6:00 Dinner served
Fresh Wild Fish with Lemon Potatoes and Arugula and Tarragon Yogurt Sauce Fermented Slaw and Green salad
Warm Fall Soups, and loads of greens are alwasy an option!

ACCOMMODATIONS

Please write your top three room choices for your accommodations *

Applicable to only those that will be staying at the Blueberry Inn*

Room Descriptions: Please provide three preferred room choices during checkout - see sections A,B, and C below. : *

**Rooms already booked as of 3/31/24: Romance, Carlisle, Erlibue, Bluetta, Dutton***

A) Four upstairs rooms in the original Inn, Hogback, Romance, White Rocks, and Dutton, are named after local geographical features. These rooms are part of the Inn that was built in 1813. Located right next to our library, as well as right next to the cookie jar, they are a favorite of history buffs and dessert-lovers alike! Hogback and White Rocks each have queen beds, Romance now features a new queen bed, and Dutton has two twin/single beds that can be transformed into a king. Each room is equipped with a private bathroom (shower and built-in tub) complete with local artisan soap and soft, fluffy towels.

B) Two Loft Rooms, Carlisle, and Polly Allen are located right off of our ‘greenhouse,’ a year-round indoor garden brimming with a wide selection of flowers and plants. These rooms were originally the attached barn to the farmhouse and are named after early Goshen settlers. An ideal space for families; each room has a queen bed as well as two twin beds upstairs in a loft. Each room is equipped with a private bathroom (shower and built-in tub) complete with local artisan soap and soft, fluffy towels.

C) Four Pond-side rooms, Bluetta, Orniblue, Erlibue, and Northsky are each named after a variety of blueberry common in our blueberry patch, right outside the door. Overflowing with natural light and the soft tones of the nearby brook and pond, each room features a queen bed, and Vermont-inspired artwork and decor. Orniblue is our ‘dog room,’ and we welcome your furry friends! Each room is equipped with a private bathroom (shower and built-in tub) complete with local artisan soap and soft, fluffy towels.

ABOUT JAN AND JOHN

Questions: Please call Jan Buhrman 508-360-4491

jan@janbuhrman.com

John Bagnulo and Jan Buhrman. Together John and Jan have been offering health and wellness retreats since 2009.

John Bagnulo has an MPH from the University of North Carolina and a Doctorate of Human Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Maine. He has worked as a researcher, a university associate professor, and a clinical consultant for the past 24 years. He currently serves as the Director of Nutrition for Nutritional Medicinals, a faculty member for the Center for Mind Body Medicine, Washington DC, and has a clinical practice in Middlebury VT. Much of his clinical practice is with athletes and those involved in physically demanding sports.
Jan Buhrman, M.S. Ed., was the founder and owner of the full service farm to table catering company, The Kitchen Porch, on Martha's Vineyard. Jan has become a food advocate and authority on local sourcing and sustainable agriculture with her years of sourcing foods for her catering business from local fishermen and farmers. Jan has taught thousands of classes on technique and the importance of knowing where your food comes from.  She has raised pigs and chickens and gardens, feeding her family while nourishing the land. In addition to cooking, preserving and techniques, she teaches about the connections of food and health and about composting and soil regeneration.

John brings the nutrition and the science behind our philosophies and Jan ties in the practical “how-to” of incorporating healthy recipes and lifestyle into one's life. John explores the science behind these approaches to healthy living and presents the latest research to the classes  in fun approachable ways. Jan puts it all together by teaching how to incorporate it into your daily life.

In our classes you will learn about the plant based diet and how the nutrients and fibers are vital to our gut. We explain how to incorporate animal protein into our diet, by eating animals that are grown in the wild or on pasture.It is all related; our heart, brain, and gut health are directly related to our diet and lifestyle and if it is healthy for the soil or the animals, it’s a good bet it’s healthy for us and the planet too…. Food is medicine, lifestyle is medicine, you get to choose everyday!