In my 56 years, I’ve spent days at church retreats, writing workshops, professional conferences, strategy confabs with co-workers and retreats with nonprofit boards. I’ve always marveled at the power of setting aside a few days, away from home and the office, to rethink, renew and refocus. When shared with people who have similar goals, taking time out almost always leads to positive change.
So why did the prospect of taking a week away to focus just on my health and fitness seem so indulgent?
I wrestled with that last summer while considering a trip to Movara Fitness Resort in Ivins, Utah, to spend a week exercising, eating healthy food and retooling my habits.
I needed to do something. I’d gained almost 20 pounds in the past 12 months, thanks to a job that involved a long commute and a break room stocked with tempting snacks. Diabetes runs in my family, and those extra pounds made my feet and joints hurt.
I’d tried to lose the weight for months by exercising, but not often enough or vigorously enough. On my eating habits, I got nowhere.
Every morning, I’d wake up and vow to eat less and work out more. And every night, I’d lie awake having the same conversation with myself: “Why did you eat that ice cream? Why didn’t you walk your 10,000 steps? What is wrong with you?”
Fitness vacations
I discovered Movara by way of a newspaper article about retired people opting to take vacations focused on fitness, as a way of helping ensure they’d stay healthy in retirement. Around the same time, I interviewed a number cruncher — a guy who spends his days developing Web tools people use to calculate their retirement number, the amount needed in savings to feel comfortable enough to retire.
He made an offhand remark that struck me: That dollar number was important, but in preparing for retirement, a person’s health status was just as important. If you’re healthy, you can probably figure out a way to earn some money after retirement, if you haven’t saved enough. If you’re not healthy, no amount of money will ensure that you can enjoy retirement.
People pay thousands of dollars to financial advisers to help them reach money goals. Spending a few thousand getting my health back on track didn’t seem so self-indulgent after all. It was an investment in my retirement.
Desperate times called for drastic measures. I needed to step out of my daily life and make some changes. I got out my credit card, signed up for a week at Movara, and off I went in late September.
At orientation on the first night, we learned about our schedule, which was packed. Looking around the room, I saw a few women about my age, who needed to lose 100 pounds, and a few who didn’t seem to need to lose any weight. One woman had been sent by her employer for a four-week stay, at the owners’ expense, because she was so valuable that they were willing to spend money to keep her healthy. Another woman in her 70s had begun eating badly after her husband died.
The instructor gave us the drill: Classes would begin the next morning, at 6 sharp. She pointed out the ice machines at various spots in the resort, and advised us to ice down sore spots “early and often.” She gave us tips for preventing blisters on the daily hikes.
“These are fitness hikes, not sightseeing hikes,” she warned.
Any concerns about “self-indulgence” evaporated. Lord, what had I gotten myself into? Could I handle it?
Daily routine
The week started on Monday at 6 a.m. with stretch class, as did every other day that week. It was a gentle easing into the day; the lights were low and the music soft.
Breakfast followed at 7, and was fairly hearty: fruit, eggs, whole-grain toast, a small pat of real butter. Meals at the resort were portion-controlled; our three squares totaled about 1,200 calories per day, which we could augment with 100-calorie snacks (apples, cheese sticks, almonds, peanut butter) as needed.
Even though I was probably burning at least an extra 500 to 800 calories a day, I never felt hungry. The food was healthy, nutrient-dense, tasty and well-prepared. It made me feel good.
Breakthrough No. 1 - To change my eating habits permanently, I needed to find a way to feel full and satisfied at every meal, while eating healthy, lower-calorie foods.
Our meals included healthy carbs such as sprouted-grain bread or whole-grain pasta. At home, I had developed a fear of all carbs. As a result, I was toggling between eating clean — nothing but lean protein and veggies — and eating whatever the heck I wanted. Movara’s meals were a combination of healthy carbs, fat, lean proteins and fruits and vegetables. I could see myself sustaining that at home.
After breakfast, we boarded vans for a morning hike of 5 to 6 miles at nearby trails. A few weeks before coming to Movara, I had twisted my ankle. Navigating the rocky terrain took all of my energy and concentration. Every day, I’d return from the morning hike with my ankle throbbing. In order to get through the rest of the day, I retreated to my room for a 20-minute power nap with ice and ibuprofen.
Breakthrough No. 2 - There’s almost always a way to keep going.
Too often in the past, I’d let my health habits get sidelined by travel, a cold or holidays. There was always an excuse, and as I got older, they were easier and easier to find. Getting through the week taught me that I was stronger than my excuses.
At 11 a.m. there was water aerobics (not the old-lady kind; this class was rough) or strength training. Lunch was next, followed by a lecture about nutrition or behavior modification.
From 2 to 4 p.m. we sweated through two more hours of vigorous exercise classes, with a choice of options, such as circuit training, kickboxing, Zumba, boot camp or interval training. The music was loud and the instructors got in our faces, challenging us and cheering us on.
I was always surprised as my flagging energy picked up in class. Sharon would yell: “Just 30 more seconds. What can you do with 30 seconds?” And I’d run a little faster, punch a little harder or reach a little higher. Memories came back from a time 50 pounds ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when I had been an aerobics instructor in my 20s. I felt my mojo coming back.
Breakthrough No. 3 - I needed to find workouts that would allow me to truly love exercise again.
The day concluded with one more hour of class — typically something gentle, such as stretching or yoga. By the time dinner was served, not moving felt utterly luxurious. We would have an evening lecture, and then a few hours to relax by the pool, sipping herbal tea and chatting with other participants. Then it was off to bed.
I did all of that for six solid days, and I lost six pounds. More important, I got home feeling determined and confident that I was ready to change my habits.
Back home, I was able to stick to my diet in a way that I hadn’t before. I brought home a notebook full of recipes from the resort’s chef, and learned how to spot recipes that are high in fiber, dense in nutrients and diluted in calories.
I found a place to work out near my home, Orangetheory Fitness, with all of the elements I’d rediscovered at Movara: vigorous exercise, loud music and lots of encouragement from an instructor. Aside from a break to battle bronchitis, I’ve been going faithfully about six days a week. I have no trouble getting myself to class and I still enjoy it. Whatever works, right?
Probably the best takeaway of the week was something more subtle. Movara’s instructors embrace “acceptance theory,” the idea that losing weight isn’t about willpower. I’d read it before, but somehow, at Movara, sweating along with a great group of people who also wanted to get healthy, I truly got it.
Breakthrough No. 4 - Instead of spending months working off the weight, I could have an immediate transformation.
I could start eating food that made me feel satisfied and nourished and healthy. I could start exercising every day, not just to burn calories or lose weight, but to feel strong and energized and whole.
