My Stay at Canyon Ranch

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.