80th Anniversary Challenge

It’s been 80 years since Rancho La Puerta co-founders Edmund and Deborah Szekely plunked down along the 32nd parallel outside Tecate, Mexico. At the base of Mt Kuchumaa, they established what was to become the award-winning international destination spa that we are today. We’re grateful for those who came before us and helped us grow along the way. As part of our celebration, we created the 80th Anniversary Challenge. We asked our fitness staff for a few mindfulness exercises we could practice and engage our bodies and minds in. Join us. You can download the activity tracker to help meet your goals and use it as a daily reminder. Below is a list of the challenges, and you can learn more about them all in the 80th Challenge zoom video. 

1. Jennifer DeMarco, Program Coordinator of Contemplative Practices. Take eight minutes a day to meditate or find silence. Are you in an upset space, restless, and bogged in negativity? Find a quiet place for eight minutes a day and practice simple breathing. Think of this as an invitation to stop and allow yourself to relax into a place of stillness.
2. Mike Bee, Strength & Dance. Can you do 80 pushups in a week? Probably.  Mike offers up plethora of styles to help you reach the goal and there’s an approach here for everyone. Now drop down and give us two. Then come back later and give us another two. Start with repetitions you can accomplish and spread them out through the day. Before you know it you’ll be doing ten pushups in one session.
3. Adam Gallo, Mixed Discipline and Yoga. What better way to celebrate our 80 years than through self-improvement? How about an 80 second plank to honor your body and celebrate The Ranch. If you cant do it all at once, spread the time throughout the day. 10 seconds in the morning, another 10 between breakfast and lunch, 10 seconds after lunch, you get the idea. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your body needs a little time to realize its potential too.
4. Hazel Stricker, Yoga. Journal eight things you’re grateful for every day. Every day is an opportunity to make new memories. When you have a gratitude practice you’ll increase your positive memories, feel more goodness in your life, and increase your health. Reflect on eight things you’re grateful for today and write them in a journal. It’s time well spent.
5. Kym Hoy, Fitness Specialist. Reach out to eight people a day. In this time of uncertainty, it’s refreshing to connect with others. Take a few minutes and reach out via text, phone, or an online zoom meeting and check-in with eight people a day. It doesn’t take much to boost your confidence and optimism. Not only is it good for the people you reach out to, but it’s good for you too.
6. Jill Thiry, Guest Activities. Find time for eight deep breaths every day. Eight deep breaths is a great way to get grounded in the present. Bring your intention to each breath and come into peace, rest, and acceptance. Practice inhaling for an easy count of four and exhaling for a count of six. Repeat eight times.
7. Aileen Sharon, Fitness Specialist. Try something new every day. This week, challenge yourself and try something new outside your comfort zone. Maybe spend a few minutes a day learning a new language, a new exercise, or a creative endeavor like playing the fiddle. It’s a great opportunity to try something new in private without anyone watching. It’s low risk and high reward.
8. Manuel Velazquez, Dance, and Strength. Take a digital detox. Do you get stuck in the gravitational suck of digital magnetism? You know when you pick up the phone or browse the internet for one little thing then next thing you know an hour has gone by and you haven’t gotten anything done. Break down a daily digital detox into 20-minute blocks and choose to do something else. Reinvent yourself without getting overwhelmed -in one twenty-minute section at a time.