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A Terrific Tennessee Spa
By Mimi Kazon
Some history: The last spa I went to was the Golden Door in
California. It provided a week of utter bliss for $8,000.
What could the Tennessee Fitness Spa, at $1,000 to $1,635,
provide?
To my delight, I discovered, plenty!
You are asked to arrive and leave on a Sunday. Flying into
Nashville,
I was met by the Spa van and catnapped for the two hour trip. Immediately
upon arrival, one goes to the office to check-in and receive
an InBody assessment (a body composition test). Orientation
follows in the dining room at 5:15, and the evening is
complete
with a delicious dinner.
Breakfast is from 6:45 - 7:45AM. The first morning, it was
accompanied by a lecture called “Healthy on Your Feet”. By
8:00AM, the walkers were warming up in the office parking
lot. Since I am slim, and walking is my New York exercise, I
passed on it. My new best friend later described it as
“invigorating, varied, scenic and aerobic”.
My
fave is water exercise, so I was delighted to be in the
vast, indoor perfectly heated pool at 8:30AM for “Water
Walking”. By 9:15, we were doing “Aqua High/Low “. It was
followed by “Aqua Delta Bells” at 9:45. Last, but by no
means least, was “Aqua Stretch”. Marvelous would
describe all of the classes. I spent every morning doing
more of the same.
By 11:00AM, I was in the gym in the capable hands of a
trainer, Daniel. I lifted weights, to tone my upper body,
for 20 minutes. The next day we worked on the lower parts.
The following day, we were again working the upper muscles.
I was so happy, and even happier to learn at the end that I
had lost eleven inches.
My food choice was the standard menu. At breakfast, I
usually chose oatmeal. The other possibilities included
French toast, scrambled eggs, a boiled egg, a ham and cheese
frittata, a waffle, pancake or spinach omelet. Total
calories: 500.
Lunch, at 400 calories, could be a turkey sandwich,
chicken, pork, cheese or fish. Dinner, 300 calories, was
fish, meatloaf, chicken or spaghetti. At lunch and dinner,
there was a great salad bar, but the daily 1200-calorie
regime, did not include it.
The meals were all nutritious; no saturated or trans fat
was used. A nice note: Snacks, like a small plastic bag of
celery and carrots, were available in a fridge outside the
dining room.
After lunch there were really great lectures. “Balancing
Health with Nature”, by Dean, was on Monday. Here is a
first: Did you know that coconut oil may provide a wide
range of health benefits? I did not.
Before the 3:30PM “Aqua Circuit” class, one could do
weights, sports conditioning, or Resistaball. At 4:15, “Aqua
Stretch” class preceded my daily 5:00PM massage.
Dinner
was 6:00 till 7:00PM. By 7:15, there were programs like Self
Defense, Bingo, Introduction to Opera, and a fantastic one
called “Redefining Your Skin”. Did you know you should wash
your face and hair with cool water? I didn’t. Did you know
it takes 12 weeks for a product to show results? Or that
your dermatologist should include your scalp in your full
body check?
The Tennessee Fitness Spa was a gift that kept on giving.
After my departure, upon request, I received a fantastic
packet of papers that included my assessment results, a Take
Home Program, which listed a personal training schedule, and
four fantastic pages of pictured water exercises. My
nutritional notes were “Food is fuel! Eat To Live. Three
small meals a day – and two healthy snacks. Always carbs and
protein.”
That was the icing on the cake –
I loved every minute there, and you will too. |