Mountain Trek at the Ranch | Kirkland Shave and the MT team

• Fitness and weight loss program based on daily hiking, led by expert guides from Canada’s Mountain Trek destination spa staff. Full days, including special gourmet meals and snacks prepared under the guidance of Mountain Trek’s nutritionist.
• This small group program is separate from the regular Ranch fitness program, but in all other ways it’s the classic Ranch experience. Mountain Trek participants stay in accommodations just like our regular Ranch guests and have equal access to all the fun and features of the Ranch facilities.
• Reservations must be made through our Mountain Trek partners: call 1-800-661-5161 and/or go to their site at www.mountaintrek.com for more details. You can also email them at info@mountaintrek.com.

The famed Mountain Trek hiking and weight-loss program is an intimate, personalized week that’s limited to a small group of guests. Normally this program takes place at the Mountain Trek destination spa location in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, but in sessions each fall and winter, the Ranch welcomes groups of up to 16 Mountain Trek hikers per week. The guides lead guests on days of exploring the beautiful meadows and woodlands, highlands, streams and creeks of the Ranch.

Small groups mean each person hikes at their best personal pace, supported by the group guide. Morning yoga and evening fitness classes round out a full fitness experience that leaves each guest feeling lighter, clearer and ultimately rejuvenated and well-rested. Informative lectures about stress, sleep health, nutrition and lifestyle will kickstart a new way of living, with guaranteed fat loss and muscle gain.

Each evening, Mountain Trek guests can choose from the full range of Rancho La Puerta fitness and health activities, including cardio, dance, pilates, water aerobics, tai chi, NIA, stretch, posture, core, weight training – and much more -- all taught by the Ranch’s top-of-their-game instructors in beautifully appointed gyms and studios. The Ranch also has three health centers that offer massage and other body treatments, hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas plus “inner self” classes (meditation, chanting) as well as a variety of evening lectures and presentations, all open to Mountain Trek guests. At Rancho La Puerta you have both a separate, intimate Mountain Trek experience guided by Mountain Trek staff and a chance to sample the extraordinary variety of the Ranch.

http://www.mountaintrek.com/

http://www.mountaintrek.com/rancho-la-puerta/

Conscious Dancer Magazine Movement Week Mark Metz, Laura Cirolia, Samantha Sweetwater and Jo Cobbett

Moving Into Meaning: Dancing with Your Higher Self

Your invitation to a welcome encounter with your highest self is here. Join Conscious Dancer hosts Mark Metz and Laura Cirolia together with facilitators Samantha Sweetwater and Jo Cobbett for a gently led introduction to our open week of movement. This consciousness raising moving meditation is fun, easy, and designed for all abilities. Create a closer connection with your community for the week, and add your inspiration to the field. This moving mixer is open to all.

Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Marie Simmons

Marie Simmons is an award-winning cookbook author, recognized food writer, talented cooking teacher and lively storyteller. Marie is the former senior food editor at Cuisine magazine and test kitchen editor at Woman’s Day magazine.

Marie has made hundreds of radio and TV appearances including: CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, Mike and Maty, CNN Cooking 101, TV Food Network, Home Matters, The Main Ingredient, and At Home.

She has written a monthly column, “Cooking for Health,” for Bon Appetit magazine and a syndicated newspaper column, “Fresh & Fast,” for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, for over 15 years. Marie currently writes a bi-monthly column, "Simmons Sez," for the Contra Costa Times. In addition, her recipes and articles have appeared in over a dozen popular consumer magazines, including Eating Well, Food & Wine, Fitness, Shape, Cooking Light, Ladies Home Journal, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Modern Maturity, Redbook, Prevention, Real Food and McCall’s. Marie has taught on both US coasts, and in between, including: The New School Culinary Center, Peter Kump's Culinary Center, New York University, and Macy’s De Gustibus, on the East Coast; and Ingredients in Danville, CA; Ramekins in Sonoma, CA; Let’s Get Cooking in Los Angeles, CA; and Sur la Table, nationwide. Marie has also guest-taught at In Good Taste in Portland, OR; The Rocky Mountain Culinary Center in Boulder, CO; and Central Markets in five locations in Texas. She also held the position of Culinary Programs Manager at Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts in Napa, CA. Marie has authored (or co-authored) over 20 cookbooks. "365 Ways to Cook Pasta" (Harper & Row, 1988) has over 450,000 copies in print. "The Good Egg" (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) won the James Beard Award. "Lighter, Quicker, Better" (co-authored with Richard Sax), won both the Julia Child and James Beard cookbook awards. Another cookbook, "The Light Touch," was nominated for both of these awards, as well. Marie wrote the Beans and Grains chapter for the "New Joy of Cooking" (Scribner 1997). She is the writer of the first cookbook from Sur La Table, "Things Cooks Love: Implements and Ingredients.” She is also the author of "Fresh & Fast" and “Fresh and Fast Vegetarian” (Houghton Mifflin).

Marie offers three hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, on Tuesday from 4: - 7:30, Wednesday from 11 – 2:30, and Thursday from 4 – 7:30, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our new culinary center.

For more information and registration, please click here.

Pilates | P.J. O'Clair

PJ is the owner of Clubxcel & Northeast Pilates, one of the largest STOTT PILATES® Licensed Training Centers in the USA. In addition to her work as a program developer and Master Instructor Trainer for STOTT PILATES™ she is a TRX® teacher trainer. PJ is a published author and is the recipient of the prestigious IDEA “Program Director of the Year” award for 2008. She is a sought-after speaker and consultant at fitness conferences and spas worldwide. She has written numerous fitness articles for trade journals and is a guest author with Pilates Style magazine.

Concert | Marshall Chapman

Marshall Chapman is an American singer-songwriter-author who was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. To date she has released twelve critically acclaimed albums, and her songs have been recorded by everyone from Emmylou Harris and Joe Cocker to Irma Thomas and Jimmy Buffett. (complete list)

2010 was a banner year for Chapman. In January, she landed her first movie role, playing Gwyneth Paltrow's road manager in Country Strong. In February, her musical Good Ol' Girls (adapted from the fiction of Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, featuring songs by Matraca Berg and Marshall) opened off-Broadway. Later that fall, Chapman simultaneously released a new book ("They Came to Nashville") and a new CD, Big Lonesome.

They Came to Nashville was recently nominated for the 2011 SIBA Book Award for nonfiction. The Philadelphia Inquirer named Big Lonesome "Best Country/Roots Album of 2010," while Paste Magazine calls it "her masterpiece."

Of her three rockin' albums for Epic, the Al Kooper-produced Jaded Virgin was voted Record of the Year (1978) by Stereo Review. Her album, It's About Time… (Island, 1995), recorded live at the Tennessee State Prison for Women, drew rave reviews from Time, USA Today and the Village Voice.

Marshall's first book, "Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller" (St. Martin's Press) was a SIBA bestseller, 2004 SIBA Book Award finalist, and one of three finalists for the Southern Book Critics Circle Award. A softcover edition was released in 2004.

Marshall is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun and Nashville Arts Magazine. She has also written for Southern Living, The Oxford American, W, Town Magazine, the Bob Edwards Show (Sirius/XM), Performing Songwriter, and Vanderbilt Magazine.

Breaking the Communication Barrier| Abe Wagner

Abe is a master at captivating audiences through his unique blend of warmth, wit, and wisdom. While you are laughing and relaxed, you’ll also be learning vital communication and problem solving tools based on the common-sense psychologies of Transactional Analysis (TA) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Abe entertains while he educates, giving participants clear, practical, and easy-to-understand tools for achieving healthy relationships in the workplace and at home. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn and you’ll take home practical lessons for living a productive life.

Abe Wagner will offer four sessions:

• BREAKING THE COMMUNICATION BARRIER
  In this program, you can learn to understand human behavior and use this model for dealing with anyone. It is extremely useful at work and at home. Identify another person's state of mind instantly. Learn to change from a negative to a positive state of mind at will. Elicit the response you desire from others.
• REACHING RAPID RAPPORT
  Learn to be a good listener. Resolve conflict with greater ease. Establish rapid rapport.
• TACTFUL CAREFRONTATION
  The program includes: The power of positive strokes. Stop reinforcing negative behavior and reinforce positive behavior. Establish long-term rapport. Carefrontation techniques.
• SAY IT STRAIGHT OR YOU'LL SHOW IT CROOKED. The program will cover: The fourteen principles for individual and organizational effectiveness. How to implement what you have learned.

Abe Wagner has been presenting at the Ranch for 20 years. He has a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a Teaching Member in Transactional Analysis, and a Master Practitioner in NLP. He has over 40 years of experience as a corporate trainer and convention speaker. He has worked with organizations in over 30 countries, ranging from start-ups and Fortune 500 companies to governments and non-profits. He is the author of “Say It Straight or You’ll Show It Crooked” and “The Transactional Manager” (Prentice Hall).

Get and Protect your Mom Energy | Ashley Koff and Lori Corbin

No matter your age or lifestage, as soon as you decide to become a mom you are giving your energy out to others. It's amazing and can contribute so much to your life. However, giving it out without learning to develop and protect your Mom Energy will result in imbalances that can take a toll on your health. Together, Ashley and Lori, will discuss how to develop your Mom Energy and then how to protect it. This interactive session will have you rethinking everything from a chair twist to the snacks you choose - for you and your family.

Ashley Koff will also present:

"The Case for Quality": Why becoming a Qualitarian is the best thing you can do for your health. In this nutrition session, Koff will walk through current trends (food, diet, disease), their health implications, and the role of food and dietary supplement quality in these trends and your health. Come learn why and how to become a Qualitarian which means learning to make the better quality choice whatever the situation (dining out, party, cooking, supplement, etc).

"Your Core is your Health" - whether you struggle with unwanted belly fat, bloating or indigestion, irregularity, PMS or menopause symptoms, or all of the above, it's critical to learn how to heal the digestive system to achieve your personal health goals. The gut, even more so than the brain, controls what and how we receive nutrients. So if it's delivery system is off, all the kale in the world won't keep you healthy. Koff will present her customizable digestive wellness plan and discuss the role of digestive wellness in achieving your health goals.

Ashley Koff, RD (www.AshleyKoffRD.com) seeks to improve the quality of nutrition choices available and consumed. A Qualitarian, Koff believes that better quality nutrition choices are key to optimal health. Koff created the "Ashley Koff Approved" (AKA) list as a tool to help consumers, media, and healthcare practitioners choose better quality groceries, dietary supplements, and prepared food. Koff maintains a private practice working with patients of all ages to achieve their personal health goals. She regularly appears as an expert in the media, and uses her AKA Makeover projects to help improve the quality of foods available at events and on the sets of popular shows such as ABC's "Private Practice," and CBS' "CSI: New York," as well major movies. She is the California state ambassador for First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign and is faculty at NYC's Beth Israel Integrative Medicine Center The Continuum Center for Health and Healing. Koff is the co-author of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged.

Lori Corbin has been the nutrition and fitness reporter for KABC-TV, Los Angeles for the last 15 years. Prior to that she worked for KTVK in Phoenix, AZ. With 30 years in the health industry, Corbin owned and operated a chain of exercise studios. Her "Food Coach" program slimmed down notables like Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Billy Zane and a cast of soap stars. She ran a healthy food catering company as well as managing several resort spas one being The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, AZ.

Beyond reporting, she continues to teach exercise through group exercise and personal training as well as lectures, workshops and speaking engagements throughout Southern California.

Corbin attended University of Arizona. She has a degree in nutrition and is certified through the American Council on Exercise in group exercise and Lifestyle Weight Management, and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.