Imagine: fine white sand spilling between your toes while the sun rises over clarion turquoise waters in 70-degree weather.
Now imagine the same sand spitting up behind you as you run down the beach of Akumal, Mexico, a little seaside town just south of Playa del Carmen. Imagine hitting those cerulean waves in a sea kayak, observing turtles and reefs in between breathless paddle strokes.
The end result of both of these scenarios can be the same—five to seven days of total mind and body rejuvenation, balancing physical fitness with mental relaxation—all courtesy of Chris and Stacie Clark’s destination fit camps, a November and February tradition the power couple behind Tiger Athletics in Plymouth has been organizing for the past 10 years. Their next trip runs this month, January 24-30.
“Akumal is a fabulous little town, and we use the environment and the ocean and the beach to train,” Chris Clark says. “It’s a great way to get out of the cold weather, to stay in shape in the winter and, mentally, it’s something to look forward to.”
The workouts are “quite challenging,” Clark says, so the Tiger Athletics team gets clients excited to get in shape prior to departure—which adds the bonus of health mindfulness throughout the holiday season. “We run it just like going to training camp—there’s a whole new level of fitness, because you’re in a group setting, and group members motivate each other.”
Each day in Mexico starts around 7 a.m. with a beach run or pool workout, then paddle boarding or a kayak excursion on the ocean. By the time morning sessions conclude and a four-star protein-rich breakfast is served, it’s already 9 or 10 a.m. From then until the afternoon session, relaxing is encouraged. Included in the fit trips are massages at the condominium’s executive beach spa (two to three, depending on the length of the trip). “We try to challenge you, but there’s still the recovery that is just as important,” Clark says. “Again, it comes back to enjoying the visual inspiration—just relax on the beach or by the pool, read and enjoy the weather.”
The goal of workouts is to take clients out of their comfort zones. “There’s going to be an expected fitness level, and of course there is a lot of variance,” Clark says of the physical abilities of a typical group. “The faster people may run ahead, then circle back at the end of the group—they end up running twice as far, and this works to keep everyone engaged and motivated.”
The motivation factor is a key result of a trip like this, says yoga instructor Mary Anderson of Yogastudio in Plymouth: “If I don’t practice off-site, I get a little bit inbred and possibly disinterested” in a too-familiar workout regimen, she says. “The more you teach everybody everywhere, the more your own practice evolves.”
Anderson, who’s well-known for her metro-wide laughter yoga sessions, has taught everything from step to spin but currently isn’t hosting any trips outside of the Twin Cities. However, she has practiced as far away as Costa Rica and teaches at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, for up to two months each summer.
Tiger Athletics trips started thanks to family vacations in Playa del Carmen. More than a decade ago, the Clarks’ oldest child, 14-year-old Addie, was a toddler, and they were looking for a place without the busy touristy vibe that Playa started to develop. They found it in Akumal.
The Clarks purchased a condo in the same 18-unit development they now rent out for each of their fit trips—the condo, just outside of town, has a four-star restaurant the Clarks utilize for nutritious breakfasts and lunches. Afternoon sessions include a barre class or yoga, or another opportunity to get in the water.
For dinner, the team goes into town, and in line with the relaxation mentality, many enjoy whatever they wish, including a margarita, some chips, beer or wine. “It’s about going down there and being an athlete, and you can kick back and have some fun,” Clark says, noting they cap their trips at 25 attendees for effectiveness in group training and attention. “You can enjoy that, but nobody gets too crazy, because you’re going to see us again at 7 in the morning.”
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Mexico Fit Trip
January 24–30
Cost per participant starts at $1,500 and includes transportation from the Cancun airport, lodging, food (sans dinner), workouts and training, and massages. Does not include flights.
Tiger Athletics
1115 Vicksburg Lane N., Suite 15
763.445.2311
info@tiger athletics.com
