Red Mountain Resort Trip; Best Weight Loss Tip Discovered:

Dear Margaret,

     Those appetizers look amazing (minus the octopus:).. I love the way you impromptu wine and dine in NYC! I'm in need of a trip there soon:)

     Speaking of trips, I want to tell you about my Red Mountain Resort wellness trip to Utah with Jenny! I haven't felt this rested and at peace in a long time. Here is a typical day for us: 

    Wake up at 6 a.m. in order to hit up the healthy breakfast buffet before our daily hike. The buffet offered just about everything and in a nutritious manner.. there were buckwheat pancakes, steel cut oats, hard boiled eggs, millet toast, fresh fruit, coffee with organic soy milk, organic chicken sausage, tofu scrambles, etc etc.. a dream come true. And the best part about it was that it had the nutrition facts posted on the buffet menu. Love that.. so you know what you're getting into:) Then we would meet for our daily hike and be gone from 7-10ish.. just in time to be back for stretch class or yoga (there are various classes offered all throughout the day). The dining room is open between meals where they offer refreshing fruits, cold water, and Tazo passion fruit iced tea (it's 105 degrees there so def necessary). Then we would hit the pool and read/chat for a couple of hours before lunch (same buffet style with nutritional info, offering salad bar, daily soups, lean meats, etc). We would then return to the pool for water aerobics class or more reading...or, one day we scheduled a massage in the afternoon (much needed and deserved after all the exercise), where we steamed and lounged in the plush reclining chairs over looking the mountains before our treatments. Finally, we would get showered and ready for our sit down peaceful dinner where we would order from a menu of different entree specials (again, with nutritional info). In addition, you get salad bar, daily fresh soup, and choice of decadent dessert! Then we would go back to our rooms and hit the hay early so we would be refreshed for our next morning hike! You have got to come here! Now, for the best part of the trip....

    When we arrived, we received a schedule of all the offered events. I noticed there were a couple of seminars available by author and M.D. Michelle May (who just coincidentally happened to be there the same time as us) about her book, "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat". So, being the health and nutrition nut that I am, I signed us right up for her guided lunch of "how to eat mindfully". Best $25 I've ever spent. In that hour, she changed the way I view food. Of course, we bought her book, which I highly recommend to anyone who has ever struggled with dieting, guilt, overeating, etc. She helps you change the way you think about food and how to live a mindful, balanced lifestyle. You can read the first chapter here to see if it's for you.  We even ended up on the same hike as her and of course were asking her a million questions haha. She's been on Dr. Oz show-how cool?! and lives here in Phoenix too! Here's a little more about her book:

"After twenty years of yo-yo dieting, physician Michelle May discovered a peaceful, joyful relationship with food. With down-to-earth language and uncommon sense, she offers a rare prescription for optimal health of the body, mind, heart, and spirit. Dr. May will help you:

·    Stop obsessing about food and start loving it ·    Resolve mindless and emotional eating ·    Rediscover when, what, and how much to eat without restrictive rules ·    Learn the truth about nutrition in clear and practical terms ·    Stop using exercise as punishment for eating ·    Experience the pleasure of eating the foods you love—without guilt or bingeing 

·    Develop powerful patterns of thinking to live the balanced, vibrant life you desire"    

    Anyways, it was the most amazing experience full of joy and learning and I'm feeling renewed, refreshed, and inspired. Here are some pics!

xoxo,

Kara

Me and Jenny 1st day hiking. Gorgeous mountains and vibrant sage bushes.

Hiking with Dr. May. Such an honor. Can purchase her book here: 

Jenny getting ready for yoga.. how cute are these blankets they
had for us to prop up on... so boho:)

They had a gift shop too with amazing books like this one;
My delicious vegetarian stuffed poblano pepper served on a polenta cake for dinner;
Milled flax seed offered at breakfast to sprinkle on oatmeal, cereal, and/or yogurt;
Every night we ended dinner with Tazo 'calm' tea and a dried ginger/papaya digestif

These cushiony Thorlo Experia hiking socks we bought at the gift
shop made all the difference; more hiking/view pics. 

Here's a sample of our dinner menu one night:)