Slim Down Over Spring Break

No disrespect to T.S. Eliot, but anyone who doesn’t think February is the cruelest month is nuts. As I write this, Healthy Lifers, I can’t see out my window for the haze of white, just swirling like mad out there, and I simply cannot get motivated enough to take off my sweats, much less tromp my way to the gym. Instead, I sit here on the couch with a cup of cocoa and a box of graham crackers. Same as yesterday. And the entire weekend before that (only with pizza instead of graham crackers). I can feel my bottom expanding.

I’ve decided the best course of action is to just leave February behind for a bit. While my boyfriend — one of those cold-weather people—is off burning his winter pounds on the slopes (Sound fun? Click here for the best places to ski locally), I’m going to trade snow for some much-needed sun. I’m looking at the five-star CuisinArt Resort and Spa in Anguilla — known for its stunning beaches — which recently expanded its Venus Spa and Fitness Center. The place has personal trainers, group yoga, aqua-reflexology (in mineral waters), seaweed body wraps, and loads of equally glorious-sounding ways to get healthier. The resort also grows its own herbs and vegetables in a Hydroponic farm: Organic vegetables and fresh fish available at mealtime should be a delicious and welcome antidote to the carb-fest I’ve been comforting myself with since the temperature dropped. Rooms start at $740 per night during the winter season, or $590 if you stay at least 5 nights.

Another possibility that caught my eye is a tad closer to home. The Betsy Hotel is a gorgeous, Gatsby-esque 63-room South Beach manse with Ocean Drive out front and ocean views out back. It looks positively delicious, and the mental health a few days there would afford is enough reason to go … though the new Spa and Wellness Garden also offers things like the deep connective tissue massage that promises to break up chronic tension, improve the body’s range of motion, and enhance your overall harmony of body and mind. All of which will come in handy at the full gym and on long walks or jogs on the beach. There’s also the deeply moisturizing facial to take care of winter-worn dry skin, which sounds pretty darn appealing right now. Sure, it’s not exactly fat-blasting boot camp here, but coming back refreshed and relaxed and happy goes a long way in battling those winter blahs (and the related winter sloths), don’t you think? Rooms start at $349 per night.