GlamMa : Spa Heaven

Saturday: Just a quick check in to tell y'all I'm in Glam Spa Heaven. Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona. www.miravalresort.com is where I will finally get rid of the Chinese flu and get life back in balance.

The weather is gorgeous, the skies are blue and I'm off to have a shiatsu massage. Be jealous. More tomorrow if I can still think.

I'm going to continue this post so it is in sequence.

Saturday night: My shiatsu massage was an incredible experience. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-shiatsu-massage.htm The masseuse, Steve Cummings is a free spirit kind of guy who has lived and experienced many lives.... including hanging with the Grateful Dead. I told him about my lingering sense of exhaustion after the Chinese flu and how I thought it was related to my energy levels. He smiled in a zen kind of way and pointed to a mattress on the floor of the room. "Don't worry, Miss Judith, we will clear out your energy blockages and get your Chi back in balance." I sighed hoping he was right.

For the next eighty minutes Steve poked and prodded every pressure point on my body. Some hurt, some really hurt and some were scream out loud "STOP". He pulled my legs one way and arms another. I told him I didn't want to join the Cirque du Soleil. He smiled knowingly and said. "Just tell me if I'm pressing too hard." Damn skippy he was pressing too hard but I knew this would help. I concentrated on breathing. and just kept breathing.

The eighty minutes were the longest and shortest periods of time... other than childbirth... that I 'd ever spent. At the end of the session I was limp. I felt light headed and ethereal. I asked him if I could now fly. He laughed and told me to take my time getting up. I made it back to my room, fell into bed and was asleep so fast, I left the lights on.

Sunday I woke up this morning feeling

transformed. No I didn't turn into a dragonfly (this one is hovering outside my room as I write this... but I did, for the first time in a month feel like myself. More amazing yet. I had no bruises where Steve had poked and prodded me. I jogged to the main building to get coffee and yogurt and signed up for three consecutive exercise classes. Now I have to figure out how to kidnap my newest best friend Steve!!!!

Monday: Well, I admit I overdid it yesterday and although my energy level was great, my muscles aren't used to extended periods of exercise. So I'm walking like a cripple. I'll concentrated on stretching and aerobics.

Cardio Intervals: Great for the sweat glands.

Fletcher Towel Work: Some brainiac figured out how to make money exercising with a red towel!!!!!http://www.pilatesstyle.com/a/78_The_R.php

Postural Alignment: Yikes, gotta go back to carrying books on my head?

Reiki Treatment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiki The person doing the treatment said she only wanted to balance my energy but something happened in those fifty minutes that I can't explain. For fear of the normals out there thinking I'm a loon, I'll save the details for family and friends or email me privately at [email protected]

Tuesday: Except for a class on abs and glutes I played hookey until my Marine Contouring Body Wrap. Didn't expect to come out of the green goo looking anything like Bo Derrick but I had hopes. Oh Well.

Wednesday: Today I gave myself the best gift ever. I met with a nutritionist who measured my body fat and lean muscle mass in relation to my weight and age and together we designed an exercise / fitness / meal planning program. It's part of Glam Simple Living. No more ALL Protein, ALL Carbs, NO Fats, counting calories and making myself crazy with "can't, won't, shouldn't" diets. In reality, our bodies need balance in all things. Doesn't mean I won't go crazy on chips and salsa, have a marguerita now and again or indulge in a big juicy steak. But as a daily way of life, I'm going back to what my mother taught me so many years ago. Look at those food groups and have some of each. I am overjoyed at the prospect of having things like baked potatos and yams (small portion) and brown rice and oatmeal. Whoohoo. In essence it's no more dieting and just healthy proportioned eating.

And my trainer, Jose Luis will be proud, my lean muscle mass is very good. Just need to loose a few pounds of excess fat! Who doesn't ???????

Thursday:

I've started eating like a real human being and honestly it is Glam Simple.

Of course, here at Miraval everything is marked so It's easy to figure out carb, protein and fat calories. The trick will be to do it back home.

My goal is to keep my energy up so I don't have the spikes that occur between meals and that cause me to devour whatever is in the refrigerator and easy to reach... usually cheese. For my height and weight ( you don't really think I'm going to tell you !!!!!) I'll need to eat 6 servings of Complex Carbohydrates, 4 servings of fruit, 3 of vegetables, 2-3 of dairy, 5 of protein and 4 of fats just to meet my resting body metabolism. Depending on the food, servings can vary between a teaspoon (olive oil) to 4 ounces (chicken or fish) to 1/2 cup (fruits and vegetables) Five ounces of wine equals 1 carb and 1 fat and a beer equals 2. At this point I'm thinking weight watchers and its points but the difference is you can't bank points and this is not a diet, it's the way we should all eat. Losing weight happens when you consume fewer calories than you burn, but they should still be healthy calories. I know, I'm starting to sound like a convert to some weird cult.

Friday: Nope, not me.

My goal: Learning what it means to live "in the moment." I know it sounds all zen and 60's hippy but the focus was more on learning to eliminate the stressors in life that aren't necessary. For instance, is it really helpful to get angry because you're stuck in a traffic jam? Your heart rate and blood pressure go up and by the time you get to your destination you are exhausted and NEED CHOCOLATE!!!!! Instead, try taking a few calming breaths and consciously finding something else to think about. After you've accomplished your goal, roll down the window and offer a mindful hand gesture to the the jerk who just cut you off.

If I were climbing that mountain, I would definitely be "in the moment!"

Saturday: On the road and realizing how hard healthy eating will be. Airport food? Let's see, how many carbs and fat grams in that Chicken McNugget box? Oh. Well, how about a slice of pizza? Yea, I actually could do that, but just a slice? Okay. A taco then, with lots and lots of salsa and lettuce. MMMMM good.

Post Script: I forgot to mention one VERY important new factoid I learned at Miraval. 10,000 steps a day is now what is recommended to maintain a healty heart. That, for me, would be four miles/ day. Yikes. I've bought a pedometer.