Everyone responds to a new year differently, but many of us use those longer nights to turn our attention to what frustrates us. What’s NOT working? Should I try something else to make me feel better or look better? We spoke with local experts in the field of health and wellness to discover what’s working with their approaches and what issues they successfully address, so you’ll have a reliable menu to choose from if you’re looking for a better way to stay fit and focused in 2020.
Time-Crunched?
Jill Dailey ignited the barre fitness boom when she opened The Dailey Method’s first studio in San Francisco. Janet Parker and Alessia McIntosh bring the time-efficient and highly adaptive barre and cycle classes here to Ashburn. The workout is designed to challenge, stretch and redefine all your muscles in just a 45- or 60-minute workout. Every class incorporates Pilates, floor exercise, yoga and light weights.
There’s child care available, so classes include many young moms trying to regain their pre-pregnancy shape and flexibility. Older women also find encouragement and adaptations to make the workout safe and effective.
Because it’s based on orthopedic exercise, it’s great for core strengthening, conditioning, injury therapy, and balance. “Finding your center” is a common refrain, and you’ll emerge feeling more grounded, better aligned, and stronger, ready to take on the world.
Need Energy?
The Dailey Method Loudoun also offers cycling in a way that raises your pulse rate in a communal, “cardio-party” atmosphere. That starts by turning out the lights and cranking up the music! Colored lights make the workout feel like a night out dancing.
There’s a new client special of just $49 for two weeks so you can see how both approaches fit into your busy schedule, and an app for your phone that is streamlined to show you the next available classes from your local studio so you can easily tap a class to attend, or schedule your weekly workout. 44675 Cape Ct #180, Ashburn, (571) 510-3900
Stressed?
Nobody needs to point out how stressful our lives are, but it’s worth noting that the very culture that creates that stress all too often offers “band-aid” fixes. Dr. Martha Calihan of The Five Stones Healing Arts and Wellness Center in Leesburg describes her practice of “integrative and functional medicine” as the medicine of “why?” You have issues, but what got you to that point? It could be genetics, environment, nutrition, your stress level, sleep, movement, other medications you’re taking – or typically a function of all of the above!
Learning and practicing mindfulness is a great place to start to address physical and mental issues, because the mind and body are so connected. Learning to meditate can help.
Dr. Calihan quotes the author Victor Frankel in discussing how there’s a pause between any stimulus and response. That space between being simply reactive and becoming more responsive is where our power lies. “If you can figure out a way to respond differently, what that ends up meaning is that you’re less triggered by everything. We can’t always change the stimulus, but we can change how we respond.” That’s the shift that creates an expansiveness that has a beneficial effect for our health and wellbeing.
She holds an open group meditation class at Five Stones every Wednesday night and has a nutritionist, physical therapist, massage therapist and other specialists on staff to help address ailments as complex as autoimmune disease, lyme disease, chronic conditions, and thyroid and hormonal disorders.
