The Biggest Loser Resort Program has taken up residence at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert.
Inspired by the hit reality show, The Biggest Loser on NBC, the resort-based program goes after the same goals as its TV counterpart: a lifestyle-changing transformation that addresses weight management and overall health. A minimum commitment of one week is required, and guests may stay as many weeks as they like.
“The program is a strategy of rigor,” says Biggest Loser CEO Matt Hagler. “Its effect on social change is significant, for it isn't just about weight loss, but an overall, continuous life change that reduces vulnerability and fear through education and practical ways to implement it for success.”
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Comprehensive fitness combines cardio, strength, and flexibility training. You may work out up to six times a day in various activities such as stretching, hiking, toning, kickboxing, circuit training and H2O aerobics. Outdoor activities take advantage of the warmth and dryness of the desert.
Nutrition is addressed in every meal. Cooking demos show guests how to prepare easy, efficient, nutritious, fresh meals. Classes focus on intuitive eating and food label reading to give guests a new understanding about the food they put in their bodies and how it affects them, particularly their visceral fat level, which represents fat that is stored around the internal organs.
photo by karen r. graninger
Trainer Betty Herberger explains the importance of correctly fitting shoes in the Running Wild shoe fitting area, with The Biggest Loser Season 16 contestant, Jennifer Messer (right), looking on.
The focus on education allows guests to continue to progress, even after they leave the resort. Classes include nutrition fundamentals, understanding metabolism, facts of weight loss, body rejuvenation and stress management.
Relaxation is a key part of the mental component of fitness. Meditation, rejuvenation, spa treatments and sleep all contribute to stress reduction during your down time at the resort.
Equally important is the program's focus on group camaraderie. Group activities and quiet time together allow guests to share, complain, encourage and talk to each other about the challenges they are each facing, along with their trainer, their life coach and the program's nutritionist.
The Biggest Loser Resort Program at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, Palm Desert, 877-686-5249; http://biggestloserresort.com/palm-desert/
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