Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States and about one-third of adults are obese, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While personal trainers, nutritionists and fitness centers attempt to conquer this growing epidemic, such resources are not such an affordable option for many people. That’s why Spa Week has teamed up with the Today show’s resident nutritionist and diet expert, Joy Bauer, and one of the exclusive resorts from NBC’s hit TV show, The Biggest Loser to dramatically kick-start a new, healthy lifestyle for one lucky winner by entering the Fast Track to Health Giveaway.

Reclaim your inner strength and learn how to create positive changes with simple, healthy choices that will result in a healthier you – inside and out at The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Malibu, California. Prepare to be amazed at what you can accomplish – you’re worth it! The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge offers a complete atmosphere for fitness, relaxation, and spa amenities ensuring your stay is as productive and relaxing as possible.  Enjoy comfortable accommodations, spa cuisine, breathtaking hikes and  group oriented classes to meet other motivated individuals who are inspired to get fit. Whether your goal is to lose substantial weight or to enjoy a fitness getaway, the program and group atmosphere will provide the personal attention that you need to achieve your goals.

SPA

Reward your efforts with the ultimate spa and salon experience at The Retreat. Soothe sore muscles with several different forms of massage and body work, or simply relax and rejuvenate with acupuncture or reflexology. From soothing body treatments to luxurious facials and salon treatments, you’ll leave feeling pampered, refreshed and fabulous.

NUTRITION

Participate in a structured, calorie-controlled, health program. Every meal is designed by the Executive Chef and Registered Dietitian in a calorie-controlled, spa cuisine meal plan.  Each menu item captures the nutrition in a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.  Choosing low-fat foods that are high in fiber offers higher satisfaction than on other types of low-calorie meal plans.

FITNESS

Immerse yourself in a variety of indoor fitness classes or experience beautiful outdoor activities. The professional, certified fitness team will help you achieve your goals and provide you the adequate tools to be successful at home. Take advantage of the Education Series, which consists of daily lectures hosted by the Wellness Team. Topics discussed include portion control, product label reading, and intuitive eating, as well as cooking demos and fitness tips. Our Wellness Team includes an Executive Chef, Registered Dietitians, a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Trainers and a Life Coach.

The large gym features top-of-the-line equipment and our aerobics room hosts classes for kickboxing, step-n-pump, indoor cycling, ball works, and stretch. The aquatics center features a pool and hot tub.

The Resort is surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. There are many different trail options for terrain, cardio intensity, and experience level. The landscape of each hiking trail is surrounded by the motivational, healing environment of southern California’s natural oasis of trees and wildflowers.  Hiking is a beautiful compliment to the program, with trails for all fitness levels everyone can enjoy!

When it’s time to snack, remember the old saying “a little goes a long way”, particularly when it’s full of good nutrition (like those kale chips)! Our friends at Healing Lifestyles along with Dr. Wendy want you to beat the binge and snack right.

6 guidelines to a great snack:

Choose 2-3 snacks per week. Plan and prepare them in advance. And follow-through with the plan. Energy is yours — along with a side of good health, too.

Happy Snacking!

Adapted from The SuperFoodRx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients by Dr. Wendy. Wendy Bazilian is a doctor of public health, registered dietitian and freelance writer in San Diego. She is also the Nutrition Advisor at the renowned Golden Door resort.

All hail the mighty strawberry! Plump, tiny, and sweet, the strawberry is a mainstay of dessert, especially during the far-too-short strawberry season (that’s now, hint hint.) But don’t limit the strawberry – the strawberry longs to stretch its wings and apply that tasty, tangy-sweet flavor to savory dishes, too. Here are three to get you started.

Strawberry Vinaigrette
1 cup olive oil
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, halved
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon white sugar

In a blender or food processor, mix olive oil, strawberries, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, tarragon and sugar. Blend until smooth.

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Strawberry Sauce
Juice and zest of 2 limes, plus 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
1/4 cup coarse-grain mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Two 14- to 16-ounce pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat and cut in half crosswise
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1 whole star anise
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 pounds fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Juice of two lemons (4 tablespoons)

1.Combine the strawberries, brown sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Partially cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are softened and release their juices, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

2.Pour the strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth.

3.Press the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.

1.Preheat the oven to 400°. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice and zest and the mustard with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place the pork in the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.In a medium, heavy saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, star anise, red pepper flakes and strawberry sauce and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Push the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a small saucepan and keep warm.

3.Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until the oil ripples. Remove the pork from the marinade and sear on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Place the skillet in the oven and roast until cooked through but still juicy, about 10 minutes for medium. Place the pork on a cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes more. Slice the pork and serve with the sauce and lime wedges.

Strawberry Soup
2 pints strawberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a blender, combine the strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, sugar, water and cardamom. Puree until well mixed. Chill and serve.

You’re probably all about spinach and lettuce – maybe even all about arugula and chard. Regardless of how wide your love for leafy greens is, we bet you can make room for this snappy charmer.

Kale is a dark green veggie chock full of vitamins, potassium, and minerals – and like most veggies, there are an endlessly delicious number of ways to prepare it. Here’s 3 very different ways we love that will take you from snacks to full-on dinner. Long live kale!

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Wash your kale and dry it thoroughly.

2. Break the leaves off of the stalk into bite size pieces in a bowl. Drizzle on your favorite extra virgin olive oil, then a pinch of seasoned or kosher salt – not too much though! Use your hands to toss the mixture and even out the ingredients.

3. Place the kale onto your cookie sheet and bake until the edges are browned, for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Enjoy your crispy, salty, low-calorie snack!

Tuscan Soup

1 (16 ounce) package smoked sausage
2 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups kale – washed, dried, and shredded
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 quart water
1/3 cup cream or milk
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Place onions in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear.
4. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken soup base, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
5. Add sausage, kale, and milk. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

Kale Puttanesca 
1/2 (16 ounce) package whole-wheat angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 (2 ounce) can anchovy fillets, drained and quartered
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups coarsely chopped kale
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and begun to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers, anchovy fillets, and diced tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Stir in kale, and simmer over medium-low heat until wilted and tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Once the pasta has cooked and been drained, stir into the puttanesca along with the black olives. Toss and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Chances are you’ve probably quaffed POM Wonderful in the past few years – the pomegranate juice (served in the reusable glasses!) is popular as a mixer and a standalone drink, and the company that produces it has pushed the juice’s healthy qualities with a passion. Pomegranate does contain a one-two punch of healthful vitamins, but there’s no evidence to suggest that chugging bottle after bottle of the juice is a magical cure for what ails you – but POM Wonderful might want you to believe otherwise!

The FDA has sent POM a public warning letter for making wild promises to the public about what drinking the juice will and will not do. Among the litany of diseases it professes to cure or curtail: artherosclerosis, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol, and more. One testimonial even claimed that POM cured her boyfriend’s prostate cancer…high claims from a juice.

Having been warned to knock off the crazy promises of magical and miraculous results, it remains to be seen whether POM will scale back its marketing…but the whole episode is a good reminder that while this is an unprecedently good time for wellness-focused food and drink, the old consumers’ adage still holds true: if something sounds too good to be true, even in this futuristic year 2010, it probably still is!