Most of us go on vacation, have a good time, overindulge a little, probably put on a few pounds, and when we return home, it’s back to the old routine. So, just for a moment, imagine a vacation in a luxurious setting, where you have a good time, eat good food, exercise and lose weight. And when you return home, you feel energized, have a new lifestyle, and you’re no longer back to the old grind. That’s how I felt after just one week at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Florida.
 

Pritikin moved to new surroundings two years ago. The former facility, a hotel in Miami Beach has been torn down and now Pritikin is situated in a lush tropical setting at the luxurious Turnberry Isle Yacht Club. The building is magnificent. You enter into a regal marble lobby. The main lounge and dining areas are constructed of dark, rich woods, with parquet wood flooring and elegant carpeting. Floor-to-ceiling windows afford views of the intra-coastal waterway, where expensive yachts are docked, and an inviting pool area, with a bridge across and a waterfall. Tennis and golf facilities are nearby.

Photo by Phyllis Steinberg

My large room in the Marina Hotel had a separate dressing area and walk-in closet. The bath was immense and included a huge whirlpool bathtub, with enough room for two large people, and a separate shower.   My room also had a balcony where I could sit and overlook the intra-coastal waterway.

Since Pritikin is committed to improving your health and lifestyle, one of the first things I did was to meet with a Pritikin doctor. As everyone knows, a main rap on doctors is that they are inadequately trained, if at all, in the areas of nutrition and exercise. But at Pritikin, that is what they specialize in. I had a friendly discussion with my Pritikin doctor about my health and medical history. I was given several tests so that the doctor would know such things as my heart rate, blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels. The doctor used this information to set up my exercise program and to advise me about specific nutritional information that would benefit me. He told me he would monitor my progress during the week and would meet with me again at the end of the week.

Photo by Phyllis Steinberg

The entire week was filled with healthy activities and was a real learning experience. I attended lectures which gave me life saving information on heart disease, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, stress and general wellness. My wife enjoyed the lectures on women’s health issues.

And the food was wonderful. It was carefully prepared by chefs with the oversight of the professional nutritionists on the Pritikin staff. The low fat, low salt, no sugar diet was delicious, and I am still following it at home.

I loved the sumptuous lunch buffet with the dozens of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from. There were also creative hot entrees made with heart healthy ingredients.

No alcohol was served. Instead, I along with the other guests enjoyed complimentary Pritikin Mimosas made with tangerine tea, fresh squeezed orange juice, and peach water. The Pritikin Berry Frappe made with berry tea, assorted berries pureed, and berry flavored water was another delicious cocktail enjoyed by many of the guests.

Photo by Phyllis Steinberg

There was no assigned seating at dinner. You could select a table for two or join a table of eight. After the first day you started to know almost everyone. The atmosphere throughout the Pritikin program was super-friendly and almost camp-like, with everyone discussing how things went that day. The staff was not only friendly but always went out of their way to please you.

The morning exercise sessions began with cardiovascular exercises. You had the choice of working out on the aerobic equipment of your choice. The state-of-the-art exercise room had many different types of exercise machines. Among them were treadmills, cross-trainers and bicycles. I chose the treadmill. The sessions were spirited with energetic aerobic type music. TV’s tuned to different channels were on all sides of the large exercise room with headsets attached to every machine if you wanted to listen to a particular station. The staff was always present to assist you and give instructions as to when to increase or lower your speed and when to slow down to check your pulse rate, which was promptly recorded in your file.

The spa also has some other treatments that aren’t readily available at typical spas. The spa has bone density testing with a DEXA machine. The test takes just a few minutes and measures your exact bone mineral content and detects as little as one percent of bone loss, revealing your risk for developing osteoporosis and serious fractures. They also have a body composition test which tells you the location of your body fat. With this test you will be able to see just how much lean tissue is available to help you burn calories. The body composition test also tells you how much weight you need to lose to achieve a healthier metabolic profile.

Photo by Phyllis Steinberg

Personal training services are also available to help you tailor your exercise program to your specific needs when you return home. Pritikin also gives you a complete loose-leaf notebook of information about nutrition, health, recipes, and exercise including illustrations on how to correctly do each exercise, so you can refer to it after you leave Pritikin. Afternoons and evenings after dinner were filled with outstanding seminars presented by highly trained health professionals. The seminars covered a variety of subjects such as: nutrition; what foods you should be eating and what foods you should be avoiding; weight loss and weight control; how to handle stress; cooking instructions and demonstrations; how to read labels on foods you buy at the grocery; vitamin and mineral supplements; and how to deal with specific illnesses you might have.

For more information about the Pritikin Longevity Center,
call 800-327-4914 or visit the  Website

Photos by Phyllis Steinberg