| |
By Sheila Talley
As the pace of our lives quickens and intensifies, carving out time to slow down and relax only gets more difficult to manage. It also grows more important. Stress relief is not just a matter of leisure or even emotional well-being -- it is critical to physical health, too. Our heart rate, blood pressure and immune system benefit from effective stress management. Fortunately, there are numerous activities that are readily available that can help us ease the pressures of a demanding lifestyle.
Massage
Massage therapy offers one of the most palpable and immediate relievers of stress. An isolated, well-timed massage can have a gratifying impact. However,
scheduling routine massages is a more effective use of massage, especially when dealing with chronic issues
that re-emerge without steady attention. A massage
program that includes regular appointments can boost energy levels, as well as level out those knotty aches and pains that annoy. To encourage customers to embark on a schedule, many local massage providers
offer memberships that yield reduced rates or packages of multiple visits at a discount.
Spa
A trip to the spa for thorough professional pampering
can change one’s entire outlook.
Spas have a-la-carte ordering for specific services, but most also offer packages that take a comprehensive
approach. The packages, which often include several hours of attention, typically include some combination of manicure, pedicure, facial, massage and even spray tanning. Some packages even include a meal. The object is escape and rejuvenation, and, perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to be treated like royalty -- a tonic for the demands of work and home that leave little time for yourself.
Group Fitness Classes
Exercise can get dull and repetitive
without partners, feeling too much like a chore. However, fitness
classes, especially for new and unfamiliar exercises, help overcome that feeling of reluctance, which can be especially pervasive in the winter months.
Dance classes have become increasingly
popular in recent years as outlets for exercise, bringing smiles to the faces of participants even as they push and challenge. BodyJAM, which uses modern dance moves and a combination of popular music, and Zumba, which is based on Latin music and dance, are two new and popular dance-based exercise classes that are filling up in the area. But exercise facilities also offer classes in styles such as line-dancing and oldies music.
Classes inspired by combat, whether it's boxing or martial arts, are also great ways to relieve stress with aggressive, taxing exercise.
Yoga
Yoga devotees often speak of its calming powers – a valuable asset to any workout, especially
when stress is hounding you. The intense
attention on breath and movement places
particular focus on internal awareness and a unity of body and mind. Some yoga workouts are meditative. The awareness learned during yoga workouts can carry over to the day away from the yoga mat.
Yoga providers are welcoming to newcomers.
Many offer introductory classes to help overcome any wariness of starting the activity. Flexibility is not a prerequisite -- it's an outcome
of regular yoga workouts -- so do not hesitate if you are not already a contortionist.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture, which involves placing needles
in points on the body, can give pause to those unfamiliar with it, but it has been practiced
successfully for thousands of years. A standard of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture
can be used for preventative, therapeutic
and treatment purposes, as well as target
anxiety and stress management and can be utilized in a weight-loss plan.
Good Night?
In today’s busy world with all the responsibilities that overtake us, we may feel that sleep is low on our list of priorities. But key to feeling better during the day is getting a better sleep at night, since the tasks performed during sleep is what enables us to feel refreshed and reinvigorated so that we can function at our best. So, how do we get a good night’s sleep?
Dr. Glenn Giessel, of Sleep Disorder Centers of Pulmonary Associates, shares a few ideas with Chesterfield Living magazine that might just be the ticket for getting a good night’s sleep.
Giessel says it's important to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. If you feel like you are burning the candle at both ends, then here are a few things you need to know to feel completely rested and energized in the morning.
1. Set a time to go to bed and wake up and stick with it even on the weekends.
2. Avoid excess alcohol, as it may help you fall asleep, but it will also keep you in a light stage of sleep. When the effects wear off toward the middle of the night, it will disrupt your sleep.
3. Avoid caffeine and exercise before going to bed. Both are stimulants and non-conducive
to sleep.
4. Your bed should be for sleeping. If you are having problems, watching TV, reading, talking
on the phone, or paying bills will make things worse. Remove anything that will distract
you from sleep.
5. Associate your bed with sleep and keep the room dark and at a comfortable temperature.
If you are snoring, drowsy during the day, or engage in abnormal activities while you sleep, you could have Sleep Apnea or some other sleep disorder. A sleep evaluation can help determine the cause of your disruptive sleep pattern.
For more information call Sleep Disorder Centers of Pulmonary Associates at (804) 320-4341 and schedule your sleep evaluation today so that you can Look Good, Feel Good and experience
a better tomorrow!
A Healthy Smile
At Dr. Baxter Perkinson and Associates,
we offer our patients access to many procedures other than General Dentistry. Periodontics, Endodontics, Orthodontics, Implants and Advanced Bone Grafting are routine in our nine Richmond area locations. All of our doctors have been trained to help patients
with these needs and to also help anxious patients with various forms of sedation. As the demand for cosmetic dentistry increases, our doctors excel at working with patients to achieve a beautiful
result, whether that requires fixing a single broken or darkened tooth, or redesigning their entire smile. Modern materials have allowed us to create veneers
and all ceramic crowns that are not only esthetic, but also strong and functional.
Our focus is not limited to the teeth themselves. Gum recession and other periodontal defects can also affect the cosmetics of a smile. That’s why we offer our patients what can most accurately
be called Gingival Plastic surgery. These procedures are predictable and painless, as opposed to some techniques in the past and offer better cosmetics. The result restores your gums to their original contours and has little or no post-operative discomfort. You can be confident that as the state of dentistry advances, we will continue to expand our knowledge and experience of the 40 doctors in this practice to better respond to the needs of our patients.
Rejuvenate Your Eyes
Did you know that the upper face ages faster than the lower face? Many people in their late 30’s and early 40’s begin to develop aging changes around their eyes that make them look old and tired. Common aging changes
include droopy skin on the upper lid that makes it difficult for females to apply makeup and sometimes blocks vision in men and women. In the lower eyelid, fat bags and crinkly skin are the biggest problems.
As a result, some of the most popular cosmetic facial procedures done today are on the eye area.
Dr. Joe Niamtu specializes in cosmetic surgery of the face and neck and has done hundreds of upper and lower eye procedures.
They are performed in his fully accredited
office surgery center with light IV or local anesthesia. Dr. Niamtu uses the newest technologies of laser and radio-
wave surgery for eyelid surgery. This produces less bleeding and tissue damage which means less bruising, faster healing and less post operative pain. This surgery takes about 15 minutes per eyelid and the recovery time is usually about a week. Most patients that have eyelid surgery on Thursday or Friday can recover over the weekend and “pop on a pair of shades and sneak to the mall by Monday or Tuesday.”
Dr. Niamtu frequently treats the area around the eyes with laser resurfacing as well. This produces a more dramatic reduction
in wrinkles and crow’s feet. After laser resurfacing, the patient will be red for a week and then pink for another week. Makeup can be used to cover the pinkness until it resolves. For minor to moderate lower eyelid wrinkling, a chemical skin peel can be performed and heals in about a week. The results are not quite as dramatic
as the laser treatment, but the recovery is faster.
“Many patients mistake a droopy brow for eyelids problems. Some patients actually need a brow lift instead of or along with upper eyelid surgery,” notes Dr. Niamtu. “It’s important to choose an experienced doctor who can recognize the subtle differences
that indicate each specific procedure.”
The above patient underwent blepharoplasty
by Dr. Niamtu with CO2 laser
resurfacing of the lower eyelids. The improvement with the non-surgical laser procedure is dramatic and does not require an incision scar of the lower lids.
“Many people watch what they eat, they exercise and they pay attention to their appearance. Although they feel young, they complain that when they look in the mirror they see a person that looks much older than they feel,” says Niamtu. “By rejuvenating the eyelids, patients look more alert, awake and refreshed. They say people often ask if they’ve taken a vacation.”
Dr. Niamtu is well known in international
cosmetic surgery circles as an surgeon, author and lecturer. He teaches courses in eyelid and brow lift techniques to surgeons from all cosmetic specialties. To find out if any cosmetic facial procedure
is right for you, visit his informative website at www.lovethatface.com and see real examples of all the techniques he can perform. Dr. Niamtu also offers complimentary
consultations to discuss your individual
needs. To schedule your consult, call Dr. Niamtu at 934-FACE (3223).
|
|
