I’m just back from a week at a health and fitness spa that has jumpstarted me to pick up on the healthy living lifestyle that has stalled somewhat in recent months. Sometimes, it takes drastic measures to get back in gear and that’s what I needed after backing down from exercise and good eating since my total knee replacement last November.

I’m recharged, reinvigorated, remotivated and resolved to get back to being Super Healthy Me.

This morning, my first day back, I rejoined my old bicycle spinning class at the Rochester Athletic Club.

With my wife, Jennifer, I went down in our Roadtrek RV, but most people choose to stay in rooms and the several lodges scattered across the 100-acre grounds.

Located two hours south of Nashville, the Tennessee Fitness Spa was a terrific experience.  For a week we were totally immersed in a health and fitness regimen than produced some very dramatic results. You can watch the video to see what just six days did for Jennifer and me.

The spa provides three meals a day. They are gourmet quality but the total caloric intake they provide is no more than 1,200 calories. You can add another 200 calories or so from the fresh salad bar or from special snacks like hard boiled eggs and sweet potato wedges. The food is low salt, low sugar, all natural, never processed, always fresh and prepared in ways that will amaze you. I was not hungry once, despite my spoofing in the video.

A fully equipped gymnasium and very large swimming pool is available 24 hours a day and fitness classes run every hour during the daytime hours.

For the healthier guests, mornings start with a brisk walk. It’s three miles the first day, then it builds until at the end of the week, you cover eight miles. This is up and down hills and it is a challenging aerobic workout. The spa breaks it down into different groups of walkers based on their fitness levels, with the fastest being those of are able to walk a 12 minute miles. The slowest group is for tose who are just starting out.

They expect that for maximum results, guests participate in two aerobic workous each day, as well as a stretching class, weight workouts and pool session.

There are multiple water aerobics classes. Jennifer was a guest instructor of the week we were there. Jennifer has taught water aerobics for more than 20 years and says the quality of the water aerobics instruction at the spa is the best she’s ever seen. “Water exercise is great for everybody,” says Jennifer. “You lose the impact of your weight on your knees, hips and joints. Water offers resistance that lets you work out very hard without the stress. It really burns calories and helps in weight loss and body toning.”

You will see in the video the inches Jennifer lost which she attributes to the healthy food she ate that week and the water aerobic classes than did. “Believe me, water exercise works,” she says. “Besides teaching classes, I was able to participate in classes here like the other students  Normally when I teach, I have to do it from the deck. I loved being able to get in the water and workout in the water with my students.”

The fun thing is getting to know the other participants. You can meet several in the video, including one guy who has been there two months and is down 60 pounds. Many of the guests were repeat visitors. who come year after year.

Belinda Jones is the spa’s fitness and nutrition director and personally selects the menu. “The difference that most people notice immediately is that they are not hungry,” she says. “Their cravings disappear. That’s because they are eating balanced, healthy food with the right amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates and fats.”

Health experts tell us that 20% of weight loss comes from exercise. But 80% is from making healthy food choices. Belinda holds a class on how the balanced meals served at the spa can be brought back home, or to the RV.

The grounds of the spa are stunningly beautiful. An ancient cave called the Natural Bridge is on the grounds. Dean Ware, who holds classes on the history of the area, says the Natural Bridge was the home of notorious outlaw gangs who preyed on travelers of the Natchez Trail, which is not far from the spa. In later years, locals would hold church services there and it’s said that Davy Crockett delivered a speech from a protruding ledge of the bridge called the pulpit rock.

Ware also teaches a class on the benefits of herbal teas and class participants actually mix up a batch they drink themselves.

Nancy Shaw, with her late husband, Joe, founded the spa in 1991. “This is a very rejuvenating place,” she said. “It relaxes and refreshes and restores our guests,” she says. “The pace of life in today’s society is very stressful. Eating and exercising right and decompressing here is what brings so many back so often.”

She said RVers love the fact that they can bring their pets with them as they vist the spa. “We were surprised by how many people travel in RVs,” she said. “So we built the parks for them. They like it because not only can they sleep in their own RV and bring their pets but they save money from the lodging costs our regular guests pay when staying in a room.”

There are free laundry facilities available.

Cellular phone service in the area is limited. When I had to make a phone call, I’d walk to the top of one of the nearby hills. But the spa has added high speed satellite Internet wi-fi that is available in the lounges and restaurant area. I picked it up right in the RV and was never out of touch.

Our week ended much too soon. We could not believe how good we felt as we set in our Roadtrek. We vowed to bring the healthy eating plan we learned to our everyday life.

That’s when we encountered the reality of such a choice.

On the road, it’s very hard to make healthy choices when eating out. A traffic accident and hour long delay on I-65 north of Nashville sent us off the interstate. We pulled off at an exit and decided to eat dinner as the traffic cleared. There was a Mexican restaurant (who could resist the chips and salsa?)  a fast food place (there is nothing fresh and healthy about fast food) and a national pizza chain. We figured the pizza place would give us the healthiest choie because we knew it had a salad bar.

But the salad came in plastic bags. That’s surely not fresh. There was only high fat, high calorie salad dressings. And the pizza we ordered – a thin crust with a pineapple topping – was so salty and sugary that our newly sensitized taste buds immediately noticed it. We both felt yucky and vowed that from now on, we are going to carry our own salad dressings and protein sources and learn to make better choices.

As to exercise, that, too, is more challenging in an RV. Walking, of course, is always a choice. We can also carry along bicycles. And we can seek our towns with gyms and YMCAs,

We absolutely loved the Tennessee Fitness Spa. Now, the challenge is to build on what we’ve learned.

After all, there are a lot of places out there we want to see as we Roadrek around North America. We want to be sure we are fit and healthy enough to take everything in for as long as possible.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

With spring here, I’m looking to get a jump start on my exercise program to get ready for the summer. In a couple of weeks, Jennifer and I will be traveling to Tennessee for a week at a fitness spa. This will be our first experience at a fitness resort like this and we are very excited. What I’m really looking to gain out of this is new motivation for my fitness goals.

When you look for motivation to accomplish anything, you’re looking for a trigger that will spur you to action to reach a desired goal, even if the action itself isn’t all that desirable. If you’re looking to lose weight, motivation can be hard to find.

You recognize that the end result is indeed something you really look forward to reaching. But maybe you tried diets, and they didn’t work. You tried an exercise club, but you just couldn’t find a good time to set aside for the club, and besides, it just seemed like too much drudgery when you got there. Biking seemed ok for a while until you ran into a Buick that stopped in line with a bike path just as you reached the street. As you tumbled over the hood, you thought that maybe you’d just give up this weight loss thing for a while.

But it’s been a while and you’ve been thinking of trying again, this time with a week’s stay at a health & fitness spa/retreat. Yet you have doubts.  The spa looks great and is away from it all. But is it really going to motivate you to lose weight, not only for when you get there, but after you leave?  The “all” you got away from is still waiting for you when you get back, including all those excuses you used before.

What makes a week’s stay at a fitness spa different? What’s your motivation?

Motivation can be a very personal thing, but if you’re thinking of trying a fitness spa, here are some reasons why it could work for you.

The Fitness Spa is an Attractive, Inviting Setting

Extended stay fitness spas want to rejuvenate your lifestyle, so the best ones pay close attention to creating a setting that’s an inviting, relaxing place to stay. When you’re relaxed, you stop worrying about time, and workouts in this setting just don’t seem like drudgery.

You’re Committed

Not committed as in you’re committed to go to the gym tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. You’re committed as in you paid the deposit, marked the stay on your calendar and scheduled your vacation time to spend at the spa. You’ve already found the time. No excuses left.

Fitness Activities are Good Times

Unless you’re idea of a fitness spa was a boot camp run by an ex-Marine drill sergeant, fitness spas design activities to be enjoyed. Sure, you’ll sweat. But even if you’re pretty tired at the end of the day, you’ll feel good about getting through the day and look forward to the next day. Heck, all this fitness activity stuff can be fun.

Personal Support

Professional staff lead you through activities, instruct you on how best to reach your goals, and encourage you throughout your stay. The activities director isn’t a drill sergeant, or if she is, a pretty well disguised one. She won’t berate you, She will encourage you. She will build your confidence in your ability to reach your goal.

Learning a Healthy Lifestyle

You’re not going to reach your weight-loss goal in a week. A health and fitness spa, however, will kickstart your efforts and instruct you on living a healthy lifestyle through what you eat, your daily routine, the exercise you need, and most importantly, how to stay committed. You may still have a way to go to reach your call, but you’ll leave the fitness spa convinced that you can reach it, which is the key motivation you need.

About Tennessee Fitness Spa

Tennessee Fitness Spa, located deep in the hills of Tennessee, offers a natural, relaxing setting and a full range of fitness activities with a fully equipped gym, heated swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, and racquetball court with viewing area. The daily exercise program starts with a warm-up and walk through 2 to 10 miles of scenic beauty. A typical afternoon at our weight loss retreat may include aerobics, aqua aerobics, body toning, meditation, yoga or stretch, as well as an educational workshop. Evenings include recreational activities, but you are free to just relax at any time, which is what differentiates our Tennessee spa from a typical fat farm or fitness boot camp.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

Growing up and getting older means a lot of things. It means you take responsibility for your actions and your life. It means you pay your bills, you take care of your loved ones, you save money for the future, and you make sure that you have something in place to take care of your family if something were to happen to you and your life ended.

It’s not a fun topic to think about or talk about, but it something that as a responsible adult that you should address. An option that is becoming increasingly popular is A Life Settlement. The option of A Life Settlement is a way to ensure that you get the highest financial payout for Life Insurance Settlements as a better alternative to a policy lapse or even surrender.

Your life settlement decisions are important. That is why A Life Settlement strives to educate their policy holders so they make the best decision for their unique needs and budget. This option was once thought best for the terminally ill, but that is not the case. It is ideal for healthy seniors too that are sick of having to pay huge premiums for coverage that they don’t really even want or need. It also protects you in the unfortunate even that you miss a payment and your policy lapses which could forfeit your entire policy!

It is also recommended that you visit Life Insurance Settlement Association for more information. This will ensure that you will make a well informed decision.

So, if you are at a point in life where you are getting sick and tired of paying too much for your life insurance, isn’t it worth considering some other options? Don’t wait any longer, contact A Life Settlement today to learn more about how they can help you.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

Most Americans suffer from dehydration in some form. A recent study from Boston College shows that two-thirds of Americans don’t drink enough water. The body requires between two and three quarts of water per day to manage such important functions as maintaining proper body temperature, nutrient metabolism, organ and tissue development and much more.

It is important that we drink enough water at home and at work. In the office, it is important to have office water coolers or some other form of pure drinking water. Make regular visits to the water cooler to ensure that you are drinking water all day. Keep a glass or re-usable water bottle at your desk and work area and make sure that you drink from it regularly. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to start drinking water too. If you wait until you are thirsty, you may already be dehydrated.

Conditions when you may require more water include:
• Very hot or cold temperatures – extreme temperatures require for water to maintain your body temperature
• Exercise or strenuous activity – you need more water to replace what is lost through perspiration
• Exposure to heated or recirculated air – dry are increases the amounts of fluid lost through the skin.

So, do yourself a favor. Drink plenty of water. It will make you feel better and help to ensure your energy levels and good health.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

Choosing the right health insurance plan is an extremely vital decision. It is important that you do not overspend, but you also want to make sure that you are protected if you need it.

If you are not yet insured it is important that you should find a new quality health care package today.

For those that are already insured, it may be a good time to look for new health insurance if you are approaching renewal time for your existing insurance. You should also start looking for new insurance quotes if you are changing employment or are interested in improving your benefits or reducing your costs.

Health insurance and protection is a very personal decision. It is important that you find a health insurance provider that you and your family can trust and will feel comfortable with. It is also important that you work with this provider so that you can find the best package that fits the unique needs of you and your family.

One company that I recommend looking into is Aviva. They offer quality private health insurance that can be uniquely catered to meet your individual needs at a very competitive price.

Private health insurance from Aviva has a lot of advantages. They know that getting a good price on the quality coverage that you need is a priority and they will not rest until you have a package that best fits your needs.

Their most popular option is Healthier Solutions. With that, you get your first three months free as long as you have not had a private healthcare policy with them for at least 12 months. It also offers a no claim discount.

A great thing about Aviva is that they offer more than just health insurance too. You can also find quality affordable car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, life insurance and more. Aviva can also help you with your savings and investments along with retirement planning and pensions.

So if you are not sure who to turn to for your health insurance protection, contact Aviva today.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

Today is four weeks since my Total Knee Replacement surgery.

I’m back at work, driving again, riding my spinning bike 30 mintes at a stretch, also doing workouts with the elliptical. I had 113 degree bend yesterday during PT. I can take stairs one after the other, I have no pain or discomfort and all is well – except at night.

Since the surgery, I cant sleep for more than an hour or two. There is no deep REM sleep. I wake, am restless and it take me a long time to doze off again. I try sleeping on a side but that doesn’t help much either. If I leave the bed – a Sleep Comfort bed, no less – I find I usually can quickly fall asleep on the sofa. For a couple hours. Max.

No one told me to expect this.

But I’ve since fund out this is a very common complaint. Many attribute their waking to pain. I am not aware of any pain. But I just wake up.

My doc gave me a prescription for Ambien but I am afrraid to take it, less I get dependent on it. I did try Benadryl but it dodnt help much. Yesterday, I got some Melatonin from the local health store, but that didn’t help either.

The sleeplessness is pretty draining. The only encouragement I have about it is that ist TKR patients also experience it.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

After two and a half weeks, I’m back on the bike.

I started out-patient Physical Therapy this week after finishing my two weeks of at home therapy and, day one, I was riding.

My therapist was very surprised I had enough flex motion to pedal complete revolutions but, starting slowly, I was able to work op to maybe 50 rpm and go for 6 minutes. That was yesterday during the initial session.

Today, she let me go for 15 minutes on my spinning bike at home.

We’ll see how tomorrow goes but I couldn’t be happier. Caroline, my at home therapist, laid a great foundation of progress for me. The folks at Healthquest of Rochester, where I will do three times a week 90 minute sessions for four weeks, couldn’t believe that I was doing so well so soon after my Nov. 8 replacement.

I’m walking well and should be able to resume driving soon. I’m down to three pain pills a day, not much stronger than a Tylenol Extra Strength.

On the days I don’t go to Healthquest, I do three exercise sessions a day at home, concentrating on stretching and strengthening. I also am able to do the 15 minute bike ride, which I hope we will be adding time to in the days ahead.

AFter each exercise session, I ice and elevate for 30 minutes, as you can see in the photo. Sometime, I admit, naps happen during those flat-on-my-back times.

Lookin good….

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

It’s now been two weeks since my knee replacement surgery and the staples have been removed, the knee X-Rayed and pronounced well by my doc and I’ve moved from the walker to a cane.

Caroline, my physical therapist, has been to my house for two weeks now, running me through an increasing set of exercises. She has me moving and bending and has been truly inspiring, pushing me to do them right.

Pain has been very minimal.

Monday, I start out patient therapy.

Check out my quick video update above.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

Slow and steady, that’s my assessment of my improvement 10 days after my total knee replacement.

Its been a week today since I came home from the hospital and today will be my fifth day of in-home physical therapy.

I’m still on a walker, though Caroline, who supervises my post surgery exercise, tells me she is hopeful I will be able to switch to a cane by next week.

Pain has continued to be tolerable, though yesterday saw a slight setback. I believe I overdid it, standing and walking too much, pushing too far and pulling a stretch a bit longer than it should have gone. At any rate, my morning session with Caroline hurt a lot. On my own for the aftrernoon session, it was better.

Swelling is way down, except for a pocket of fluid on the right side of my knee.

I’m impatient, that’s my biggest problem. I want to be walking like normal and back to my regular activities and schedule right now. I have to focus on the positive parts of my rehab. I slept on my left side last night for a time, a great relief after being on my back for so long. My quads are getting stronger. I’m walking with a fairly normal gait in the walker, I’m able to go up and down stairs with a cane.

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?

Today -four days after my total knee replacement and two days after coming home from the hospital -marked the official start of my physical therapy.

I couldn’t be happier.

Caroline, my physical therapist, showed up mid-morning and put me through the paces of getting my knee and quadriceps functioning the way they should. We have a date every day this week and most of next week and already, after just one session with her, I feel I’ve turned the corner to recovery.

The initial exercises are focused on building strength in those big quadricep muscles traumatized by the surgery. Push downs, flexs, leg lifts and a torturous pull of an exercise ball that rolls underneath the knee.

“Breathe, breathe,” she said. A lot. I grimaced and gasped as the pain hit.

“You can do more,” she said again. “Hold it.” ” Higher.” “Keep pushing.”

I did. And I sort of got into it.

“It’s onlt pain,” she said. “You are not hurting the knee. The knee is just yelling at you.”

Okay.

But I’m doing something. And, sure enough, each pull or push had the knee moving a bit more.

Our half hour session in the morning is repeated twice more in the afternoon, with Jennifer coaching me through.

The swelling today is still pretty severe. Caroline said that was because I sat too much yesterday without having the knee raised. My doctor called and told me the same, that I need to lie down put the knee and lower leg on three our four pillows so it is well above my heart. That’s something else I hadn’t been doing.I’m to do that several times a day, for 20 to 30 minutes, along with an ice pack.

I still tire easily, though not as much as yesterday and Saturday.

The doc says I shouldn’t plan on going anywhere for at least two weeks. Maybe, he says, I can do a brief outing or two at three weeks. And after I see him in three weeks, my in-home therapy will end and I’ll start doing 90 minute sessions three or four days a week at a rehab gym.

For me, my goal is to be back on a bike and doing cycling classes at my health club by Christmas.

I’ll end these daily reports with this post and instead, update my progress every two or three days.

I’ve been doing this for those who will be getting a total knee replacement. Before my surgery, I searched far and wide and found mostly generalities. Grated, each patient is unique and responds differently. But I just wanted to see the details. So, for someone else down the line, this has been what I’ve experienced. It may be different for you. But it at east gives you an idea on what it may be like.

I can say now, four days after the surgery, that it is much better than I expected. I don’t want to say easy. They were right when they told me the therapy will be hard work. But my experience has been nothing but excellent. I’m going to get stronger each day.

One last caveat. If you are thinking of doing this surgery, listen to them when they say you need someone to be around those first few days. Jennifer has haken a couple days off work and has helped with ice bags, coaching me through the PT, bringing me extra pillows. I owe her big.

See you in a few days…

Super Healthy Me - What happens if you only eat food that is good for you?