A few weeks ago, I spent a week at Green Mountain at Fox Run in Vermont. I wanted to find a place where I could get some nutrition support and learn some exercise modifications for my new knee (I had a total replacement in July). I also wanted to work with a trainer to find an exercise program I could take on the road because I spend most of my time traveling for business.

I came upon Green Mountain in my search and it intrigued me because it has an affiliation with the Joslin Diabetes Center and it enforces a standard of mindful eating rather than diet. People I tell about it want to refer to it as a "spa" and it is anything but. These are not glamourous accommodations (I shared a room last time i was there -- getting a single this time) and there are no spa services -- except that you can, for an extra charge, take advantage of the massage therapists that come in in the evening. Ideally this is a 4 week experience but there was simply no way I could make that work with my schedule. I opted for two weeks but even that didn't pan out. I ended up having to split my two weeks. It's been great test of what I took away from Green Mountain. I am finding that I am eating more mindfully. Admittedly, I too quickly returned to my bad Diet Coke obsession and the exercise schedule was not nearly as steady as planned -- but I definitely had a natural assimilation of a lot of the green mountain way into my life. I'm eager to get back and reinforce what I learned and gain some more information. This may very well become an annual pilgrimage for me. The snowy mountains of Vermont could be my Mecca.

I still have to pack before I head out on the 6 hour trek. I promised I would blog about my experience -- so this is the beginning!