When he was in his 40s, a doctor told Mel Zuckerman that he was essentially residing in an appearance of a 65- to 70-year-old -- along with a very unhealthy one. "I had all kinds of chronic diseases - gastrointestinal diseases, diverticulitis, a hernia and blood pressure level," says Zuckerman. In fact, his illnesses went as far menova heyeqianzi back to his childhood, In 1938, when he 8, he was initially diagnosed with serious asthma. In those days the current thinking from doctors was that exercise would only exacerbate the asthma, so he was told not to exercise. Which fear of exercise stayed with him. "My body was my enemy," he recalls.

A former accountant-turned home builder, Zuckerman was also seriously overweight. However when doctors advised he change his lifestyle, his response was always, 'I can't exercise. I'll get an symptoms of asthma. Exercise will kill me.' In hindsight Zuckerman believes that fear of exercise was subtly embedded in his psyche. "When a physician lets you know growing up if you exercise you'll get sick, that is what you convince yourself," he explains.

In 1978, the entire year he was turning 50, he finally made New Year's resolution he would slim down. He had an epiphany. He considered his father who'd passed away the last year from being a two-to-three-pack-a-day smoker most of his adult life. "I can continue to hear him saying "If only I had quit smoking sooner--.", says Zuckerman. "I had to acknowledge that I too was at danger of being the type of man whose dying words might be, "If only." Zuckerman was asthmatic, overweight and in poor condition however this age of ready to make a change to save his life.

Ever determined, he enrolled in a workout program in a health resort in California. What changed everything was meeting fitness director Karma Kientzler. "I was blessed,"says Zuckerman. After orientation, Kientzler. found Zuckerman and asked, 'why are you here? I just read body gestures and you seem you'd rather be been anywhere else.' Zuckerman replied, "I need to lose weight. I'm afraid I will die basically don't change my lifestyle. But I'm an asthmatic, I can not exercise." But Kientzler wouldn't purchase it. "You can't exercise because you're an asthmatic?!!!," she asked. "That's a bunch of cocky-poo."

Step by step, Kientzler. got Zuckerman to walk then jog, walk then jog. She taught him breathing and stretching exercises. She was undeterred. On their own 10th day working together, they jogged a-mile-and-a-half in 11 minutes and 38 seconds. And within Four weeks, Zuckerman lost 29 pounds and was jogging three miles each day in an eight minute mile pace."I felt like I had never felt in my life. That I could do anything," offers Zuckerman. "I told my spouse Enid, I wish to feel this way forever. Here' had to be excused from gym from the 3rd grade on. I could not inflict sports I loved. Following a lifetime of believing I'd not be well or comfortable within my body, I came away knowing that I had the power to make a lasting change in my health." In fact, he felt so transformed ad inspired,soon after came home, he sold off his building business. His mission was to produce a place that would foster this healthy way of life and give others all of the tools they have to change their lives as he did.

Zuckerman couldn't get financing from banks. "I said I wanted to show people to eat healthy food and and we weren't going to serve booze," he remembers. "That turned them off immediately. 'You're going to develop a resort and can't obtain a cocktail?!,' they asked." Risking nearly everything, he and Enid, bought a classic, dilapidated dude ranch within the majestic Sonoran Desert. "As we walked down a flagstone path near he sagging ranch house, we knew there is something there that was easy to overlook should you focused just on the tumbleweeds and musty jacuzzi," recalls Zuckerman as he first set eyes on the place. "The eucalyptus tress across the creek were shining green and also the crags of Mount Lemmon separated itself against a deep blue sky." They renovated and Canyon Ranch was created.

The very first week they opened in December 1979 Canyon Ranch had eight guests and 88 employees. They had registered dietitians, a diet blessed by the nutrition department from the University of Arizona and an on staff exercise physiologist - that was unusual back then. Karma Kientzler was brought in to mold the exercise program. With no marketing, simply by person to person, people started to come. Barbara Streisand, Donna Karan and other stars came. "Most fat farms, as they were called, had the reputation that you simply went lost a lot of weight and gained it back home," says Zuckerman. "The secret's educating people maintaining the weight loss."

Greater than 30 years later, Canyon Ranch continues to be an innovator in the fitness and wellness movement and it is committed to empowering people to live healthier lives. Not just through their Canyon Ranch properties in Tucson, Lenox, Miami but through their nonprofit organization, Canyon Ranch Institute, which partners with culturally diverse communities to utilize families to help parents become good role models for their children around health and wellness issues. The Tucson, and Lenox properties have about 45 activities a day as diverse as dancing to live drums to spiritual workshops to aerial yoga to some high ropes challenge course.

Despite all these years, Zuckerman continues to be menova qianweisu inspired and humbled by guests whose have learned at Canyon Ranch to change how their loved ones eats. Recently one woman approached him and shared, "I wanted to appreciate creating Canyon Ranch. I desired a location like this to be able to heal." And for Mel Zuckerman, which has made all the difference.