My morning starts with the one hour Fitness hike. I head off with 6 other women and we walk the Serenity trail. This early, it's still cool and while the sun comes up, you can see all the dew and mist on the desert shrubs. It's a scenic walk but no lolly-gagging, we are moving at a good pace and I find my heart rate picking up the pace a bit which feels great first thing in the morning.
We walk past the Private Haciendas--these are privately owned suites here at Miraval. Just out of morbid curiosity, I check the one listing for sale through Sothebys. I think it's a 3 bedroom place listed for over $1 million. Well, something to consider if we ever win the lottery :)
On the hike, I meet Cathy who works for Cisco. She's been coming to Miraval once a year for the past 7 years. Sometimes she only stays 3 days, sometimes for up to one week. Sometimes with a group of friends or like this year, only one other friend. Cathy says every time she comes, she always finds something new to do, learn and grow from. I don't know if I would want to come back every year, but maybe every 2nd year?!??!!! There's an easy chatter among the women as we walk--forming small groups and sharing everything from what we do for work, where we live, what classes and activities we've been participating in. So many different backgrounds and stories for coming here--all of them inspiring and heart-felt. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to get to know them even if just on this short hike.
Afterwards, I stop by the juice bar for a longevity juice mix--cucumber, celery, apple, lemon, ginger. So refreshing. Ok--I have one small (portion size appropriate) peanut butter cookie. Then I'm off to a lecture on understanding your metabolism. The lecture is provided by Lisa the onsite Nutritionist. She tells us some really key things about our metabolism:
--the reason why our metabolism slows down as we age is because our bodies tend to lose muscle mass and muscle mass is one of the biggest factors that affects metabolism
--because of this, it's important not just to do exercise, but ensure we do weight bearing exercise to help keep our muscle density. Lisa recommends 30 mins/week split into 3 10 mins workouts.
--eat smaller meals to keep our blood sugar level
--get a good sleep!! If you are exercising regularly, eating healthy but still unable to lose weight, check how well you are sleeping.
--manage stress. Stress causes our bodies to release cortisol. Excess cortisol causes use to store fat and this affects our metabolism.
I leave the lecture with some great takeaways to monitoring and ensuring a healthy metabolism. Got to make some changes here.
Last activity at Miraval--an Aqua-Zen session. This session is billed as a cross between shiatsu massage with stretching while you are floating in a warm pool of water. I'm glad I picked this as my last treatment here--it sounds like the perfect thing to do to wrap up my stay. Amy is my therapist and she explains exactly what she's going to do with me--it involves a great deal of trust and surrender as she will literally be cradling me in the water ensuring my head stays afloat.
It's an odd sensation to be cradled like a child again and having someone else hold your arms and legs as you lay back. Soon I'm peacefully adrift in Amy's arms. She drags me through the water, encouraging me to visualize myself as a piece of seawood--waving in the water. As she moves me through the water, she extends my limbs in gentle stretches and twists my body to encourage complete relaxation. She also massages certain muscles as she's moving me around. This is an experience that I must say is really incredible. I feel like we are slowing dancing in the water, while I am feeling weightless and able to really relax my head, neck and shoulders due to the buoyancy in the water. After 45 minutes, I feel like we've been in the pool for hours. Some people say they are reborn when they leave the water--like emerging from the womb again. I don't know if I have that feeling but I can say that every part of me is relaxed and refreshed.
I quickly change and walk to meet Randy so we can check-out and leave this amazing place. While I'm sad to leave after such a fulfilling visit, I must admit, I know it's time to leave. I feel like we've taken complete advantage of every minute here.
Randy here: My two hour Intermediate Mountain Biking (sorry no photos) was rescheduled to this morning beginning at 8 am. I meet Justin just before 0800 and walk over to grab the mountain bikes. I have been mountain biking for the last six months with a couple of friends. Mostly green and some easier blue trails in Vancouver and Squamish areas. The mountain bike I am provided is excellent! 29" tires so easier for climbing. Light frame, flexible and costing around $2500USD so you know this is a first class ride. It is freezing cold around 5 degrees when we leave, but much colder in the lower flood plain. Sunny though and the sunglasses really help. Justin is a young guy, very fit and an expert mountain biker. The beginning of the ride is through the sandy flood plain and then up to the highest spot in the valley. Miraval is around 1300 metres above sea level so oxygen is less. Quite a difficult climb for me and trying to keep up with Justin.
It is really awesome to ride in the desert among the cactus, scrub brush and small trees. Parts of the trail are sandy, but mostly it is rocky and some sections require some technical riding ability to avoid being thrown into the cacti! We race along at some parts and take an occasional breather to get some needed water. I see a jackrabbit which was really cool. Huge rabbit that apparently has super long hind legs and can get going fast very quickly. We didn't run across any coyotes or other wildlife, but there were some cows. The mountains were on one side of us and in the distance to our west were a few houses. Very quiet out on the desert and I have to say it was so much fun. Great bike, good guide and some fantastic slalom like trails. We return slightly before 10 am and it was a good workout/cardio.
Met Lana back in the room for a quick shower and complete my packing of my carry-on luggage. The staff will pick up our bags at 11 am and have them ready for our 12 noon shuttle back to Tucson airport. I have a 10:30 Vibrant Morning massage with the same massage therapist Lana had seen the day prior. A great way to end my stay at Miraval. He uses a salt scrub to take off my outer layer of skin. They I shower and back on the table where he finishes with moisturizer. Yes, it's a tough life! Very relaxing and then ready for a quick lunch.
VIBRANT MORNING
Indulge in an invigorating journey of the senses. An Italian Blood Orange salt scrub is smothered over your entire body to remove dull skin cells, revealing a glowing, luscious look. Wash away the salts in a refreshing shower and allow the therapist to apply a delicious Blood Orange moisturizer to hydrate and lock in your radiance. Enjoy the rest of your day feeling energized and exhilarated.
It is a beautiful sunny and warm day as I take my lunch on the patio in the sunshine. Lots of healthy stuff to eat and I get some take away containers for Lana to eat in the shuttle van on the way back. So warm. I run into a couple of guests that we have gotten to know during our stay. Maybe they are stalking me? ha ha
Lana arrives late from her appointment at Aqua Zen given they gave her wrong directions and the wrong place to meet. No matter as we do arrive at the airport around 55 minutes later. It turns into a huge screwup with our flight to LAX and then using Westjet to get back to YVR the same night. Lana has a business trip to Philly early the next morning.
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