Vacations That Do a Body Good

From the Summer '06 Issue of Today's Diet & Nutrition

By Jennifer E. Sisk, MA, CWE, CWC

Vacations: a time to relax, have fun, and gain weight. In addition to taking a break from our jobs, housework, and school, many of us also take a break from regular exercise and healthy eating habits when we go on vacation. We come home from vacation with souvenirs, memories, and extra pounds. As you plan your next vacation, consider a fitness retreat or other healthy vacation alternatives to avoid vacation weight gain or to help jump-start a new, healthier lifestyle.

Appealing to consumers obsessed with weight gain and loss, dieting, and exercise (or lack thereof!), fitness retreats offer a wide variety of vacation experiences, including innovative exercise programs, recreational adventures, spa services, and healthy gourmet cuisine at locations across the United States, on cruise ships, and abroad.

East Coast Fitness Retreats

Chocolate lovers should plan to visit the Spa at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania, often called the chocolate capital of the world. Day, two-night minimum, and three-night minimum packages are available for vacationers to experience chocolate-based spa treatments such as the whipped cocoa bath, chocolate hydrotherapy, chocolate fondue wrap, and chocolate bean polish. Fitness and wellness services include massage therapy, fitness assessments, body composition analysis, personal training, and exercise classes, including mind-body yoga, tai chi, and meditation. Nearby attractions include Hershey’s Chocolate World and private golf courses. Pricing ranges from $480 to $780 per night, depending on the time of year and spa services desired.

Tennessee Fitness Spa, located near Waynesboro, offers fitness and weight loss vacations in a more rustic setting. Guests stay in chalet-style accommodations and eat low-fat, low-calorie meals. Fitness assessments, exercise classes, and access to weight room equipment, outdoor walking and hiking, and cooking demonstrations are included in the weekly rates, which start at $675. There is an additional fee for spa services. Golfing, fishing, canoeing, and other outdoor activities are available in scenic, natural surroundings.

Green Mountain at Fox Run, located in Ludlow, Vermont, was established in 1973 as the first residential weight and lifestyle management program in the United States for women only. This fitness retreat teaches a ‘nondiet’ approach that focuses on ‘repatterning’ your lifestyle to help you develop healthier, long-term weight management strategies. Daily workshops help you understand emotional eating, manage food cravings, overcome exercise obstacles, and create a personal healthy eating plan. A variety of fitness and recreational activities are available, including traditional exercise classes such as step aerobics and muscle toning; outdoor seasonal activities such as hiking, tennis, and snowshoeing; mind/body exercise such as yoga, Pilates, and mindful meditation; spa services; and cooking classes. Weekly rates range from $1,850 to $3,000, depending on the season and type of room desired. For those with weight issues related to diabetes, Green Mountain at Fox Run recently partnered with the Joslin Medical Center of Harvard Medical School to offer a unique retreat on the management of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes conditions through lifestyle changes.

Western U.S. Fitness Retreats

Voted one of the top five destination spas in the United States, the Oaks at Ojai, in California, ninety minutes from Los Angeles, offers lower-cost fitness and spa program rates ranging from $99 for a day retreat to $175 to $309 per person per night. Rates include a choice of sixteen daily fitness classes, hiking, wellness lectures, low-calorie meals and snacks, swimming pool, and exercise equipment. Spa services are available for an extra fee. At no extra charge, this retreat also offers weekend and weekday workshops on topics such as healthy eating, yoga, feng shui, and holistic healing.

For those looking for a get-away-from-it-all secluded fitness vacation in a tranquil country setting, try Birdwing Spa in Minnesota. With just twenty-five guests at any one time and a lakeshore location amidst natural prairieland, Birdwing Spa offers fifteen miles of trails for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing. During the appropriate season, lake activities such as canoeing and kayaking, and water exercise in an outdoor pool are available. For guests looking to lose weight or just get in better shape, Birdwing Spa offers several different types of fitness classes, including aerobics, body sculpting, stretching, and interval training. Those looking to de-stress with some mind-body exercise can practice yoga, meditation, and qi gong. A range of spa services are available, as are healthy cooking classes. A five-day package costs from $1,300 to $1,700-plus.

Cal-a-Vie Spa near San Diego also caters to visitors looking for mental and physical rejuvenation in seclusion. Only thirty guests are hosted per week, and health and fitness services are personalized for each guest. Packages for three, four, or seven nights include fitness classes, meals, accommodations, and certain therapeutic spa services. Stress management, nutrition, and cooking classes are offered. Fitness classes include a ‘labyrinth’ walking meditation class, traditional aerobics and muscle conditioning, water workouts, yoga, and Pilates. Seclusion and customized services aren’t inexpensive, however. A three-day package starts at $3,000-plus, and a seven-day package starts at $6,000-plus.

More Exotic Fitness Retreats

Looking for a healthy retreat in a more exotic locale? Try Thailand, Mexico, or a fitness cruise. At Chiva-Som Fitness and Spa Retreat in Thailand, each guest is assigned a qualified health and wellness advisor who helps plan meals, activities, and treatments best suited to the guest’s needs. You can choose from a number of different themed retreats, depending on the type of experience you desire. Chiva-Som, which translates to ‘Haven of Life,’ is located on Hua Hin beach and is surrounded by seven acres of tropical gardens. Fitness activities include beach walking, Thai boxing, yoga, and water tai chi. Spa treatments focus on hydrotherapy and massage. Here, you can devote from three nights to one week to yoga, golf, weight management, fitness, spa treatments, natural health, or detoxification. Nightly rates range from $380 to $1,200 per person.

Advertised as the world’s first fitness spa, Rancho La Puerto, in Mexico, was established in 1940 and is located about three miles from the U.S. border. This retreat focuses on whole-body fitness and offers guests the opportunity to learn about and work in an organic garden, participate in dawn hikes, and exercise in spirit gyms. With no mirrors, these gyms take advantage of the spiritual value of natural surroundings and face a mountain or arroyo to enhance the practice of yoga and meditation. The fitness program is centered around ‘Six Facets of Fitness’ - cardiovascular exercise, strength training, stretching and flexibility, coordination and balance, relaxation, and rewards. Guests are encouraged to choose activities from each facet for a well-rounded retreat experience. Spa services include hot body wraps using indigenous herbs, and the cuisine, with a vegetarian focus, is designed around the region’s culinary heritage. Weekly rates range from $2,535 to $3,840 per person, depending on the time of year and the type of accommodation.

Fit 2 Cruise coordinates fitness-themed cruises and debuted the Freedom of the Seas ShipShape Fitness Center with Royal Caribbean International in June. ShipShape features a surfing simulator, full-size boxing ring, Pilates Reformer studio, ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, Boot Camp X-Treme circuit training, Latin Salsa aerobics classes, onboard walking/running track, and indoor cycling classes in a nightclublike room. Guests on the cruise can participate in beach yoga classes, beach volleyball, golf, and mapped-out running routes at each Caribbean port of call. Seminars on health-related topics and fitness/lifestyle assessments are also available. In addition to the fitness offerings, guests can participate in other traditional cruise activities, such as nighttime entertainment shows and casino gambling. Family packages are available, and children’s play areas and activities are offered. Seven-day cruise rates start at $799 per person.

Family Fitness Retreats

Since many spa-based fitness retreats exclude children, healthy vacation options for families may be more limited. For children and parents with weight problems, try Wellspring Family Camp, located on Clear Lake in Michigan. Children ages five to thirteen can attend Wellspring Family Camp (accompanied by at least one parent or grandparent) for two weeks to learn weight management strategies. Families will learn together how to revise eating and exercise habits and support each other to manage weight loss back home. Daily behavioral coaching and informational sessions on healthy eating habits are interspersed with fun activities such as hiking, rock climbing, canoe races, water sports, and soccer. Other Wellspring healthy lifestyle camps include a summer camp for high school and college-aged women in New York State’s Adirondack Park; an adventure camp for boys and girls ages eleven to sixteen in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains; and an adventure camp for boys and girls ages thirteen to eighteen on the California coast.

Another California fitness camp vacation is offered by Camp La Jolla, which runs sessions for preteens, teens, families, young adults, and older adults. At the family camp, beach activities, such as snorkeling, boogie boarding, and ocean kayaking, are combined with lifestyle management family sessions (for example, a family ‘makeover’) and fitness activities such as yoga, Pilates, aerobic kickboxing, indoor rock climbing, and group sports. Pricing for family fitness camps is approximately $2,500 to $5,000-plus per two-week session, depending on the number of family members attending.

At SunRiver Resort in Oregon, families can enjoy an active vacation in the scenic Cascade Mountain range. While dad plays golf and mom plays tennis, kids can have fun and exercise at the same time during a ‘Fort Funnigan’ outdoor adventure, mountain biking on nearby trails, or scaling the indoor rock climbing wall. Both parents and kids can work out at Mavericks Sports SunRiver facility, which offers outdoor yoga, Pilates, and spinning classes, basketball, Frisbee, golf, and an indoor fitness center with cardiovascular exercise equipment and strength training machines. For families who enjoy outdoor exercise, SunRiver offers downhill and cross-country skiing, biking and hiking trails, eco-tours, and whitewater rafting. Seasonal condo rentals are available and range from $150 to $400-plus per night, depending on the type of accommodations desired.

JENNIFER E. SISK, MA, CWE, CWC, a freelance writer and an editorial advisor to Today’s Diet & Nutrition, is a group fitness coordinator and certified fitness instructor for a national health club chain in suburban Philadelphia.

For More Information:
Birdwing Spa, www.birdwingspa.com
Cal-a-Vie Health Spa, www.cal-a-vie.com/index.htm
Camp La Jolla, www.camplajolla.com/leftnav/family_camp.html
Chiva-Som Hua Hin, www.chivasom.com/content/huahin/huahin_introduction.htm
Green Mountain at Fox Run, www.fitwoman.com
Mavericks Sports, www.maverickssports.com/locations/sunriver.htm
The Oaks At Ojai Health Spa, www.oaksspa.com
Rancho La Puerta, www.rancholapuerta.com
The Spa at The Hotel Hershey, www.hersheypa.com/accommodations/
the_spa_at_hotel_hershey/index.html
SunRiver Resort, www.sunriver-resort.com/index.php
Tennessee Fitness Spa, www.tfspa.com/index.htm
Wellspring Camps, www.wellspringcamps.com