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

Healthy Recipe - Zesty Carrot Ginger Soup - New Life Hiking Spa

It's opening day for the season at Vermont's New Life Hiking Spa. It's a lovely place to get your hike on while dining on healthy, amazing food. The Zesty Carrot Ginger Soup is a sampling.

Zesty Carrot Ginger Soup

-2 qts carrot juice (or vegetable stock)
-2 cloves garlic, chopped.
-1 stalk of celery, chopped
-1 tbs minced ginger
-2 tbs minced shallot
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1/2 large white onion, chopped
-1 orange, zested and juiced
-6 - 8 carrots, diced
-White pepper

Sauté garlic, onion, celery, ginger and shallots. Add carrot juice or vegetable stock and carrots. Boil, then puree. Add orange. Season to taste.

Healthy Recipe - Spinach Eggs Benedict - Canyon Ranch

Mother's Day is Sunday and it's not too late to plan an amazing and healthy breakfast in bed. We love this twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict from Canyon Ranch. At just 210 calories per serving, mom can have guilt-free seconds of the Spinach Eggs Benedict.

Spinach Eggs Benedict (8 servings)

• 8 cups washed fresh spinach leaves, well drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons non-salt seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash®)
• 4 whole-wheat English muffins

Hollandaise Sauce:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch salt
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 egg whites
• Pinch cream of tartar
• Poached Eggs:
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 4 cups water
• 8 whole eggs

Instructions:
1. Lightly coat large sauté pan with canola oil and sauté spinach over medium-high heat until wilted. Season with Mrs. Dash. Cover and set aside.
2. Split English muffins in half and toast.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
4. In a medium stainless steel mixing bowl, combine yolk, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt. Place stainless steel bowl over (not touching) boiling water and whisk egg mixture with a wire whip until thickened. Place mixture in blender container and blend at high speed for 5 seconds. Reduce to medium speed and slowly add butter.
5. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold yolk mixture into egg white mixture until blended.
6. To poach eggs, add vinegar to water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil again and reduce to a simmer. Gently crack each egg just above the surface and let egg slip into the water. As eggs cook, use a spoon to corral whites around the yolks. Cook until whites are firm and opaque, but yolk is still soft. Lift eggs from water with a slotted spoon and let drip for a few seconds before assembling plates.
7. Place 1/4 cup spinach on English muffin half. Top with one poached egg and 2 tablespoons Hollandaise Sauce

Per serving: 210 calories; 16 gm. Carbohydrate; 12 gm. Fat; 254 mg. cholesterol; 11 gm. Protein; 400 mg. sodium; 3 gm. Fiber

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 Living at and away from Destination Spas

Having recently spent three weeks on a Destination Spa trek, I picked up a slew of healthy living tips along the way. In the amazing surroundings of Rancho La Puerta, The Oaks at Ojai and Red Mountain Resort & Spa, it became second nature for me and my fellow spa-goers to live healthy from morning to bedtime.

But, what happens when it’s time to go home? I am going to the Farmers’ Market, walking daily, drinking fresh coconut milk and putting pots of fresh herbs in my kitchen. I found more tips when I read an article this week by Jen Adkins of About.com. Jen wrote, “Every once in a while it seems we take stock of where we stand when it comes to healthy living. Are we taking care of our bodies? Are we doing our best to take care of our earth? Or are we stuck in a rut and need a little help digging out?”

It’s true that we can all use a healthy nudge every now and then, and this article makes it simple with seven healthy living tips. Shameless plug, I am quoted in the tip on detoxing your body along with Sue Donnellan of BodyVerde Naturals. Sue recommends drinking warm water and lemon every morning to help your body eliminate toxins and give skin a healthy glow.

Jen goes on to cover how to make your own body lotion and organic shampoo, waste not with your products, and keeping chemicals out of your hair. The piece is a great read - http://skincare.about.com/od/insiderinterviews/a/7-Tips-For-Healthy-Living.htm

What are your healthy living tips? I’d love to post them. Let’s chat, Debra