Cruise Travel for Physical Fitness Or a Spa Vacation

Cruise Travel for Physical Fitness Or a Spa Vacation

You really want to take a cruise but you also really want to go to a spa for physical fitness and maybe a little pampering. In the world today you can do both. Years ago you were lucky to find a spa on a cruise ship. If there was one, it was in a really remote area of the ship. As for physical fitness there was very little equipment and most of it was tired. When people started to become more conscious of their looks and health the cruise lines revised their way of thinking. Cruise travel now can double as a spa vacation as well as learning a new physical fitness program.

The newer cruise ships have gone to great lengths to accommodate the cruise passenger who also wants to beautify and tone up. The cruise lines have installed state of the art equipment, added numerous exercise classes, and offer the newest beauty treatments available. Many of the cruise lines have relocated their fitness centers to the top decks of the ships with lots of windows so you can have a view while you are on the treadmill, bike, or lifting weights. Tucked up into the corner is a big TV so you can watch the news from back home. The cruise ships now have three distinct areas, one for fitness, one for spa treatments and one for the beauty salon.

As mentioned, the fitness centers on cruise ships are now a thing to behold. They all will definitely have treadmills, Stairmasters, free weights rowing machines and bikes. Some cruise lines even have complete Nautilus machines. Popular exercise machines, especially on sea days, may require you to sign up for a particular time of day and will limit the amount of time you can use the machine.

If you want to use your cruise travel as a vehicle to start an exercise regime there are physical trainers onboard. Their services, however, will cost you extra. The trainer will ask you lots of questions about your health and diet and then will come up with a personal regime for you. He or she will then book times through the week for you to work together.

All cruise lines offer exercise classes, yoga, aerobics, dance, water aerobics, even Pilates and kickboxing. Some of these may require a slight fee. To find out when these classes are held consult your daily bulletin for times and fees, if any.

Now, you’re thinking why would I start a physical fitness regime while on a cruise ship, especially since they serve all that food, 24 hours a day? Well along with the newer, shinier and better facilities the cruise lines have also instituted what they call spa cuisine. Everyday they will offer a “lighter side” menu if you are really serious about you new physical fitness regime.

Don’t assume that if the ship is older, it won’t have a decent fitness and spa area. Check with your cruise travel agent to find out what facilities are onboard the cruise ship you have chosen. For instance, the QE2 is an older ship but it has a beautifully outfitted spa with a large staff. Celebrity’s slight older Century has a Thalassotherapy pool for their passenger’s enjoyment and it has become quite popular among their cruisers.

When you board your cruise ship go to the spa area. Usually on the first day the staff will be explaining their treatments and occasionally demonstrate how it is done. Sometimes they will raffle off treatments, so go to the demonstration just for that reason. If you have definitely decided that you will be doing some treatments, book them on day one to get the best times. Any beauty salon appointments should be made then too, hair appointments for formal night go very quickly.

Many times the spa and beauty staff will discount their services on days when the ship is in port. If you are going to a few cruise destinations that you have previously visited, take advantage of these offers. You will find that you can pick your time of day to get these treatments done with little or no competition. If you are an early riser, choose an appointment in the morning and then get off the ship to enjoy that port. Or, conversely, disembark early to explore your new port, and then return to the ship in the early afternoon to take advantage of a discounted treatment.

When you go to your spa appointment, do not wear jewelry or fancy clothes. Most treatments are a bit messy and you don’t want to ruin any of your belongings. It is best just to wear a robe. When you get there an attendant will give you a towel and a private locker to put away your things. You may then be asked to wait in a room. Your technician will come out to take you to the room designated for that particular application. You will also fill out a form on your health and any surgeries that you have had. The room you are in will most likely have a shower. It will definitely have a sound system to play soothing music and there will be an array of exotic oils and creams.

The cruise ship spas have gotten quite creative. They now offer couples massages where you and your partner are in the same room with different massage therapists. Then there are four hand massages where two people work on you at the same time. Some of the cruise lines offer in suite massages and some even have massages on the deck.

By far the highest percentage of staff are women but there a few men. If you have a preference between male or female spa technicians, state it when you make your appointment. Some people are uncomfortable lying naked on a table with a therapist of the opposite sex. Check the cruise ships policy on tipping. Some cruise lines automatically tack on a 15% charge to your bill while on others you may have to pay in cash. To save embarrassment, check at the time you make your appointments.

There are three lines that allow you to make your spa appoints before boarding the ship. Princess, Windstar and Celebrity all offer this option. In some cases they even have packages that you can book in advance. Be careful here though, they may give you some very early morning appointments which means you have to go and change them on the very first day. This is not the best policy since they should be giving you prime appointments for booking ahead.

Beauty salons will offer a full array of services. You can have your nails done, your hair colored or hand and foot treatments aside from just a trim. Most of the beauty salons have Europeans staffs. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Places like Austria require their beauty students to go to the equivalent of our college.

See, it is possible to turn your cruise into a spa vacation or physical fitness week. Just follow what your trainer or your beauty technicians tell you and eat the spa cuisine. You’ve just achieved three goals, a little bit of pampering, a fitness regime, and a light and healthy diet. This may be a new way for you to view cruise travel.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

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Fitness Spa Vacation for a Healthier Mind and Body

Fitness Spa Vacation for a Healthier Mind and Body

Constantly coming up with unique vacation ideas can really be challenging. Aside from the destination to decide on, there are the itinerary and activities you have to worry about. For every travel opportunity, it is but natural for all of us to want to try and experience something we have never tried before. It will be more worth the trip and be fonder in our memories to have come back from a vacation having explored something new. Springing from this desire are the fitness spa vacation ideas that are gaining a huge deal of popularity to everyone who finds himself or herself tasked to do the travel plans.

The idea of fitness spa vacations is very simple, but it certainly yields a world of rewards. Being able to discover new places while transforming yourself into a healthier and stronger you is just amazing. It is essentially shooting two birds with one stone. On one hand, you get to enjoy and explore a part of the world that you have never seen before. On the other hand, you get to engage yourself in a physical activity. Both are things you wish you could find the opportunity to do more often in your very busy and fast-paced life.

Food has always been a staple on every travel opportunity. Because of that, it has always been assumed that traveling and gaining weight coincide. Fitness spa vacations, however, sway you from that idea, by preparing different programs for you to choose from and, at the same time, meals for you to indulge yourself that are healthy and nutritious.

There are many different fitness vacation ideas that you can get into. All of which promise that you get home from the trip looking and feeling far better than when you were packing your gear and getting ready for it. Fitness spa vacations provide the best locations in the world to explore, the chance to get educated on your health, gain health, lose weight and, most importantly, have fun.

Fitness spa vacations have different tour destinations. It is all for you to decide which part of the globe you wish to experience and to be the venue for your physical activities. The tours alone are inviting. There are those that take you to the rain forests of Costa Rica, the ancient avenues of Rome, the magnificent Yellowstone National Park in the side of Wyoming, the Alps and even nautical adventures via cruise ships en route to the Mediterranean.

The physical challenges you can join vary. They are all dependent on the participant’s physical state and endurance. No activity is forced on any participant. A physical assessment on the participant is conducted by a team of health staff to check on his or her strength and capabilities with the purpose of identifying the activities that will help him or her gain the most health benefits. Hiking and other outdoor activities are complemented by the dozens of training equipment and indoor classes offered in the spa. All outdoor and indoor activities are supervised by professional guides and trainers.

The spas supplement all the outdoor and indoor activities of the trip. They pamper you with all sorts of treatments to relax the muscles that have been working the entire trip. There are facial treatments, body massages and more. These are all administered in cozy and comfortable interior spaces to set both your mind and body in a relaxing state.

It is never a vacation without having to experience the local cuisine. With that in mind, the health coaches as well as the team of nutritionists and dietitians prepare menus that quenches your desire to have a bite of the local cuisine without compromising the health program you have engaged yourself in for this vacation. So, dare to eat all you can and all you want – guilt-free! The meals are guaranteed to be served in appropriate servings and are all to help you achieve your recommended daily nutritional intake.

Thousands of people save up for their travel expenses year after year in the hopes of being able to bring home priceless memories. That being said, going to a fitness spa vacation is one of the best things you can invest in as you gain one of the most important gifts you can ever give yourself: health. After all, health is wealth.

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Fitness Spa Vacations

Fitness Spa Vacations

We all have different ideas on how to define an amazing adventurous vacation. Some of us define an adventurous trip by conquering a mountain on a hiking getaway, setting off the highway on a road trip or sleeping in the wild on a camping trip. The common factor for these kinds of vacations is to go outdoors. With the goal to experience the outdoors in mind, make the most of the remaining days of the summer by having a unique adventurous vacation – a fitness spa vacation.

To go on a fitness spa vacation is one of the most amazing things in the world that you can treat yourself with. Imagine being able to bring home memories of an incredible blend of experiences with Mother Nature and the relaxing confines of a fitness spa resort. Top that off with the most delightful, salivating and, most importantly, healthy cuisines that the world has to offer.

The words “fitness” and “spa” are definitely correlated. While they do differ in actual definition and a lot of other ways, the end-result they offer to us is basically the same. Whether you work yourself out for hours in a fitness activity or lay down on your chest for a soothing Shiatsu or Swedish massage, you are sure to leave the gym or the spa feeling refreshed, reinvigorated and rejuvenated.

The growing popularity of fitness spa vacations can be attributed to their programs that prove keeping yourself healthy and your body in perfect shape is not just all work and no play. The programs prepared by a team of health coaches are varied and have different levels of difficulty. Hiking trips, for example, are offered with easy, moderate and difficult treks. These trips, however, whatever the difficulty level, are supervised and facilitated by a professional hiking guide. Also, before setting off for any of the activities offered, a pre-assessment is administered to check on the type of activity your body can physically endure. They should be not too easy and not too hard. The main goal, after all, is that you enjoy your trip the way you would enjoy your regular vacation.

These amazing vacations are experienced in fitness spa resorts. These resorts are usually located far from the sights and sounds of the busy and fast-paced urban environment that you deal with everyday. They are situated in remote and exotic areas that are close to nature – an ancient city, a relaxing body of water or a rainforest. You might also find one or two in a major city, but they are confined in a quiet and tranquil environment. They aim for you to have a good physical shape and also a healthy mind.

One of the things people look forward to when visiting a new place is to have a taste of the local cuisine. One might even say that it is through the food that you truly experience a certain place’s culture. Although the objective of fitness spa vacations is to have you leaving in good shape, fitness spa resorts have dieticians and nutritionists that develop nutritious, well-balanced and exquisite menus made up of the local favorites and must-try’s in proper servings that will help you achieve your recommended daily intake of nutritional levels.

Fitness spa vacations combine rugged adventure and pampered sophistication. After an all-out vigorous workout, you have the wide range of options for relaxation. There are muscle-soothing massages and various facial treatments offered, including anti-aging facials! You even have the option of attending yoga and meditation classes as well as other relaxation techniques. Fitness spa resorts send out an impression of sophistication. Some might think of them as luxurious and extravagant while some, due to the highly stressful environment that we live in, think of them as a necessity. It all boils down to your ability to deal with the worries that your day-to-day activities bring. Treating yourself to this kind of pampering is not being selfish and impractical. It is merely taking care of yourself, beefing yourself up with a healthier mind and body in order to cope with our perpetually busy lives. After all, a fitness spa vacation is bound to yield nothing but great positive results.

Details on the Hotel and Spa Expenitures that AIG spent
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Life Time Fitness to Present at the William Blair & Company 30th Annual Growth Stock Conference

Life Time Fitness to Present at the William Blair & Company 30th Annual Growth Stock Conference
CHANHASSEN, Minn.—-Life Time Fitness, Inc. today announced that Bahram Akradi, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and Michael Robinson, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will present at the William Blair & Company 30th Annual Growth Stock Conference.
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Spa vacations on the cheap
It’s possible to get pampered for less by taking advantage of special discounts and off-peak deals.
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Fly Free This Summer to Miraval Arizona
Seeking serenity this summer? The exquisite beauty of the Sonoran desert is the ultimate destination. This season, treat yourself to a holiday you won’t soon forget. Miraval Arizona, the top-rated destination spa resort located in Tucson, wants to ease the burden for travelers with a “Fly Free” promotion that offers significant reimbursements to guests staying four nights or longer.
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