It’s December—the time of year when musicians have the opportunity to make the holidays a magical place for the rest of the world. Quite a burden to carry! I know how exhausted we all get by the end of the season. So I’m going to give you some advice to take at the end of this month that will seem very strange for a magazine devoted to classical singers…STOP SINGING! Well, for a few days at least…
I would like you to do what many top singers do when they get run down—treat yourself to a spa vacation. If funds are tight, you can even do it yourself at home over a weekend! Many top singers have learned that the results can be positively miraculous in terms of renewing body and soul. Just think about it: is your schedule any less grueling than theirs—are you there juggling the day job, the career and the family???? OK, so you may not be commanding the big fees yet to treat yourself to a luxury spa, but I think we can find a way to get the same effect!
If your finances are fair, you can find a spa which perfectly matches your needs. Pick up Fodor’s Healthy Escapes: 284 Resorts and Retreats, Where You Can Get Fit, Find Yourself and Get Away From it All by Mark Sullivan. It sells for $14 on Amazon.com. (The only spa I can personally recommend is Red Mountain, formerly called NIF, at 800.407.3002.)
If your finances are non-existent at the moment, then do it yourself at home. Everyone can spare a weekend for this! What’s essential is to turn off the noise in your life, get your body moving (doing that outside as much as possible), consume healthy food, and spend time relaxing deeply—finding your inner self. You’ll come out of the experience ready to tackle the world again—but from a whole new vantage point.
A few ideas:
1. You could schedule a few appointments with a masseuse. A less expensive option is to talk your spouse into doing that massage at least a few times. You can buy a book that shows how to do it, and take turns. Romantic!
2. Access a jet tub or hot tub—or, at the very least, a good bubble bath!
3. Book a manicure/pedicure appointment.
4. Take out a membership at a gym. See if you can get a one week membership. If not, can you borrow a set of weights, aerobics videos, access to pool, yoga videos? If you don’t have videos, check with your library. Even beginning to exercise can be so relaxing to the mind.
5. Purchase three really delicious meals a day, delivered fresh to your home, by going to www.diettogo.com or calling 1.800.743.SLIM. They provide healthy low-calorie meals, and you don’t have to do a thing! Or, purchase frozen Weight Watcher meals. Or, if you love to cook, shop ahead for spa cuisine. Again, go to a bookstore to find ideas/cookbooks if you need help here. Perhaps a friend could do the cooking/preparing for your spa days and you could reciprocate.
Now here’s the daily schedule at Red Mountain for you to follow—feel free to adjust as desired! For example, you might not have the energy to do each block of classes. Perhaps you might take time to work on Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way and spend some time ‘journaling’ as described in the book. If you are interested in recovering from artist’s burn-out—as you may after the holidays—this might be just what you need. Remember to skip a block for that massage, manicure, or hot tub session.
6:30 Arise, dress in comfortable walking clothes.
6:45 Fruit breakfast
7:00 Walk in canyons or go biking. (If the weather is bad, find out if your local mall is open for walkers in the mornings.)
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Choice of classes (aerobics, step class, biking, pool, strength training, treadmill or other equipment) Tai Chi
11:00 Choice of classes (aerobics, biking, pool, strength training, treadmill or other equipment)
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Choice of classes (aerobics, pool, step class, biking, strength training, treadmill or other equipment) Meditation
1:30 Choice of classes (aerobics, pool, step class, biking, strength training, treadmill or other equipment)
3:00 Choice of classes (aerobics, pool, step class, biking, strength training, treadmill or other equipment) Also lectures, arts and crafts
4:30 Arts and crafts
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Lectures, yoga, meditation
8:00 Yoga, meditation
9:00 Hot tub (bubble bath?)
I hope you will take the time to ‘sharpen your saw’, so you are ready to go back out there and tackle the world again for the year 2002!
