The Prescription for Optimizing a Spa-Day at Home
Maybe you meditate on the memories of a glorious spa-vacation in your past. Or maybe you haven’t had a spa-day in a while. Now’s your chance to build a healthy spa day into your
busy life.
While you may think that nothing beats the pampering of a full-service spa like the renowned Golden Door, you can create a spa-day at home on your own or with a friend. It’s fun, it feels good and the price is right, too. And if you really get into it, you can treat yourself at home once or twice a month to recharge, refocus and rekindle your motivation to better your health.
What you’ll need:
1. A date on the calendar.
2. Your home all to yourself.
3. A mini-schedule for your all about you day.
4. An hour of prep a day or so before your special spa-day so your food, drinks, clothing, items for pampering and ‘you’ time are all set and ready.
What you’ll do:
- Eat well, drink well
- Move your body
- Pamper
- Relax and rejuvenate
- Laugh
- Rest
Plan ahead to unplug! And it does take planning, but it’s easy and so important to a successful and rejuvenating spa-day. Mark a date on your calendar and alert anyone who ‘needs’ to know that you will be unavailable during the day. Keep in mind that you don’t have to give an explanation. If you need to alert anyone who is used to hearing back from you right away, put an auto-reply on your email or change your voicemail letting him or her know you’re unavailable at the moment but will respond at your soonest opportunity (tomorrow!) It’s OK to take a day for yourself without explanations, but you may have to let a few people know so they can support it namely your significant other or someone who can watch your kids elsewhere for the day.
Next: think through your day and write or draw yourself a mini-schedule on how you will spend your day. Each of the key areas is highlighted in the sample spa day here below, but you can adjust your schedule to fit your own timetable and desires. Remember, it’s all about you! At the Golden Door, we provide each guest with a customized daily schedule on a Japanese-inspired paper fan with each hour’s activity clearly hand-printed as to what she will be doing throughout the day. We include meals, exercise and activities, meditation, DYOT (do your own thing) time and even reading or napping if that’s your desire. Jotting down your schedule can be very fun and ensures a nice balance of all those areas important to making your day fully, healthfully spa-aaahh.
And just a couple rules: plan to steer clear of the computer and consider unplugging your phones (or set a small window of time aside to check voicemail and touch base if you must.) Have fun preparing, too. It may make you happy just anticipating the day you have carved out for you!
Remember, an important part of a spa-day is eating and drinking well. Staying hydrated by consuming plenty of water and green or herbal teas (and maybe a celebratory glass of wine if you wish) is essential. Dining mindfully on nutritious, whole foods that are simple and light will nourish your body, mind and spirit. Focus on fruits and vegetables, modest amounts of whole grains, low fat dairy and lean protein. Savor each meal, drink and snack while you visualize your body cleansing itself and becoming revitalized and energized through the fuel you are honoring it with.
Now. . . here’s what a full spa-day can look like (you can adjust yours to suit!)
| 7:00 am | Wake and stretch.. | Drink a glass of water |
| 7:30 am | Enjoy a cup of green tea, half a banana and flip through a favorite magazine. | Brew a cup of your favorite coffee and turn on some music. |
| 8:00 am | Get moving! Move your body for 30-45 minutes. Take a walk outside, get on the treadmill, do an exercise DVD or practice yoga. | Burn some calories and break a sweat. |
| 9:00 am | Make a great breakfast. Try the Golden Door Oatmeal. Set the table, sit down, and enjoy your meal. If you’re more of a yogurt-type of gal, make a beautiful bowl of yogurt, fresh cut fruit and a few tablespoons of crunchy granola or whole grain cereal. | Make it pretty! |
| 9:45 am | Take a nice shower. | Moisturize and put on a robe and slippers. |
| 10:00 am | Spend an hour with yourself, doing something you love | Read a book, listen to music, write in your journal, meditate or a combination. |
| 11:00 am | Take a drink of cool water. Give yourself a facial mask or other skin-care treatment you love. | Have a snack 6 ounces low-sodium vegetable juice and 10 almonds. Or you might enjoy 8 ounces of low-fat or nonfat milk instead. |
| 12:00 pm | Take a brisk 15 minute walk outdoors even if it’s cool outside to invigorate your body and your mind. | When you return, drink a glass of water. In fact, if you haven’t already, fill a glass pitcher with water and cut some fruits or veggies into the pitcher sliced lemons or cucumbers, strawberries or oranges, or frozen blueberries in ice cubes they all work great! It it’s raining, walk briskly around your home. Back and forth on a hallway, circles in the kitchen just have fun with it. |
| 12:30 pm | Nourish yourself with a spa lunch. Soup or salad. Soup is so spa-nourishing. Have a bowl of bean and vegetable based soup or a low-sodium chicken, veggie and rice soup. Enjoy with a piece of whole grain toast or half a toasted pita. Enjoy a cup of red or green grapes, too. | Don’t forget to make the plate look beautiful: use your beautiful dishes . . . you know, the ones you save for special occasions! Instead you may opt for a salad: a spinach or romaine lettuce salad with veggies and 3 ounces grilled chicken or salmon is healthy and nourishing. Make a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar or orange juice and season with your favorite dried herbs and spices. Enjoy with a half pita or piece of whole grain toast. |
| 1:15 pm | DYOT (Do your own thing!) Once you’ve finished a leisurely, nutritious and mindful spa lunch, do whatever you want for the hour. . .the only rule: just enjoy your time thoroughly. | Letting yourself practice having a set amount of time to just ‘do whatever’ can be incredibly meaningful and celebratory. No judgments on how you spend it anything pleasant goes. |
| 2:15 pm | Do a little preparation for dinner. Set the table, look at any recipe you plan to make and see what you can do in advance and have fun with the process! Be your own sous chef and limit yourself to 30-45 minutes max. | Cut some veggies into crudit©s or slice an apple for snack time, too. This is a great way to get into a practice that is mindful. |
| 3:00 pm | Relax. Meditate or take a powernap. | A simple 30 minute session can be very relaxing and ultimately reinvigorate you. |
| 3:30 pm | Laugh. Watch a 30-minute sitcom on DVD, read a funny book or listen to some comedy. | Find out what makes you laugh and you will feel how wonderful it is for your mind and your body. |
| 4:00 pm | Run the bath and have another cool glass of water. | Take a hot bubble bath with aromatic bath salts and candles. |
| 4:45 pm | In your comfy robe, bring out your snack and then paint your nails with your favorite color, using non-toxic nail polish. . | While you’re letting your nails dry, enjoy a snack of some veggies and hummus or maybe a sliced apple and an ounce or so of a flavorful cheese. This might be a nice time to pour a glass of wine |
| 5:30 pm | Write down a few thoughts for the day highlighting some special moments, some observations about what’s important to you and what you are thankful for. | Think about the month ahead with the intention of finding when your next spa-day might fit. |
| 6:00 pm | Finish your spa-day with a healthy dinner. The Teriyaki Black Cod from Chef Dean Rucker’s cookbook, Golden Door Cooks at Home, is a scrumptious complete meal that’s easy enough to prepare for the most special woman of the day you! And it’s so delicious, you might even decide to make it for your family and friends another time, too. | Remember to eat mindfully, chewing well and enjoying the experience of dining. |
After dinner Take a stroll. The Chinese say poetically that we should take 100 steps after our meals. Enjoy 5-10 minutes of gentle walking outdoors or inside after your meal is over before you settle into the remainder of your evening. This is a great daily practice to get into, as well!
1 hour before bed Call it an earlier night than your usual bedtime to round out your day and one hour before bed, enjoy a simple herbal tea like chamomile or mint. Or another Golden Door favorite from the cookbook: Fresh Lavender & Orange Chamomile Tea for the ultimate in aromatherapy, relaxation, immunity and hydration all wrapped into one soothing beverage.
Now that’s a spa-day for you! A full day from waking to sleeping. And remember, you can modify your day to fit your own desires. Whether you have a full day, 6 hours or 4 hours, make the most by building in the essential elements of balance. A spa-day is a balance of being both active and passive, mindful and celebratory. It’s one where you aim to rest and energize, eat well and drink well for health and energy, pamper yourself but also spend a little time preparing for your meals. You move your body for exercise but also for enjoyment, and ultimately your restore yourself while having fun. A spa-day is as much your reality as a mentality, too. If you visualize the important elements of a spa-day, you can build a little spa into your everyday, too!
By Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RD
Wendy Bazilian is a doctor of public health, registered dietitian and freelance writer in San Diego. She is also the Nutrition Specialist at the renowned Golden Door www.goldendoor.com. Dr. Wendy is author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet (Rodale, 2008).
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