The Plan
This part of the trip was in the plan from the word go. When Elisabet and I met in St Louis in February she told me she had been to this place in Utah six years ago. How amazing it was to walk in the red mountains, freeing, beautiful and a good place for the soul.
At the time she went it was licensed by The Biggest Loser, but they have since parted company. We decided it would be good to go together. Once I decided to retire it became a springboard on to the next part of my journey.
I must say that I was quite wary when the time came, the unknown and all that, was I up to it? Could I cope with hours of exercise every day? Elisabet said to me on Sunday morning, ‘You’re quiet’. A sure sign I have things on my mind. The pictures below show the changing landscape as we move through the mountains, taken from inside the minibus.
We were up early, packed and an early breakfast at Denny’s, then an Uber to the airport. A lot of fun had been had in Vegas, was this going to be as much fun? Well I can tell you one thing, by the time I started writing this it was eight days later. It has been non stop, and yes it has been fun, exciting exhilarating, scary and I am so glad I did it.
I haven’t had time to write in the whole week apart from one hour. Ah hour that I clawed back for myself on Friday, after doing a 5 k race. This gave me time to finish the Vegas chapter of my story.
Catching up
As I am writing this it’s a very sad day in Vegas, after the biggest mass shooting in the US. The latest count I saw was 58 dead and 518 injured, horrific. To think it’s only eight days since I was there. At breakfast in my hotel this morning the mood was very sombre.
The news has, needless to say, been one long bulletin on the situation. I was so happy whilst I was there, it is such a place of fun. without a doubt it will take some time for the people and the community itself to recover. It’s so sad how one individual, for whatever reason, can destroy so many people’s lives in a matter of minutes. Anyway, I am not going to say anymore on that subject for the moment.
After the Excesses of Vegas
On to the fat farm, that’s what I have been calling it until I got there. We had to make our way back to the airport and from there got the St George shuttle. The ride was amazing, desert and then a road which had been carved out of the rock, which was fabulous to drive through. It must have been an engineering feat to build. Later in the week, our guide said that until that road was built they drove for miles around the mountain to get to Las Vegas .
The location of the resort is phenomenal, and all the buildings are set around the swimming pool, every window, every vista has a backdrop of the beautiful red mountains.
Breath-taking. The Movara Fitness resort, had in the past been affiliated with ‘The Biggest Loser’ but is now independent and slightly less strict.
The dreaded news
On arrival we were weighed in, and given lots of info about our bodies. I have a lot of muscle, for which I have to thank my wonderful personal trainer. Thanks Thomas. But I also have a lot of body fat to lose, no news there then, that’s why I am here! Dinner on Sunday was at 5:30. As it was every day in fact, and there wasn’t much, salad, a main on a tiny plate and a minute pudding. 1200 calories a day plus 2 snacks.
Amazingly I wasn’t hungry but when you first see what you get you think you are not going to survive. By the end of the week I didn’t even want a salad at every meal and wasn’t that hungry. Clearly my stomach has shrunk, which suits me.
Off to hike
Each day followed the same pattern, up at 6, stretch at 6:30 for 30 minutes and breakfast at 7. Breakfast was a menu option meal and was probably the best meal of the day. At 8 you had to be ready to go out for a hike. This means having your water supply sorted, your feet covered in a cream so that your socks and shoes don’t rub. Layers of clothing, ready to remove top layers as it heated up, not that it was that cold at 8 am.
People were walking very strangely because their legs would no longer function.
Meet at the front to find which bus you were going on. One the first day all the newbies went off together to work out their abilities. We did a lot of uphill that day, certainly got the heart rate going, well mine anyway. Some were able to go so fast I was staggered. Elisabet was one of the fast ones, I was amazed at the speed with which she could walk and climb. I wasn’t the last, but I wasn’t fast.
Nordic Poles or not
I had taken my Nordic poles with me but they were quite difficult on the terrain at times. We reached the target point of the hike and then came back a different way. Even though we had climbed a lot we still seemed to be going uphill a lot in order to get down. Crazy.
I made it that was the main thing, and was quite relieved. Then I found out all the fast hikers had gone on somewhere else, so that made me feel a little pathetic. The guides were great and not at all judgmental if you have a problem they help you. They encourage but also recognise if you have reached your limit. Up in the mountains were the most amazing views. I keep using that word, must think of new adjectives.
Lectures, food and exercise classes
When we return to base, as week one people we must attend a lecture, then lunch, salad, soup and a main. Then another lecture after lunch followed by three 45 minute exercise classes in a row, with a much needed 15 minute break in between each class.
The last class was a choice of pool exercises or stretch. On the first day I opted for stretch because I was nervous about being a non-swimmer in the pool. But after day one I did the pool every day. It was glorious outside in the sunshine. Nothing hurt until you got out of the pool, then everything hurt every day. Finally the highlight of the day, dinner with a tiny pudding, and another lecture.
It was a hard regime, and by 8 pm we were both in bed and usually asleep by 9:30. Lights out at 10 pm and then up again at six. My whole body ached and after every exercise event, when you sat down, standing up again was difficult.
The Movara Walk
People were walking very strangely because their legs would no longer function. Someone named it the Movara walk after the centre. I can report though that my feet were holding up very well after all the issues I had had in the first couple of weeks. So that was a real bonus, in fact a bit of a miracle given all the walking I am doing.
The 45 minute sessions were a variety of cardio and strength, weights, HIIT, dance and of course circuits. I managed well in most of them and enjoyed nearly all of them. There was also some running to various rocks and signs outside the building in the circuits. Even though I’m not a runner, I managed them. Don’t laugh, it must have been a sight is all I can say. But once again I must thank Thomas Dawkins for all the training we did together. Because of the huge variety of training we did, I coped very well.
Another thing we did was boxing, which I have done with Thomas a few times and always enjoyed. But I never worked in a class scenario and it was so much fun, another exercise class to add to the agenda.
The pool experience
The pool was really interesting for me. being a non-swimmer ever since the woman who tried to teach me in secondary school, Leigh Girls Grammer School, used to wave a big stick at us. I haven’t forgotten the experience even after more than 50 years and have never learnt to swim as a result.
Many years ago I did have some lessons and managed a width of the pool without drowning, just. Over the past few years when I go to Reykjavik, I go to the old pool in the centre just behind Hallgrímskirkja, Sundhöll Reykjvikur on Barónsstígur. I love it for lots of reasons, because it’s old and it has two fabulous hot pots and a steam room outside.
But it also has a children’s swimming pool and I have managed to learn to float in there. By holding onto the side rail, I can float successfully for quite a while and I can now even let go of the rail. Learning to put my feet down whilst not holding on to the side is the next step, then I think I will feel safer and be able to float more confidently. That is the place I will be able to learn to swim, but we will see.
I only digress because it shows my level of incompetence in the water. However, doing the water aerobics I was perfectly capable in everything except the swimming, which there wasn’t much of. What’s more I enjoyed it enormously and have decided it’s something I need to take up. I am going to work on my confidence in water whilst I am away. You never know what may come out of it as I would dearly love to be able to swim. So, water added to my exercise agenda.
The lectures
When I saw how many lectures there were, I was a bit perplexed especially as some of them clashed with classes. I wanted to do Pilates and Barre, but lectures took priority. But I must admit they were really good lectures. They weren’t just about diet, but a wide range of topics, including why we over-eat and how the brain works discussing topics such as anxiety and depression. How they can become cyclical and how we can lift ourselves out of these cycles.
I became very tearful, disappointed in myself that I was too afraid.
I know why I over eat and possibly, clears throat, over drink too, being honest, all those empty calories. But what I learnt has really helped me put it into perspective. Learning how to plan to lose weight. I have a plan, and the great news for me was that whilst I was there I lost 7.3 lbs and 9 inches off my vital statistics. That’s not bad for a week and a good kick-start to the next year. So that’s enough of the exercise classes, lectures and diet talk.
I really want to say a bit about the hikes which were also quite life changing for me.
Hiking heaven and hell
I talked about the day-one hike earlier, day two I was put in the beginners group, phew is all I could say! Even intermediate seemed too hard to me. We were taken to a couple of places of interest on the way, one of which was a small canyon named after a young woman called Jenny who was inspired by the Snow Canyon State Park, very beautiful and almost spiritual.
We then went on and started climbing up and clambering through some gaps, eventually our guides decided to take us up to Piano Rock. They pointed out this tiny grand piano looking structure on the top of a mountain. I said, how do we get up there? Oh, it’s OK I was told, we follow that line and then we go up the side there and once we are on top it’s easy! Ha ha!
Well I made it most of the way, but when it came to the going up the side bit, I was suddenly overwhelmed by just how high up I was already. As I mentioned earlier I am not very good with heights. Sudden realisation, there was no way on earth I could go any higher.
Going down the mountain
The guides were great. They got everyone else up, which was no mean feat, and then one of the guides came back and took me down another way. I must admit whilst sitting there alone, I became very tearful, disappointed in myself that I was too afraid. But I knew it wasn’t just the getting up there, I would also be afraid when I was on the top of the mountain.
Once safely returned to the van we went to pick up people in a couple of places. We had a good chat on the way down and of course they have seen it all. So I didn’t feel quite so stupid. I don’t think I am going to conquer my fear of heights at the age of 64 somehow, but I was pleased with what I did achieve in the climb.
