Enjoy Your Adventure

My sister-in-law emails me with the idea to escape from the toddlers for a weekend. I'll admit, it didn't take me long to feverishly type my affirmative and pick a date. Cheryl had located a spa-resort in St. George, Utah called Red Mountain Spa. The spa idea was a curious one, since we were on the search for a little zen time to de-stress from jobs and toddler chasing. This particular spa was different than your average pamper you till you drop variety. 3 meals a day at their restaurant was included in the price, as well as a list of daily exercise classes, relaxation classes, and hikes in beautiful Snow Mountain Canyon. They give you a $100 credit toward spa treatments or different outings. They have two pools and hot tubs on the property and an array of hammocks and waterfalls in which to blob by.

The resort was located at the base of beautiful red buttes and surrounded by green sprinkled desert (we were fortunate to arrive before the heat really hit in the summer, so there was quite a bit of greenery around). We got there at lunch time, so Cheryl and I meandered to the Canyon Cafe and enjoyed the lunch buffet. The food at the Cafe is focused toward health - it was all fresh, low in the calories and sodium, and extremely tasty. As we were eating, it was apparent that we were out of our element. People sat at the surrounding tables wearing exercise-style clothing and all had their water bottles with them. We were used to a normal amount of stress when eating in a restaurant when we were attempting to contain our toddlers within their chairs, and hoped their voices would stay below the 8 decibel mark as to not bother other patrons. Here, everyone was pleasant and relaxed (and yes, we noticed, no kids were in the vicinity).

Our first stop was at the Red Mountain Outfitters store, where Cheryl picked up some flip-flops (with living in Seattle, the weather doesn't often allow much reason to have a pair), and I got some shirts for the boys at home and new outdoor-style shorts and pants. I realized I only packed jeans and shorts, but no loose pants or sweats for activities. We got ourselves decked out in outfitter gear and joined in to that of the 'active' spa culture.

Our next step was to plan out our activity schedule for the next four days. There are always things going on, and several activities required advanced reservations. Over the course of the next several days, we went on a canyon hike, horseback ride, yoga, nordic walking, stretching, mountain bike ride and aqua circuit class. We also signed up for 'an evening with the stars' activity where we got a presentation on astronomy in the extremely vivid Utah night sky. We also much enjoyed two treatments each at the spa (I had the Desert Rain massage and the Soaring Spirit body wrap-most excellent!!). There was plenty of time for lounging at the pool or hanging in a hammock throughout the day as well.

We thoroughly enjoyed each activity, but found a curious phenomenon occurring at the start or conclusion of our activities. Most of the guides would give us an "enjoy your adventure" statement. I started to feel like we were at Disneyland with the staff forced into creating a particular illusion for the guest by having to utter a catch phrase every time. Cheryl and I took a 'Mountain Bike 101' class (it was actually the two of us and a bike guide-made it a lot more fun), in order to learn the technical side to off-roading. While the guide was driving us out to the trail, she was talking about living in the small town and working at the spa. I found her to have a somewhat cynical side and a good sense of humor, so I dared ask as we were about to start out on the trail if the employees were forced to utter the adventure statement to all guests. She started laughing and said that they were required to say it as often as possible. In order to keep them to the corporation's policy, there is the occasional 'secret shopper' sent out to evaluate how the employee treats the guests. She said that she was always getting in trouble for missing the phrase (sounded like on purpose).

I must thoroughly recommend this vacation to anyone who wants to get away to a beautiful location, no matter if they wish to remain active or relax and be pampered. When I first heard of going on a spa vacation, I was thinking we'd spend all day in bathrobes going from a facial to a massage to a pedicure for the entire vacation (not a horrible thought, I must admit). But I am now a converted believer in the 'active and healthy' spa retreat and see that we all need a place to recharge our batteries from time to time. Check it out: http://www.redmountainspa.com/

Passion

I have this on my wall at work - food for thought...

begin and begin
and begin again
begin any time
begin any where
begin any way
to begin is the thing
hold tight to your passion
the thing is to begin
begin any time
begin anywhere
anyhow

A Gym Is A Gym?

Lets talk gyms. There are some people who detest the thought of going to the same place (almost) every day, doing repititous exercises and sharing locker room space. I am one of those people who do best being a self-proclaimed 'gym rat', where I can get myself well focused on the activity I'll be doing, all while tuning others out with my personal I-Tunes selection. This is my gym experience in general. I've gone to quite a few gyms before, and to me, I was always drawn to how many cardio machines it has, what types of group classes it offers, does it have a pool & hot tub, or if it boasts the newest line of weight machines or circuit training equipment. When I started going regularly to the gym last year, I chose one across the street from my work for convenience. I figured it'd not be much different from anywhere else I've gone.

What I learned at this particular gym was a different component to the workout: socialization. I am a quiet and relatively shy person by nature, and my usual M.O. is to go to a gym workout, and leave. I would give the occasional smile or pleasant 'hi' or 'good morning', but then I would disappear into a solitary sweaty focused existance while I got through my workout. What I found at this particular gym was different. There are a group of women that come to this gym every weekday that meet before and after their workouts to talk about their lives, health, jobs, activities, or practically anything that came up in conversation in the locker room. If someone isn't there, the ladies would ask eachother where the person was, if they were ok and if there was something they could do to help (if someone needed it). I found myself looking forward to listening to the day's topic of conversation. The ladies are so passionate about certain discussions, and are so supportive and compassionate of eachother. After they finished in the locker room they'd meet in the small lounge area and chat over a cup of coffee.

I think that when I first started, the ladies were a bit wary of this quiet woman changing clothes in the corner. I'm sure they were wondering if I'd keep coming to the gym or if I'd pitter out like so many others before me. I just kept to myself for the first few months, trying to get a routine going so early in the morning. But they did notice me, and one day someone gave me a compliment that I was looking like I was loosing weight. Another lady asked if I had kids, so I brought in a few pics of the lil guy and passed them around. I felt welcomed and supported when I came to this gym every morning. I was even surprised that when I would be out for a week or two (whether it be due to illness or work-related training), the ladies would ask if I was ok. After a two week absence I even got a phone call from a woman who worked at the gym, saying people were asking about what happened to me. These ladies are so sweet and it helped me look forward to getting to the gym so early in the morning.

Unfortunately, I transferred to a new office and now go to a corporate mass-produced gym with the latest equipment and classes. I am amazed at how different it is - most people don't even make eye contact, let alone get into conversations with eachother. People are just coming to workout, then leave to begin their day. At the other gym, people began their day there, with a warm smile and friendly conversation. When it comes to health and wellness, supportive friends are an important component to your workout. People are a great motivator for other people, and socialization is not necessarily a bad thing. I wish to thank the ladies for reminding me of that fact :)