A Fool & His Money...

I just finished reading the Wall Street Journal's recent article about The Ranch at Live Oak in Malibu. The author of the piece, Christina Binkley, plunked down thousands of dollars to spend one week at this “120-acre ranch tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains,” a health resort that “caters to wealthy A-listers with Spartan but perfectly appointed private cottages, and niceties such as laundry service and a daily aphorism placed on pillows.”

But at its heart, The Ranch appears to be just another expensive fat camp, with an approach centered around starvation and overexercise.

Among Binkley’s observations and experiences:

• For one month before her visit, Binkley was told to “prepare with daily hikes and yoga” and to abstain from eating certain foods -- including meat.

• A typical vegetarian lunch at the Ranch consisted of two baby beets, a baby turnip, “sprigs of red-ribbon sorrel and micro-arugula.” Dinner? “Artichoke heart with fava bean puree, a glazed cipollini onion, pea shoots and tendrils.” Daily caloric intake? 1,100 calories.

• Guests begin their day with yoga at 5:30 a.m., and then head out on a six-hour mountain hike, during which “[s]everal guests vomited —- repeatedly.” (The Ranch’s program director told Binkley that diarrhea is also to be expected.)

• Of course, The Ranch provided a mid-hike snack for each guest: 3 almonds and 2 cashews.

• No rest for the weary: Afternoon exercise classes -- including TRX resistance routines and more yoga -- are mandatory at The Ranch.

But somehow, by the end of the week, Binkley had succumbed to the Stockholm Syndrome. Her article ends with a rosy view of her experience.

And sadly -- shamefully -- I know just how she felt.

More after the jump...

Primal-Style Canyon Ranch Snacks

Both of these recipes are simplified versions of snacks from Canyon Ranch's Nourish cookbook, and both are Primal Blueprint-friendly:

Chocolate Almond Trail Mix

3 1/2 cups whole almonds (toasted and lightly salted is fine)
3 cups dried cranberries
2 cups raisins
2 cups extra dark chocolate chips

Mix everything together. Makes about twenty super-tasty 1/2-cup servings.

Pumpkin Crunch

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Toss the pumpkin seeds and oil in a small bowl, and spread the seeds on a baking sheet that's been lightly sprayed with canola oil. Toast in a preheated 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put the toasted seeds in a bowl and stir in the maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until the seeds are well coated. Spread the coated seeds on the baking sheet again, and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally. The seeds burn easily, to check 'em frequently and adjust the baking time as necessary.

Take the baking sheet out and allow the seeds to cool completely. Combine with the dried cranberries, and divvy everything up into ten 1/4-cup servings.

You Can't Please Everyone All The Time

I guess he's not a fan. Click the image above to read the full smackdown I received from an upset reader as a result of this post.

Canyon Ranch: Day 5

Hoping to squeeze in a full day of exercise classes (and shower in our room instead of in the spa) before leaving Canyon Ranch, we called the front desk first thing this morning to inquire about a late checkout. The staffer at Guest Services was more than accommodating, and arranged for us to keep our room until 4:30 p.m., when our shuttle would depart for the airport. Score!

Our day, after the jump...

Alpine Muesli

I'm a fan of Canyon Ranch's alpine muesli, and have had it every morning here this week. Why eat fresh muesli? Because it’s packed with protein and fiber -- plus, it's tasty and easy to make. Bonus: it’s German (or maybe Swiss?) in origin. Think about it: When was the last time you ingested anything German in origin that’s actually super-awesome for your health? (Besides beer and franks.)

Here's a recipe that I've adapted from the one used here at Canyon Ranch -- I like my muesli a little less runny than the original version.

2/3 cup uncooked rolled oats
2/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup honey
3 medium-sized apples
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries and/or raspberries

1. In a bowl, combine the oats, yogurt and vanilla extract.
2. In another bowl, combine the juice, almonds and honey.
3. Peel and grate the apples.
4. Wrap the apple in paper towels and squeeze out the juice.
5. You might as well drink the apple juice.
6. Add the apple to the juice mixture.
7. Stir in the berries and the yogurt mixture.
8. Chill and serve.

Makes approximately eight 1-cup servings.

Canyon Ranch: Day 4

We're leaving Canyon Ranch tomorrow afternoon, so I was determined not to slack off today.

A full rundown is after the jump...

Canyon Ranch: Day 3

I slept fitfully, owing to massive gas. Here at Canyon Ranch, I’ve been eating tons of salad, cruciferous vegetables, beans, and other gastastic foods, and it’s starting to catch up with me. I woke up exhausted from farting all night.

M, on the other hand, woke up ready to jump right into another day of heavy-duty workouts. After a quick breakfast (of muesli, fruit, egg white veggie omelet, and huevos rancheros -- washed down with OJ and a blueberry-cherry smoothie), we got started.

Our day in excruciating detail, after the jump.

Canyon Ranch: Day 2

Our second day at Canyon Ranch got off to a late start. We had planned to get up early to down some chow and let it digest a little before diving into another day of hardcore exercising. Instead, due to our exhaustion from yesterday, we didn’t crawl out of bed until 7:40 a.m. – less than an hour before our scheduled “Serious Cycle” class. Once we were up, though, we moved quickly, and slammed down breakfast at the Double U Café (Canyon Ranch’s casual restaurant): a veggie omelet, some muesli, yogurt and granola, and fruit. Then it was off to the gym.

Lots more after the jump...

Canyon Ranch: Day 1

With two little kids, time-consuming jobs and a host of other day-to-day responsibilities, it can be challenging for M and me to find time for ourselves (other than the hour or so we spend exercising every day). That's why it feels so good to run away to another state and do nothing but focus on ourselves.

Our first day back at Canyon Ranch has been fantastic. In some ways, it's even better this time around because we're familiar with the layout of the place, the schedule, the trainers, the classes, and the food; instead of trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing, we're just soaking up the whole experience and focusing on exercising, eating right, and relaxing.

After the jump, a rundown the things we did today, along with scoop about the Hollywood film actor who's been sweating next to us in our exercise classes.

Canyon Ranch: Tucson

After tomorrow's Pure Cardio session, I'm taking a break of sorts from my P90X/Insanity Hybrid schedule. M and I are treating ourselves to a week of exercise, nutrition, and spa treatments at Canyon Ranch in Tucson.

We first visited Canyon Ranch exactly three years ago. Below the jump is a reprinted (and slightly edited) post from my old blog about our experiences at the spa.