A few years ago, I participated in NCI x Mind Pump coaching. I didn't do the "all in" coaching model, because I already have a great business established. But the thought of hoping on a call every Wednesday night with a Mind Pump leader in the industry and tons of curious trainers seemed like fun. So, for a very reasonable price, I did coaching for one year and learned a lot about trainers business models, concerns, training questions and so forth. On one of the calls, Mind Pump may have disclosed their park city house and real estate business getting ready to launch. I knew at that moment that I would stay at that house some day.
A year later, I rented the house for my trainer friends and I to have a mountain getaway. I have been to Utah before and absolutely love everything about it. From the beautiful landscape to the active adventures, Utah is the perfect place for movement enthusiasts to vacation. I even like the strict rules around alcohol.. call me weird; but it provides "structure" which, I've learned over the years is really good for society. Our trip was scheduled for the following fall, leaving 10ish months of prep work, savings, and simply something to look forward to. If you know anything about being a personal trainer.. you know we LOVE a good vacation, NEED time to plan around our clients schedules and plan our own personal health goals. Many of my trainer friends compete in body building shows or train for races (aka me), so having a vacation set in advance helps us figure out the in-betweens.
GETTING THERE
Fast forward to November 2nd, 2023. I flew in to Denver then had a two hour layover before flying to Salt Lake City. Since I am coming from Columbus, Southwest was the best option with the most flight times. I arrived in Salt Lake City around 4:30pm. Unfortunately, my luggage didn't make it on my flight, but the next flight came in an hour later carrying my luggage. I waited with my husband (who arrived the day before me) for my luggage before venturing to Park City. Park City is around 30 minutes from the airport. If you're renting a car, this is a really easy drive through the mountains.
THE MIND PUMP HOUSE
Before diving in to how absolutely sick this house was, you need to know who the Mind Pump gang is. I have been listening to Mind Pump since my early training days back in 2016. Thanks to one of my old co-workers, also fellow personal trainer, who said I had to start listening to them. At the time, this was a "guys guys" podcast, one hundred percent. But over the years, somehow, someway, I think I became the sister to the guys-guys podcast and became hooked. Almost 7 years later, I still tune in to see what's up and listen to their stories, theories, training advice, coaching tools and Q+A from average joe's who just want to be better. The Mind Pump podcast has set the foundation to my training in terms of individualization. Yes, I am a complete geek when it comes to anatomy, muscles and nutrition. But coaching behavior change? I attribute my success in my business to mind pump whole-heartedly. If it wasn't for these guys, I don't think I'd be the trainer I am today. And if you're not a trainer but interested in becoming stronger, healthier and overall more balanced in your health journey, Mind Pump is a must-listen and I promise you will not regret it.
Mind Pump real estate opened their first house in Park City for people to come to while vacationing in the mountains. This house is fully stocked with the best health tools you can imagine. Think sauna, infrared lights, cold plunges, garage gym with dumbbells, barbells, squat racks and plyo equipment. Ready to wind down for the day? Hop into the hot tub then enjoy their in-home movie theater with movie theater seats. And it doesn't end there; even while sleeping you can adjust your mattress to your ideal temperature to get the most deep sleep. Gotta run to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Don't worry, you won't get cold when the floors are heated.
Mind Pump House Garage with PRX equipment, cold plunge and sauna
Mind Pump house featuring a hot tub, movie theater, sauna, and newly renovated interior
Staying at the Mind Pump House was an incredible luxury. It caters to anyone who is obsessed with health and wellness. I was so excited to spend time with my fellow trainer friends here and to feel pure zen all weekend.
Lastly, I should mention some of the partners Mind Pump used to deck out this house:
The Cold Plunge : cold therapy is extremely beneficial for muscle recovery, blood flow, chronic pain, immunity, boosts energy, helps practice discipline, lowers inflammation and boosts performance. I used the cold plunge every single day, starting with 10 seconds, then 15, then 30. This was easily my favorite amenity in the house.
Joovv--- red light therapy works to improve the energy in our cells, making many functions in our body work better. Our cells have receptors that absorb specifically red light, and it works as a jump start to your cells functions. This improves blood and oxygen circulation throughout your body. Since more blood and oxygen is transferred through the body, you'll see benefits such as healthier skin, better inflammation levels, better performance, better recovery and better sleep. One of the biggest takeaways red light has improved is effects of aging, since both skin, sleep and inflammation is positively impacted.
Chili Pad; linked is Sleep8, which is Mind Pump's current partner for temperature regulated mattress pads. Science shows that sleeping in 62-65 degrees generates the most deep, restful sleep. And we all know what a poor night of sleep does to our mental health, physical health and overall vitality. Sleep8 ensures that the temperature of your bed matches your bodies' preferences for the best night of sleep you'll ever have, every.single.night.
PRX ; This gym equipment is sick if you're looking for a bad ass home garage gym set up. The squat racks and plates are easily stored on the walls of your space, allowing for more room and use of the area. I thoroughly enjoyed the squat rack and bench setup; it easily pulled down and was quick to put away.
We also received goodie bags with the following brands + products:
Organifi ; we are long time users of Organifi products. This company makes drink mixes such as "green juice" loaded with vitamins and minerals from green vegetables. The "red juice" is loaded with antioxidants and adaptogens that boost natural energy without caffeine or sugar. The "gold juice" is loaded with turmeric and magnesium to sooth sore muscles and help aid in restful sleep. Mike has a new found love for the green juice and has been enjoying incorporating more "vegetables" into his routine.
Paleo Valley ; beef sticks and bars are made with natural ingredients and provide a high protein option for snacking.
NED ; we also love NED! The best CBD on the market. We got many samples of Ned's product, mellow, which mixes with water and includes melatonin.
Legion ; Ya'll know I love my Legion products... well apparently, Mind Pump does too! Legion has the best most high quality protein powders, bars and supplements on the market. Use code "FitFearless" for a discount on your order.
If you're looking for the ultimate wellness getaway, I highly recommend staying at the Mind Pump Rentals property in Park City to enjoy all of the incredible amenities.
DAY ONE: logistics, hiking 9K trail, downtown Park City
My husband and I woke up at EST time, so we were up and at 'em! I needed a trail or treadmill to run this morning as I am following my base building plan, so we scoped out a fitness center about ten minutes from us that had cardio equipment. Mike also prefers going to gyms rather than working out at home, so he was very okay with this decision. We found Silver Mountain Sports Club and although the price was a bit inflated, we thought it was perfect. It had every piece of equipment you could think of along with cardio. The price was $30 per day; I ended up getting a 5-pass (for Mike and I to split) because we would be back sometime throughout the weekend.
Silver Mountain fitness center
After running, we grocery shopped at a near by grocery store to stock up on some weekend necessities. I thought lunch meat and breakfast items would be good as we planned to eat dinner out almost every night.
After settling in and eating breakfast at the house, we ventured out to our first hiking destination. We had a loose plan of where and what to hike, but after talking to a fellow hiker on the area, quickly changed our mind to tackle a newer trail called the 9K Loop.
I had read about wildlife in Northern Utah and although I may have played it a bit too safe, I am glad I did! I bought bear spray as black bear sightings are increasing. We started the 9K Loop trail and it was a magical, mountainous experience. It was chilly but not cold, however we were so high up that there was in deed snow on the ground. The trail wasn't heavily trafficked with people. About 1.5 miles in, we decided to turn around after seeing a) fresh bear prints b) fresh bear poop and c) hearing a bear "growl". I am not making this up.. I am pretty sure something was lurking around us! Hiking 3 miles in beauty was enough for me and the group, so we gladly turned around and made our way back to the car.
9K Loop Trail; hiked about 3.15 miles total
Post hiking, we hoped in the hot tub and really relaxed! I also tried the cold plunge for the first time. I made it about 12 seconds before hobbling out!
The Cold Plunge
After enjoying the afternoon, we headed for downtown Park City. What a gem! Downtown is super cute with tons of shops, bars and restaurants! We walked around and did some damage in Lulu Lemon (of course...we are trainers you know). Dinner was at Grappa, an Italian restaurant in an old house on Main Street. The food was excellent! I ordered pistachio crusted salmon with a house salad. We split calamari and drinks were flowing. Grappa had many items outside of traditional pasta; steak, pork and salmon was also offered.
DAY TWO: breakfast, hiking Glenwild, date night out
Saturday rolled around after a great night of sleep. I had set my mattress to 65 degrees and it must've worked, because I slept in! We headed to the fitness center again this morning. My friends lifted as I followed my running program; this time was a 4 mile run including a 10 minute tempo. It was a great, energized run! We headed to breakfast at Five5eeds, a breakfast spot with awesome coffee. It was super cute on the inside and had an Australian style menu with avocado toast and smoothies galore. I ordered the sourdough bread, eggs, bacon and a side salad. I was starving and this breakfast was SO satisfying! I also got the nitro cold brew which was delicious.
We set out for Glenwild, a suburb in Park City. This community had many trails that consisted of rock, dirt paths. This provided new challenges and terrain! We hiked the Blackhawk to Stealth trail and clocked in 5.4 miles. I am very accustomed to trails like these; picture more desert-esqe, hot, dry but gorgeous views! I really enjoyed this trail, partially because we saw many others hiking, biking and running. It seemed a bit safer with less wildlife scares!
Post hike, my trainer friends got ready to fly home as Mike and I enjoyed another round of hot tubbing. I was actually very shocked at how much we used all the houses' amenities! But it was a perfect way to recover after hiking hills. Once we said our goodbyes, I plopped into the cold plane before getting ready for the evening.
My husband and I headed back downtown for a date night at Riverhorse On Main. Let me tell you, if you're looking for an excellent experience, great food, and outstanding service.. this restaurant has the hookup. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but once you head upstairs you quickly realize this is a fine dining establishment that won't do you wrong. We started the night with cocktails and the ahi tuna tartare appetizer. It was phenomenal. We both ordered steak; mine the 7oz filet and Mike's 10oz cowboy steak. He added scalloped potatoes to his as I added brussel sprouts to mine. It was cooked absolutely perfect. The steak was done just the way I like it, without being chewy or dry. I was very impressed!
Riverhorse on Main
Post date night, we naturally headed back to the house to utilize the movie room. This room was a staple almost every night too; we logged in to our Netflix accounts and watched movies on the private big screen.
DAY THREE: using PRX equipment, hiking our tails off, and sushi vibes
I got myself up early on Sunday and used the Mind Pump garage gym, decked out in PRX equipment. What a cool concept; all of the equipment folds into the walls and is stored so you can still utilize the gym as a garage. I did a full body strength workout using the barbells, dumbbells, plyo box and pull up bar. After the workout, I did my longest time in the cold plunge yet... 30 seconds! I immediately went straight for the sauna to relax and cool down (punny).
Mike and I grabbed lunch before setting out for our next hike. We stopped at Harvest, located in downtown Park City. Harvest was incredible. Similar food to Five5eeds, but better (in my opinion). I ordered the poached egg breakfast that came with toast, sautéed veggies and bacon. Mike enjoyed the açaí bowl and avocado toast.
Following lunch, we set out for our last day of hiking. We had been told by many hikers that Blood's Lake was a non-negotiable for out of towners. I quickly decided on a "no" when the guy also said, "you'll see so much wildlife!".Ironically, as we started driving to Mary's Lake (the hike I decided on)... it took us straight to the trail head of Blood's Lake. I officially said "screw it, if it's my time to go, this bear better enjoy it".
We hiked Blood's Lake to its entirety and it ended up being my favorite hike of the trip. This day was much colder and we were back in the mountains; we hiked through pine trees, snow, mountains and eventually landed at the most spectacular lake. We clocked in about 3.5 miles of hilly terrain. Blood's Lake trail was also heavily populated with a rather loud crowd, so I wasn't super nervous about being in the wilderness. We didn't see any wildlife, despite what the previous locals stated.
Once we reached our car, we headed out to Mary's Lake trail. I knew Mike was nearing his hiking limit for the day, but coaxed him in to one final push. And boy... was this a push. The entire hike was uphill, in the slush and snow. Lots of mud and slick ice-rock. There was honestly a moment I asked Mike if he needed to turn around. It really doesn't level out for the entire 1.25 miles; but once you reach the top, you'll be left in complete awe of the view. Mary's lake is much bigger than Blood's lake; it's also much steeper in elevation so baby it was COLD. After we turned around, we headed back down the trail which was way easier than coming up.
Mary's Lake
We were pretty tired at this point as it was the most mountainous, longest day yet. We headed back to the house to enjoy the hot tub one last time before closing up shop. It was rather sentimental and sad to say goodbye to the little back patio because the last three days were so enjoyable. You know you're due for a vacation when leaving makes you emotional!
We ordered sushi from Yaki Yama sushi. We would have ate at the restaurant itself, but Utah has strict laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Sunday. We prepared for this and had some white wine waiting for us at the house, so we opted for take out. I am so glad we did this, because we ended up starting the fire on the back deck and enjoying the heat lamps. We weren't cold at all and enjoyed our last night in the mountains.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There are not many places I wish to return to when traveling. I have so many places on my list of must-go's, that many really cool spots are deemed the "one and done". Park City, specifically this house, is not one of those moments. I truly enjoyed this off-season mountain experience. Coming from someone who connects with nature and gets energy from being outdoors, this was a very wonderful destination to experience and I can't wait to go back. My husband and I have already decided in a few years, we will return :)
TRAVEL GUIDE TO WELLNESS WEEKEND IN PARK CITY:
ACCOMOADATION
HEALTH
HIKING + OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Stealth to Glenwild Loop (5.25 miles)
Blood's Lake (3.25 miles)
Mary's Lake (2.55 miles)
RESTAURANTS + NUTRITION
Grappa Italian Restaurant (traditional Italian food with options for high protein dishes and salads)
Five5eeds (Australian style cafe with awesome breakfast and lunch options)
Riverhorse On Main (Fancy date-night restaurant)
Yaki Yama Sushi (tons of sushi and sashimi options along with asian dishes)