Healthy Living

February 2015 A Katy Times Publication

Sealy Dental set to open satellite office in Firethorne ALSO INSIDE: Snap Kitchen newest tenant at LaCenterra Fulshear woman conquers her fears through fitness competitions

Healthy LIVING

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Contents & Staff Katy Healthy Living

FEBRUARY 2015

Features

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Katy Healthy Living Magazine The Katy Healthy Living Magazine is a publication of the Katy Times newspaper.

PUBLISHER Terry Schaub tschaub@katytimes.com MANAGING EDITOR Greg Densmore news@katytimes.com PAGE DESIGN Greg Densmore

GRAPHICS MANAGER Al Dube

news@katytimes.com

adube@fbherald.com

TO ADVERTISE If you are interested in advertising in the Katy Healthy Living Magazine, please call the office of the Katy Times at 281-391-3141 for rates, information and deadlines.

PHOTO & ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

Dr. Robert Arnold and Heather Ruderman are looking forward to the opening of a Sealy Dental Center satellite office in Firethorne.

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We are looking for great story ideas. We look forward to fresh story ideas and enjoy publishing your submissions in the Katy Healthy Living Magazine. If you have a great story idea or a great photo to publish, please e-mail us at news@katytimes.com or tschaub@ katytimes.com. Please include ''Health Magazine'' in the subject line of your e-mail.

Times The Katy Healthy Living Magazine is a publication of the Katy Times. The magazine has a print circulation of 6,300 and is inserted into the Katy Times newspaper. Additional copies are available at the office of the Katy Times at 5319 East Fifth Street in Katy.

Snap Kitchen gearing up Fitness competitions help for opening of new res- one local woman gain taurant in LaCenterra. confidence, discipline.

A place where beautiful smiles are the goal...........5 Spinal cord stimulation helps ease woman’s pain...6 Consultant speaks on opposition to wellness......12 4•

Katy Healthy Living

The Katy Times also publishes a magazine in Fulshear — Fulshear Living. The monthly publication has a 5,500 print circulation and is mailed into every home in Fulshear and other homes in the surrounding area. For more information on Fulshear Living magazine, contact the Katy Times at 281-391-3141.

Sealy Dental to open Firethorne office Office will be manned by Dr. Robert Arnold, who can’t wait to greet new patients

BY GREG DENSMORE MANAGING EDITOR

A

s Sealy Dental Center continues working towards the planned February grand opening of its satellite office in Firethorne, Dr. Robert Arnold can’t wait to introduce residents in the Katy and Fulshear area to the outstanding service and professionalism that patients who visit the Sealy center have grown accustomed to.

“We decided it was time to develop a satellite office and let the folks in the Fulshear and Katy communities experience what Sealy Dental has to offer,” said Dr. Arnold, who will be joined at the new facility by office manager Heather Ruderman.

The address of the satellite office is 2731 FM-1463, Suite 500.

Sealy Dental’s Fulshear office at 2731 FM-1463, Suite 500, in Firethorne, is expected to open sometime this month.

A Registered Dental Assistance, Ruder man joined Sealy Dental in 2005 and is certified in Nitrous Oxide monitoring, CPR training and DOCS sedation monitoring. She specializes in assisting with IV sedation patients and continues her education each year by attending

CE courses.

Arnold moved to Texas from California about six months ago when he began working at Sealy Dental, the highly-successful practice launched by Dr. Wesley Zboril.

Actively engaged in dentistry for the past quarter-century, Arnold received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a double-major of Biology/Zoology in 1988 from California State University of Fresno. Arnold then attended the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, where he earned his Doctorate of Dental surgery degree in 1991.

Arnold’s professional memberships include: American Dental Association; Academy of General Dentistry; Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation; International Association of Orthodontics; and World Clinical Laser Institute.

HAS EXTENSIVE TRAINING Dr. Arnold has undergone extensive training in cutting-edge dental practices such as oral conscious sedation, implant placement, orthodontics and laser dentistry. He has also taught and provided continuing education to other doctors in laser dentistry, and continues to provide his patients the most recent advances and technology in dental health care.

Arnold explained that the Firethorne office will feature 12 operatories and will offer the same one-day turnaround service as Sealy Dental.

When he interviewed for the job with Sealy Dental, Arnold realized

n Continued on page 6

Sealy Dental Center’s Dr. Robert Arnold, right, and office manager Heather Ruderman, center, will relocate to the satellite office in Firethorne when it opens its doors this month. Dr. Wesley Zboril, left, established Sealy Dental Center.

Sealy Dental’s goal: ‘beautiful smiles’

S

ealy Dental Center’s main office at 430 Meyer is buzzing with activity as Dr. Wesley Zboril and his staff of dentists, dental hygienists and assistants focus on the task in hand — making sure their patients get the best available dental treatment in a timely, efficient manner.

“We have high-volume traffic here and sometimes it gets little hectic,” said Business Manager Gabrielle Zboril. ‘‘Patients come from miles around — Brookshire, Fulshear, Columbus and even San Antonio.’’

There are seven dentists (four in general dentistry, an orthodontist, endodonist and dental

FEBRUARY 2015

surgeon) on site, as well as 32 women who serve as either hygienists and assistants.

The network provider for most insurance companies, Sealy Dental Center was established 35 years ago by Dr. Wesley Zboril. Among the services offered are: porcelain veneers, bridges, crowns, root canal therapy, children’s dentistry, teeth whitening, oral cancer screenings, dentures and partials, composite fillings, dental implants, orthodontics, dental extractions, periodontal therapy and Invisalign.

The Sealy Dental team is especially cognizant that between 1020 percent of Americans avoid

going to the dentist because of anxiety or fear. Many wait until dental pain sets in before they act. ‘‘For our nervous or anxious patients, we offer sedation dentistry,’’ said Dr. Zrobil. “This is the utilization of medicines administered through nitrous oxide, a pill or an IV, to relax our patients and allow us to perform simple to extensive dental procedures.”

Sedation allows the patient to have more dental work in a single visit, correcting years of damage in only a few hours.

Sealy Dental is offering a new patient special of $50 off the first dental procedure, $50 off any cosmetic procedure or $200 to join

Sealy Dental Center staff Kids Klub, which includes exam and X-ray, two regular cleaniings and two fluoride treatments.

For information, or to schedule an appointment, call 979-256-1804 or visit www.sealydentalcenter. com.

Katy Healthy Living

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he and owner, Dr. Wesley Zboril, “were like two peas in a pod” when it came to philosophy and service. In less than one month’s time, Arnold interviewed and accepted the job, purchased a house in Firethorne and moved to Texas.

“I feel like God directed us here,” he said.

EVERYBODY’S HAPPY “You get a good feeling when you walk in the door [at Sealy Dental],” he said. “Everybody is happy and in a good mood.

When they tell you to ‘have a

great day,’ they really mean it. I want to carry that through to the Firethorne office.”

Arnold said he enjoys interacting with his patients and getting to know them personally. ‘‘I’ll try and do my best to provide everyone with good dental care,” he said.

Arnold became interested in dentistry as an 11-year-old Scout.

“I had a friend whose dad was a dentist and when we visited his office, I thought to myself, ‘this is really cool.’ I am good in science and math, which are prerequi-

sites, so I figured I could handle being a dentist.”

Away from the office, Arnold volunteers as an adult leader in the Boy Scouts, something he has done for the past 25 years.

An Eagle Scout himself, Arnold continues to train other adult scout leaders at Woodbadge, the elite adult scout training program. He also works with church youth groups and most recently took part in the Brookwood Community Center’s first-ever crosscountry championship. First, he competed in the 3K Walk/Run

and then ran in the 8K. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 25 years and have four children, but only 13-yearold Tim, a student at WoodCreek Junior High, still lives at home.

The couple are also blessed with two grandsons. Kathy, who served as her husband’s California office manager, makes amazing quilts and is a fabulous baker. ‘‘Right now, she’s really enjoying being a housewife,” he said.

For information, visit www. sealydentalcenter.com or call 979885-4856.

Neuromodulation eases Katy mom’s pain

BY NOREEN STAVINOHA

N

ormally, pain from an injury or surgery subsides as healing takes place. Even when strong medication is required immediately after the event to ease a patient’s discomfort, it isn’t long before doses are tapered down and finally stopped altogether.

Unfortunately, there are people who fall outside that “normal” range, and suffer pain that is unremitting. Eva Simmons, a 44-year -old, very active Katy resident and working mom, is one of those people.

Her troubles started a year ago with a fall on her knee that caused an ACL meniscus tear. Her physician prescribed a series of shots.

When she reported that the shots weren’t helping the pain, he recommended a partial knee replacement. After that was done, a new problem arose.

“I noticed that when I moved my knee from side to side, it would pop out of socket, and it was very painful,” says Simmons.

Two surgeries later, the final one being a total knee replacement, raised her hope that she would finally be pain free. She did the follow-up therapy faithfully, but she was beginning to feel like a broken record. Every visit to the doctor was a complaint about the relentless hurting she was enduring, and he finally told her he couldn’t continue her pain medication.

His last note in her file said “I’m sending her to a pain management doctor because I can’t meet her narcotic needs.”

While this was disappointing because she felt like she was being written off, Simmons was determined to find a solution to her problem. She was not giving up on that.

She was referred to the Greater

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Eva Simmons Houston Pain Consultants, where she met Dr. Ioannis Skaribas, who, in addition to his practice, is Clinical Associate Professor of Pain Management & Anesthesiology a the University of Texas Medical School, Houston. He diagnosed her problem as chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or sympathetic dystrophy. His first approach was a steroid injection, which gave her the relief she so desperately wanted, but when he told her there would have to be a series of them, she demurred.

“First of all, it’s very costly,” said Simmons, “even with insurance, and you have to go under anesthesia. I felt I couldn’t really afford that and I didn’t want to put my body through that.”

That’s when Skaribas discussed the possibility of neuromodulation (spinal cord stimulation) from a generator implanted in the spine.

The generator is connected to a series of thin wires, or leads, that run through the spinal canal and deliver electrical signals to specific spots along the spinal cord.

The stimulator sends electrical impulses to the areas of the spinal cord causing the pain and interferes with the transmission of pain

Katy Healthy Living

signals to the brain. It blocks the brain’s ability to sense pain in the stimulated areas, thus relieving pain without the side effects that medications can cause. Intolerable pain is replaced with a dull tingling sensation. He explained that by pressing the up and down buttons on her remote, she would be able to adjust the signals.

Simmons took about four weeks to reach her decision to follow his recommendation. The first step is a trial device (a single lead inserted into the subdural tissue at the precise spot along the spinal column that relates to the targeted nerves) to be sure it would work for her, and the relief she received from that was all she needed to convince her that getting the implant was the right decision. The procedure would be done under anesthesia, but it would be one time as opposed to several with the shots.

“When I got the stimulator, I would say 50-60 percent of my pain was controlled immediately. It wasn’t all gone, because I still had healing issues, I still had bone issues, and things like that, but it wasn’t so intense any more.

I was able to do things that I hadn’t been able to do prior, like going to the mall or the grocery store, or even going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, because I knew what it was going to feel like, and it hurt.”

Simmons never stopped doing necessary chores altogether, but a trip to the grocery store would take an hour and a half in pain mode, as opposed to a half hour when she was pain free. She worked at her job as administrative assistant throughout this whole process.

There were adjustments that needed to be made during those

Dr. Joannis Skaribas with the Protege neurotransmitter. first weeks after the procedure, and it will probably have to be replaced in about five years.

Simmons is okay with that.

The ability to alter the intensity of the stimulator’s signals is of paramount importance to Simmons. Setting it low when she’s resting and higher when walking at the mall keeps her comfortable all the time.

“When the pain was at its worst,” recalled Simmons, “I would see my neighbors power walking through the neighborhood, and I thought I would never be able to do that again.

Now I’m at a point where I can do that again.”

It may be awhile before she returns to all of her pre-injury activities, like fostering animals and walking dogs, but she has returned to volunteering at her church—teaching and interacting with the kids—she’s exercising, and she’s riding bikes with her daughter. And it’s the smaller things that sometimes bring a smile to her face. Things like being able to get up out of a chair, bending her knee, and recovering her normal walking gait.

FEBRUARY 2015

Healthy, tasty takeout at Snap Kitchen

BY ANN BULLARD

N

eed something special for lunch or dinner, or even a between-meal snack, but have no time to fix it? Snap Kitchen provides healthy, portioncontrolled and delicious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Austin-based company has locations throughout Houston; their tenth store will open in La Centerra at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Suite N200, later this month.

Definitive information on its opening can be found at http:// go.snapkitchen.com/houston.

Snap Kitchen is the brainchild of Martin Berson, a health-conscious person and former owner of Benji’s Restaurant in Houston. When his wife wanted to relocate to Austin, he followed his dream of establishing a source for convenient, healthy, and delicious food in the state capitol city. They began with one. Today, there are six Austin locations, with one to come, five in Dallas and tenth already open in Houston. The new Cinco Ranch store will join Houston-area stores at Kirby & Richmond, on Memorial Drive, in Bellaire, Tanglewood, Shepherd Plaza, One Allen Center, the Shops at Houston Center, the Heights and in the Museum District.

Snap Kitchen is unique in several ways. The company’s Execu-

tive Chef develops the menus, giving them to its lead dietitian to approve the content. Once the menu passes Berson’s critical palate, it is implemented in the various stores. Needless to say, it varies with the seasons.

One thing that doesn’t vary: the nutrition value. Nor does the value you get for your dollar.

Items range in price from $3 to $13, depending on the dish and its size. In addition to adult meals and snacks, they offer Snappy Bites, mini meals designed for kids.

From its attractive storefront to the brightly-lighted interior, shelves-full of packaged foods all labeled with ingredients and calorie count, to its knowledgeable and attentive staff, Snap Kitchen does everything possible to make your visit a pleasant and productive one. Each city has a registered dietitian who will consult with you and assist with your meal planning.

Each city has a kitchen where meals are prepared daily. The Houston Flagship store on Kirby Drive features a salad bar where salads for all the area’s pantry items and salads are prepared.

Their menu is 99-percent gluten free, with no white flour, no white sugar, and minimally-processed handmade food. They use only low-glycemic sweeteners such as

The Slam Lentil Bowl is one of the company’s taste entrees. honey, palm sugar, dates and organic agave.

Whether one wants to follow a normal, healthy diet, or a Plant Powered one, or the popular Paleo (hunter/gatherer) Diet, that includes no dairy, grains or other processed foods, you can find food items to fit his taste. Whenever possible, produce is locally-grown, picked at the peak of ripeness and never frozen. Protein sources include hormone and antibiotic-free bison purchased from Wild Idea Buffalo in South Dakota, hormone and antibiotic free turkey from Coleman Natural and Scottish salmon flown in fresh, never frozen from Faroe Fish Farmers located in the Faroe Islands off the Scottish coast.

Snap Kitchen also offers Snap Commit, a 21-day eating program designed to help you refresh your nutrition and form healthy habits. A staff member will sit down with you and help design the ideal plan for your personal needs. Your only cost is that of the meals you

select. The 1,200 Calorie Plan is idea for most women and features three small-sized Snap meals and two snacks. They also offer 1,500 calorie and 1,800 calorie plans; the former is ideal for most men and women needing a higher caloric intake; the latter for men whose calorie needs are greater than others.

Once you have chosen your plan, you simply place your order by phone and pick up three days of meals at one time. The company offers curbside pickup, so you won’t even have to leave your vehicle.

At a time when many are struggling to meet their New Year’s Resolution regarding their eating habits, Snap Kitchen’s goal is for their customers not to need such resolutions. Rather, they want to help clients create a better, healthier lifestyle with foods that taste good.

As they put it, “we’re a foodie’s haven that just happens to be healthy.”

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Fitness competitions help Herrera gain discipline, conquer her fears

BY ANN BULLARD

M

Marissa has worked hard to get in the shape she is today.

arissa Gutierrez Herrera summed up one of the major reasons she has embarked on a body fitness journey that will lead to her being in the 2015 NPC Phil Heath Classic fitness competition March 28 in Houston.

“I can’t wait for my daughter to be 15 and struggling with issues, to be scared to do something. I will pull out the stage picture of Mommy standing on stage and feeling amazing. I’ll say ‘don’t you think I wasn’t scared, that I thought I didn’t belong. You can overcome it.’”

The mother of two will compete in the Bikini Division as a member of Team Strength, Body and Mind.

She “decided to do something most 20-year-olds won’t do — and at age 33.”

The journey for the self-styled high school and college nerd has been an interesting one. With her

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height (5 ft. 9 in.) many thought she was an athlete, perhaps a volley ball or basketball star.

“That’s not who I am,” Marissa said. “I am strong and dedicated.

Before my daughter was born, I went to the gym two to three days a week.”

With the birth of her son, David, just over a year later, Marissa hit an all-time low. She says her form of post-partum depression didn’t prevent her living her daily life. Having had two nine-pound children in two years took a toll on her body and spirit.

“Because I am taller [than many,] I have larger hips and thighs. After David was born, I had no energy and put on weight easily,” she said.

“Dressing up was hard. I thought I was ugly and didn’t feel like going out. I didn’t shower or take care of my hair.

Simply being a mom didn’t satisfy her inner self; she knew life had more to offer. She hired a trainer at

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the gym with a goal of losing the 15 to 20 pounds of body weight she accumulated with her second pregnancy.

“Before I had kids, I was so insecure in my body. Having a child made me appreciate what that body could do. It made me think, ‘why not do this,’” Marissa said.

TAPIA TO THE RESCUE Although she went to the gym regularly, Marissa knew there was more she wanted to accomplish.

Enter Stephanie Tapia of Fidelis Crossfit in Katy. They initially met at 24-Hour Fitness where both work out daily. Initially, Marissa admired Stephanie’s condition from afar.

“I was intimidated, afraid to talk to her. She’s so focused when she works out,” Marissa said frankly.

“I had questions … and made the first move by commenting on her Facebook page. She Facebooked back. Stephanie told me about her company. She agreed to meet with me and come up with a nutrition plan.”

Marissa lost seven-percent body fat in the first two months. The only ‘extra’ she took was the protein powder.

Stephanie challenged Marissa to go beyond simply getting fit. She introduced Marissa to the idea of

competition. Showing herself to a large group of people, much less being judged, was one thing that scared Marissa the most.

“Stephanie told me that doing what scares me the most was a challenge; something I needed to do,” Marissa said.

Not only is the upcoming competition a challenge, changing her lifestyle has been one from the start. First is the diet, and it’s not one her children or husband, David, adhere to. That means a lot of cooking, with the children eating the things children like and David’s enjoying meals cooked especially for him.

Marissa embarks on her verydisciplined program before she departs her Cinco Ranch home every weekday morning. Her day begins about 5:30, with a 30-minute cardio routine while her children still are asleep.

DAILY WORKOUTS AT GYM “I wake them up and give them breakfast,” she said. “After I take them to school, I go to the gym for a real workout. That’s a [regular] part of my day, perhaps not by appointment but it’s something I do every day.”

Her meals revolve around protein shakes with fruit that she fixes

Marissa’s typical workouts at the gym focus on weight training and suppleness. in her Magic Bullet and drinks as she drives her children to school. She eats oatmeal with egg whites while on her morning errands, chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, fresh vegetables and lots of brown rice.

Peanut butter with a whole wheat muffin constitutes an afternoon snack with ground turkey, beef or chicken, brown rice and a vegetable for dinner.

Tapia designed the meal plans and part of Marissa’s training

regimen.

“My meal plan has a little more freedom,” she said. “I can add a sweet potato and occasionally something else. It is boring, but I prefer boring. It’s easy – and I have to do what is easy.”

Marissa preps her meals a day ahead so she can have them with her when she’s running around town. She always has snacks for the children when she picks them up.

“Don’t all Mommies carry a

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FEBRUARY 2015

Katy Healthy Living

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cooler bag with them every day,” she asked, smiling at the thought.

“My meal plan has a little more freedom. I can add a sweet potato occasionally or something else so it won’t be so boring. But I prefer boring; it’s easy. I have to do what’s easy.

David Herrera travels a great deal on business. However, when he’s home, Marissa fixes ‘normal’ meals for him.

Today, weekday morning trips to the gym are an appointment, not an option. Twice a week she trains with Hassa Davis at his MoCity Fitness Gym. PURE WEIGHT TRAINING “I do pure weight training for about an hour and a half. A halfhour of cardio follows. I usually use the ‘stair monster,’ which is harder than running but easier on the knees. And I work on the elliptical. Form is important; my trainer corrects that and makes sure I don’t injure myself.’

David is supportive, to a point.

Melissa says he sees this journey as having an end with the March competition… as something she can scratch off her bucket list. Certainly there are numerous others, some local or nearby, some that require a great deal of travel.

“He was skeptical at first; he had a mental image of me with huge muscles,” she explained. “I’m competing in the Bikini Competition, the least muscular group.

I have to flex to see muscle. It’s judged on our femininity as well as muscle tone.

“I like the Bikini Division.

When I walk on stage people can see I am fit. Judges can see veins pushed out on my shoulders and strong muscle striation. Yet when I want to look soft and feminine, I can wear a sleeveless shirt and no muscles stick out.”

Marissa’s being the mother of two means some things, such as stretch marks on her stomach, won’t go away. She explained that’s where posing comes in.

ACCENTUATE THE POSTIVE “Accentuate the positive and do what people like,” she said. “It’s like being on a tightrope; you can go off on either side. When wearing jeans and a shirt, you can see I do something. Yet I don’t want to intimidate anyone.

Marissa’s good feelings about herself come from being strong and talented. She doesn’t “feel like I have to be bigger than someone else. My goal is to be the best Marissa I can be. When I get up

The Herrera family: Marissa, Isabella, David, Jr. and David. on that stage in a (teeny-teeny) bikini, I will know I have put in 100-percent effort.”

At that point, it all comes down to 10-seconds of on-stage ‘work’ and a lineup with other contestants. Judging is very subjective.

They could be looking for more or less muscle; lean muscle, a

small waist, well-defined legs and “a fabulous butt” are essential for a win.

“We have to smile and look natural, like we do this every day,” Marissa said. “We walk to the side so they can compare our bodies side-by-side.”

Her trainers know what many

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judges prefer; however, Marissa doesn’t try to force her body to meet an individual’s standards.

“I don’t want to mess up my body to conform to someone’s idea for this competition. I hope to overwhelm them with my confidence, charm and ease of being up there so it won’t matter if I don’t have the biggest shoulders or tiniest waist.

“A lot of people think of this as a hobby, something I do in my spare time,” she said. “It is a sport. I have to be disciplined, to commit every day. I have to train when I don’t feel like it as athletes in other sports do.”

KEEPING ON SCHEDULE She concedes she’s heard the word ‘obsession’ thrown around a lot. There are times she could be doing something else but she doesn’t want to upset her schedule.

“I think I’m more critical of

details now,” she said. “Before it was my overall look; now it’s how my gluts, hamstring and deltoids look today. I can look in the mirror and see what I have and what needs definition.

When training, I focus on such details. It gives me something to put effort into. I have to look at my whole body, then and now.

“A lot of women get so obsessed with needing to see perfection in their muscles. We have to step away and see where we’ve come from. I remember putting on big pants, a big shirt and hat after David was born.”

Once she’s finished her workout for the day, it’s time to pick up the children from school.

There are ballet lessons, flag football and swim lessons, a little homework and family time.

Marissa told her parents about the competition when her family went there for Christmas.

“They just want to be sure I

come out of this OK mentally.

Whatever happens, I will keep my head on straight. I have to prove my abilities to myself, not to the judges or even teammates.”

Marissa makes sure she takes time for herself — away from working out.

STILL VERY ‘GIRLY-GIRL’ “I’m a very girly-girl. I love the gym, but I love to do my hair, put on makeup, get my nails done and wear feminine dresses. I go to the gym and push my body and sweat, then come home, shower, put on pink sweats and a top and do my hair.

I like to do both.

“I think men are old-fashioned enough to want a woman to look like a woman. That look is necessary for me. I want to look good for myself and my husband. I want to be fit and strong; it makes me feel got

about myself.”

And that’s the key to Marissa Herrera. It’s also something she wants to share with friends and other moms.

Marissa says she “finds many women feel the same way I did.

I talk to them and learn they struggle with everything I struggled with. We like to look like we have all together and hide the insecurities. When we talk about this together rather than judging, we can find encouragement from each other.

“I’m very much a woman’s cheerleader. Helping another woman doesn’t make me a lesser one. I’m glad someone did that for me. The competition is the icing on the cake.”

Her vision: share the story and change lives. Let go of other people’s expectations. If this Mommy was able to put away fear and insecurity, you can do so, too.

Dealing with opposition in wellness

BY STEPHANIE TAPIA, MBA, PHR

M

any of you are working on accomplishing those New Year’s resolutions.

You are eating right, hitting the gym and it is giving you an immense sense of pride. You feel good, you look good and the confidence you are gaining is soaring. You may not notice, but people are around you are taking notice. They notice the smile, the glow and the confidence that being healthy brings. Then one day, someone close to you, a family member, a best friend or even a spouse says something negative about your weight loss journey.

For some reason, when people notice your weight loss, they feel entitled to give you their opinion, whether it is positive or negative.

Many times, the negative comments are given as a backhanded compliment. For any woman that lifts weights, these backhanded compliments come in the form of a warning. “Do not get too big, do not get too skinny and do not lose your curves.” If you are a mom, you may face additional opposition from family members that envision you spending hours at the gym and hours away from your children. In life, as in fitness, there will always be those that are there to tear you down. The only true way to be successful with any goal is to believe in your heart

12 •

you are a success. It can be painful when negative comments come from those we love. Try to remember change is not easy for people.

They may not understand and deep down, they may fear that your relationship will change.

Personal fulfillment is derived from living a life with a purpose.

We must have a passion for life and this includes loving ourselves, taking care of ourselves and surrounding ourselves with positive relationships. Once you develop a passion for health and fitness, your life begins to change. Aside from the obvious physical benefits, your mind transforms.

The sky becomes the limit once you realize your own strength. If there are people in your life who constantly bring you down, you need to remove them from your life. Their negativity will affect your attitude and your motivation, therefore leading to a life that is unfulfilling. You must slowly detox negativity from your life, which can include people and environments.

Every day, just as you work on your body, you should exercise your mind. Read or watch something that inspires you or motivates you. This daily practice will motivate you to continue pursuing your goals, even when challenges arise. In fitness, as with anything else, consistency is key.

Katy Healthy Living

The journey to health is one that you will travel alone. People will support you or discourage you, but the work you do is yours and yours alone. Many times, people make negative comments about your new found fitness passion out of concern, and this concern can be caused by a simple lack of understanding. In their mind, they are visualizing a starvation diet, a five-hour workout, the extremes of fitness. Here are some ways you can help them to understand.

• Share your story. Help the people around you understand your reason for your wellness journey by explaining your goals and how you plan on achieving them.

• Invite them to join. Explain the benefits of fitness and encourage them to go to the gym with you or share ideas for healthy recipes.

• Ignore them. As much as you may try to explain, not everyone will get it, and that’s ok. Stay focused on why you started this journey and do not let them deter you from your goals.

• Cut ties. If someone insists on making negative remarks and you’ve tried all of the above, sometimes the only resort is to cut ties. As much as it may hurt, it will allow you to live your life according to your goals. You can love someone, but sometimes it’s best to love them from a distance.

Always remember why you began this journey and understand that these are your goals, not anyone else’s. This is your life and you have the power to make it what you wish.

Stephanie Tapia Stephanie Tapia, MBA, PHR is a certified nutritionist and life coach.

She is the founder and owner of Strength of Body and Mind, a full service consultancy dedicated to strengthening the body and mind through coaching in all aspects of life including professional development, physical and mental health and wellness. More information is available at www.strengthbodymind. com and on Facebook.com/StrengthBodyMind.

If you’d like to see your health and fitness question answered in this column, send an e-mail to strengthbodymind@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 2015

Check your hearing

Take this quick test and check your ability to hear properly.

Yes • Do people seem to mumble or speak in a softer voice than they used to?

• Do you feel tired or irritable after a long conversation?

• Do you sometimes miss key words in a sentence, or frequently need to ask people to repeat themselves?

• When you are in a group or in a crowded restaurant, is it difficult for you to follow the conversation?

• When you are together with other people, does background noise bother you?

• Do you often need to turn up the volume on your TV or radio?

• Do you find it difficult to hear the doorbell or the telephone ring?

• Is carrying on a telephone conversation difficult?

• Do you find it difficult to pinpoint where an object is (e.g. an alarm clock or a telephone) from the noise it makes?

• Has someone close to you mentioned that you might have a problem with your hearing?

No

Today’s Hearing is a family owned and run practice.

Dr. Mary Sue Harrison is the owner of Today’s Hearing. She has been in practice for 26 years and has been practicing Audiology since 1976. Dr. Harrison has specialized in working with musicians to provide hearing conservation programs. She is married to Tommy Harrison, D.D.S. and they share office space, providing both audiology and dental care. Both of their daughters also work in the office.

How did you do? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, call 281-578-7500 to schedule your hearing evaluation.

Specializing in: • Diagnostic Hearing Evaluations • Audiometric Testing • Hearing Aids • Blue Tooth Technology • Ear Protection • Swim Molds

www.tohear.com 21715 Kingsland Blvd. #105 • Katy, TX 77450 •281-578-7500

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