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wellness
Create Your Own Wellness Staycation with Sara Bell
08/09/26
Author: Sara Bell
DOCUMENTED BY: RIISE
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Once a year, I take a week off and stay at home. The great luxury of a staycation is that your holiday begins the moment you finish work on Friday. There are no airports, transfers or long drives standing between you and rest—just nine uninterrupted days to focus on feeling well.
A little preparation makes all the difference. In the week beforehand, I stock the kitchen with fresh food, book a package of infrared sauna sessions and find a new Pilates studio or gym with an introductory offer. I schedule any appointments I have been putting off, along with a facial or massage, and change the sheets on Friday evening so the week begins with the quiet luxury of a freshly made bed.
Most importantly, I make it clear—to myself and everyone around me—that this is not a week for catching up on chores. It is time deliberately set aside for my health, energy and wellbeing.
I’m fortunate to live in Sydney, where the ocean plays a large part in my routine, but the principle can be re-created anywhere. It isn’t about where you are. It’s about creating space to care for yourself.
My staycation rhythm
My staycation rhythm
I believe movement creates energy, so my days are active—but never rushed. A typical day looks something like this:
— Early morning coffee and a walk with my dog
— Pilates
— Breakfast
— An ocean swim or a few laps in a saltwater pool
— Infrared sauna
— Lunch
— A wellness appointment—a facial, massage, dental check-up or kinesiology session
— An afternoon nap or reading in the sun
— A late walk with my dog
— Dinner
There is structure, but no pressure. The point is not to turn rest into another performance. It is simply to give my body and mind more of what they need.
Food that makes me feel good
Food that makes me feel good
I eat almost entirely vegan, but during my staycation I am completely plant-based. I love cooking, so I use the extra time to prepare the sort of dinners I don’t always have time to make during a working week.
For me, eating well should never feel like deprivation. Healthy food is far easier to enjoy when it is generous, colourful and genuinely delicious. And if cooking is not your idea of a holiday, choose restaurants that make eating well feel pleasurable rather than restrictive.
Breakfast
Since becoming a parent, I have accepted that a coffee detox is not for me. My mornings begin with a soy latte, followed by overnight oats soaked in coconut water.
I add nuts, seeds, crushed linseeds, hemp protein, turmeric and the supplements that work for me, then finish the bowl with fresh berries or stewed rhubarb. It is filling, simple and easy to prepare the night before.
Lunch
Lunch is usually a large, fresh salad made with whatever looks good—cucumber, celery, radish, fennel, kale, tomatoes and avocado—along with lentils, chickpeas, black beans or borlotti beans.A dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic brings everything together. The secret to a satisfying salad is abundance: plenty of texture, flavour and plant-based protein.
Something sweet
I keep homemade energy balls in an airtight container for the inevitable afternoon craving.Blend eight dried dates, three generous tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of raw cacao nibs, half a cup of unsweetened shredded coconut and two tablespoons of almond meal. Roll the mixture into balls and refrigerate.
They take minutes to make and feel like a treat—which, to me, is the key to making healthy habits last.
Dinner
I use the week to catch up with friends over dinner, choosing restaurants with thoughtful vegan options. When I eat at home, I make colourful meals built around vegetables and plant-based proteins.Because I move a great deal during the week, I make sure each meal is nourishing and contains a good source of protein.
Hydration, rest and small rituals
Hydration, rest and small rituals
Each day, I make a fresh juice with carrot, celery, cucumber and ginger. Beyond my morning coffee, I drink filtered water throughout the day—and considerably more when I am using the sauna.
At home, I use the Aarke water purifier. It makes tap water taste noticeably better while reducing chlorine, heavy metals and limescale.
I enjoy a glass of wine, but I don’t drink alcohol during my wellness week. The difference is unmistakable: I sleep more deeply and wake with far more energy.
I finish each evening with a sleep-supporting herbal tea, such as Jilungin Dreaming Tea. Good sleep is not an indulgence; it is the foundation of everything else I am trying to achieve.
By the end of the week, I feel rested, energised and ready to return to RIISE. I haven’t travelled anywhere, but I have created something increasingly rare: the time and space to come back to myself.
Sara Bell Founder & CEO, RIISE
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Documented By: RIISE
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