During our short vacation, I began every single morning with a plate of fresh fruit from the breakfast salad bar and a decaf vanilla almond milk latte. It was the perfect way to take the edge off my hunger while we waited for our main meals to be delivered to our table.
I also had a small bowl of plain yogurt topped with some kind of gluten-free cereal that I adored, but I cannot remember the name. I need to figure it out because I know it was made by a brand I’ve seen for sale in North Carolina and I want to buy some to use on top of a cup of Greek yogurt at home as well. I’m hoping that the moment I see it on the shelves it will come back to me!
For my main meal, I opted for the mascarpone-stuffed French toast with pecans and thought it was fantastic. Ryan and I ended up sharing it every single morning after that as well along with our own breakfast entrees because it was so good!
With full bellies, we walked around the ranch to see some of the facilities we didn’t have a chance to visit on Saturday before heading back to our room to change before our first classes of the day.
Gym:
Indoor pool:
Outdoor pool:
Yoga studio:
(Talk about a stunning space for a yoga studio, right!?)
My first fitness class at Canyon Ranch was a 45-minute 9 a.m. advanced indoor cycling class with Ariel.
I jumped at the chance to try a fellow cycling instructor’s class because I am always so curious to see how different instructors structure their classes and love using their ideas for inspiration if there’s something new I really enjoy in a class that I take. Ariel’s class ended up incorporating a lot of speed work and hills and left the whole class dripping in sweat. I loved the way the lights changed in the room and thought Ariel did a great job of creating a challenging workout while cueing well and encouraging class participants to go at their own pace but push themselves, too.
At the end of the class, everyone received a wet towel and it was heavenly. I wish every spinning class ended with cold towel service because I wiped down my face and body and felt instantly refreshed before heading out of the studio. Chugging lots of water was also a must!
When you arrive at Canyon Ranch, all guests are given a water bottle with your name on it to keep and use during your stay. Water fill-up stations can be found all over the place along with hot tea, coffee, lemonade and a natural sports drink made with iced tea, white grape juice, orange juice, lemon oil and sea salt that tasted fantastic.
After my class, I met up with Ryan to grab a snack from the snack bar (a kale, orange and banana smoothie) and head outside for a one-mile cloudy walk on the trails before we headed off to take an 11 a.m. stretch class together.
All classes at Canyon Ranch are 45 minutes (unless otherwise specified), and the mid-morning stretch class was a packed one! Resort guests seemed to really crave a good stretch after their morning workouts and Ryan and I both agreed the class was just what our bodies needed. I really wish more gyms offered basic total-body stretching classes to guide members through safe and effective static and dynamic stretches. It seems like many gyms offer yoga classes to fill the stretching void, but since yoga isn’t for everyone, it would be great to see more basic stretch classes on group exercise schedules that might appeal to others. Ryan and I both said we’d happily incorporate this class into our fitness routine if it was offered in our area and I am thinking it may be something I present to my gym and think about teaching when I return after our baby arrives.
It’s amazing what a great total body stretch class can do for the way my body feels and I left feeling light and loose… And ready for lunch!
Ryan and I used some of the wet towels at the ranch to wipe down and freshen up a bit before walking into the dining room for lunch where I ordered the curried chicken salad pita pocket to enjoy with a cup of soup and a side salad from the salad bar. We didn’t have too much time to spare before our afternoon hike! I grabbed a decaf iced latte to go and we made our way to the outdoor sports sign up area.
We joined a small group of about five hikers for an easy two-mile hike at a the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. We hopped in a van and after about a 5 minute drive, arrived at the trails.
Ryan and I spent the entire hike chatting with one of the friendly guides who told us all about the area (he’s seen five black bears so far this year!) and pointed out interesting sights like markings from beavers on large trees!
Though the weather was wet and cloudy, the hike was beautiful and so incredibly green.
By the time we made it back to the resort, we had just enough time to shower before our massages! Canyon Ranch kindly offered each of us a complimentary spa service (we paid for all other massage/spa/nail services on our own) and Ryan selected the Muscle Melt for Road Warriors massage that he said was “easily the best massage of his life.” During his massage, warm herbal pouches were firmly pressed into his muscles to melt soreness away and the massage combined traditional Thai massage with other massage techniques to release lingering tension. It sounded incredible and he could not stop raving about it. I’m dying to try this one in the future at some point!
I opted for a prenatal massage and was pretty excited to see pillows set up on a met that allowed me to comfortably (and safely) lie on my stomach for the first time in months. Heaven! My masseuse was so sweet and while I wish the pressure would’ve been a little more intense (I know I should’ve said something but I always feel so awkward), it was still a relaxing experienced and I left feeling calm and happy.
After our respective massages, Ryan and I met up outside of the spa and made our way to dinner.
My meal began with the grilled calamari appetizer (give me seafood all day every day!) and I opted for the spicy Thai beef salad for my entree and also split the wild mushroom white lasagna with Ryan.
Though I wanted to be sure to save room for a slice of my beloved chocolate cheesecake later that evening, I couldn’t resist ordering the vanilla ice cream with a warm ginger cookie for dessert.
We spent the rest of our night relaxing around the resort before climbing into bed for a good night’s sleep.
I’ll be back again soon for a recap of our final day at Canyon Ranch! Hope you’re having a great day so far!!
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