Destination Spa Vacations

Make it a No-Stress Summer for Mom and Dad

Memorial Day is over, which means summer is not far behind. For lots of moms and dads, the kids are off for the summer or will be soon. For me, my kids are now adults, so I’m off the hook! However, I have many memories of being a working mom and trying to keep the kids entertained and educated over the long, hot summer.

To help you out, I found this list of no- or low-cost ideas to keep parents from pulling their hair out. These are from the “mommy” blog Crystal & Co. What would you add? Here’s to a stress-free summer! Debra

1. Go to the library once a week. Check out books, join story time, see if there is a summer reading club.
2. Go camping. Front yard, back yard, living room, or make it a weekend trip in another town.
3. Go to your local recreation center and see what activities or classes they offer.
4. The park… hours of free entertainment.
5. Go fishing. Leave the electronics at home!
6. Go to your local home supply store or craft store and see if they are offering free children’s clinics.
7. Get in the water – kiddie pool, lake, pond, ocean

Have you "weighted" too long? Never!

Muffin top? Body shape not what it used to be? Jeans that fit last week, don’t fit this week? When hormones come into play with weight, it’s a game-changer.

I’m at that age when keeping the weight off and/or losing extra pounds is a constant commitment. I found myself agreeing with everything Christine Denney of Destination Spa The Oaks at Ojai wrote in a recent article. Some key excerpts:

• Eating irregularly and always having your body wonder when the next meal will arrive is a little like training your body to be a wild animal. Who knows what it will do to survive? 
• One of the things your body will do while waiting for an irregular meal is to go into stress mode.  Stress causes inflammation and inflammation causes heart disease.  It’s that simple. 
• We know that a calorie is a calorie, but 350 calories of a balanced meal is doing a lot more to nourish your body than a 350 calorie candy bar. The candy bar will drive you to eat more sugar to keep that little high going until you make yourself sick.  And your body is still not satisfied. 
• Routine:  My routine for a hunger cue was to go to my drawer in the cabinet or to the “snack area” of my refrigerator:  low fat dairy, pre-cut veggies from the Farmers Market, fruit, low fat cheese in appropriately sized portions. 
• Set up a conscious reward:  Respond to your routine with something positive on the outside.  Successfully complete your day with exercise and meals?  Instead of doing that last load of laundry, curl up and finish that book you’ve left on your bedside table too long. 

Tell me about your food routines and rewards! To a healthy month, Debra

April is Stress Awareness Month. Do you know how to Chill?

I like that there’s an entire month devoted to de-stressing. After all, who couldn’t use a breather? From the looks of stats on stress, there’s proof that excessive amounts of stress can place serious harm on our minds, bodies and spirits.

• Globally, three out of five doctor visits are stress related. In the U.S. alone, $22.8 billion is spent on anxiety-related healthcare each year
• Every year, more than 275-million working days are lost in the U.S. because of absenteeism resulting from stress
• Over 75% of the general population experiences some form of stress monthly (Source: The Heartland Spa)

So, what can you do? I’m a big believer in Destination Spas as places that help you decrease stress and learn how to manage stressors in your daily life. While a trip to a Destination Spa may not be feasible right now, Sherry Gossett of The Heartland Spa shares tips that are worth adding to your routine.

• Allow yourself plenty of time. Running from one thing to the next is a large source of stress.
• Find time to exercise.  Even a short walk around the block will help alleviate stress.
• Get plenty of rest and do your best to eat well.
• When you start feeling overwhelmed, take a time-out. A few minutes away from the problem can do wonders.
• Breathe deeply… slowly in and slowly out. When doing so, close your eyes and think of something that makes you happy.

What are your de-stressing tips? Debra

Do you play favorites when it comes to exercise?

A bit of gym time here, a beach walk there, yoga somewhere in between. When it comes to exercise, I play favorites. Do you? After all, it’s exercise, so anything is good for you, right? Not necessarily, as I learned from the pros at Canyon Ranch.

The experts at the Ranch say that, especially as you age, selective exercising may come back to bite you, as day-to-day tasks become increasingly difficult. For instance, neglecting flexibility and range of motion may result in frustrating struggles when you want to pull up that hard-to-reach back zipper.

A well-balanced exercise program should focus on all of the following:

• Cardiorespiratory (aerobic) exercise
• Muscular strength and endurance
• Body composition
• Flexibility
• Balance and agility

If hitting the gym daily doesn't appeal, explore new possibilities for exercising your whole body and staying in balance. Paddle a kayak, bike a scenic trail, go for a hike. These exercises require a balance element that the stationary bike and treadmill don’t . Go outside and play! You may have so much fun that you don’t realize you’re working out, Debra

 

A Healthy Hiking Shopping List

Go take a hike! We mean this in the nicest, healthiest way possible, of course. I am a big fan of hiking. Now that I live in Florida, I take long walks nearly daily. There aren’t hills, but I never grow tired of looking at the waves. When I lived in Kentucky, there were plenty of great places to hike.

Earlier this year, I went on amazing hikes at Destination Spas Rancho La Puerta, The Oaks at Ojai and Red Mountain. I quickly learned that hiking requires some special equipment. We love this shopping list from The Oaks at Ojai…

1. The Spot. Oaks President/CEO Cathy Cluff says the Spot comes in handy for hikes into places where there is no cell phone reception, “This device allows our hike leaders to contact us or emergency services, if needed.  All messages come with a satellite map showing coordinates of their location.”
2. Cathy adds, “We also love the water bottles by Vapur because they roll up when empty and are very light-weight.”
3. And, Cathy recommends having bee sting- and poison ivy kits on hand.

What are your favorite hiking tools?

Debra

 

Traveling and Sickness - Healthy Tips for Smooth Sailing

Planning a spring break or looking toward a summer filled with travel? My daughter is visiting this week while on college spring break. Now that I live at the beach, people tend to come to me and I just hang out here instead of feeling the urge to wander. Of course, I do visit Destination Spas!

With spring in the air, I thought you’d find these traveling and sickness tips to be handy. These are from Nancy Byrd Radding, fitness director of California’s The Oaks at Ojai:

• Travelers are exposed to lots of people, meaning lots of germs – use wipes on all possible surfaces, wash your hands a lot, take an immunity booster before, during, and after travel.

• While traveling, people are often on a fast track and don't get enough rest – before traveling, take naps as often as possible and try to get a full night’s sleep.

• People notoriously eat and drink too much on the road – slow down on the alcohol and heavy food and make healthier choices. It's always up to you!

• Don't spend your trip sitting! Don't sit in the terminal - walk. Move on the plane. Walk at your destination. If you don't want to adjust to a hotel gym, bring DVDs for your laptop. Travel with resistance bands.

Now, where are you going? Debra

Spring into Spring: Five Steps to a More Active Lifestyle

Happy Leap Day! It’s the end of February and it’s already feeling like spring in a lot of places. Of course, here in Florida, it has felt like spring all winter! From friends in Kentucky, Missouri, etc., I understand that flowers are popping, birds are singing and folks are wearing flip-flops.

What can you do to make this great time of year healthier? My friend Christine Denney of The Oaks at Ojai gave me a helpful list. Christine is the Food Services Director for this popular Destination Spa in California, which I visited in January. 

Spring Into Spring:  Five Steps to A Healthier Heart and a More Active Lifestyle:

1. Plan ahead. If you don’t live too far from work, carpool in the morning and walk home as a great starter to your evening. Park your car over the weekend and make a commitment to walking as much as possible. 
2. Commit yourself to a wide range of foods and eat for your health! Feed your body and not your emotions. Eat foods that vary in categories (fruits, veggies, grains, etc.) and in colors. 
3. Sleep regularly and enough! Studies show that those who sleep less have a higher incidence of obesity and report being hungry more often. Feed your body what it needs: regular and ample rest void of SmartPhones, iPads, etc.
4. Think fiber, think health! Fiber enables our bodies to regulate digestion and provide an even stream of nutrients to the places they need to go. Whole wheat is only the beginning: think quinoa, barley, brown rice, oats, beans and lentils. Reduce the risk of heart disease by 25% with 2.5 servings of fiber daily.
5. Turn off the TV and the computer. Call a friend to work out with you, go for a walk. You can keep each other on task and engage with someone you love!

What are you planning to help your health spring into spring? Debra

 

Healthy Recipe - Fruit & Nut Bars - Canyon Ranch

On-the-go healthy snacks are often tough to find. We discovered a great solution with the Fruit & Nut Bars from Canyon Ranch in Arizona. Healthy for kids, mom and dad with only 190 calories each. We say score!

Fruit & Nut Bars

-1/2 cup chopped pecans
-1/2 cup chopped almonds
-3/4 cup honey
-2 3/4 cups rolled oats
-1/2 cup dried cranberries
-3/4 cup dried chopped apples
-1/2 cup raisins
-1/2 cup sliced dates, about 10 medium
-1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 x 1/2-inch baking sheet with canola oil. Spread nuts on baking sheet and toast lightly for 5 minutes.
2. Warm honey in microwave or over low heat on stovetop to the consistency of a thin syrup.
3. Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Chop briefly. Add oats, dried cranberries, dried apples, raisins, dates and cinnamon. Process briefly until all ingredients are chopped. While machine is running, drizzle in warm honey until mixture binds.
4. Lightly spray baking sheet (same one used for nuts) with canola oil. Press mixture into baking sheet. Lightly spray parchment paper with canola oil. Using a rolling pin, roll (over parchment) until mixture is evenly flat on top. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Cut into 16 bars.
Note: For best results, store wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Makes 16 bars, each containing approximately: 190 calories, 36 gm. carbohydrate, 5 gm. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 3 gm. protein, 7 mg. sodium, 3 gm. fiber

Are you passionate about food?

Are you passionate about food? I am and from the looks of my fridge, I’m particularly passionate about quality over quantity. There’s not a lot in there, but what I have is clean and green. Coconuts ripe with fresh milk, farmer’s market finds, organic cheeses, teas… a plethora of organic yumminess!

Looking to build your food passion? Richard De Blois of Canada’s Spa Eastman can stir up those emotions. He recently wrote that food preparation has been his passion for almost 30 years. More from Richard, “My goal, over the years, has been to transform beautiful and tasty food into beautiful, tasty and ever-so-healthy meals. My challenge has been to make it appealing to not only my customers, but also my wife and our five children!

Richard’s advice on healthy eating…

• You can make the most out of what you have in the pantry and still eat well so that you don’t have to run to store or order delivery.
• Everything for simple entrees to outlandish desserts can be delicious and healthy all at once.
• It is possible to adjust a favorite recipe into something much healthier without losing any of the taste.
• Not all chefs keep their tricks of the trade locked-up tight; learn professional secrets that are tried and true.

What’s in your fridge and are you passionate about it? I’d love to hear, Debra

The Heartland Spa with Tips to Love Your Heart

It's the month of love and the month to celebrate our hearts! February is National Heart Month. Let's put our focus on our heart and find ways to surround those around us with love. Also, don't forget to direct some of that great energy towards yourself.

Did you know that heart disease is the No.1 killer of women age 20 and over? In the United States, one in 30 women die of breast cancer; while one in three die of cardiovascular disease. Those are some scary statistics. What can you do to prevent an Achy-Breaky heart?

The team at the aptly-named Heartland Spa & Fitness Resort in Illinois suggests making simple changes to your diet that will keep your heart healthy and strong. I love this easy-to-follow checklist they created:

• Instead of: Whole or 2 percent milk and cream; Consider this - Use 1 percent or skim milk
• Instead of: Fried foods; Consider this - Eat baked, steamed, boiled, broiled, or microwave foods
• Instead of: Lard, butter, palm and coconut oils; Consider this - Cook with unsaturated vegetable oils such as corn, olive, canola, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower, or peanut
• Instead of: Fatty cuts of meat; Consider this - Eat lean cuts of meat or cut off the fatty parts
• Instead of: One whole egg in recipes; Consider this - Use two egg whites
• Instead of: Seasoning veggies with sauces, butter, and salt; Consider this - Season vegetables with herbs and spices
• Instead of: Regular hard and processed cheeses; Consider this - Eat low-fat, low-sodium cheeses
• Instead of: Salted potato chips; Consider this - Choose low-fat, unsalted tortilla and potato chips and unsalted pretzels or popcorn
• Instead of: Sour cream and mayonnaise; Consider this - Use plain low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, or low-fat or "light" sour cream

Small adjustments such as these are sure to make a positive impact on your heart health.  To your heart! Debra