Exercise and Weight Loss
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Exercise and Weight Loss
January 3rd, 2012
Happy New Year’s! The Spa staff is back in the office after a much-needed holiday break, and we’re gearing up for what’s to be a spectacular year. Just like everyone else, we’ve got a handful of New Year’s Resolutions we’re hoping to have success with in the coming months, and we thought we’d share them with you.
Editor-in-Chief Susan vows to drink more tea (like the delicious cup of chai she started with this morning), while Senior Editor Tara is going to dedicate more time to volunteering. She just signed up to work with a group of young girls. Our art director Lauren is getting married this March, so her resolution is to continue her kick-butt exercise routine so she’ll be in perfect shape of her big day. And as for myself, I’m resolving to take my vitamins every day and get back into the routine of practicing hot yoga at least twice a week.
Expert psychotherapist Dr. Julia Rahn shared with us some tips on how to make any positive change stick, so we’ll be adhering to those and hope you can gain some insight from them as well when it comes to sticking with your resolutions.
What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Let us know over on our Facebook page!
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September 19th, 2011
Last week was the world premiere of the new documentary Yogawoman, and although we couldn’t make it to the Los Angeles or New York City showings, we’re excited to have our own copy of the film, which showcases how yoga has helped women overcome everything from depression to cancer.
Narrated by Academy Award winner and self-proclaimed yoga advocate Annette Bening and featuring interviews with yoga instructors, medical professionals and normal, everyday yoga junkies, it’s the first film that focuses solely on the impact of yoga on women’s health, fitness and emotional well-being. Seventeen million women in North America practice yoga today — making it clear to see that something that was once a rigid discipline practiced predominately by men is now one of the most popular women’s activities in the world.
The DVD is available for $24.95 at yogawoman.tv. Take a sneak peek at it in the preview below! New to yoga? Our beginner tips will help get you started.
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August 9th, 2011
If you're looking to jump start a new fitness routine, you'll love the advice we just got from fitness expert Ellen Barrett. She's a world-reknown fitness expert and one of the featured trainers on the "Top Fitness Trainers" DVD set from HealthyFitBodies.com.
We were lucky enough to get our hands one of the 10-DVD sets, and we're giving it away to one of you! The secret link to enter is over on our Facebook page, so just head there to find out where to enter. Good luck, and happy exercising!
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July 7th, 2011
One of our dream summer spa vacations involves spending a week (or two) in the Maldives, where we’d lounge poolside and work on balancing our doshas at the Ayurvedic Retreat at the Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. But if you’re like us and probably not going to be able to make it all the way to the Maldives in the next couple of months, Dr. Shylesh Kannan, the resort’s spa manager, shared a few of his mind and body tips for summer that we can all practice at home.
Incorporate an Ayurvedic Diet. Hot summer months make the body tire quicker, and in turn, the digestive system slow down. Eat light and non-spicy foods and drink plenty of water, which will help stabilize the digestive track and cleanse and purify the body. (Make the resort’s Minted Green Pea Soup at home!)
Exercise the Body and the Mind. Intense aerobic exercise may not be the best during the hot summer months. Instead, Dr. Kannan suggests you try hatha yoga, which mixes relaxation with physically demanding poses. [Most yoga studios in your neighborhood should offer a version of the class.]
Create a Renewing Glow. Go deeper than simple exfoliation and give yourself a body scrub that rids the skin of toxins as well, which stimulates circulation. Dr. Kannan suggests a scrub that uses essential oils like rose, geranium, alpine lavender, lemongrass or wild juniper to energize and revitalize the body.
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March 21st, 2011
Tucson, Arizona Spa - Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa
Photo by: Courtesy Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa
Going to a spa resort isn’t just about getting a couple of spa treatments each day. When you stay at one of these destination spas, you immerse yourself in well-being: you eat healthy cuisine, take lessons in self-discovery, exercise and yes, indulge in spa treatments. One of the country’s top destination spas, Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, creates customized destination spa getaways, packed with everything from meditation sessions to cooking lessons to nature excursions. There’s so much to choose from at Miraval, that creating your schedule may be a little overwhelming, which is where the Tucson resort’s new Focused Stay programs come into play.
Each of the three Focused Stay packages comes with a specific goal: Mindful Weight Management, Mindful Stress Management or Support Through Transition. While each stay is still somewhat custom (you kick off your visit with a Personal Health Plan Private Session), you’ll be working towards a focused goal. For example, during the Weight Loss Focused Stay, you’ll create customized nutrition, exercise and wellness plans to take home with you. Then you’re free to participate in activities like yoga and rock climbing, and take your pick at a wide range of a-la-carte spa treatments, from acupuncture to a Sonoran Mud Wrap.
Focused Stay packages come with four nights accommodation in a luxury casita, all meals, unlimited participation in resort activities and self-discovery programs and a $260 resort credit for spa services. Packages start at $2,838. (Savings Alert: Package prices are about $500 less than what these programs would cost if booked a la carte!)
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October 28th, 2010
You know a trend has gone mainstream when it hits the pages of The New York Times. So it goes with juice cleanses, covered today in a humorous first-person essay by Judith Newman. It starts with one the of best intros ever (“A month ago I went on a juice cleanse. You know what it cleans out of you best? The will to live.”) and continues through her three-day experience with BluePrintCleanse. Her conclusion: faint praise — she didn’t love the experience, but says she may try one again. She also went on to cite a few doctors who say that over-cleansing — too frequently, or for too long — can be detrimental to your health, and cited examples of cleansers who use the technique in the wrong way.
What the story showed most is the public’s confusion with cleanses. The trick here, as with most things in life, is go in with the right intention and use juice cleansing as a supplemental technique to a healthful lifestyle, not a quick fix or cure-all. If you want to cleanse because you want to amp up your routine, give your body some toxin-fighting relief or just to take on a challenge and succeed, you’re in the right place. If you want to cleanse to lose 20 pounds in a week, as part of a yo-yo diet or as a silver-bullet solution to better health, it won’t work, and you’re better off not doing it.
Here at Spa, we’re a fan of cleanses — done right. It’s all about finding a path and solution that works for you, and executing it in a healthful way. Looking for a place to start? Here’s one you can make at home (see our Green Juice Recipe).
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Tags: healthy drink recipes
September 17th, 2010
Editors' Pick: The lightweight Nike Air Max Team Women's Training Shoe ($80, nike.com) takes you from the field to the gym and back again.
Photo by: courtesy of Nike
Sneakers aren't cheap, and there are so many to choose from these days—where do you start when it's time to buy a new pair? For comfort and safety, it's important to know not only how to select shoes but also when to toss them away.
Fortunately, Canyon Ranch—a spa brand known for its innovative approach to health, wellness, and holistic and integrative care since 1979—offers the following tips.
Shop for shoes later in the day. Many people wear shoes that are too small, inviting myriad foot problems. Your foot will fit better and feel better inside a slightly larger shoe than with a shoe that's a little too small. Therefore, plan your shopping for later in the day, when feet tend to be the most tired and swollen.
Get athletic shoes that are wide enough. Look for manufacturers that make a full range of widths. All the high-tech materials in the world won't make a shoe work for you if you've got a D-width foot and a B-width shoe.
Always fit to your larger foot. Most people's feet are two different sizes, so always try on both shoes before purchasing.
Be sure there's at least an inch between the end of your toes and the tip of the shoe. It keeps the shoe from crowding your toes and prevents joints from being compressed.
So, once you've found your perfect pair, what are the guidelines for how long to keep them? Canyon Ranch experts note that if you exercise moderately indoors, expect around six to nine months of wear from a pair of shoes; outdoor shoes average just three to six months.
Looking for a fitness getaway to try out your new pair? Until September 30 you can enter to win a stay for two at Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach plus a $2,500 Judith Ripka jewelry shopping spree.
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May 11th, 2010
People closest to me know that over the years I’ve become a Rules Girl. And I don’t mean Ellen Fein’s and Sherrie Schneider’s rules for hooking a man. I mean that, for the most part, I live within what I consider to be the boundaries of acceptable social behavior. Something is either appropriate in a certain social context, or as my friends often hear me say, it’s simply “not OK.”
So, last Sunday, when I found myself lying on the floor of The Fillmore holding the hand of a woman I’d known for less than an hour, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. But I was also under the spell of yoga rock star Shiva Rea who was giving the crowd a taste of what to expect at the Wanderlust festival in Squaw Valley (July 29-August 1).
Wanderlust combines two things I love dearly: yoga and music. You’ve probably read a lot about the event on our blog already. However, beyond big names like Moby and Shiva Rea, perhaps the greatest thing about this four-day celebration is that it brings people together so they can loosen up and have a good time. After all, I suppose it’s healthy to step out of your boundaries every once and a while.
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Tags: yoga exercises
October 2nd, 2009
For those of you who haven't heard of the "marshmallow test" (I hadn't before this morning) you're going to a kick out of the short video clip at the end of this post.
The marshmallow test was a psychological experiment that some Stanford professors dreamed up in the 1960s. Here's how it went: Kids were left alone in a room with one marshmallow. They were told they could eat it, but that if they could wait and not eat it until the researcher returned they'd actually get a second marshmallow.
In a fascinating follow-up, The New Yorker found that now—40 odd years later—the kids who were able to delay gratification have become more successful adults.
We highly recommend the video (for laughs) and The New Yorker article (for an interesting look at the psychology of self-control).
Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.
The marshmallow test was a psychological experiment that some Stanford professors dreamed up in the 1960s. Here's how it went: Kids were left alone in a room with one marshmallow. They were told they could eat it, but that if they could wait and not eat it until the researcher returned they'd actually get a second marshmallow.
In a fascinating follow-up, The New Yorker found that now—40 odd years later—the kids who were able to delay gratification have become more successful adults.
We highly recommend the video (for laughs) and The New Yorker article (for an interesting look at the psychology of self-control).
Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.
>>> Read More
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