HEALING FROM WITHIN

A stint at an Austrian wellness centre transformed singer and actor SOPHIE CHOUDRY's life, and she wants to share the secrets with you

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I’ve come to be known as someone who is very passionate about fitness and wellness. Also someone who apparently looks the same! I guess it was bound to happen. After all, I grew up with a mum who was a health freak, a mum who didn’t miss a day of her gym and who could literally fall asleep in the middle of her Jane Fonda workout at midnight only to wake up in some contorted position. Fitness was all around me. As was the desire for knowledge on how to improve my health. And, five years ago, I went to a place that literally changed my life, or at least my health for the better.

I was going through a terrible phase of reflux, but this was not your average acidity issue. It was so bad that I was on the verge of losing my voice every couple of weeks (not ideal for a singer) and had to be on antacids for five months. A few people I knew had been to Viva Mayr, or Mayr Life as it is now called. Most people presumed it was a place to go and lose weight quickly, but it is actually a medical health spa that aims the root of your issues, be they allergies, aches, reflux or much more severe illnesses.

Their treatment is usually at least a week but they “allowed” me to visit for five days. So I landed in Vienna and drove three hours into the mountains to a tiny place called Altaussee. It was heaven. So pristine! The first couple of days of treatment, however, weren’t so easy.