Staying in shape while travelling!

It is no secret that staying in shape while traveling has become an important part of our busy lives. The good news is, The Westin Calgary has thought about every detail so that you can feel energized and revitalized during your next personal or business trip.

HOTEL WORKOUT

Have you ever had great intentions to hit a hotel workout and eat healthy meals during your stay only to return home feeling like a failure because you couldn't find the motivation to execute your plan?

More often than not, the challenge for everybody, no matter if you're a competitive athlete or not, is that you need that convenient and accessible way to exercise, with no barriers. Thankfully, The Westin Calgary has equipped their gym with a series of function and familiar machines so that the majority of guests feel right at home. Better yet, The Westin Calgary has made it even easier to complete your hotel workout with their gear lending program. Don't worry about packing sneakers and fitness clothing. The Westin Calgary will provide everything you need to stay fit and focused while you travel.

If you are in need of some simple hotel workouts that you can do anywhere, I have got you covered! Click here. 

DIET IS 80% OF THE BATTLE

I know, I know. Nobody wants to hear this while traveling, but how you eat will account for 70-80 percent of how you look and feel. Seriously! You can’t outrun a bad diet, and you can’t out-train one either. What we’re trying to avoid is the depression and crash dieting that follows a trip full of overeating: “Ugh, where did all of this fat come from? Time to starve myself!” Nope, not anymore!

The Westin Calgary has you covered with their healthy SuperFoodsRx menu options packed with nutrients and nourishing, healthy juices and smoothies developed with the experts at The Juicery to energize and fuel your day.

Bonus eating out tip: Every meal should have a protein source and at least one vegetable; add some fruits and nuts. Avoid highly processed foods and try to limit your sugar intake as much as possible.

BE ACTIVE, HAVE FUN

When you are traveling, a hotel workout does not have to be your only option. Here are some of my hard and fast rules for healthy travels:

1. Make exercise a part of who you are. Walk before taking Uber. Say yes to hikes. Explore on foot.

2. Strength train at least once per week.

3. Eat real food. Don’t just go for empty calories all the time. Focus on real, whole foods that don't come out of a box.

4. Party with a purpose! You are traveling so have fun. For every alcoholic drink, drink water, too.

5. Do you best. Show up each day and give it all you've got. 

Working with an Online Personal Trainer is a fantastic way to stay on track with your health and fitness goals even when you have a very busy traveling schedule. Learn more about Dunnebells online programs by clicking here. Fully customized nutrition and workouts for the busy person who feels like they have no time.

Thank you for reading and learning about staying in shape while traveling! 

DUNNEBELLS WELLNESS RETREAT

Now, for my personal experience at the recent Dunnebells x The Westin Calgary wellness retreat!

On August 9 -11, three lucky individuals joined me at The Westin Calgary for the perfect wellness retreat right here in the City! We came together as strangers and left as close friends.

To kick things off in style, we met at the stunning hideaway in Marda Loop, Distilled Beauty Bar for some much-needed R n' R. While we sipped on turmeric lattes and received the best individual pedicure I have ever received in my life it became clear the next few days on the wellness retreat were going to be magical. If you haven't checked out Distilled Beauty Bar yet, I highly recommend it. You can sip on your favourite wine, or craft beer while they pamper you from head to tow. Or, simply stop by for a coffee and catch up with friends!

Now that we felt like queens, it was time to head to our Queendom. The Westin Calgary.

The Westin Calgary was such a great place to stay for this retreat and we were pleasantly surprised when a beautiful welcome tray of fresh fruit and sweets arrived. We sat down on our comfy lounge area in the executive suite and enjoyed food, Wild Tea Kombucha (an incredible local sponsor of the Dunnebells wellness retreat) and started to get to know each other. Did you know that Wild Tea Kombucha is hand brewed with love and care in right here in Calgary? AMAZING! 

RELAXING MORNING

Since the morning had been very relaxing, we felt it was the perfect time to complete a workout together! Taking advantage of the Gear Lending program that The Westin offers was a game changer. Who knew that not packing any shoes or fitness gear would not turn into a barrier for this wellness retreat? We were decked in the latest and greatest New Balance gear and completed a sweaty session as a team.

HOTEL WORKOUT

30 SECONDS WORK - 30 SECONDS REST

Tricep pulldowns

Bicep curls

Goblet squats

Dumbbell front raises

Bulgarian split squats

Alternating Lunges

We finished the work out with some core floor work and yoga lead by Joy.

After working out, we spent some time in the rooms together, I will let one of the testimonials below explain just how much fun we had.

SLEEP WELL

Sound slumber is essential to your well-being. We LOVED The Westin Calgary sleep well program. After rubbing the relaxing oils on our wrists, we were able to wind down naturally and refuel our bodies and minds with a truly restorative sleep in the award-winning Heavenly Bed.

ACTIVITIES

"Nothing good ever comes from comfort zones".

We were feeling like doing something that is right here in our City that we wouldn't normally do. Cue, Segway tour! After receiving in-depth training from our incredible guide we were heading out on our adventure. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the river valley and learned things about Calgary that we never knew! For your next adventure, I highly recommend booking a tour with River Valley Adventure Co.

Working the helmet was the most difficult part for us!

The mercury jumped to 37 degrees and this marked the hottest day on record for Calgary so after the Segway tour and running around in Prince's Island Park we were pretty pooped! How nice to go back to our air-conditioned room and enjoy an ice cold beverage from the lobby!

On the same notion of doing something that we had never done before, the beautiful and talented Glamour Studios joined us in our room to express her artistic talent with Henna tattoo. Make sure to check our Glamour Studios and book her early, she is already accepting 2019 weddings! She is THAT good.

GOAL SETTING & REAL DISCUSSIONS

No wellness retreat is complete without some real, raw and vulnerable conversations. We all showered, got squeaky clean and put the lush Westin robes on. Setting goals, talking about the deepest and darkest struggles we have been through and helping each other realizing that we are all beautiful humans that have had both struggles and triumphs was the perfect way to spend our last evening together. We focussed on setting some short term and long term goals and put the steps in place to hold each other accountable so that the needle can move and progress can be made! There is nothing worse than setting a goal and feeling like you fail when you don't even come close to achieving it right?

Tears, laughter, fist pumps and hugs summarize our evening discussion and it was a perfect time to call it a night. 

Thank you to the incredible Dunnebells Westin Wellness Retreat partners: The Westin Calgary, Vital proteins, Wild Tea Kombucha, Glamour studios YYC, River Valley Adventure Co, and Distilled beauty bar.

Thank you to Lisa, Jaclyn, and Joy for joining me on an experience that I will never forget.