DIY Wellness, i.e. What I'll Do for a Laugh

At the beginning of 2012, I kept very odd hours. I was usually awake past 5am, and often slept until 2pm.

During the wee hours of the morning, I came across a lot of advertisements and infomercials for the latest health and beauty trends, as companies tried to capitalize on people’s ultimately doomed New Year’s resolutions.

I started thinking about the personality types behind a lot of the fad diets that have come and gone over the years.

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Low-Carb diets: I don’t want to work hard to see results.  I want them fast, and handed to me on a silver platter in the form a 32-oz ribeye.

Weight Watchers: I’ll pay for a glorified dieting babysitter. At least it works.

Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and other prepackaged meal plans: I'm so gullible I bet I'll look like this newly thin paid celebrity spokesperson in no time!

“Vegetarian:” I don’t eat meat or fish. Well, I will eat some fish. I occasionally eat chicken, but that’s where I draw the line. I don’t eat red meat. Well, sometimes I’ll eat red meat.

Vegan: In case you’re wondering if I judge you, I do.

Acai, pomegranate, etc:, This is amazing, you have to try it! No, seriously. This stuff will change your life. At least until the next life-changing fad comes along.

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It’s the latter craze that prompted Lani and me to start brainstorming this DIY wellness retreat.  It is not to say I never partake in a craze. In fact, in my morning routine, pomegranate Greek yogurt has replaced Wheaties as the breakfast of champions (it pains me that some of you may be too young to appreciate that reference).

And while some of these trends may be delicious and/or nutritious, I do not believe that any of these fads holds the key to unlock some mystical health and weight loss secret.

Naturally, Lani and I felt inclined to test that theory.

Originally we considered a juice cleanse. However, when I did some research, I discovered that combining a juice cleanse with one of my medical conditions was basically met with a skull and crossbones warning. 

This sort of defeated the purpose of the “health” in “health and wellness.”

So instead of tackling this latest fad, we opted to experiment with as many health, beauty, and fitness trends as we could fit into a 3-day window. Before long, each day had a theme: artsy wellness, boot camp, and spa.

Thus the DIY wellness retreat was born.

Wish us luck! I'm going to need it. Desperately.

(Lani and I are live tweeting - @JustMyMazel and @CarolynLani - and you can check out her blog here!).