If your New Year’s Resolution for this year includes getting fab, fit, and still having fun, there are plenty of places all around the country for a fitness and health-centric vacation getaway. From yoga retreats to all-inclusive resorts or more family-friendly travel destinations, there are many places to fulfill your New Years Resolution.
Stick To Your Fitness Resolutions In These 8 U.S. Places
1. Oregon
Opportunities for urban exercise are all abound in the Beaver State, especially in and around Portland where natural sanctuaries like Smith and Bybee Wetlands or Forest Park (which features over five thousand acres to roam and a thirty-mile trail) provide ample ways to get fit within city limits.
And if you’re not one to work it up and out in the untamed wilderness, there are also plenty of spots to get active on the pavement. For more than a decade, the League of American Bicyclists has named Portland a Platinum-level "Bicycle-Friendly Community,” and because the city is so famously rainy, all that precipitation results in an exceptionally long ski season at Mt. Hood, a fantastic 11,000+-foot peak located just an hour outside of the city.
2. Maine
It’s been deemed by many as one of the best states for getting fit, all thanks to the diverse landscape that features 5,000 miles of coastline and an array of 5,000-foot mountain peaks that all offer activity-filled getaway options for land lovers or water lovers alike. Conveniently called the "Vacationland" state, there are tons of cross-country ski options on the newly expanded Maine Huts & Trails route in the remote western mountains, as well three-day fitness retreats to sign up for with Northern Outdoors when all that snow melts. The trip pairs afternoon white-water rafting and hiking with morning and evening outdoor yoga sessions.
What’s more is that The Appalachian Mountain Club recently opened a lodge close to Maine's stretch of the Appalachian Trail, which provides hikers and snowshoers of all sorts refuge and a place to rest and relax at if the going happens to get rough
3. Utah
Get back in your fitness groove by taking a trip out to the Beehive State, where short but intense "Weekend Warrior" boot camps at Red Mountain allow you to schedule in your daily exercise amidst amid some of the country's most dazzling natural landscapes. The popular resort offers adventure vacations unlike any other, and due to its spectacular location between Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, provides guests everything from views of soaring mountain peaks and rosy rock formations to stunning black lava gardens. Enjoy daily hikes, group fitness classes, and individual exercise instruction, as well as an onsite spa where you can use desert botanicals and honey to ease those aching muscles.
Also in Utah are more active options such as white water rafting and mountain biking tours courtesy of Red Cliffs Lodge, which provide leisurely and intense fitness activities that’ll keep the whole family smiling. The on-site suites and cabins also boast a hearty Western frontier spirit-- and if you want even more adventure, try out
Alison Dunlap Adventure Camps, also located in Moab, Utah, which features the Moab Mountain Bike Camps designed by two-time Olympian Alison Dunlap.
4. Miami, Florida
Boot camps don't always have to mean pure blood, sweat, and tears or lots of messy mud baths and being yelled at by military grade personal trainers. No, sometimes, hardcore fitness classes and camps can actually be uber fun, especially in the Sunshine State which offers programs at The Confidante on Miami Beach -- designed specifically to help get guests and day visitors feel fit and healthy for the New Year without all the unneeded stress.
Take a class or two from PTs Christopher and Tracie Vlaun as they teach classes right on the sandy shores under warm Florida sunshine. Doesn’t a "beach cross" or "beach body blast" high-intensity workout sound super amazing? Yes.
5. Los Angeles, California
From SoulCycle to Barry’s Bootcamp, or a “reinvented” kind of Pilates to mid-air workouts via aerial hammocks for something wildly different, the City of Angels is a place that’s filled to the tee with fitness enthusiasts and hot spots to get in full shape. Given its close proximity to Hollywood, it’s also home to more than a bunch of world-renowned trainers who’ll provide not only star-worthy treatment, such as celebrity fitness instructor Tracy Anderson in Brentwood, but a total full-body workout to build endurance, strength, and health all around in little to almost no time.
Try celeb trainer Sebastien Lagree’s special 25-minute workout using the Supraformer—a unique type of equipment designed to constantly change angles to target all parts of the body. We hear that everybody from Sofia Vergara to the Kardashians swear by it.
6. Arizona
Visit Miraval's sprawling 400-acre campus just outside Tucson, which offers the Discover Miraval package: a getaway filled with loads of healthful pursuits including daily yoga, meditation classes, private nutritional consultations, and even rock climbing up the sky high granite crags of Mount Lemmon, the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. They also offer a variety of stellar body treatments, as well as delicious spa cuisine served onsite at Cactus Flower restaurant.
And for the all-around athletes out there, kick off triathlon training with a bang at Canyon Ranch, located in the iconic Sonoran Desert and featuring beautiful running trails, shiny pools, and tons of road bikes to take advantage of. There are even special 50-minute sessions with exercise physiologists offered along with slower paced activities like aquatic classes and a family friendly teen fitness retreat.
7. Big Sky, Montana
Giddy on up into the New Year by taking those yoga skills from the mat and into the saddle with a weeklong Cowgirl Yoga retreat via Big Sky Resort. These stellar trips pair daily yoga sessions with up to five hours of caring for horses and riding on the range and guests will no doubt experience a yoga-equine connection that’s unlike anything else. In addition to a full-on equine experience, the resort also hosts other trips combining yoga with activities like hiking and skiing within the about 5,750 skiable acres of surrounding land.
It’s the ultimate winter vacation destination indeed and snow lovers will certainly revel in the over 4,350 feet of vertical drop, as well as the ample array of lodging, dining, and mountain sport options to customize every aspect of your stay. Run a few slopes before doing some ice climbing and grabbing some grub at Olive B’s Bistro or Rainbow Ranch.
8. Vermont
If you’re feeling overly ambitious, head on over to Killington, Vermont, where you’ll easily be able to hike up a mountain with elevations over 4,000 feet and follow it up with everything from water aerobics, core conditioning, and even some dance kinetics! At spots like New Life Hiking Spa, located in the Green Mountains, you’ll be able get that blood pumping on high blast by taking part in specially tailored daily activity plans based on your own personal fitness levels and interests.
New Life even offers a weight-loss retreat that challenges guests with more advanced trails and fitness classes. So snag a pair of hiking boots along with a teeny weeny bathing suit to relax, restore, and refresh while staying within the confines of a charming New England style inn.
This article was written by Pamela Chan.