Spring it on: Get-in-shape vacations
(Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 23, 2018.)
For the start of spring, “Good Morning America” is featuring ways to embrace spring cleaning for your wardrobe, your home, and in the kitchen.
The marriage of travel and wellness is a multi-billion-dollar one. From juicing to detoxes to wellness-aware programs, hoteliers have definitely heard the message that travelers want to take their healthy lifestyles on the road.
Wellness tourism is a $563 billion industry and growing faster than tourism itself, according to the Global Wellness Institute 2017 list.
But what about using a vacation to kick-start a spring workout routine? There's no shortage of resorts willing to put guests through the ringer in the name of a get-in-shape vacation from the gentle to intense.
Kripalu, Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Housed in a former Jesuit seminary, Kripalu is a perfect getaway for someone looking to incorporate a yoga retreat with a focus on rebooting their mental state, as well. The center's R&R package includes a variety of workshops, outdoor activities and of course, multiple yoga classes at different levels throughout the day. Meals in the cafeteria -- where healthy, organic food is served buffet style -- are taken in silence.
A sample day this April at Kripalu might start with an early-morning yoga class, followed by a workshop on "clearing the clutter," both figuratively and literally, an outdoor hike, a yoga dance class, a talk on the principles of eating and a wind-down yoga class for peaceful sleep. Spa treatments and tarot card readings are available at an extra cost.
The R&R package starts at $350 for a two-night minimum stay.
Breezes Resort & Spa -- Bahamas Wellness Week
Breezes Resort & Spa -- Bahamas is teaming up with Crunch Fitness and health expert Dr. Rachel to host its first Wellness Week April 23 through April 27. For five days, the all-inclusive resort will transform into a wellness retreat with a full program of daily group exercise classes, culinary workshops, discussions about mindfulness and making healthy life choices, as well as healthy behavior challenges and games. Featured classes include beach yoga, Caribbean rhythms dancing, and Zumba, plus more adventurous options like flying Pilates and trapeze conditioning. Between sessions, retreat-goers can attend cooking demonstrations.
Prices start at $171 per person per night.
Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico
Rancho La Puerta, often called the "original" fitness resort, says it gives guests a fresh start both physically and spiritually. Familiar workouts like TRX, yoga, pilates and hiking are on offer. New this spring is a redesigned course for obstacle course racing which includes mud pits, monkey bars and more; Bounce, a group class done on mini trampolines; workouts and aerial yoga, a new 45-minute class that uses silks to bring yoga poses above ground in a hammock-like contraption. Spa treatments, daily lectures and cooking lessons round out the healthy offerings.
Weekly rates start at $4,400 for singles, and $3,900 for doubles.
Mountain Trek, British Columbia
It's sounds like a workout, but Mountain Trek is also the name of an award-winning fitness retreat. The week-long hiking program starts it's spring season on April 28 with personalized programs for guests housed in a luxury lodge. Calorie-counted cuisine, three or four daily hiles, health coaching, nutrition lectures a daily detox and spa treatments make up the program that boasts an average weight loss of 4.5 to 6.5 lbs for women and 8 to 10 lbs weight loss for men, per week. The retreat is tech-free, so plan for a phone detox, too. Groups are limited to 16 people per week.
Price: $5,100 for a one week stay.
Fatpacking, various locations.
Another weight-loss hiking vacation, Fatpacking is, according to its web site "targeted for people who are approximately 15-75 pounds overweight, but that's mostly a guideline."
There are half-week, week-long and two-week-long trips and participants should be prepared to rough it -- no spa treatments here; instead, guests will spend their nights camping out in some of the nations most spectacular locations, including national parks. A sample trip of the Grand Canyon tri-rim includes between 7 and 12 miles per day, including two ascents from the Colorado River. Other trips take place in Acadia National Park, Yellowstone and Yosemite, among others.
Price: One-week trips start at $1250 per person.
