Staying Fit: Easy at the Omni Hilton Head

Omni's new sunny fitness center

I was intrigued when I heard that a CrossFit program was coming to the Omni Hilton Head. This beachfront resort has so many opportunities to stay fit that the new CrossFit partnership is icing on the (low cal, gluten-free, sugar-free) cake.

First, the Omni has a new fitness center. The bright, spacious gym overlooks the gorgeous landscaping, and wooden walkways leading to the new pools and beach.

Plenty of weights

The fitness center has plenty of treadmills, stationary bikes, free weights and weight machines. There are stability balls, a stretch area with mats, and plenty of mirrors so you can watch your form. 

There are also soft towels, earbuds for those who forgot, and a water cooler.

If you prefer to exercise alone, Omni offers free Get Fit Kits, which can be sent to your room. The kits contain weights, a mat, a stretch band and water.

Stability balls in the gym

And if classes are your thing, there are free yoga classes Tuesdays and Thursdays.

But the resort offers so much more than the fitness center. the Omni is in the Palmetto Dunes area, which has 11 miles of lagoon for kayaking and canoeing. 

A spot to finally relax

You can rent bikes right on property, and ride them on the hard packed sand. When I heard you could bike at the beach, I assumed there was a boardwalk, but the one speed beach cruisers that we rented, with fat tires, could be ridden right on the sand. Within Palmetto Dunes, there are miles of traffic free bike trails, and even when you go out into the rest of Hilton Head, there are wide, safe bike paths everywhere.

If you need more activities  there are 25 tennis courts and three golf courses. Plus a large playground, a basketball court and a volleyball court (you can borrow equipment from the Omni).

This is one vacation spot where you won't sit still!

Fitness Challenge, Day 95

Yoga on the beach is a wonderful vacation treat, but if you are traveling to a city, you can find outdoor yoga when it is warm out.

In New York City, Bryant Park has outdoor yoga in late spring through summer. And Prospect Park, in Brooklyn offers yoga on summer evenings. Even better than enjoying the opportunity to exercise in a park is that these yoga classes are free. Exhale Spa in the Gansevoort Hotel recently had a free yoga day that was not quite as relaxing; we were in an outdoor plaza, surrounded by traffic, trucks unloading and tourists snapping photos. I am looking forward to my upcoming trip to Dallas, for the Family Travel Conference, where the new Klyde Warren Park will have free yoga classes by The Dallas Yoga Center. Sun salutations to the actual sun. It doesn't get much better than that.

Fitness Challenge: Day 51

Although the Disney Fantasy cruise ship makes it easy for a vegetarian to eat well, with menus at sit down restaurants offering several vegetarian choices, (and lighter fare) the cruise ship is concurrently offering more fitness choices.

When you get to the private Bahamian island, Castawy Cay, inaugurate your visit with a 5K run. This is a new fun run through the island, and while you don't get a t-shirt, you do get an official bib. And every entrant gets a medal.

But I am all about the run shirt. So I opted for yoga on the beach. This is a particular treat for those of us who don't live next to the ocean. Coney Island is a mere 8 miles from me, but it's not a beach that screams serentiy.

In fact, the yoga here is at the adults-only beach, Serenity Bay. Some cruisers relax with a massage en plein air, but I find yoga both relaxing and invigorating.

You can also exercise by snorkeling or swimming, or riding a bike (snorkeling and biking cost extra; yoga is included).

Back on the boat, I took the spin class, with the same affable South African who led the yoga class. Instead of the pounding of the surf I listened to the pounding of my heart and calculated which dessert I'd earn at dinner.

Fitness Challenge: Day 47

Yoga doesn't always seem like the greatest exercise to me. Maybe because I have take a lot of yoga classes in gym that don't specialize in it, it never seems like that great a work out.

But then you see a fit yogi and take a class in a real yoga studio and it hits you. This stuff is for real. Lululemon, which sells great yoga clothes, offers free classes at most of its stores.

In Park Slope, Brooklyn, the local Lululemon store has free yoga Saturday mornings. Shelves are pushed to the side, yoga mats are available free and an instructor from Dou Yoga offers an invigorating hour-long workout.

I learned the difference between warrior 1 and 2, and how to do warrior 3.

This class was not billed as hot yoga, but the heat was working overtime in the store and by the end everyone was dripping with sweat.