Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Doing Penance

Poor blog fell to the bottom of the to-do list during a hectic four months where I readied and sold the house on the east coast, moved to the (finally) renovated house in Northern California (as well as the cabin in the San Juans), moved daughter #1 to Seattle, got daughter #2 shipped off to France, and bought an aqua-farm (more on that in another blog post).

With nonstop busy-ness and good-bye celebrations, general chaos and lack of structure, the normal eat-well-and-exercise routine was replaced with eat-whatever-and-what's-a-workout?

The system was desperately calling out to hit the reset button.
SO, I marched myself off for a week totally off the grid for a complete mind/body re-centering.

It was the hardest physical week of my life, but best thing I've done in a long long time.  

Enter The Ranch at Live Oak.




Don't let the pretty looks fool you,

this place is diabolical.


And completely vegan.
One of our morning breakfast smoothies:
kale & berries with granola on top.

5:30AM wake-up every day.  First an hour stretch class,
then breakfast, then off to a 4+-hour hike.  Up.  Always up.

We covered anywhere from 8-13 miles of canyon-hiking
 a day, depending on your pace.




All set in the Santa Monica mountains,

though the beaches of Malibu below were where most of us
 really wanted to be.



Each morning after breakfast, we'd line up to have our blisters popped,
second-skinned, and taped by our cheerful guides.  



I was the champion with nine.  Big ones.  
 

But the hiking continues.  No sympathy here.

We hiked trails that the wildfires wiped out just a few months ago.


Back at the Ranch the only pool-time is an
organized game of water polo.
Then it's off to TRX class, core training, yoga.
And a heavenly 1-hour massage.

Weary, we congregated in the big house before dinner,
comparing aches and pains.

Communal dinners with great conversation
marked the end of the evening.

Back to our little bungalows.....


we fell into bed by 8PM.

Same schedule six days straight.

There were moments when the f-bomb was dropped often and loudly.


Hot, dusty, thighs screaming with lactic acid,

a flattening of the trail was a gift from the gods.

And every now and then, signs of encouragement
appeared when needed most.



Some people think this formation looked like
the Virgin Mary....
...to others a thumb.

Our detoxed and fit comrades before the final hike.

Note the post-hike leg dust.

And a final packed lunch to send home.


The Ranch at Live Oak, Malibu is a superb place to jump-start
your fitness, detox and cleanse your mind and body.  
Not for the faint of heart, it takes commitment and a willingness
to push the levels of discomfort.  If you don't follow the
recommendations to ease off alcohol, caffeine, sugar and 
artificial sweeteners well in advance of starting at the Ranch, 
you will suffer detox symptoms heavily and uncomfortably 
in the first few days.  Not a thing you want to feel when you are six
miles in, fighting the heat and fatigue.  Most difficult for many people
is the strict vegan diet.  But on day six, with skin aglow, fitter
bods and numerous pounds melted away, everyone walks out 
a renewed and happier version of themselves.  And as there
is zero cell phone reception or internet connection, a week of  
forced off-the-grid living is an added mind de-cluttering bonus. 

www.theranchmalibu.com