Ahhhh, fitness retreats. I’ve never actually done one, mostly because I’m lazy, but when the opportunity presented itself at The Ranch Malibu, I really had no excuse to say no.  Starting on Thanksgiving (YES, I am skipping Thanksgiving), I’ll be spending the next four days at The Four Seasons in Westlake Village (about 30 miles from Hollywood).  The best part about this is that I’m going to be “roughing it” outside for hours upon hours, only to come back to a massage and delicious meal at one of the nicest hotels in the country. It’s a rough life, let me tell you.  My dad, being the avid hiker/camper that he is, originally gave me a few tips:

Dad: You only really need two pairs of socks…

Me: For FOUR DAYS…WHILE SWEATING?  You are DISGUSTING.

Dad: (laughing) Well…it’s called roughing it, Jamie.

Me: I don’t know what you’re talking about…I’m staying at The Four Seasons.

Does Troop Beverly Hills come to mind? It certainly did for me.  Beverly Hills, what a thrill.  This is pretty much how I picture this process, at least in my dreams…

Ok, awesome 90s movies aside, 4.0 is a four day version of The Ranch’s acclaimed weeklong program, The Ranch at Live Oak / Malibu. The program runs from Thursday to Monday, and is designed for guests desiring a jump-start to a healthier lifestyle who are unable to be away from home or work for a full week, and who desire to maintain more connectivity during their program immersion.

Just like at The Ranch, guests of R4.0 will take part in 8-10 hours per day of rigorous exercise including four hours of morning mountain hiking, afternoon exercise classes and stretching, delicious organic vegetarian cuisine, massages (Friday – Sunday) and a cooking demonstration. In conjunction with California Health and Longevity Institute, R4.0 also includes medical diagnostic testing (VO2 Metabolic Testing and Body Composition).

Now, on to the important things…like what I’ll be wearing.

This is totallllly how I’m gonna look, riding a bike, next to cactus…in a sports bra. Right.  In all seriousness, I actually had to get some pretty intense gear for this little outing: a Camelback, hiking shoes and, most important (at least in my mind), sweat/moisture-wicking clothing so that I don’t walk around in wet clothes all day.  After nearly an hour of internet searching, I honestly just refused to spend $85 on ONE pair of stretch pants (especially after the Lululemon debacle)- sorry I’m not sorry, so thankfully the lovely team at Fabletics hooked me up with tons of sweat-wicking workout clothes and they’re REALLY, REALLY good, guys.  Honestly, they fit really well, feel awesome and are made from the same quality materials as their competitors, at half the price.  My new workout gear has actually made me slightly more excited to work out for 8-10 hours a day…slightly.

I’ll be on Instagram and Twitter through out my four days, so make sure to follow me to see what our group is doing.  Wish me luck…sigh, I’m nervous.