LITTLE ROCK — Title: Canyon Ranch: Strong and Sculpted
What’s the goal: Take the exclusive Canyon Ranch spa experience home with several workouts aimed for total-body transformation designed to firm, tone and invigorate the entire body.
Who’s it for?
Anyone who wants to improve his outer and inner self.
Format: The DVD includes three workouts that can be done alone or in combination. First is “Core” (20 minutes plus a 5-minute cool-down);
second is “Strength Training” (20 minutes plus a 9-minute cool-down); and last is “Yoga” (20 minutes plus a 5-minute savasana meditation).
The DVD also goes to the next level by including three bonus segments featuring Canyon Ranch’s health experts. First is “Cooking With Superfoods,” a 7-minute segment in which you learn from a Canyon Ranch dietitian how to select and prepare foods that supposedly reduce joint and muscle inflammation.
Next, an exercise physiologist takes three minutes to instruct you about muscles and how to build muscle through exercise in “Building Lean Muscle.” Lastly, in “Healthy Joints,” an integrative medicine expert talks for four minutes about how to strengthen and protect your joints during exercise and in everyday life.
An included recipe booklet features seven recipes such as a frittata, a vegetable stir-fry, chocolate chip cookies and a refreshing drink.
Gear needed: Light hand weights (3 to 5 pounds), yoga mat or padded surface
What is expected of me? You must be able to perform deep squats and lunges and be able to lift weights over your head.You should also be able to balance yourself to hold several yoga poses.
Floor space required: You need to be able to lie on the floor and fully stretch your legs and arms in front of and behind you.
Can I do it barefoot? Yes
Who demonstrates the workout? Canyon Ranch fitness instructors Darcy McCue and Heather Schmidt. They perform the workouts alone.
They are some of the better DVD instructors I have seen, explaining the movements in detail, how they will benefit the body and how not to move in ways that could injure you. While they do not demonstrate modifications, explanations are given on how to change the movement to suit your fitness abilities.
Workout developer’s credentials: Canyon Ranch is a chain of health resorts and spas that emphasizes wellness as a lifestyle. The company was named the “Healthiest Spa in America” by Health magazine as well as the “Best Spa for Food” by Gourmet magazine.
Instructor Darcy McCue has been a fitness professional for 28 years and employed by Canyon Ranch more than 20. She has professional certifications and affiliations in group instruction, personal training and yoga.
Heather Schmidt, a seven year Ranch employee, has a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine and has professional certifications in group training, yoga, indoor cycling and Pilates.
Distraction factors: The DVDs are certainly pretty to look at. The backdrop of the workouts is the Arizona desert at the main Canyon Ranch resort in Tucson, Ariz. You could get distracted by prickly cactus or an amazing sunset view with birds flying overhead, but it adds to the calming and soothing atmosphere of the yoga segment. The music fits with the mood of the workout segment, neither overpowering nor too bland.
Price: $16.99
ActiveStyle, Pages 27 on 05/14/2012