Recommendations

Well today is my first day back home and it is different waking up and not going for a hike in the morning. On the plane ride home yesterday I was thinking about some recommendations that I have for anyone that wants to spend some time at the BLR.  So, in random order, here are my immediate recommendations.

1.  Have extra room in your suitcase to allow room for the purchases made at the BLR or in LA.  Another option when leaving the BLR is to buy a box and mail all of the extra stuff home.

2.  Bring Body Glide.  Notice that I capitalized the Body and Glide because it is a name brand of anti-chaff stick.  When doing a lot of exercise throughout the day and sweating, some body parts will rub together.  I didn't have a lot of problems with this, but I did use the Body Glide sometimes.  Also, if you buy a heart rate monitor and wear it all day long, the band will rub on the skin and the Body Glide will help with this.

3.  Don't rely on the store at the BLR in Malibu to provide all of your needs.  This is a sore subject with some people because here is the deal.  The BLR in Utah has a larger and better store.  They also have a staff member in charge of the store and it is great from what I hear.  The store in Malibu is smaller, so the volume of goods is less.  Also, the person in Utah is responsible for ordering items for the store in Malibu and he does a horrible job.  The owners will not let the people in Malibu order items for their store.  We have discussed at length among the guests what a dumb business decision this is.  The owners have lost a lot of revenue from the store in Malibu because of that guy in Utah.  Yes, I'm on a little soapbox here and if you know the owners and it makes you upset, then good.  Before I came to the BLR, I was told that I could walk off the airplane without luggage and buy everything I need at the resort store.  This may be true for the location in Utah, but not for the one in Malibu.  That being said, the packing list on their website is pretty good.

4.  Have realistic expectations for weight loss.  I feel that the show The Biggest Loser sets people up to believe they too can lose 10+ pounds per week every week.  This is a false expectation.  As a big guy, I was able to lose on average about one pound per day.  At the end of the day, I was burning about 5,000 calories.  The contestants on the show are burning at least 8,000 calories per day.  Also, what they consider "weeks" is not a week in the real world.  When a person arrives at the BLR, the trainers will take a measurement around the chest, belly, and hips, as well as weight and body fat percentage.  The same information is taken before leaving.  This information provides a quick snapshot, but doesn't tell the entire story.  What is missing in this is weight of muscle mass gained, weight of fat loss, and measurements of other parts of the body like neck, arms, and legs.  Please don't let this discourage you from going, but please don't have an unrealistic expectation of weight loss.  I am only speaking for myself here.

5.  If you decide to go, you'll need a ride between the airport and the BLR.  The BLR's website endorses a company with red vans.  Well, everyone that I know has had a bad experience with this company, including myself.  They charged my credit card an extra time and don't answer the phone in their customer service department.  When I found a back door way to talk to someone, I would have to say that this person could qualify for the dumbest person in the country who could not fix the problem.  I had to resolve the issue with my bank and almost had to declare that extra charge as fraud.  I've seen this company be late picking people up and one lady missed her flight because they were so late.  The service is horrible and I told the BLR that as long as they endorse this company, their problems reflect badly on the BLR.

However, there is a better solution and that is TLC Limousine Service.  Don't let the word "Limousine" throw you off because they are a commercial transportation company.  I used them during my visits to LA on an hourly charge.  They have a flat rate between the airport and the BLR.  The base vehicle is a Lincoln Towncar or a Mercedes sedan for $100.  If you get someone to split the cost, it will be cheaper than the red vans, the service is excellent, and they are on time.  Actually, they have arrived early every time I have used them and I highly recommend them.

6.  Bring proper hiking shoes.  You don't have to bring full hiking boots for mountain climbing, but buy some good hiking shoes like Merrell or equivalent from REI or other outdoor stores.

7.  If you like the pool, there will be times when you will be in the pool twice, so you might want to think about bringing 2 bathing suits.  I went through about 3 sets of clothes per day and did laundry twice per week, so plan ahead and bring enough clothes.

That's about all of the recommendations that I have at this time.  If there's any more I'll let you know.