Pregancy and diet

Guest blogger, Vanessa, discusses her babymoon at Club Med Columbus Isle. There, she discovers the Club Med Diet and wonders..."Pregnancy and dieting typically do not go hand in hand. Isn’t being pregnant supposed to be the ultimate excuse to eat whatever you want and pack on the pounds with no shame?!?." The reality is that you’re only supposed to have 300-400 extra calories a day…definitely not in keeping with that cliché of “eating for two!” With all this in mind, my husband Jeff and I recently took a babymoon to Club Med Columbus Isle and were eager to take advantage of the new Club Med Diet. We picked up our guidebooks and pedometers, met with the fitness G.O. the morning after we arrived and were on our way to a healthy vacation!

Being somewhat lazy even when I’m not pregnant, I was a little concerned about being able to participate in the many calorie-burning activities offered by Club Med. I was thrilled to see that yoga and water aerobics were on the class schedule and I could also schedule personal training sessions…just what I needed to ease into my new healthy lifestyle. Jeff and I also found that walking around the resort was exercise in itself. Columbus Isle is spread across 89 gorgeous acres so we did lots of walking from our room to the various restaurants to the water skiing area to sailing lessons to the fitness center and so on.

One of my favorite parts of the Club Med Diet was the food! I loved all the fresh fruit and raw veggies. I think I could live off of sliced raw red and green peppers if I didn’t have to chop them myself. (I really do sound lazy, don’t I?) Anyway, it was wonderful to have access to the beautiful buffet spreads and know that I was eating something good for me and the baby. Plus, after eating all the good-for-me foods, I had no qualms about checking out the amazing dessert spreads!

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Salmon Baked in Rock Salt

Rock your Omega-3s with this tasty recipe from Club Med Columbus Isle.

Salmon baked in Rock Salt
Serving Size: 10
1 whole salmon -- scaled & cleaned
6 1/2 pounds rock salt
8 egg whites
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch rosemary
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch basil
10 whole shallot -- peeled

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Sprinkle a large flat cookie sheet with water. Cover the bottom with tinfoil. This will speed the cleaning at the end of the evening.

Sprinkle a handful of the rock salt on the bottom of the sheet.

Stuff the inside of the salmon with the herbs and shallots. Lay the salmon down on top of the salt.

Put all the remaining salt into a large mixing bowl. Add six egg whites, one at a time, to the salt. Mix with your hands so you can feel the consistency of the salt-egg mixture. Mixing the salt with egg whites will aerate the mixture. The egg whites will start to lift, like a meringue. If you need to add another egg white or two because the mixture is too dry, then go ahead. But always add one at a time, and mix for a minute to see if the mixture is still too dry or not. If there is too much egg white, the mixture won't hold. The desired consistency is that where you can grab a handful and squeeze it and it will hold its form. It will also be a bit moist.

Completely cover the salmon with this mixture leaving the head and tail exposed. The thickness on top should be about half an inch. Smooth it out. Then with the tip of a spoon, create scales by lightly pressing into the mixture.

Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour.
Break away the salt crust, peel back the skin and discard.

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Per Serving : 82 Calories; 4g Fat; 7g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber
Serving Ideas: Serve with lemon wedges or a white butter sauce.
NOTES: The salmon should be about 7 kg. It can be replaced by just about any fish such as red snapper or grouper. This recipe is also good to cook large cuts of meat.

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10,000 steps to stay lean

Morgan walks. And then some.

Depending on your age, weight and health status, the recommended number of steps is anywhere from 6,000 to stay healthy to 10,000 for weight loss.


How Many Steps?

When I heard that walking 10,000 steps was an easy way to get in the recommended daily exercise I accepted the challenge. Living in New York City I was convinced that I already exceeded the recommended steps and was eager to use the Club Med Diet pedometer at Columbus Isle. I was pleasantly surprised when, at the end of each day, I saw that I far exceeded the recommended number of steps. 5,982 steps for a walk on the beach? Easy! Dancing (or trying to keep up with) three songs of Club Med Crazy Signs – 1,499 steps. Walking from the gym to the waterskiing station – 1,165 steps (plus a five minute swim out to the platform). The island tour? 3,273 steps. As the days went on I realized how easy it was to reach the recommended number of steps and set goals for my return to New York.

The best part of it all though was that I wasn’t only walking! The multitude of activities kept me quite busy between steps too.

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Guest blogger gives Club Med Diet a whirl

Guest blogger Morgan Painvin gives an inside look at the new Club Med Diet in Columbus Isle. Experiencing the Club Med Diet...



In the five days I was at Columbus Isle, I managed to take part in Pilates, Yoga, and Total Care classes, learn to sail, go kayaking, take waterskiing lessons, practice archery and discover a coral reef and a shipwreck while snorkeling.

Did I leave feeling more fit? Yes.
Was I depriving myself on a strict diet? No

I was simply a part of the Club Med Diet program. I took part in the active lifestyle Club Med encourages, and took advantage of the healthy eating options offered at the restaurants. I didn’t deprive myself of tasting a pastry or two from their assortment, but did focus on their variety of fruit.

In addition, I was encouraged daily by the Fitness G.O. Tamara. We dined together often and talked about the week’s activities. I was also offered help navigating healthy meal options by the head chef Jamie. The most encouraging part of the program though was the pedometer. Never had I counted my steps, and it was encouraging to see the number getting higher and higher. Each day I was well over the recommended 10,000 steps a day (except for my last day when I departed at 11:30 a.m.).

Returning to New York was a bit of a shock though – only 4,967 steps on my first day back. I was always convinced that living in New York forced me to walk more than most people. Little did I know that to keep up with my Club Med lifestyle I would need to take a couple extra walks around the block!

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Columbus Isle Offers Unique Program

The Club Med Diet Officially Launches at Columbus Isle, Bahamas.

Fitness and eating advice, cool activities, recipes and a pedometer...sounds great, sign me up!

Pre enrollment: a table will be set up outside of the main restaurant on Thursday and Sunday evenings. A fitness G.O. will explain the Club Med Diet and invite guests to sign up for the program the following morning

Enrollment will take place at 8:45 a.m. on Fridays and Mondays in front of the gym. A fitness G.O. will sign up guests for the Club Med Diet, walk them through the guide, explain the pedometer. Read on to discover what the program offers.



The Club Med Diet Program has been launched at Columbus Isle. Each Club Med Diet participant will receive a personalized kit including:

Pedometer
Pedometers that display distance (in miles or kilometers) and calculate steps, distance, and calories burned. A reference showing recommended number of steps per day according to age, weight, and fitness level.

Running/Walking Map
Club Med Columbus Isle is located on 89 acres of beachfront property. A running/walking map of the property will be offered to aid participants in scheduling and mapping group or individual walks and runs.

Food Diary
Nutritionists worldwide suggest that people attempting to improve their eating habits keep a daily journal of food intake. The Club Med food diary allows guests to keep track of their food and drink consumption, activities, and approximate calories burned. It will also serve to remind them of dishes they have enjoyed while at Club Med and want to recreate at home.

Healthy Eating Guide
A healthy eating guide will ensure that guests are able to navigate meals at Club Med with ease by providing portion size tips, nutritional information, and recommended choices.

Healthy Recipes
Club Med will offer many of its signature recipes with nutritional information so guests can continue their new lifestyle once vacation has come to an end.

Recommended Activity List
A complete list of Club Med activities such as windsurfing, waterskiing, sailing, kayaking, and volleyball, and a suggested routine will be given to guests as well as details regarding the average number of calories burned and which muscle group is targeted in each respective activity. Fitness G.O.s will also be available to recommend workout programs and training sessions based on the participant’s age and fitness level.

Throughout the week a fitness G.O. will encourage participants to join special activities, offer personal training sessions and dine with participants.

The main restaurant will feature a healthy meal option every night at a specific station. Nutritional information will be posted next to the dish.

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