Yoga, Bootcamp, and Detox: Travel to Get Fit in 2015

This year, take a wellness trip to recharge your body and mind. (Photo: Getty Images)

Traveling for wellness, with daily fitness classes like the Metabolic Meltdown, high-ropes challenges, and precise, calorie-calculated meals is hardly my idea of a relaxing holiday. I’m more likely to vacation in places where I can devour chunks of Gruyere, bowls of handmade pasta, and chocolate soufflé. But with a new year looming, I journeyed to Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts, where I was able to indulge in all of the above offerings — the healthy ones, that is.

Canyon Ranch even promised to work out my “fitness” age and how my body is holding up. So after starting the day with a session that promised to “energize my soles” by stepping on spiky rubber balls (painful, but oddly enjoyable), I was ready to face reality. Turns out how old you are — and how old you feel — may be wildly different. The idea is to determine your fitness age by completing a series of exercise tests and then devise a plan to prevent premature aging.

Canyon Ranch, located in the Berkshires (Photo: Canyon Ranch/Facebook)

Richard Butler, Canyon Ranch’s senior exercise physiologist, tested my aerobic power on a treadmill, as well as my muscular power by having me do vertical jumps, pull ups, and a bench press. The verdict: I have a fitness age of a 30-plus-year-old, meaning my lungs, heart and arteries are working very well. His recommendation: one more day of strength training at home and a moderate outdoor run.

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After three days of delicious and well-proportioned food and intense exercise, I left Canyon Ranch feeling healthier, invigorated, and ready for 2015. Here are some other health and wellness trips, from detoxing in Mexico to yoga in India to a chic Swiss retreat where you can lose (and maybe even keep off) inches. New year, new you!

Vana Malsi Estate, India

Help your qi flow freely with acupuncture treatments at Vana Malsi Estate. (Photo: Vana Malsi Estate)

At Vana Malsi Estate, in Dehradun, India guests meet with an Ayurvedic doctor to plan their diet and wellness objectives, as well as the treatments they will do during their stay, including Tibetan herbal body compresses and acupuncture by a Chinese doctor. The retreat just opened a dedicated Ayurveda center, with therapies to detox, de-stress, and manage weight — plus an herbal steam room and herbal baths. Vana Malsi has a minimum, five-night stay.

Amansala Chica, Mexico

This stunning beachfront yoga studio at the Amansala Chica resort (Photo: Amansala Eco Chic Resort/Facebook)

In sunny Tulum, Mexico, the recently opened Amansala Chica (by the same owners as Amansala Bikini Boot camp) offers Destination Detox, a six-day detox cleanse, with morning beach walks, daily yoga, meditation, body-sculpting classes, massages, facials reflexology, and Mayan clay treatments.

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Participants do two days of raw-food meals, followed by lean-and-green eating. The upside: you’ll emerge looking and feeling pretty. Bonus: you also get to visit fresh water swimming holes and Mayan ruins.

Live Oak/Malibu, California

At The Ranch 4.0, your days will be packed with daily hikes and rigorous exercise such as TRX classes. (Photo: The Ranch 4.0/Facebook)

There’s a new, shorter version of the famous no-options week-long fitness program at Live Oak/Malibu. The Ranch recently launched a four-day boot camp called Ranch 4.0 at the Four Seasons Hotel - West Lake Village, which ditches the indoor treadmill and takes you hiking in gorgeous surrounds. Get ready for eight to 10 hours a day of rigorous exercise including four hours of morning mountain hiking, afternoon exercise classes, stretching, and daily massage.

Six Senses, Thailand

Six Senses Spa in Thailand offers both yoga and Ayurveda retreats. (Photo: Six Senses Spa at Soneva Kiri/Facebook)

The jet lag is worth it for a yoga detox in Thailand that may well transform your life. Yogic Detox from Six Senses is a 5- to 14-day retreat that draws on Hatha yogic cleansing techniques to detox. You’ll be drinking glasses of lukewarm salty water and doing a lot of yoga to help with joint stiffness and mobility, strengthen abdominal and lower-back muscles, and improve lymphatic circulation.

BodyHoliday Resort, St. Lucia

When regular yoga just won’t do, try paddle board yoga in the Caribbean. (Photo: BodyHoliday Resort/Facebook)

Closer to home, the all-inclusive BodyHoliday Resort in St. Lucia has a new program where you consult with an Ayurvedic doctor to set up a personalized nutrition and fitness plan that includes yoga, pilates, and tai chi.

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You can work out in nature at the resort’s Tree House, a spin studio set 25 feet above the ground with views of lush St. Lucian foliage. And on the open-air Zen Deck, there is yoga, an archery range, and a fitness studio.

KiChic, Peru

Not your average breakfast buffet — healthy and delicious snacks at KiChic. (Photo: KiChic/Facebook)

At KiChic on the north coast of Peru, a detox retreat from March 13-19 kickstarts 2015. “Ki” stands for energy, vitality, and universal strength. Owned by Christian Gallo, a Peruvian artist from Lima, the wellness philosophy at this nine-room retreat extends to food, with a full vegetarian menu. (There are even vegan pisco sours!)

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KiChic offers guided yoga and meditation every morning and afternoon in an open-air yoga pavilion. And in case that wasn’t enough, there’s an eco-friendly micro-boutique set right on the sandy white beach.

Beau-Rivage Palace, Switzerland

The spa at Beau-Rivage Palace offers ways to rejuvenate and relax, including Japanese bath treatments. (Photo: Beau-Rivage Palace)

You won’t be constantly nibbling on delicious cheeses and wines at the Beau-Rivage Palace, in Lusanne, Switzerland, which has sweeping views of the Alps and a lush spa. Nutritionist Olivier Bourquin — an ex-sports coach — will create a plan for you that sounds doable. (For instance, you’ll still get fatty foods, protein-rich foods, and desserts, just with the advice on the best time to eat them). A personal trainer also advises on a program to maximize wellness.

Relaxing at the Beau-Rivage Palace. (Photo: Beau-Rivage Palace)

One&Only Reethi Rah

Several One&Only Resorts offer worthy destination spa/detox retreats, but one of our favorites is One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives, which has a two-day program. Elevate Journey is designed to improve muscle flexibility through stretching, unblocking energy, and increasing suppleness with yoga, personal training, Thai massage, and facials.

What could be better than yoga surrounded by crystal blue water? (Photo: One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives/Facebook)

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