January 18, 2008 Canyon Ranch Day 3

OK, let me start by saying I am NEVER leaving this place!! It is pure paradise! Most people think it’s a place where spoiled rich women come to be pampered. And yes, there’s plenty of that here. But it’s SO much more!! It’s clean eating of healthy foods in appropriate portions. It’s a multitude of fitness activities at every level. It’s lectures on healthy living. It’s finally finding a doctor who spends more than 5 minutes with you, and knows how to help you with your situation. It’s all kinds of consultations, from psych counseling to nutrition to exercise physiology to helping your memory improve. And yes, the pampering (can’t forget that!!). I’d heard that a visit to Canyon Ranch will change your life, and I can honestly say that it’s true. This is a place of healing, of health, of peace, of serenity. Even though I have to leave in 2 days, I WILL be back!

OK, end of commercial! This was probably the busiest day yet. I was up early to pee in a cup and go have my lab work done. The nurse tried the left arm, where I always get blood taken, and I guess the vein there is on vacation too, because no blood came out! So she called in a very cute guy, who stuck me in the right arm and proceeded to take half of the blood out of my body! I asked if he was leaving any for me! Seriously, I think there were 10 tubes there!

I went to meet Deb for breakfast, and couldn’t find her. I called the room, no answer. Finally I had to go in and get started or I’d be late for my 9:00 appointment. I had just sat down, and in she came—she’d been waiting for me in the library! Breakfast was wonderful. My daily fresh squeezed OJ (how I will miss that when I go home!!), some yummy fresh fruit, a VERY small slice of banana bread (not as good as mine, but much healthier!), and an egg white omelet with tomato and low fat Monterey Jack cheese. I was surprised at how delicious the omelet was. I normally don’t like low fat cheese, and I wasn’t real sure about the egg whites either—I like my eggs yellow! But it was great.

At 9 I met with the nutritionist again, and she was very helpful. She gave me lists of websites for healthy/organic eating, a list of brands that they use here that Whole Foods should have, a list of which foods are high in which vitamins, minerals, etc., and a printout of all the suggestions she’d made yesterday. I was very relieved to learn that an “elimination diet” is NOT forever! It’s for 2-3 months, and then you slowly reintroduce the sensitive foods one at a time. MUCH better than "I can never have it again". She also gave me my eating plan. I was very surprised to learn that I am not eating enough! Amazing! Who’d have ever imagined it? I need about 100-200 more calories, more protein, veggies and fruit. WOW! Maybe that’s why my weight loss has been so slow—my body thinks it’s in a famine! Anyway, after the lab tests come back and I talk to the doctor, I will have a phone consult with her to help me adjust to whatever I need to eliminate.

From there I hurried over to the pool for aerobics—didn’t want to be late for class! I actually changed in the bathroom (I had my swimsuit on under my clothes), and Deb had brought down my robe and slippers for afterwards. The class was great—MUCH better than yesterday. It was a lot more appropriate for our fitness levels. There were also more people in the class, which made it fun. The teacher was a hoot. He kept telling us to ask each other “can you do this faster?”, “can you jump higher?”, “can you pass someone?”. Well, I finally did manage to pass someone. Unfortunately, it was an old lady!!! (Hey, I never claimed to be an athlete!!) I was able to get up to my target heart rate, which was good.

Next was Reflexology, which was fabulous. I walked into a peaceful, quiet room with soft piano music playing, dim lighting, and an ADJUSTABLE table! I was very comfy there. She worked on my sinus points, which were awful, as were my neck and spine points. She mostly worked on my feet, but also some on my hands and scalp. I walked out of there feeling very refreshed.On the way back to the locker room, I encountered a group of ladies who were talking about eating veggies and “gassing up”. I laughed, and they said that all the veggies were giving them major gas. I agreed, and said it was too bad we couldn’t run our cars on that gas—we could go cross country just on lunch! So I went to lunch and “gassed up” on a great salad, and a tuna wrap that was excellent. After lunch I went down to the gym to get on the elliptical, and the 15 minutes seemed like forever! Guess my legs are feeling the workout they are getting here! There was no treadmill class, so it was much quieter than yesterday. I enjoyed the same lovely view of the woods, with the extra snow that fell last night. I got my heart rate up to 142! WOW! Once again, I was 1 on 1 in cooking class. Just Kate (the chef) and me for Speed Cooking. It was great fun, since she is such a fun, cool person! (even if she IS a fan of the hated Red Sox…) I just loved it! We made Salmon Teriyaki (a definite keeper for home!), Hummus (great! It’s the recipe they use up in the dining room, which I love), and Almond Butter Delight. I had seen Peanut Butter Delight on the menu earlier, and wondered about it, so it was good to have the chance to make it and try it. It’s a mix of ricotta, honey, vanilla, and almond butter. Strange, but not too bad. I’ll try making it with peanut butter instead. I was telling her about the blogs Deb and I were doing and she asked me to email them to her so she could read them! (she enjoyed meeting me as much as I enjoyed meeting her). When it was time to leave, she gave me presents!!! A scoop to help portion foods, a set of prep bowls for when I’m chopping up veggies and stuff in advance, and my favorite, a heat resistant spatula with a mini scraper inside! (I used it during class and loved it) I felt so special!!

Next on the list was a Lymphatic Massage. It was amazing! She worked all my lymphatic points, in my sinuses, head and neck, and then legs. She actually cleared my sinuses!!! She suggested I do this at home too, so I will need to find someone who does it. She also recommended compression stockings. She was so helpful and friendly (like everyone here!!). I rearranged my Sunday schedule so I could have another session with her before I go home.After a short break to drop some stuff off in the room and collect Deb, it was time for dinner. We both had the Chicken Pot Pie, which was SO cute! It was in a little dish, with a little thin crust floating on the top. It was very yummy. I also had a great salad, and for once I remembered to bring a can of my Orangeade with me. The “gas girls” sat at the table next to us, and we had a good laugh at all the veggies we were eating. I collected the flaxseed and cinnamon for my yogurt that I had forgotten earlier, and headed back to the spa.

My last treatment of the day was a “Silky Smooth Body Treatment”. This was the substitute for the Mango Sugar Glo that I couldn’t do because of the tub. Anna from Russia (St. Petersburg) was wonderful. First she scrubbed me down with brown sugar and flaxseed. I felt like I was being gently sanded smooth. Next, I took a shower to rinse it all off. Then she rubbed on cream made of loquats, milk, soybeans. (this was the “silky” part). What a recipe! Put me in the oven, I’m ready to cook!!! On the way back to the room, I stepped outside for the first time since Wednesday morning, and took a deep breath of fresh, clean, COLD air. I was instantly reminded of WHY I’ve been staying inside!

Snack tonite increases to 1 cup of yogurt with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed, granola, and the fruit I didn’t eat earlier. A veritable feast!!! Bed will feel good tonight!!