My Stay at Canyon Ranch

pelleld

I am apologizing in advance for the length of this post, I just had so much to share. It is also posted in a couple of forums because I wasn't sure where it fit best.

I spent 4 days at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires to celebrate my 50th Birthday with my cousin. I promised my MFP friends I would post some details/learnings about my stay so here it is. This trip ranks right up there with the best of the best. I came home feeling strong, empowered, nourished, pampered and so much more!

The food is among the best I have ever eaten. Flavorful, satisfying and healthy. Portion controlled but definitely enough. Every meal was better than the last. Margherita Pizza on whole wheat flat bread, chicken Milanese, vegetarian chili over baked potato, the best omelet I have ever had (egg white with parmesan cheese and diced tomato), breakfast muffins that were "TO DIE FOR", Pumpkin Crunch, and homemade sorbet at every meal (we tried the blueberry, green apple and pomegranate). The salad bar was awesome and the dressing divine. Everything was homemade, natural, and TASTY. My cousin bought me the cookbook as a gift and many of the recipes are online too. I plan to add some of these meals to our repertoire.

Here are the details - as you can see there is a lot to do there.

Day 1

9:00 AM - Comprehensive Exercise Assessment Part 1 - spent a fair amount of time talking about my progress to date, my gain of approximately 5 pounds and difficulty losing them this time. Used calipers to take measurements for body fat. Measured flexibility through a series of tests, measured fitness level through a test on the treadmill while hooked up to heart rate monitor. Measured strength through a series of exercises. Initial assessment was about 50 minutes. While she looked at my results and prepared a personalized report for me I went back to the room and unpacked.

11:00 Am - Seminar, The Science of Weight Loss. Much of this was a repeat of knowledge I've gained over the years but presented in a very cohesive, understandable way. Notable Learnings:

1. You can't out-exercise a bad diet.
2. Belly fat becomes its own endocrine organ.
3. Your Resting Metabolic Rate will reset itself after a reduction in calories.
4. Stress and lack of sleep/poor sleep can greatly affect weight loss.
5. Artificial sweeteners send different signals to your body about satisfaction....causes you to eat more because satisfaction is not attained.

Noon - Comprehensive Exercise Assessment Part 2 - got my personalized report. I am very fit and very strong. My body fat percentage is 20%. My goal of 5 pounds is realistic and attainable but I need to up the intensity of my workouts. My shoulder adductors and hip flexors are tight. She gave me exercises for this, advice about posture, etc. My core is very strong, she recommended adding ab exercises on the ball to kick it up a notch.

2:00 PM - Labyrinth Walk - a meditative walk through something similar to a maze.

3:00 PM - ABS on the Ball - hard but I loved it.

3:30 PM Roll and Release - using a foam roller, almost as "self massage". more therapeutic in nature rather than "exercise".

4:00 PM - Pilates on the Mat - didn't really care for this.

Age Minimizing Facial at 7:00 PM - I am still glowing from this.......plan to find a place to do this at least once per quarter.

Day 2

7:00 AM - morning walk off the Ranch, between 2 to 3 miles, fast pace.

9:00 AM - Seminar Live Long through QI GONG - all about energy cultivation, balance critical for healthy aging. Most important quote: "A diet is something you have not something you go on".

10:00 AM - Real Deal Boxing - most awesome class EVER!!! Very challenging but I felt STRONG, CONFIDENT and VICTORIOUS.

11:OO AM - Seminar Women's Health: An Integrative Approach - lots of talk about Hormones, bone health, menopause, breast cancer, soy, hormone replacement. Very Informative.

1:15 PM - Hike through the Audobon nature Preserve (2 Hours)

5:00 PM - Meditation

Massage at 9 PM - my first ever and totally awesome. Preceeded by time in the Sauna and Eucalyptus Inhalation Room.

Day 3

7:00 AM - morning walk off the Ranch, between 2 to 3 miles, fast pace.

9:00 AM - Morning stretch. This was great and I am going to be looking into a stretching DVD that I can do at home.

10:00 AM - Totally Tubing, a class using resistance bands, great workout for those who travel because bands are so portable.

11:00 AM - Aqua Shape - exercise in the pool. Really cool to do and fun too!

2:00 PM - Seminar Taking it Home With You - how to take what you've learned and apply it at home.

4:00 PM - Restorative Yoga - this was very relaxing for the mind.

Sea Salt Scrub at 8:00 PM, preceeded by time in the Eucalyptus Inhalation Room.

Day 4

8:00 AM - Morning Stretch

8:30 AM - ABS on the Ball

9:00 AM - Yoga Foundations - basically yoga for beginners, nice way to learn about it.

10:00 AM - Versa Boot Camp - alternating drills using the Versa weights and cardio. Really hard but great workout!

Brunch followed and by 1:00 we were heading home.

bert16

I'm a member at their Tucson resort; never been to Lenox, but hear it's quite different. I'm a huge fan - happy to hear your enjoyed yourself!

CRSocial

Thank you for taking the time to detail your wellness vacation to Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires. This detailed look at what can be done and the great information available to a guest will be invaluable for those looking to make long lasting healthy life changes. Keep up the good work! Canyon Ranch enthusiast.

elisabeisme

I'm headed to Canyon Ranch Miami Beach for a few days. I understand it's more "a la carte" than the Tuscon or Berkshires properties. I've never been before.

Any advice on how to get the most out of it?

pelleld

I'm headed to Canyon Ranch Miami Beach for a few days. I understand it's more "a la carte" than the Tuscon or Berkshires properties. I've never been before.

Any advice on how to get the most out of it?

Take every single class you can squeeze into your day and use the after dinner hours for the relaxing stuff like massages, facials, etc. The food is phenomenal, I bought the cook book and use the recipes often. Explore the daily schedule ahead of time so you can plan your days. There is just so much to do! ENJOY your saty!

No_Finish_Line

could you give us an idea of how much it costs?

this is just a weekend thing right? so its more about education then actually losing weight?

gigigee

Thank you for the original Canyon Ranch post!
I am headed to CR Berkshires next week and you have provided some good tips.
I am really looking forward to it as a way to 'reset' my body for good diet and exercise.
thanks

pelleld

could you give us an idea of how much it costs?

this is just a weekend thing right? so its more about education then actually losing weight?

It is VERY expensive...check out their website for current prices. I went Thursday to Sunday and got 25% off for being a first time guest. You can also stay for just week nights, they have a very flexible schedule. Its education, losing weight, trying new things. Truly it was one of the most memorable 4 days of my life. And sharing with my cousin who was also turning 50 just made it even better.

pelleld

Thank you for the original Canyon Ranch post!
I am headed to CR Berkshires next week and you have provided some good tips.
I am really looking forward to it as a way to 'reset' my body for good diet and exercise.
thanks

I would love to hear how you like it. I am still practicing much of what I learned there. ENJOY!!!

elisabeisme

I really enjoyed Canyon Ranch Miami. I was there 5 days and thought I'd share a bit about my experience for anyone considering going. This is long, but hopefully useful to anyone headed there.

I had the DEXA scan and Metabolic Exercise Asessment done (add on cost). These were definitely worth it. Now I know my exact body fat percentage, muscle mass, max heart rate, VO2, and calories burned per minute at various heart rates. Now I can do a much better job at planning my cardio activity, protein levels and BMR. I would recommend taking advantage of these tests to anyone who goes to Canyone Ranch. Also, these tests are done by someone with a masters degree in exercise physiology. The physiologist used the test data to design a custom cardio interval program specific to me.

The classes marked CME (Continuing Medical Education) are given by physicians. Those classes were extremely enlightening and provided amazing information. Definitely recommend the CME classes best. Two examples:
- I went to a class about oxidation stress. That's about stress at the cellular level and the effects of free radicals. Before the class, i didn't really understand the science behind antioxidants, GMO versus non-GMO, hormones in food, and the difference better organic, natural, etc. I had a general understanding the organic was better, but now I understand the medical science so that I can made more informed choices.
-I went to a class about resistance training. Really enlightening to have a physician who specializes in sports medicine explain how muscles work and how to train effectively versus some hack personal trainer. I now have a much better strength training program designed in terms of reps and sets.

As for exercise classes, I would advise taking as many as possible and planning a mix of classes each day - one cardio, one stregnth, one Pilates/yoga, one stretching and then something unique like rock climbing. Most classes are not very hard so I found it easy to do more that I expected I would be able to do. One thing I did not like is that a couple of the class teachers were ageist and sexist. They discouraged me from attending harder classes like sports conditioning and battle rope circuits and instead pointed me to easier classes like yoga and "girly" things like Zumba. For example, I showed up to the battle ropes class and the guy took one look at me (chubby 40-something woman) and basically told me not to attend. He seemed only interested in training young guys. Since I'd just had my metabolic assessment done and found out I was it the top 30% for conditioning and in the top 90% for muscle mass, that pissed me off because I knew inside that he was wrong. I should have stayed and explained that he was wrong but I meekly left. I'm kicking myself for leaving instead of standing up for myself.

Massages were worth it, of course.

The food was really delicious and very filling for the amount of calories. The restaurant made an earnest attempt to be gourmet. live in NY and am a foodie so I am usually pretty critical of hotel food. I thought it stood up just fine - not at all the flavorless mess I was expecting. I'm even thinking of ordering the cookbook.

safronia

Thanks your sharing your experience!

gigigee

Thanks for posting, esp. on Metabolic Assessment.
I just got back from Canyon Ranch Lenox, where I had a great time, and did a nutrition consult. Very helpful. I did not do the Exercise Assessment, but maybe next time I will, based on your suggestion.

I did not encounter any sexist trainers in Lenox, so I'm sorry you did! I agree that the CME lectures were excellent. I tried to get to 1 per day. I also liked the cooking classes and fine art classes/ Overall, I thought it was expensive but worth it. If I could afford it, I'd go once-a-year.