A Runner’s Guide to a Healthy Vegas Vacation
Because when it comes to being fit, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.
Fitness and Sin City don’t sound like they belong in the same sentence.
But Las Vegas was built to please everyone—not just gamblers and people who dig Elvis impersonators.
From state-of-the-art gyms to healthy, forward-thinking food destinations, you’ll have no problem maintaining your healthy lifestyle during your Vegas visit, says Steven Rosen, lead fitness instructor at Aria Resort & Casino.
“Even if you don’t stay at one of the hotels or resorts, you can access their facilities with a day pass,” Rosen says.
With editors heading to Vegas next month for CES, the legendary annual consumer electronics show, we put together this guide to the best places to stay fit on and off The Strip.
Strength Train on a Rock Wall—Then Chill Out in an Igloo
The Canyon Ranch Spaclub Las Vegas
This sprawling facility sports a 40-foot indoor rock climbing wall, a cycling studio, cardio and weight rooms, more than a dozen fitness classes and wellness presentations, a Finnish sauna, and an “Igloo” spa where an “Arctic Mist” will cool you down after a hard run.
Sign up for a morning X-treme Boot Camp class—which consists of cardio and strength intervals—then have a post-workout protein bowl of organic eggs, roasted veggies, and chicken sausage at the Canyon Ranch Café.
Swing by the Juice Bar
An ideal stop for a midday pick-me-up, The Juice Standard at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas offers an eclectic assortment of organic and creative cold-pressed smoothies—there’s one with apple, kale, and dandelion—plus house-made snacks.
Do Yoga With Dolphins
Dolphin Yoga Class At The Mirage
You’ll rack up insane social media cred when you post pics of yourself doing downward dog alongside a backdrop of bottlenose dolphins.
Book your class at The Mirage, and then head to a private room with underwater viewing windows of the property’s dolphin habitat. You’ll receive a yoga mat and post-class smoothie plus a day pass to the fitness center, where you can squeeze in your usual cardio or strength-training workout.
Scratch Your Seafood Itch
Bypass the gluttonous buffets of deep-fried farmed shrimp and book a table for dinner at Rick Moonen’s restaurant in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Zagat’s review of the seafood— “Like you caught it—but better”—is on the money.
Celeb Chef Moonen, a long-time sustainability advocate, avoids overfished species so you can indulge without guilt.
Head for the Hills
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Escape The Strip and drive 20 miles to this natural conservation area, where you can trail run along breathtaking ridges.
The Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association offers trail routes sorted by difficulty and round-trip time.
Eat Your Vegetables
Whether you’re fully vegan, or just becoming more plant-powered, take a break from the endless parade of steakhouses (at least for one night) in favor of VegeNation’s vegan, street-food focused fare.
Try the Cauliflower Buffalo Wings and wash them down with a “juicetail”—a locally distilled liquor combined with cold-pressed juice.
A Hike With a Hit of Culture
Torn between sightseeing and working out? You can do both with this 50-minute, trainer-guided trek around the Aria property, through the casino, and past the extravagant art collection at CityCenter.
Aria’s Rosen will have you doing pushups in the lobby and burpees in the by-ways.
The Healthiest Hotel Grub
The nine MGM-owned resorts—including the Bellagio and Luxor—offer specially designated restaurant menu items or room-service options that are all 700 calories or fewer. The choices change frequently, but usually include salads, seafood, and chicken.
A Luxury Gym on a Budget
Cosmopolitan West End Fitness Center
Day passes at the Cosmopolitan’s West End Fitness Center are just $25. (That’s cheap for Vegas.)
In addition to the usual treadmills, free weights, and elliptical machines, you can take advantage of the tennis court and Kinesis Wall.
Farm to (Casino) Table
Fans of the farm-to-table food movement will appreciate Harvest—a fine-dining restaurant at the Bellagio.
Try the melon from Weiser Farms in California and the beef from Painted Hills, Oregon. The ever-changing Harvest Salad is consistently excellent.
The article How to Visit Vegas Without Gaining 10 Pounds originally appeared on Men’s Health.
Karen is a seasoned journalist who specializes in travel, book, lifestyle and food coverage. Cicero has visited almost every state with her family (look out Wyoming, she’s coming for you next!). She has spoken at several travel industry conferences, including PRSA and the Mid-Atlantic Tourism Alliance and was previously the senior editor at Parents. A mom who goes overboard for all the holidays, Cicero lives in the Christmas city itself: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
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