Last Word Mel Zuckerman
That ‘aha!’ moment
Wellness pioneer Mel Zuckerman recalls the inspiration that led to the creation of Canyon Ranch
“get me into one of those fat farms”. However, I found myself miserably uncomfortable among all the ladies in leotards and left after three days, feeling powerless to change my life. For ten more years, I continued my unhealthy ways – eating compulsively, not exercising and being totally stressed – until my father’s lung cancer diagnosis (he’d been a smoker all his life) and subsequent death provided me with the emotional jolt I needed to change my life. I returned to the spa, but this time everything was different. Within ten days, I was committed to exercising and I can’t begin tell you how wonderful it made me feel. I never wanted to lose that feeling, and what is more, I had found what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
A new approach
“Enid and I built Canyon Ranch as the perfect place to visit to put things in perspective, reset priorities and contemplate new opportunities.”
L
et me ask you a question: when do most of us wake up to the fact that health is a precious and positive thing over which we have some control? The sad truth is that for many this ‘aha!’ moment comes too late. All too often, when someone makes the connection between their actions and their state of health it can be emotional and very painful. Let me tell you how I know this, and consequently why Canyon Ranch exists. The first half of my life was filled with health conditions: I was overweight and I had high blood pressure, ulcers – you name it. When I was 40 years old, I had a complete physical examination and the doctor determined that I had the body of a 65 or 70-year-old. Shocked into action, I asked my wife, Enid, who had been devoted to healthy living for a long time, to
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Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, opened in 1979. Enid and I wanted a place where we could live a healthy life, and where we could share the passion we’d found with anyone who cared to visit us. We challenged the typical weight-loss ways of thinking at the time, which amounted to a bit of exercise and barely enough food to keep you on your feet. Instead, we took a highly professional approach, hiring registered dieticians and experts in exercise and stress management to develop leading-edge programmes. Our small but visionary staff were devoted to exploring healthy living in all its dimensions. Over the last 37 years, Canyon Ranch has remained true to our mission, delivering transformative wellness experiences that allow our guests to live their lives to the full. This vision continues to inspire our new CEO, Susan Docherty, as she prepares to expand the brand onto the global stage with the opening of Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort at Kaplankaya, Turkey, in July 2016. Our first international, full-immersion destination resort will integrate our signature wellness and lifestyle programming within the natural beauty of the South Aegean coast and the rich culture and history of the region. Enid and I built Canyon Ranch as the perfect place to visit to put things in perspective, reset priorities and contemplate new opportunities. I believe it still provides that space today, and it will continue to in the future.
Meet the expert Pioneers of the concept of spa vacations, in 2015 Mel and Enid Zuckerman were honoured as Wellness Innovators at the Global Wellness Summit 2015. Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort Kaplankaya will launch on the Turkish riviera, near Bodrum, in July 2016. www.canyonranch.com
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