Where to Stay Fit for National Fitness Month in May

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, San Diego, Calif.

Spanning 45 lush acres of gardens, nature trails, meticulous olive groves, and casitas, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is ideal for the premier active lifestyle and healthy retreats for even the most discerning travelers. Seeking to inspire resort guests, wellness was a major initiative during Rancho Valencia's recent $30 million renovation. In addition to resurfacing all 18 on-property tennis courts, The Spa at Rancho Valencia and fitness center were expanded with a new line-up of fitness classes, spa treatments and wellness programs. The resort's fitness center was further expanded with the addition of a 1,000-square-foot Serenity Yoga Pavilion that now hosts numerous Yoga sessions, fitness classes, exercise programs and retreats hosted by top-tier fitness and wellness professionals. Rancho Valencia's fitness offerings include Spin, Pilates, Tennis, TRX and Yoga in the new Serenity Yoga Pavilion. Fitness classes are complimentary for spa and resort guests and are all concluded with a fresh cold-pressed juice or protein shake.

In addition, Rancho Valencia offers monthly yoga workshops focusing on different topics each month. Throughout each workshop, Yoga Director Anna Spalding, will offer various tips on yoga, mind and body. The workshop is open to all levels and is complimentary to spa members and $40 for non-members.

Rancho La Puerta | Tecate, MX
Rancho La Puerta is the original “fitness resort” and spa that welcomes some 140 guests each week to its 3,000 private acres of gardens, mountains and meadows in Baja California, Mexico. All facilities and land are for the exclusive use of guests who come for an entire week, Saturday to Saturday, or partial-week stays of three or four nights. It's a unique reawakening and spiritual mental escape for women and men offering space to breathe freely amidst nature and to relax, renew, reflect and redirect one's longer-living life for a complete mind, body, and spirit balance. In addition, the Ranch offers daily lectures and workshops to inspire guests to leave with a recharged sense of being.

Specialty Weeks at the Ranch are offered year-round, featuring visiting guest speakers, talented performers and workshop leaders–authors, politicians, musicians, artists, MDs and other leaders in their fields -- to present afternoon learning experiences and evening lectures. Reawakening and spiritual lecture examples led by wellness enthusiasts from all over the world include:

• Wellbeing and Quality of Life in April 2015 - Happiness is not simply dependent on a person's genes. It is a set of skills that can be taught, and, with practice, developed over time. The bulk of what determines happiness is one's thoughts and behaviors. This two-session presentation will highlight the evidence supporting the relationship between enjoyment/pleasure and health outcomes and participants will learn practical strategies for cultivating happiness.


• Self-Discovery through Journal Writing in May 2015 - A journal asks you to live your life twice, once when it happens and once in reflection. Journal writing is an ideal way to express ideas, emotions and creativity as well as a way to heal the self, discover hidden abilities and desires–and, of course, deal with life's realities. The Ranch is the perfect place to begin a journal practice or resume one that you might have left behind. In addition, Patricia Moreno, a mind body coach and fitness expert with over 20 years of experience and a published author, will be joining The Ranch in May to teach her signature workout intenSati, alongside danceSati, yogaSati, coreSati and warriorSati. Patricia has been twice-nominated Best Fitness Instructor by Allure magazine and made the “Ten Women Who Shape the World” list by Shape Magazine.


• Managing Your Attention in an Age of Distraction in June 2015 - How good are you at maintaining your focus, when it comes to being productive at work, being skillful in your relationships, and resisting being pulled down into electronic rabbit-holes during the day? Katherine Ellison, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist diagnosed with ADHD, tells you what she has learned about the spectrum of distraction disorders, our increasing vulnerability to them, and what you can do to strengthen your focus in challenging times.

THE US GRANT Hotel, San Diego, Calif.

With a focus on the increasingly popular health-conscious traveler, San Diego's THE US GRANT, A Luxury Collection Hotel, has partnered with local fitness group, On Demand Lifestyles, to offer guests an exclusive fitness program.

THE US GRANT's program, Work It Lifestyle, allows guests to integrate health and fitness easily into their itinerary. With at least 10 days notice prior to arrival, guests have the opportunity to select a personal trainer, including Golden Champion Chad Yarvitz or Olympian Luke Walton, and personalized workout style, choosing from a variety of classes, including Yoga, Pilates, Boot Camp, TRX, Booty Barre, and Strength training classes. The trainer will then contact the guest directly to schedule their appointment and create a custom workout that can be achieved in their room, at the hotel's fully-equipped fitness center or in The US GRANT's downtown San Diego "backyard."

Mountain Trek | Nelson, British Columbia and Tecate, Mexico

Mountain Trek is an all-inclusive boutique luxury fitness and health spa retreat offering guests a dynamic boot camp vacation program. A true backcountry experience based in two extraordinary locations, British Columbia and Baja California, Mexico, Mountain Trek programs immerse guests in scenery you cannot find near most urban cities. Unlike other boot camp/weight-loss programs that focus entirely on shedding pounds, Mountain Trek focuses on metabolism, providing a holistic approach to every guest, addressing hormonal rebalance and the mind-body-spirit connection, with the end goal of helping guests reclaim their overall functional health.

To kick off a healthy 2015, Mountain Trek is offering a two week program at Rancho La Puerta in February. Here, the program is combines Mountain Trek's love of health with the Ranch's beautiful facilities, cuisine and landscape of Baja Mexico.

Additional highlights below –

• Mountain Trek's British Columbia location is the only mountain-based, hiking fitness and weight loss program in North America, with a beautiful lodge and limitless trails in pristine landscapes to explore in the area


• Mountain Trek's small groups allow guests to immerse themselves in spectacular natural landscapes – groups are limited to 16 people to provide a focused and personalized experience, with plenty of time and space each day to Activities range from hiking, yoga, massage and detox treatments, and a variety of fitness and nutrition classes including: lectures on stress management, nutrition, sleep health, metabolism, detoxification and goal setting and will power


• Guests will find fresh, healthy, calorie-controlled spa cuisine with a variety of beef, fish, poultry and vegetarian meals (catering to all dietary restrictions and food preferences), helping to instill these eating habits into a permanent part of their lifestyles. Mountain Trek offers a complete gluten-fress experience


• Average weight loss for a one week program ranges from 4.5 - 6.5 lbs per week for women and 8 - 10 lbs per week for men

Paresa Resort - Phuket, Thailand

Pump up your fitness routine with daily Thai boxing classes offered at the luxury cliffside Paresa Resort located on the esteemed "Millionaire's Mile" in Kamala, Phuket. Up to three guests can train with a Muay Thai instructor in the comfort of their spacious guest room overlooking the Andaman Sea. The hotel also features a fully equipped gym featuring top of the line equipment and machines featuring the same uninterrupted views. One-on-one sessions can be arranged, and advance booking is required. Unwind in the spa with a One-on-one sessions start at $97 / session / guest.

A hideaway-style luxury pool villa and pool suite resort perched on the cliffs of Kamala amongst a lush tropical forest in Phuket Thailand, Paresa Resort boasts breathtaking views of the dramatic indigo Andaman sea, embracing the exclusivity of its natural surroundings.

Mountain Trek, Bristish Columbia

Mountain Trek, an all-inclusive boutique luxury fitness and spa retreat, is kicking off the 2015 season at the British Columbia location in May. A true backcountry experience outside of Nelson, British Columbia, Mountain Trek offers guests a dynamic boot camp vacation, while also providing an upscale resort experience at their beautiful lodge. Set in spectacular natural landscapes, guests are treated to an ultra personalized program and spend time focusing on activities including hiking, yoga, massage therapy, detox treatments, and a variety of fitness and nutrition classes including: lectures on stress management, nutrition, sleep health, metabolism, detoxification, goal setting and personal will power. Unlike other boot camp programs that focus entirely on shedding pounds, this hiking-based program focuses on fitness and metabolism, providing a holistic approach to every guest for the ultimate mind and body renewal. One-week reboot and two-week renewal programs are available throughout the month of May.

Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa - Hamptons, NY

Bear Grylls Survival Academy Workout – the most recognized face of survival and adventure will play host to a pop-up course on the shores of Montauk this spring. During this all-inclusive weekend, attendees will learn how to start a fire, purify water, catch, prepare, and eat wild food, navigate without a compass, avoid hypothermia, and ultimately learn to self-rescue using Bear's famous techniques as seen on his TV show “Running Wild With Bear Grylls” on NBC. Available on May 1-3, based on availability. *From $650 per person.

Situated on Montauk's most pristine stretch of oceanfront real estate, the newly renovated Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa is a Hampton's institution and the only four-season resort on Montauk. Providing guests with direct access to a 1,000 ft. private sand beach, Gurney's features 109 rooms, suites and beachfront cottages, each with dramatic ocean views.

The Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas | Bali

Full-Day or Half-Day Lifestyle Wellness Program includes:

• Full-day (five to six hours) and half-day (four hours) options


• Option to experience wellness program from one to seven days


• Customized Healthy Dining Options


• Yoga Stretching Class


• Aqua Aerobics Class


• Signature treatment options including facial treatments and a blend of unique massage techniques


• Access to the signature Wellness Suite including Asia Pacific's only Ice Room


• Visits to the local temples, walks on the white sand beach, and experiencing the picturesque sunsets

Located on the majestic coastline of Nusa Dua, The Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas evokes a relaxed yet polished sensibility. Travelers looking to get in tip-top shape for National Fitness Month can experience The Mulia's lifestyle wellness program. The wellness program includes personal attention, luxury amenities, and a myriad of activities that embrace fitness, sensible dining and holistic achievement. Escape for a fitness-focused getaway to Bali and come back feeling recharged, relaxed and in the best shape of your life! The full-day (five to six hours) or half-day (four hours) wellness program features a specially designed wellness menu and training regimen that is designed to nurture and restore well-being just in time for National Fitness Month.

Twin Farms - Barnard, VT

Set amidst 300 acres of meadows and woodlands, the all-inclusive Relais & Chateaux property will unveil a new yoga deck and programming this Spring. The new programming will include a variety of yoga practices including Sunrise yoga, Gentle Flow Yoga, Restorative Yoga and yoga hikes. In addition to yoga, TRX Suspension Training, SMR Foam Rolling, Core-Balance-Stretch and Strength Training will also be offered on property. The TRX Suspension Training uses a suspension apparatus as well as calisthenics to induce a complete body workout and incorporates light to moderate strength training couples with various core and balance exercises.

Twin Farms is a Relais & Chateaux property and the only five-star resort in Vermont situated on 300 acres of lush meadowlands in Barnard, VT. Each accommodation is unique and the culinary program is incomparable to anywhere else in the Northeast.

The Biggest Loser Resort, Multiple locations in Amelia Island, FL, Chicago, IL and Niagara, NY

BLR Amelia Island Star Workout: TSA (Trainer Surprise Attack): This workout takes place in a gorgeous outdoor park known as Drummond Park. The guests proceed around a loop at a challenging pace for them and stop at various stations along the way. At the end, the trainers throw a surprise in there - for example, having the campers pull all the trainers on a sled. This workout incorporates strength and cardio all while having fun. Example: Station 1: 20 burpees, Station 2: ladder drills, Station 3: 20 of each dips-core leg lifts- squats, Station 4: 20 step ups, Station 5: sled pull, Station 6: trail run.

BLR Chicago Star Workout: Smackdown: One of the most popular fitness classes at BLR Chicago is “Smackdown" which is essentially a boxing class. Boxing is such a great full body workout and also an amazing cardio workout. The other great aspect of this class is that it can feel very empowering and stress relieving to the guests. Women are especially surprised how much they enjoy the class. Since many BLR guests have many different emotions bottled up, boxing is the start of relieving some of their the pent up anger or frustrations, making Smackdown a tremendous workout that is also fun and therapeutic.

BLR Niagara Star Workout: Trainer Outdoor Circuit (T.O.C.): Taking advantage of BLR Niagara's 300-acre property, T.O.C. is a guest favorite and one that can be easily adapted to work in any park or neighborhood. This full body workout focuses on cardiovascular endurance, strength with a focus on the large muscle groups, core stability and balance training. The exercise is set up in 3 – 5 stations around the property in a .5 to 1 mile loop. Each station focuses on a different fitness component (i.e. The Hill – cardiovascular training, The Bocce courts – focus on core and balance training, The Bonfire Pit – Upper body exercises, The Beach – Agility, Pavilion – Lower Body). At each station, challenges are built in as the guests continue to make their way around the circuit.