The Oaks at Ojai (California)
Today, life often feels like a circus. We have to be jugglers of time, career, and family. We need to balance our health goals. Sometimes that can be overwhelming. I know with my work, home life, travel and the best grandbabies on the planet to snap up my extra time, I sometimes feel like I'm on overload. Do you feel this way too?
Do you feel like you really want to get away from it all? Not that you don't love your life, but rather how about escaping for a short time? How about taking a break? Here are some tips to help you do just that and maintain a high level of health, too.
*Plan a dream getaway, a fitness cruise, or a weeklong retreat at a resort or health spa. Maybe a condo in Maui feels right. Even though you can't drop everything and dash away, just planning for the "break time", saving for it, getting your wardrobe ready and perhaps even trimming down a few pounds so that your vacation clothes fit well can help reduce stress. Look online for resort and spa bargains. Many luxury hotels in big cities have weekend specials because that's their "low" time, once the weekday business guests have checked out.
*Get away for a weekend. Many health resorts and spas have great weekend packages. If your schedule is flexible, see what's happening at a resort this weekend, ask for specials. Go online and look at the spas' websites, ask about fitness classes (if you want to workout), accommodations and what you need to bring. At the high end, you'll find spas where your heart's desire is furnished. You can even leave your toothbrush at home. Of course, the prices reflect this luxury. At the other end of the spa spectrum, you may be sleeping in a cabin with other same gender guests in a dormitory style accommodation. But if the location is restful and you're there to be outdoors, this could be the right choice.
*Escape for a day. There are many day spas, even in the city, that are perfect for a few hours of adult "recess." Call around and compare prices. Best yet, ask friends and coworkers where they go for massages, facials, beauty and body treatments. There are day spas that are right for every budget including those that include lunch and fitness classes. Many health resorts offer day packages, but you have to ask.
*Schedule a mini escape. Do you even remember the last time you played hooky from being a parent, a spouse or a worker? I think it's time for a wellness "date" or mini escape from your routine. This can be as simple as lunch and shopping, a facial and manicure, a solitary walk along the beach or lakefront, a hike through the hills, or a bike ride in the countryside. One "rule" is that you must go alone. Why? As with the retreats and escapes above you are probably well overdue for time without talking, directing, managing, handling or organizing others.
*Can't manage an afternoon? You can still find ways to relax, but you have to ensure they'll get into your schedule. Put your "retreat" time on your daybook and pretend that all life, as we will know it could end if you don't take time for yourself. Plan ahead if necessary so that the kids can be with responsible adults. Then pamper yourself with in-home spa treatments, such as a moisturizing body scrub, hot oil treatment for your hair, spoiling your feet with a pedicure. Think for a moment about lounging in a tub of perfumed bubbles, soothing classical music in the background, a few candles flickering in the breeze and a big fat novel in your hands. This is the right prescription for any stressed, over scheduled adult and working person. While you can spend thousands for a weekend at a really top end resort, sometimes we just simply need time for us.
Don't wait until you're snappy or too tired to create a retreat or escape plan. Jot your ideas down now. Sure these take a bit of planning, but in our fast-paced world, learning to relax and take care of ourselves could be the best way to stay fit for life.
