A Day at The Ranch Malibu

When I was asked to join a group of fitness bloggers to experience and observe what this wonderful place, The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu had to offer for jump-starting fitness and facilitating weight loss, I was completely excited! Now I can share my firsthand knowledge with others who may benefit from this completely amazing and energizing experience.

The Ranch

The ranch itself is one very large plot of land just a few miles from the ocean, and just far enough off the beaten path to feel like it is a far away place. The less distractions during this journey, the better! In fact, my cell phone did not even have reception, which is probably a good thing. The grounds have a fitness facility, plenty of land to hike, an organic farm, a vacation-worthy pool, and more. The sleeping arrangements were nice and serene just like the rest of the grounds, and there is laundry service too! They are very well equipped to handle all the special care needed for fitness gear.

Food

With the exception of one breakfast food item, the ranch is completely vegan. I loved the reasoning given for the ranch for being mostly vegan– it was to completely simplify the diet to whole, plant-based foods, to give the body a good baseline for how it performs and responds in terms of allergens, inflammation, exercise, and energy levels.We found that we were able to have full energy to attack each exercise challenge as we learned that plants fill the stomach and provide vital nutrients at a much better rate than do processed foods. This picture shows 120 calories of nuts, oil, kale, refined sugar, and spinach. Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat on the planet!

At lunch we had a totally yummy massaged kale salad featuring chick peas, pickled red onion and olives.

Dinner was even more amazing– a “veganized” bolognese with celery noodles and lima beans with lovely cashew shavings that really reminded me of Parmesan cheese. Honestly, I am not a big fan of celery but I loved this!

Exercise

A normal day for a guest would include 8 to 10 hours of fitness (lots of walking) meals, snacks, possibly time at the pool, rest time, and a massage. 8 to 10 hours would have seemed like a very long time had I not experience it firsthand. On this day, we got about 6 hours of fitness in with hiking, a TRX class, a yoga class, and foam rolling to loosen up difficult-to-stretch and tight muscles. My favorite class will come as no surprise to you– it was the 75 minute yoga class with instructor Ted! He was a great teacher, and I loved that the course had parts that were dynamic and aerobic, and other parts that were more focused on lengthening and strengthening the muscles. Check it out, I’m wearing the yoga pants I recently bought from Athleta! 🙂

One important observation I have was on this day of attendance, all the leaders and instructors were men. Some of the nurturing and intuitive qualities that are so often associated with women were not spared that day. They were all amazingly attentive, patient and encouraging. I can’t think of a better place to recommend for someone who is very serious about turning their health around and getting back on track!

Want to see more? Check out this video overview:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Qte2JBrsRPY]

Remember my philosophy: Eat like you love to live! <3