This week brought snow to 49 of 50 states and a flurry of new customers to gyms across the country. After all, ‘tis the season when the sound of sleigh bells ringing gives way to the sound of barbells dinging, with people vowing to get in shape as they embrace the New Year.

Hitting the gym and cutting back on sweets may be the go-to route for most people, but for those that have the money and the motivation, a number of more exciting options abound.

Here’s a look at what’s out there:

A GET-HEALTHY GETAWAY

Breaking away from the daily grind can be crucial in getting fit, especially when it means taking a trip to the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Miami, Fla.

Pritikin is no ordinary spa or hotel experience – people come here for weeks or sometimes months at a time to detox, lose weight, tackle their medical woes and learn how they can continue to improve their lives even after they leave the center. Each guest is attended to by a dedicated team of doctors and fitness experts who conduct medical evaluations, provide nutritional and exercise guidance and lead lectures on various health-related subjects. There are no drugs involved – it’s all about diet, exercise and de-stressing.

“People always say to me ‘I thought I was just coming here to goof off and have some fun in Florida. I didn’t know I was going to learn anything. I didn’t know I was going to come away a changed person,’” says Dr. Danine Fruge, who, in her eight years as a staff member at Pritikin, has seen people reverse their health ailments and free themselves from medicines they were once dependent upon. She says one man – a law professor who was diabetic and in a wheelchair – spent a year at the center, lost 200 pounds and managed to write a textbook from his hotel room. When he left, he was walking without the help of a cane.

While the center attracts people of all kinds, some of its more notable guests include the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Jeff Garland and Blackstone Group Founder Stephen Schwarzman.

The going-rate for single-occupancy is between $5,000 and $6,000 a week, depending on the season, though Fruge says there are often specials.

For guests who are surprised by their positive results – especially those at the helm of major companies and organizations – Fruge’s answer is simple:

“You are investing in a part of your life that you had neglected while you were building your company.”

 

ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING

It’s no secret that having a personal trainer is more likely to keep you on track to your fitness goals, even if it does come at a heftier price than most other options.

“The hardest thing for anybody is to stay motivated,” says New York-based personal trainer Thelonius ‘T.J.’ Johnson. “It’s really easy to get motivated for a week or two, but when you have a trainer there to keep you on point and vary things and make things exciting, it makes you want to keep going.”

Johnson says he works year-round with most of his clients, some of whom have included CNN’s Anderson Cooper and fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

While he won’t reveal his exact rate, he says personal-training sessions often run anywhere from $150 to $250 an hour – which seems to be in line with the rates at the Madison Square Club, a New York-based fitness and nutritional center run by wellness guru David Kirsch. The club, which prides itself on providing individualized service to each of its members, charges anywhere from $100 to $120 for a one-hour session. Dues are an additional $125 per month, according to the club’s Web site.

If that seems hard to swallow, check this out: for those who want a year-long unlimited-access pass, the price is $25,000!

 

FRESH FOOD AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Nutritionists and health buffs know that when it comes to your body, you get out what you put in. But for many people, finding time to prepare portioned, healthy meals is hardly as simple an equation. That’s where meal-delivery company Freshology comes in.

The Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa is a luxury retreat
for those who wish to get healthy and shed pounds.

Freshology, which got its start in 2005 with former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca as its first seed investor, is a service that brings high-quality, gourmet meals to your doorstep every day. The meals are prepared in a 25,000-sq. foot facility in Burbank, Calif. and shipped out across the continental U.S. daily. (The company produces approximately 4,000 to 5,000 meals a day!)

The service can cost as little as $29 a day or as much as $65-$70 a day, depending on the package chosen. Shipping charges are not included.

While similar programs like Nutrisystem are far cheaper (about $11 a day), Freshology CEO Todd DeMann says there is no comparison when it comes to the quality of Freshology’s food.

“How many times do you want to eat your food out of a can? How many times do you want to rehydrate your hamburger?” he says.

Freshology boasts a long list of celebrity followers, including Jennifer Lopez, Ricki Lake, Camille Grammer, Maureen McCormick and Stephanie Pratt. Reality TV stars Kim and Khloe Kardashian and mom Kris Jenner are the latest to have signed up.

 

FANCY HOME-FITNESS EQUIPMENT

If you’ve got the dough to get rid of your rolls, but want to do it within the privacy of your own home, creating your own personal gym is an option. Sure, you could turn to Craigslist for a cheap used treadmill and/or attempt to use the stationary bike that’s been sitting in your basement since 1987, but if you want a top-of-the-line gym experience and are willing to pay big money to get it, here are a few exercise machines you might want to consider:

-- Octane’s xR6 Series Seated Elliptical - Price: $3,299 to $3,899*, depending on the model.

-- Octane’s Q47 Series Standing Elliptical - Price: $4,199 or $4,699*, depending on the model.             

-- Precor’s Recumbent Bike - Price: $3,395*

-- Precor’sTreadmill 9.35 - Price: $4,499* (originally $4,999)

-- Precor Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer EFX576i - Price: $6,199* (originally $7,295)

 

*Price stated reflects the price listed on the manufacturer’s Web site as of 1/7/2011.