WELLNESS HEAD TO TOE

By Jeniffer Thompson

FINDING YOUR ROAD TO WELLNESS - INSIDE AND OUT

The healthier you are, the bigger kick you'll get out of life. Are you as fit and healthy as, well, as you want to be? If not, now's the time to make a plan and get moving. As with any goal, the first step is defining the desired outcome, personal boundaries, and acceptable risks. Why do you seek change? What are you willing to sacrifice to get there? The roads to wellness are abundant, but not every vehicle is capable of handling the terrain. So choose your path wisely and consider your goals before you dive headlong into your New Year's resolution this year.

FEEL CONFIDENT - FEEL HEALTHY

I once had a boss who said his girlfriend had a better personality after her breast-augmentation surgery. You can imagine my initial reaction, but his explanation was worth listening to. He claimed it boosted her self-confidence and therefore she was more outgoing, bubbly, and in general more accepting of others.

Self-esteem plays a large role in the way we project ourselves. William M. Shuffett, M.D. of Coronado says a large portion of his cosmetic surgery practice involves face-lifts. Although not the norm for American plastic surgeons, he says his patients are seeking balance.

"They want to look like they feel," said Shuffett."People in Coronado are very health-conscious and physically fit, but the effects of sun and gravity eventually take their toll on the face."

He adds that maintenance is a huge part of stalling the aging process. Professionals agree that if you limit your time in the noon-day sun, don't smoke, eat well, and reduce stress levels through exercise, chances are good you won't be looking to elective surgery for your face later in life.

Robin Milisic, licensed esthetician and owner of La Petite Comfort Day Spa, suggests facials as an important part of skin maintenance. According to Milisic, facials rid the skin of dead cells, allowing collagen to reproduce more quickly and leaving the skin softer, healthier and less wrinkled.

Permanent makeup can help enhance natural features. The process is much like tattooing. Various colors of ink are used to simulate conventional makeup, including full lip color, eyeliner, and eyebrow enhancement. According to Milisic the procedure is quick and painless. There is no swelling, no scabbing and no downtime. Her office uses bamboo quills, which she says are safer and more precise than needles.

Cosmetic alterations date back centuries and are prevalent in many cultures, from the Japanese royal courtiers who dyed their teeth black to the face tattooing of New Zealand's Maori tribes. BOTOX(R) and plastic surgery are modern examples of our continued efforts to attain culturally acceptable beauty.

"The possibilities are very exciting," said Coronado dermatologist Nancy Murray,M.D., who admits she is always hesitant to jump on the vanity bandwagon.

She believes that the test of time is the best assurance for safety in new technologies. According to Murray, ophthalmologists, including Coronado's Dr. Blake Shaw, were using BOTOX(R) for nearly 10 years before it became a popular cosmetic treatment.

BOTOX(R) is a toxin from the bacterium botulinum. Small amounts are injected into the muscles to treat spastic, closed or droopy eyelids. The toxin paralyzes the muscle that causes the drooping. Doctors realized the injections were also eliminating wrinkles; an added benefit in a society working toward the preservation of beauty.

GET FIT - GET HEALTHY

Healthy people have a certain glow to them. They are generally happier, more energetic and less affected by stress. Dr. Kevin Considine, doctor of osteopathy at Sharp Coronado Hospital, suggests exercise to help boost the immune system and ward off sickness. He recommends people start with a personal trainer to avoid injury.

"Stretch before and after exercise and listen to your body," said Considine. "Don't work through pain. Address it and you are likely to avoid injury."

Choosing the right exercise program is just as important as the benefits you hope to achieve. Miko Peled, owner and head instructor of Martial Arts America, believes that people fail in exercise programs because they get bored. For him, there is no monotony in Goju-Ryu Karate, it is challenging both physically and mentally.

According to Peled, achieving a black belt is just the beginning of what karate has to offer. Once the foundation is laid, students have more room to grow and learn in their discipline. While physical fitness is a common benefit, Peled says the mental challenge of karate is what captured his attention more than 22 years ago.

"Karate is for everyone," said Peled, who has worked with students in wheelchairs who earned black belts in spite of their handicap. "Practicing karate gets you into shape. You start in the beginning and build stamina, flexibility and strength."

Karate may or may not be your choice, but the fitness program you do choose must fit into your lifestyle. Silver Strand Fitness & Aerobics, a favorite of Cays residents just down The Strand from Coronado, offers a variety of classes to fit anyone's schedule and personality. From kickboxing to yoga and weight training, the gym offers something for everyone. Owner Christine LaPausky believes that people will be more successful in their exercise program if they have a support group.

"This was a real neighborhood gym, with a sense of camaraderie, and that's what we wanted to bring back," said LaPausky, who bought the business last August and made a significant investment in refreshing the facility and its equipment.

Some people prefer the one-on-one attention they get from a personal trainer or instructor. Coaches and trainers abound for every aspect of life, from eating the right foods to wearing the right clothes.

Pilates is the latest craze in the fitness world of the Hollywood stars. In the late 1920s Joseph Pilates created a rehabilitation program that was adopted originally by dancers looking to strengthen their bodies. Gloria Tierney, Pilates instructor and Coronado native, abandoned her previous work as a personal trainer and opted for the results she gets from Pilates.

"Pilates literally transformed my body," said Tierney. "My belly disappeared, I feel taller and leaner."

Pilates strengthens and lengthens the core muscles of the abdomen and lower back. Tierney says that Pilates is ideal for women because they are able to gain the same degree of muscle strength usually earned from weight training, but without the bulk.

WELLNESS THROUGH AWARENESS

The first thing I do when I'm feeling down is clean out my underwear drawer. There is something rejuvenating about this seemingly insignificant act. Whether you need to clear out your head or your closet, freeing yourself of unneeded clutter is an important step in achieving overall wellness. This psychology falls into the feng shui school of thought that our surroundings directly affect our psyche.

Based on ancient Taoist philosophy, feng shui is a combination of common sense, good design principles and aesthetics.

"Feng shui is the art of becoming aware of our surroundings and understanding how they affect us," said Mark Yu, of NewWind Consulting in Coronado. "Recognizing that we often arrange our living and working situations unconsciously will help us take control of them."

New Wind Consulting works with individuals and businesses to help them recognize and remove obstructions in the natural flow of energy, while helping them get in sync with the positive aspects of life. New Wind philosophy says that we can open patterns of movement and change patterns of perception by making changes in the spatial environment.

Once we alleviate the tensions created by a cluttered environment it is easier to get in tune with our bodies. Unfortunately, the body likes to harbor stress and tension, which is why bodywork is such an important aspect of wellness. Massage and bodywork help us become aware of how stress affects us.

According to Cheri Paquin, owner of Bamboo Yoga Studio and Bodywork Center, tension manifests itself in the body and can affect the way we run, walk, sit and sleep.

"We become accustomed to pain and forget what it feels like to be pain-free," said Paquin. "Massage awakens the areas of our body where tension has taken over. It sends a signal to the brain that we don't have to be in pain.

"It is important to understand the difference between fatigue and pain."

Body awareness is a key aspect to overall wellness. Injury is one of the main reasons people fail in any given exercise program. The brain sends the body signals, but often we are programmed to ignore pain. Most people have heard the saying "no pain no gain," but this philosophy often leads to injury and frustration. Listen to your body - you only have one.

So stay on top of its progress through the life cycle. Everybody slows down a bit with age, but regular health screenings can help to make sure that little aches and pains don't develop into something more serious.

And get screenings before you have reason to believe that anything has gone awry, says Dr. John Kerley,M.D. of Sharp Coronado Hospital. Adults over 40 should make arrangements to check up on their blood pressure, colon and cholesterol and have a screening for adult onset of Type II diabetes. Depending upon their gender, adults should also be screened for prostate, breast and cervical cancers. Contact your general practitioner.

"The biggest payoff is in blood pressure screening because it has no overt symptoms in the early stages and is associated with so many serious problems," Kerley advises. "The other major factor is family history. I recommend that everyone get screened for colon cancer, for example, but if your father and uncle died of colon cancer then I'm really going to pester you to get screened because that should be a big, red flag."

How we perceive our bodies is often a result of the past, whether parental expectations, peer pressure, divorce or other factors that set us up to feel certain ways about how we look. People tend to bury traumatic events, only to have them remain in their subconscious, affecting the way they think and the decisions they make. Signs of low self-esteem include choosing unhealthy relationships, self-hatred and habitually making bad choices. A clinical psychologist can help identify these issues to attain a healthier self-awareness.

According to Coronado clinical psychologist Roderick S. Hall, Ph.D., a common misconception about psychoanalytic therapy is that "only people with serious mental problems seek therapy." In truth, many people seek therapy because there is something they want to change about themselves. Poor self-image is often related to something deeper.

"It is false to say that depression is just a chemical imbalance. Something has to trigger it," said Hall. "Therapy can help limit the degree that the baggage from the past winds up impacting the present life."

Confident people are often more successful, more driven and enjoy a healthier, happier lifestyle. The smallest amount of emotional baggage can affect who we become.