Mud & Magnolias January 2020

Mud&Magnolias October. November 2013 January 2020

Health + Wellness BLISS YOGA SELFISH FITNESS GRACIE JIU JITSU OXFORD AFLOAT HEALTHY RECIPES

CONTENTS

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73

25

37

18

RECIPES

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PRACTICING WELLNESS

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OILS

44

GRACIE JIU JITSU

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RISING WITH POTS

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ALSO:

This year, we’re taking you back to the basics to keep your resolutions on track by focusing on veggie and protein-based recipes.

Have you ever wondered what type of oil to use when cooking and why?

Does it really matter? The short answer: yes. Use this guide for all your cooking needs.

When she was 16, Amanda Swanton passed out 25 times. After 14 months of poking and proding, she finally got a diagnosis.

WINTER BLUES COLUMN

CHILDREN’S FIVE TIPS HEALTH FOR 2020 COLUMN COLUMN

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Finding fun ways to stay healthy – physically and mentally – can be hard.

These businesses in Columbus and Oxford are here to make it a little bit easier.

This style of jiu jitsu has been around since the 1920s, and differs from every other style by focusing on self-defense instead of offense.

A WORK IN PRACTICE

Mississippi isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of a Buddhist monastery. However, visitors may find a hiatus from reality.

SELFISH FITNESS

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DIABETES COLUMN

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January 2020 ON THE COVER Loaded teas and fitness shakes can help with energy and getting through the day.

DIY YOGA MAT

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check out this month’s DIY painted yoga mat video at mudandmag.com.

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O

n Christmas morning when I was a child, my sister and I would race into the living room to see what Santa had delivered. My parents would be sitting there with big smiles and eager excitement. Now as an adult with a young child of my own, I wonder if that look was actually exhaustion.

When I think of holidays past, the main thing I reflect on is family. People who are no longer here and the sweet memories I hold so dear. People I get to see only during the holidays, but always wish it was more. People who bring me joy, laughter and lots of hugs. That’s what the holidays are all about for me.

Whether you try the Christmas cookies or any of the other delicious holiday recipes (pg. 31), I hope you find something you can share with the ones you love.

If you are running short on time, or just want to take out some of the holiday stress, reach out to my friends in Oxford to make your Christmas a little more convenient (pg. 59). All Wrapped Up’s Kristin Busby takes the worry out of getting all those gifts wrapped up beauifully.

Anne Fairley Smith and Christy Larson of Oxford Town Concierge can do it all — from decorating to shopping, they are your go-to girls for getting through the holiday season.

If getting your house festive is on your to-do list, head over to Trendy Tree in Pontotoc (pg. 94). Their new storefront has all kinds of unique decorations pulled together to allow you to visualize what will make your house memorable this Christmas.

Whatever you do to make the holiday season special with your family, I hope this issue helps you get into the festive spirit. Wishing you all the best this holiday season and into the new year!

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah Brooke Bishop

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Robyn Jackson Lindsay Daffron Kristina Domitrovich

FEATURED SALES CONSULTANTS Leigh Knox June Phillips Darla Webb Angie Quarles Amber Lancaster Teresa McDonald Krystal Anderson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dennis Seid Erica Witcher Laura Walker Russell Chumley Dr. Christopher Park

subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a monthly publication of Journal, Inc.

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RECIPES

LIGHT &

FRESH

Kick the new year into gear by prioritizing your health.

This month’s recipes showcase our favorite goodfor-you dishes, from roasted greens to vitamin-rich smoothie bowls.

Parmestan-Roasted Asparagus recipe on pg. 18

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RECIPES

Egg White Frittata recipe on pg. 18

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RECIPES

Walnut Salmon recipe on pg. 18

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RECIPES

No-Bake Magnolia Snack Bars recipe on pg. 19

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RECIPES

Roasted Artichokes recipe on pg. 19

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RECIPES

Acai Bowl recipe on pg. 19

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RECIPES PARMESAN-ROASTED ASPARAGUS

EGG WHITE FRITTATA

WALNUT SALMON

Ingredients: 1 bunch of asparagus 1/2 lemon, juice and zest Freshly ground pepper and salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 1 tablespoon olive oil

Ingredients: 4 cups egg whites 1 10-ounce package of frozen spinach 1/2 pound sliced mushroom caps 1/2 medium onion, diced 1/2 teaspoon crushed sea salt 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 4 ounces feta cheese crumbles 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 rosemary sprig

Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless salmon filets 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 1 lemon, juiced 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Rinse asparagus, and trim the bottom inch off the stocks. Line the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice; toss stocks to evenly cover.

Sprinkle with spices and Parmesan. Zest lemon on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until asparagus are tender when stuck with a fork.

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Directions: Preheat oven to 350, and begin thawing frozen spinach. In a pan on medium heat, add olive oil, then mushrooms, onions and spices. Sautee for five minutes, or until mushrooms have shrunk significantly, and onions are translucent and soft. Rid excess liquid off spinach using a cheesecloth. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites. Combine sauteed vegetables and spinach, and stir. Gently fold in 3/4 of the cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on top. Transfer to a greased loaf pan. Finely dice rosemary, and sprinkle on top, along with remaining cheese. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Line a casserole dish with parchment paper. Pat the filets dry using paper towels. When completely dry, spread the mustard across the filets, then transfer to the baking dish. In a bowl, combine all other ingredients. Pack the topping onto the filets. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is flaky.

RECIPES NO-BAKE MAGNOLIA SNACK BARS

ROASTED ARTICHOKES

ACAI BOWL (AH-SIGH-EE)

Ingredients: 1 cup dried, pitted medjool dates 1 1/2 cup rolled oats 3/4 cup cup unsweetened shredded coconut 1/2 cup hemp hearts 1/4 cup tablespoons pepita seeds 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter or nut butter of choice 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 1-4 teaspoons water, as needed Optional topping: 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt 2 100% dark chocolate bars 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 3 tablespoons pepita seeds

Ingredients: For the artichokes: 2 large artichokes 1 lemon, juiced Crushed pepper Crushed sea salt Olive oil 2 sprigs rosemary 4 sprigs thyme 8 small cloves of garlic

Ingredients: 1 1/2 frozen bananas 4 tablespoons acai powder 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/8 cup frozen blueberries Suggested toppings: 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut 1 tablespoon chia seeds 1/8 cup desired fresh fruit

Directions: Lightly grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, remove from heat, and soak the dates for 15 minutes. Drain well, and add to a food processor. Pulse in a food processor until sticky, about 30 seconds.

Add in oats, shredded coconut, hemp hearts, pepita seeds, sunflower seed butter, coconut oil, vanilla and spices, and pulse until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, checking between each addition to see if the mixture is sticky.

Spread evenly into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. For the topping: Over a double broiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil. Spread over the pan’s contents, and immediately top with coarse salt, pepita seeds and shredded coconut. Return to the refrigerator to set for another 20 minutes.

Cut with a knife and serve, store in the refrigerator.

For the sauce: 6 tablespoons butter 3/4 lemon Freshly ground pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Wash and trim the artichokes, cutting the stem to the base. For easy eating, use shears to trim the thorns off the outer petals. Use a large knife to cut each artichoke in half – going from the stem to the top point. Use a spoon to scoop out the choke, removing any young flowers in the process if needed.

Set artichokes aside. Using the flat side of a knife, crush each garlic clove. Remove skin. Place two crushed cloves in the well of each artichoke, and lay rosemary and thyme sprigs over the halves. Grind salt and pepper on the exposed side of the halves, and drizzle with lemon and olive oil. Gently, holding the herbs and garlic, flip cut-side down into a casserole dish. On the outer halves, add more crushed salt and pepper, lemon and olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the leaves pull off easily. Meanwhile, create the dipping sauce. Melt butter, remove seeds before squeezing lemon, and topping with pepper. When the artichokes are done roasting, remove garlic and herbs before eating.

Directions: Wash and cut fresh fruit for topping. In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour into a bowl, and finish with desired toppings. M

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Cooking Oils:

what you need to know

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photo by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

Using oils is a part of cooking, but it’s important to understand which oils to use for different cooking methods. Oils have what is called a smoking point. It’s pretty straight forward: It’s the degree at which that type of oil will begin to smoke and break down. Past its smoking point, the oil will begin to release harmful toxins and make food taste burnt. It’s important to keep the cooking temperature below the smoking point. Here’s a guide for five popular oils.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Moderate smoking point of 350 degrees. At Mud & Magnolias, we like to call EVOO the “little black dress of oils” (thanks, Lindsay). It has a strong flavor profile and is ideal for sauteing, roasting and drizzling on foods.

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Ghee

Very high smoking point of 485 degrees. Ghee is basically “ultra clarified” butter, where all the excess moisture is removed, and has a caramely flavor profile.

Great for basically anything in the kitchen, from roasting, frying and sauteing, to baking.

Canola Oil

High smoking point of 400 degrees. Second to flaxseed oil, canola oil has the most healthy Omega 3 fats. It is extremely versatile and can be used for grilling, sauteing, baking, and stir-frying.

Unrefined Coconut Oil

Moderate smoking point of 350 degrees. Coconut oil is known for its antioxidants, and virgin coconut oil has a coconutty taste (refined does not).

Use it for sauteing, baking and roasting.

Flaxseed Oil

Very low smoking point of 225 degrees.

This oil has more healthy Omega 3 fats than any other option. Use it for extremely low-termperature cooking (think melting), salad dressings, sauces and drizzling on vegetables.

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MENTAL HEALTH

The Cold Days of Winter W

by RUSSELL CHUMLEY

ith shorter days and colder weather, the “winter blues” descend upon many people. During the colder, darker months, people find themselves staying indoors, being less social or less active than during other times of the year.

Some even experience a letdown after the holidays with a lack of energy and motivation.

Typically, the “winter blues” are marked by a decline in mood with depressed, gloomy, irritable feelings. Often an increased need for sleep, less interest in social activities, lower motivation to complete tasks and even an increased craving for carbohydrates can accompany these blues. Anyone experiencing any of these symptoms may find these strategies for self-care helpful in fighting the winter blues.

1. Stay mindful about the fuel you place in your body.

Nutrition plays an important role in emotional health. It is easy, when tired, to reach for the easy, pre-packaged, high-sugar, high-carb foods with low nutritional value that leave us feeling sluggish. Research indicates that this type of diet is more likely to cause depression. By contrast, a healthy, balanced, nutritious diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein can dramatically improve emotional health. Start by making one or two small, healthy food choices a day. Consider adding a daily vitamin or probiotic to fill any nutritional gaps. Gut health and emotional health are connected.

2. Move more.

Exercise is important for overall health and is an important strategy for beating the blues. Exercise releases important endorphins and chemicals in the brain to improve mood. Yet, exercise often seems daunting and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be. Research indicates that just 60 minutes of moderate movement per week will improve mood. That can even be broken down into 10-minute increments throughout the week, if needed. Park at the end of the parking lot.

Put on music and dance while you wash dishes. Pick activities that are easy to incorporate into your lifestyle and you will notice an increase in energy, better sleep and an improved mood.

4. Embrace change.

Embrace the weather. Embrace this time of your life. Instead of distressing over the shorter days and colder nights, take some time each day to snuggle into it. In many ways, we constantly look for the next task, or we replay regrets or worries from the day. This constant searching leaves us unsettled. Take some time each day to be mindfully present in the moment. Wrap up in your favorite blanket with a movie to watch or a book to read. Turn on some music, light a candle, reflect on reasons for gratitude. Breathe.

For some, the winter blues can develop into something more serious.

If you notice that these symptoms – depressed mood, low energy, sleep or appetite change, loss of interest and motivation – seem to persist, or they begin to interfere with aspects of your life, then it is time to talk to a primary care provider or counselor. If you or someone you know experiences suicidal thoughts, talk to a professional immediately.

Don’t ignore it. One in 10 people in the United States experience diagnosable depression each year. Those numbers indicate that if not you, then someone you know may be suffering from depression. Don’t suffer in silence. It is time to talk about it. Depression is not a choice.

It is not a lack of faith and it is not anyone’s fault. It is a medical illness, like diabetes or heart disease. Most importantly, it is treatable. M

3. Practice better sleep habits.

A good, restful night of sleep is essential to mood, outlook, energy level and overall health. To improve sleep quality, limit caffeine, avoid nicotine and skip naps. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Remove anything distracting from your room – leave your mobile device in another area. Increase your exposure to sunlight.

Open your curtains or blinds during the day; spend some time outside.

On average, it takes about 20-30 minutes to go to sleep; if not asleep by then, get up, go to a different room and do something relaxing for 20-30 minutes. Then, try again.

Russell Chumley, LPC, LMFT, is a licensed professional counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist who serves as the psych-assessment coordinator at the North Mississippi Medical Center Behavioral Health Center.

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Rise Above

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

Amanda Swanton was a normal American teen. She was 16, went to high school in Wheaton, Illinois, she had a great group of friends, she enjoyed spending time with her family, she loved show choir – life was good. Until everything went black.

The first time it happened, she felt sick. Her stomach hurt, she felt nauseated, overheated, and that was it – that was the last thing she remembered. She woke up thinking, ‘Whoa, that’s really weird, never passed out before. I can check that off the bucket list now.’

The school nurse brushed it off, probably dehydration.

Swanton went about with her life, until a few days later when it happened again. This time, the concern grew. ‘Twice in a few days? Something must be wrong.’ Her parents took her to the ER. The doctors ran tests, took an X-Ray, checked her out for appendicitis, but everything came back negative. They recommended she go see a cardiologist just to be sure. Negative. Neurologist.

Negative. Asthma specialist. Negative. Gynecologist. Negative. Allergy specialist. Negative.

All the while, Swanton passed out 25 more times.

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This page: Swanton’s aunt, a graphic designer, used her own font to design the A85 Cure logo to allude to the Wonder Woman logo. The logo is being used for stickers, hats, cowbells and other merchandise.

Next page: “Rise” is A85 Cure’s slogan. Swanton watched a great deal of basketball after recieving her diagnoses, and was inspired by her favorite NBA player, Stephen Curry. In a post-game interview, Curry said, “Every time I rise up, I have confidence I am going to make it.” Inspired, Swanton applied the word to A85 Cure.

P

ostural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, POTS for short, is a chronic illness affecting the heart and its ability to regulate blood flow. Essentially, the heart has trouble keeping up with the body’s movements. When Swanton would go from a resting state like sitting, and begin doing something as simple as standing up, she would experience symptoms. “(My heart’s) natural instinct was to send all the blood in my body to my legs,” she said. “That would cause me to pass out, and the blood pooling, and the dizziness, and the headaches, and the nausea and the tiredness.”

Because it is a chronic illness, it’s hard to determine all the symptoms and how greatly people with POTS are or are not affected. Swanton likes to describe POTS as a spectrum: Some people can live a full life with it, some people are wheelchair bound and hooked up to IVs, some will even die from it. It all depends upon each patient and where they land on the spectrum.

A85 Cure on the Move Swanton was finally diagnosed with POTS in January of 2016. Like so many others, she had never heard of POTS before. The night she was diagnosed, she and her mother began researching her condition.

“It was pretty scary,” she said. “When I first heard it, I thought, ‘Oh, I bet you it’s just like a little thing,’ but then when I looked into it I was like, ‘Wow, this is a whole lifestyle change.’”

Through researching her condition those first few months after her diagnosis, she found that 85% of patients with POTS are misdiagnosed before they are finally told they have POTS. Swanton also found that of the 3 million people with POTS around the world, a quarter of those are debilitated by their condition. That’s where she drew the line.

“It’s this popular in people, and this debilitating – how come it’s unknown?” Swanton said. “So finally I said, ‘Okay, I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to start a nonprofit organization, and we’re going to raise awareness for advocacy and research dollars, and I want to cure it.’”

Determined, Swanton founded A85 Cure in June of 2016. She was 17 years old. The name was inspired by the statistics, by the 85% of misdiagnoses before finding answers. The logo, designed by her aunt, also found its beginnings from the POTS community. Swanton mentioned a saying in the medical community: Every child with a cardiovascular condition is a heart hero. Going along with that theme, the font and logo are meant to resemble the Wonder Woman logo.

Eventually, Swanton found herself in Starkville, attending Mississippi State University. When she moved, so did A85 Cure.

“It really is my baby, it’s something that I’m very passionate about,” she said.

When she first arrived in Starkville, she immediately got involved with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, and hosted a ribbon cutting for A85 Cure, to raise awareness in the area. Through that ceremony, Swanton was surprised at the number of people who contacted her about POTS. “I discovered that POTS is really a huge epidemic in Mississippi,” Swanton said. “Mississippi is one of the highest (ranked) states that has POTS.” While researchers are still unsure why POTS is rampant in Mississippi and the South as a whole, the detail took Swanton by surprise. Back home, right outside of Chicago, most people she told about her condition had never heard of it before. Down here, it’s a different story.

“It’s really great to have that support where they understand what it is, or they’re like, ‘Oh my friend has that, my mom has that,’ or, ‘Oh, I knew somebody in high school who has that,’” Swanton said. “I get that a lot down here, which is great because it gives you that extra bit of

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support and love and comfort.”

With this new knowledge, she made connections with the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children in Jackson, Mississippi. Swanton and A85 Cure work closely with Dr. William Moskowitz, a POTS specialist at Batson. Swanton said a POTS clinic for Batson is in the works, and she’s excited to have A85 Cure help however it can.

“When you’re in the South, it (can) take two hours to get somewhere, so it’s great that Batson exists, and if we could get that resource out here for all the patients suffering, that could be a really big help,” she said.

For now, Swanton focuses on hosting fundraising events for A85 Cure. From making heart hero capes for children last February during American Heart Month, working with brands like Kendra Scott and hosting golf outings, A85 Cure has accomplished quite a lot in its three years; but Swanton has bigger plans.

“My goal is to get to a national charity, and my goal is to eventually have enough advocacy research dollars out there to fully cure POTS,” she said. “I know it sounds kind of crazy or impossible, but it’s something that I’m passionate about, something that I would love to do and see happen.”

Finding Her Rhythm Swanton’s doctor told her most people stop moving with their diagnosis, the opposite of what POTS patients should do. Swanton was told to get in the best shape of her life in order to train her heart.

“That’s the way to get the repetition going, get your heart rate going, and really kind of condition it to be able to handle the changes and flow of blood pressure,” she said.

At first, she struggled to find a balance of what works for her and her POTS. She said it took about a year to learn her triggers. Now, Swanton tries to workout every day, or at least run two miles every other day. In addition, she found her POTS symptoms are closely linked to her diet, so she restricts her sugar intake to 25 grams a day.

Swanton is currently a sophomore at Mississippi State University studying public relations. Being away from her family and doctors presented its own challenges, but Swanton, the super hero of POTS according to her aunt, makes it work.

“Being in a college town where there’s football, there’s parties, there’s the Cotton District – it gets kind of crazy sometimes. But I know my triggers,” she said.

She considers herself lucky, and says it’s a miracle just that she’s able to attend college, let alone run A85 Cure, too. Every day, she still checks in with her body and her heart to get a read for how the day will go. She said sometimes her heart still feels slightly weird, so she will take it easy for a little while until she’s feeling better. Living with POTS still affects her day-to-day.

“It really just depends. I’m incredibly blessed to live the life I do and to do the stuff I do with my foundation and with my every-day life, because I know there’s a lot of people who unfortunately can’t and are really struggling,” she said. “I love what I do everyday … I have to keep going because I’m doing it for myself, but also I’m doing it for people who can’t.”

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It took 14 months for Swanton to be correctly diagnosed with POTS. During that time, she experienced 25 fainting spells, and each one grew worse. At one point, these episodes began to evolve: She started having convulsions and seizure-like activity. She said it was embarrassing, and people began to avoid her in fear she may have an episode. Her friends grew distant; she had to stop show choir.

The doctors accused her of faking it. They asked if she was being bullied. They asked her parents if everything was all right at home. They said maybe it was just anxiety. They put her on a heart monitor. They ran CT scans, checked for tumors and epilepsy, her hormone levels checked out – everything came back fine.

Finally, her cardiologist said, ‘Let me do one last test.’ After moving in various ways – sitting up, laying down with her feet up, sitting halfway up – Swanton and her family finally found the answer.

Like the other 85% of POTS diagnoses, Swanton went through the medical ringer, took test after test and was misdiagnosed many times before she finally found her answers, 14 months later. M

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH

YOUR CHILD’S COMPLETE WELLNESS CHECK

M

ost parents understand the importance of taking their children for their annual wellness checks. This is an opportunity to check their growth and milestone development. The wellness check is a critical time for early detection and intervention for a variety of issues children may face.

The typical wellness visit often includes a routine screening of ears and eyes. The doctor checks a child’s heart and lungs, and may run some tests just to make sure “everything is okay.”

However, these wellness screenings often fail to catch “unseen” issues if you don’t know to ask the right questions. They have no swab test or blood screen. These health challenges don’t always come with “traditional signs” like bruising, weight loss, rashes or fever, but have the ability to affect children long-term.

Hart Wylie, psychiatric nurse practitioner with Canopy Children’s Solutions child’s wellness discusses how parents can get the most out of their =visit.

“When thinking about your child’s health, think broader spectrum,” said Wylie. “You need to make sure you and your doctor are on the same page. He or she can help you understand what is typical for your child’s age and what isn’t. Discuss in detail what development milestones for your child should look like over the next year and any red flags you should look out for. Even small delays can affect later development, performance in school and social skills, so it is important to catch them early.”

In addition to milestones, there are several others things Wylie recommends discussing with your child’s doctor to make sure you get the most out of your child’s annual wellness visit: YOUR CHILD’S SLEEP The amount and the overall quality of sleep a child gets can have a huge impact on behavior, cognitive ability and other factors. This may also include a discussion about screen time and its impact on sleep and behavior.

VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES A lack of vital nutrients can cause symptoms like a depressed mood, sluggishness and lack of motivation.

Talk about your child’s eating habits and if supplements might be necessary.

Mental health screenings—common mental health challenges in kids, such as depression and anxiety, can look very different than symptoms that appear in older teens and adults. Does your child complain about regular headaches or stomachaches? Are

they abnormally fearful? Because of mental health stigmas and misinformation, many kids’ conditions are misdiagnosed or go unnoticed or untreated, which can lead to long-term health issues.

DIFFICULT TRANSITIONS Take time to discuss major changes happening in your child’s life, such as death or divorce. Your doctor can offer signs to watch for that can indicate intervention is needed. He or she may recommend your child visit a mental health therapist specializing in children or adolescents to help with learning valuable coping skills and how to handle complex or intense feelings.

SOCIAL PLAY Talk to your doctor about how your child interacts with peers. This can be a strong indicator of issues such as anxiety or depression as well as bullying and emotional or developmental challenges.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS Particularly if your child is younger, there are certain statemandated regulations parents must follow. Your pediatrician can recommend proper car seat sizes. They can also suggest developmentally appropriate conversations to have like “stranger danger” and “good touch, bad touch.”

You know your child best and if there is something concerning you regarding possible symptoms or behaviors, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If it isn’t time for your child’s wellness visit, go ahead and make the call – don’t wait. Early intervention is the most effective way of addressing physical, emotional and behavioral challenges with children who often are able to recover fully, and go on to lead normal and productive lives. Even if it turns out to be nothing, gathering answers and reassurance is worth your peace of mind. M Laura Walker is the staff writer for Canopy Children’s Solutions.

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DIY

Practicing Wellness

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

In a world as fast-paced as ours, it can be hard to find time to relax. And when you finally get around to carving out time for yourself, it can be harder still to shut your brain off. “I’m too busy,” or “I can’t sit there and do nothing for that long,” are all too familiar excuses, but these are the people who need it the most.

At each year’s beginning, we all set new goals for ourselves. It’s a ritualistic thing: evaluating accomplishments, setting new goals. But within a few months, maybe even weeks, those resolutions and goals can seem just a little too far from reach. It can easily become discouraging. That’s why, this year, we encourage our readers to practice wellness. Health reaches into more aspects than just physicality, and it’s important to recognize that. With this fresh start, consider focusing on yourself, what makes you feel better. It may be floating in a salt tank, or practicing yoga.

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Stretch It Out I

n 2010, Bliss Yoga opened in downtown Columbus, Mississippi. It traded owners’ hands a few times, until it fell into the lap of Lindsey Nicholson in January of 2017. A Mississippi native and Pilates lover, Nicholson never dreamed of owning a yoga studio. At the time, she was a stay-at-home mother, and taught fitness classes on the side.

When she looked into the studio, everything fell into place.

“It happened very organically,” she said. “All the pieces came together.”

Because of her love for Pilates, Nicholson knew she wanted her business to branch out. Since taking over, Bliss Yoga now has nine instructors, each certified to teach different classes. In addition to traditional yoga classes, the studio branches out and offers other things like Barre, Pilates and Qigong, too. But Bliss will always be rooted in yoga.

“At our core, we’re always going to be a yoga studio, so that’s my main focus,” Nicholson said.

While Bliss offers a barre class focusing on ballet movements, they use movable, freestanding barres instead of permanent wall attachments, so the studio is easily transformable for differently classes. The same applies to Pilates: While the studio has a reformer, a machine specifically crafted for practicing Pilates, Nicholson says one is enough for personal sessions.

Yoga & Mississippi “A lot of people think yoga is a religion,” Lindsey Nicholson said. “I think that’s a huge misconception.”

For Nicholson and her instructors, yoga is a way to reconnect with and care for one’s body, and simply refocus the mind.

“It’s just a time to bring your focus inward, focus on your breath.”

At Bliss, the instructors teach because they have a passion for yoga and Mississippi.

“We’re about a better, healthier community,” Nicholson said.

Bliss regularly partners with other businesses and organization to bring yoga to their community. Its instructors will host classes on Columbus Air Force Base, and Barefoot on the Bridge with the Mississippi University for Women. Through teaching and reaching out to new people, they are able to connect with their clients on a personal level.

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“People spend their time and energy coming here to be with us, and I don’t take that for granted and nobody else does either,” Nicholson says.

Because people invest themselves into the studio, Nicholson and the instructors built a welcoming environment. She said it is never a competition; instead, it is a place to focus on oneself.

“No one next to you is looking at you or looking to see if you’re doing it correctly, everybody is in their own space and worried about their movement and their bodies. It’s a community class, we all love each other, but once it’s time to start class,” she says, “it’s not competitive.”

For Everybody and Every Body While it is noncompetitive, the instructors said it can sometimes be hard for people to switch their mentality to a yoga mindset. With fitness gyms focused on high intensity interval training (HITT) popping up left and right, Nicholson said there’s a new gym mentality forming.

“People think, ‘Oh, if I’m not killing myself, if I’m not drenched in sweat, if I don’t feel terrible when I leave, then I didn’t work out, I didn’t benefit from what I just did,’” Nicholson said. “That is the biggest misconception, and I hate that people feel that way.”

At Bliss, there is a focus on breathing and the body, while also being active. The instructors said the amount of times they have heard, ‘I need to get in better shape and be more flexible before I start yoga classes,’ is enough to make their heads spin. Because of this, they each take care that every class is suitable to everyone, no matter their fitness level. Each instructor does this by offering different levels and advancements for each movement and pose throughout the course.

Nicholson said with yoga, immediate results are not the goal: a lifestyle change focused on wellness is the goal. People can practice yoga even as they age, and Nicholson said it’s because it helps with mobility and properly caring for the body.

“When you leave here, you feel longer, leaner, lighter. You can’t be doing CrossFit and lifting kettlebells (at 90), you’re going to throw your back out,” Nicholson said laughing while she mimicked hoisting a kettlebell. “This is a long-term lifestyle. I just feel like people get led astray or they want a quick fix.” M

Classes Light and Easy + Lindsey Nicholson said this class focuses on movement

with breath, but using a lighter flow than hot yoga or the warm vinyasa.

Pilates + “Pilates is core-focused,” Nicholson said. “Every movement you make is directly related to the core.”

Barre + Nicholson said this class uses freestanding barres to incorporate traditional ballet movements.

Hot Yoga + Offered over the weekends, so the studio can be heated to 90 degrees for 90 minutes.

Warm Vinyasa + The studio is heated to 82 degrees for 90 minutes. “But it helps you stretch because your muscles get really really warm quickly,” instructor Laura Beth Berry said.

Vinyasa + “Aligning things in a certain way like stacking things into

a certain sequence and then repeating it on the other side. It’s not just, ‘Do this, do that, do this, do that,’ it’s more of a flow,” instructor Kelly Wala said.

Core and Restore + “It’s a very deep, inner-core focused practice, with also some restorative yoga poses mixed in. Cause we’ll do a lot of core spiraling, tucking, pulsing, repetitive stuff and then lay down on our bolster, and fall into a twist. So it’s a lot of core focus, but then you relax in between,” Wala said.

Quigong + “If you’ve ever done acupuncture before, they use different

points of the body – they use needles, we’re using movement instead of needles. Just about movement energy,” instructor Brian Logan said.

Restorative classes + “We do the restorative classes where we use the bolsters. And that is a really low key, completely relaxed,” Nicholson said. “You lie in the bolster, but really, out of everything, that’s what people need the most. Because our brains never shut down.”

Left: Bliss Yoga supplies all mats, blocks and anything else needed for class.

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Whatever floats your boat

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shley Callery had a migraine for three and a half months – the type that’s debilitating and didn’t let her leave the house. Through that experience, she learned about floating: floating in a salt-dense bath tank.

Fairly quickly, she decided she was going to open her own float center in Mississippi, though she had never experienced it before. In 2016, she and her husband attended a conference in Portland, Oregon, to learn about owning and operating a float center. While they were there, she finally floated for the first time.

“We met a lot of friends in the workshop, and they were like, ‘Wait a minute. You’re at this workshop to start your own float center, but you’ve never floated?’ And we were like, ‘No,’ but I just knew it was going to work,” she said. “So that last day of the workshop, these friends made us appointments all over Portland to go float. And it was just like, ‘OK, it’s even better than I thought.’”

Floating: The Specs The pathway to opening her center was long and winding. Callery knew she wanted her center to be in Oxford where she lives, but Callery realized finding a space to rent and getting started to be an arduous process. Eventually, she was able to meet with a spa owner, who agreed to build a float room with Callery. The room is specifically built to be salt proof, along with double insulated walls to block out sound,

and non-slip flooring. Callery ordered her tank, the Orion Suite from California Float Concepts. In December 2018, Oxford Afloat opened its doors.

The water and the room itself are kept at body temperature, which Callery said prevents chills and startling the body. The water in the tank is 10 inches deep, and holds 1,800 pounds of Epsom salt. That much salt makes the water very buoyant – so buoyant, in fact, that it prevents sinking. Epsom salt is antibacterial by nature, but Callery and the tank itself take extra precautions to keep it clean. The tank is self-cleaning, and uses UV lights, micron filters, and ozone (a sterilization technique) cleaning methods to eliminate any bacteria. The tank’s cleaning process, which involves eight cleaning cycles, takes 15 minutes between each float. Each day, Callery will also clean the tank with hydrogen peroxide.

The Results Callery said each float is different, and it will feel different for each person. She said because of the water’s properties and temperature, it’s hard to tell where the body ends and where the water begins. Because of the salt content, the water feels almost silky.

“It’s so cool because you are so still,” she said. “And if you have all the lights out, some people say it’s like being in space. It makes you lose gravity. That’s a cool feeling, I think.”

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Callery’s pointers for first-time floaters: + Don’t shave or wax the

day of, as hair removal can be abrasive to the skin and the salt can cause irritation.

+ Don’t consume caffeine 90

minutes prior to the appointment to avoid jitters so clients can fully relax.

+ Clients will also want to avoid

a heavy meal prior to their float, otherwise they will hear their digestive system hard at work. However, Callery says a light meal 90 minutes before the appointment time will avoid hunger grumbles.

+ While a swimsuit is an option, it is

recommended to float in the nude, to avoid any sensational distractions.

Previous page: The float tank has its own room, which includes a shower area for clients to use before and after their floats.

This page: Right: Callery said it is impossible to get enough salt in a standard bathtub to replicate a float tank.

Far right: A close-up of the tank’s outter design; inside, clients will find different colors of LED lights to choose from, or no lights at all.

Oxford Afloat provides different float accessories to help with distractions, like a floating neck pillow and earplugs.

Callery says most people carry stress in their necks, so that area can be trickiest to relax while floating. For this, she suggests using the pillow, but it’s optional for each client.

The same goes for the earplugs. The point of floating is to experience sensory deprivation; sometimes the earplugs aid in this effort, though it heightens the sound of the body’s functions, which can distract some. Callery said each component is optional, and it is there to help clients find their own best methods of relaxation.

Since opening Oxford Afloat, Callery says she floats four to five times a week. Originally, she used the neck pillow and earplugs, and kept the LED lights on in the tank. Now, she leaves the neck pillow out, unplugs and turns the lights off. She laughed that she sometimes floats in order to take a nap and have down time.

“Everybody’s stressed out, and if you can’t turn your brain off,” she says, “you just can’t get calm.”

Aside from its calming properties, Callery says floating hosts a multitude of other benefits. Whether her clients are suffering from fibromyalgia, scoliosis or arthritis, she said her clients leave smiling and refreshed. If nothing else, Callery said floating is a great way to replenish magnesium.

“We’re depleted of (magnesium) because our soils aren’t good anymore, and we’re not eating from the ground as much,” she said. “So with the magnesium replacement, you’re getting a good night’s sleep, and you’re feeling better.

It’s a mineral we need.”

Each float is a full 60-minute session, with a full hour and a half blocked off for each appointment. This gives clients enough time to prepare for the float, like going to the restroom and showering, and to spend time in the relaxation room after floating, instead of jetting off to their next activity. M

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Gracie

JIU-JITSU At 56, Larry Pinson has no problem rolling with people half his age or even younger.

by DENNIS SEID photos by LINDSAY DAFFRON

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he owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Pinson is no stranger to martial arts, having studied and practiced various styles since he was a teen. But jiu-jitsu is relatively new to his arsenal, which includes taekwondo and hapkido.

Pinson started studying jiu-jitsu about 11 years ago after coming to the realization that, despite his finely honed skills in kicking, striking and blocking an opponent, there was an element still missing.

“I realized that if I was taken to the ground, I wasn’t prepared for that,” he said. “If I happen to have to defense myself standing up, that’s not a problem, but if I get taken to the ground where a lot of fights end up, what do I do? I knew I needed to prepare myself, and to teach others to prepare themselves.”

Pinson glides smoothly across the mat with one of his students, CJ Gann, at a recent demonstration. Switching to side control, full mounts, rear mounts and applying various chokes and submission holds like a rear naked choke and a kimura lock.

In taekwondo and shotokan, sparring demonstrates what a student has learned; in jiu-jitsu, it’s called rolling, as most of the moves are done on the ground.

Not that anyone would want to knowingly mess around with a three-time taekwondo world champion in sparring and forms.

But whereas traditional martial arts use the “empty-handed” techniques to strike with the hands and feet, jiu-jitsu – which has its roots in judo – is oriented toward grappling on the ground.

That’s where knowledge of joint locks and pressure points come into play, and where an opponent’s size is neutralized.

“A Brazilian, Helio Gracie – who weighed about 140 pounds – developed his style of jiu-jitsu to give himself the ability to defense himself against bigger, stronger and more athletic,” Pinson said.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is the term often associated with Gracie jiu-jitsu and vice versa, was developed from Kodokan judo ground fighting fundamentals. Several Japanese learned the art, including Takeo Yano, Mitsuyo Maeda, Soshihiro Satake and Isao

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Previous page: Jiu-Jitsu guides are displayed on the studio’s coffee table. This page: Pinson demonstrates a standing arm lock lock on Gann, a longtime student.

Okano. Brazilian jiu-jitsu came to be its own defined combat sport through its adaptations of judo.

Maeda left Japan in 1904 and visited several countries giving demonstrations and accepting challenges from wrestlers, boxers, savate fighters and various other martial artists, and he arrived in Brazil in November 1914.

Three years later, Carlos Gracie attended a demonstration by Maeda and decided to learn judo. Maeda accepted Carlos as a student, and Carlos passed his knowledge on to his brothers. But it was his brother, Helio, who further developed Gracie jiu-jitsu as a “softer, pragmatic adaptation from judo” focused on ground fighting.

“Helio decided to take the same techniques and modified them based on leverage for a small person to be able to use them,” Pinson said.

Mixed martial arts has its roots in jiu-jitsu. In fact, the very popular Universal Fighting Championship was born from Gracie jiu-jitsu.

After gaining popularity in Brazil, Rorion Gracie – Helio’s eldest son – moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s to expand Brazilian jiu-jitsu to America. The Gracie family promoted their style of fighting through popular contests in Brazil known as “Vale Tudo” ever since the early 1920s. Rorion co-founded a similar event, Vale Tudo in America, in which different martial arts styles were tested against each other. This event, better known as Ultimate Fighting Championship, was seen as an event for fighters to promote their fighting style. The first UFC event was in 1993, and Rorion’s younger brother Royce participated. Royce was much smaller than all the other competitors, but dominated all four fights that night. Royce’s victory attracted many martial artists, especially in America, and its popularity grew worldwide.

Royce went on to win the first, second and fourth UFC

championships, thus cementing the reputation of Brazilian jiujitsu and the Gracie family.

“Everybody wanted to learn jiu-jitsu after that,” Pinson said.

But, he noted, Gracie jiu-jitsu differs from the sport jiujitsu now seen on TV and live events. While striking is a larger component of sport jiu-jitsu – the “ground and pound” often seen – Gracie jiu-jitsu focuses on self-defense.

“It’s using different techniques, natural body movement and leverage to be able to control somebody and defend yourself,” he said. “It’s not about getting in a fight. It’s about teaching you different ways to get out of a situation. It helps you to gain control of them and eventually submit them and make them give up.

“Studies show that 90 percent of fights end up on the ground.

They might start standing up, but they won’t finish there unless somebody gets knocked out. So eventually, it ends up on the ground. Then what do you do? That’s where jiu-jitsu comes in.” jiu-jitsu isn’t necessarily complicated. While there are more than 600 moves that can be applied, there are 36 basic techniques that are critical. All it takes is time, dedication and plenty of practice.

“It’s better to know it and not have to use it, rather than not know it and have a need for it,” Pinson said.

It is an effective equalizer when needed.

“It teaches you perfect the techniques to force your opponent to burn energy while you preserve yours, and when your opponent runs out of energy, you can defeat your opponent with any armlock or a choke,” Pinson said. “It’s very reliable and highly effective.”

Classes are offered for kids as well as adults at various times throughout the week. Instruction for kids ages 5-7 is available under the “Bully Proof ” program. For this age group, students

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are taught through the “Gracie Games” which teaches them jiu-jitsu through games and play. The next age group is for ages 8-12 and falls under the Junior Grapplers program. Here, every technique taught in the higher level combative program is taught with the exception of the choke holds.

“Once they turn 13, we introduce them to the adult program, and they learn everything the adults learn in one-hour group classes,” Pinson said.

There’s also an invitation-only Black Belt Club for kids who show exceptional interest and understanding in jiu-jitsu, and they’re taught more advanced techniques.

Pinson said jiu-jitsu is ideal for women, and many of the more than 60 students at his school are female.

“It’s very important to be able to defend yourself in any situation,” he said. “It’s one of the most powerful martial arts I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been doing this nearly my entire life.”

One of the school’s longtime students Gann, 20, has been a student under Pinson since he was 4, starting with taekwondo before gravitating to jiu-jitsu after a few years away.

“When I turned 12 or 13, I really didn’t have an athletic outlet and I turned to Mr. P and started doing taekwondo again and jiujitsu,” he said. “The person I am now is because of jiu-jitsu. It’s given me confidence, and it’s become my outlet, my escape from everything else. Mr. P is not just an instructor, but a mentor, and in many ways, a father.” M

Top: Pinson grips his belt, a standard pose in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Bottom: A sign with Gracie’s logo hangs in the studio.

Gracie BELT RANKING SYSTEM FOR ADULTS 1M

1M 2M 4M 4M

WHITE

4M

5M 5M 5M 5M

BLUE

3M

3M 4M 4M 4M

PURPLE

3M

3M 4M 4M 4M

BROWN/COACH

Up to 6 grades/7 years

7th grade/8 years

CORAL/MASTER

8th grade/10 years

CORAL/MASTER

9th grade

M = months required to acheive a new belt stripe, if minimum weekly class attendance is met

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BLACK/PROFESSOR

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RED/GRANDMASTER

Dr. Chris Park works at Baptist Memorial Hospital Booneville and specializes in Family Medicine.

5 Ways to Make 2020 Your Healthiest Year Ever HEALTH + WELLNESS We all want to be healthy and live a full life. But what is health?

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ou might have a strong body and deadlift 500 lbs, but if you’re lonely, are you healthy? You can have the perfect Instagram pictures, but if you’ve alienated your friends due to isolation and apathy, are you healthy? You can get your blood pressure controlled and blood sugar regulated, but if you struggle with uncontrolled sadness, are you healthy? You can be attractive, young, and have a successful business, but if you’re addicted to prescription pain pills, are you healthy?

So, for me, I think the definition of health is different than just how your body is functioning. I think the definition of health is balance.

To be free from drugs, anxiety, depression, and disease.

This is the goal. To be happy. To have strong relationships.

To love and to be loved. This is the goal. Balance is the goal.

It’s the balance of body, mind, and spirit.

Here’s 5 Ways to Make 2020 Your Healthiest Year Yet: 1) DIET You knew we’d have to start here, didn’t you? The dreaded “D” word.

Most people look at diet as a type of penance for previous wrongs. You ate chocolate cake yesterday, so today you’d better skip on sweets. It becomes a love/hate relationship.

You want to eat what you want to eat, but you immediately feel guilty. Or maybe you gave up on guilt and gave in to gluttony. Hey, no judgment here – but I think there’s a better way to look at the food we eat.

Instead of thinking about what to cut out, think about what to put in. What do you need to eat to feel good, have energy, keep your body fat low and your strength high? Food is the fuel that will help you accomplish your goals. But,

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of course, this assumes you have goals. Something you’re pursuing. Something you want to accomplish.

Instead of trying to lose 15 pounds, eat to run a 5k, or lower your blood pressure, or improve your blood glucose levels.

What you’ll find is that your appearance, confidence, and strength will all improve, and you’ll be more motivated to stick with it because your diet becomes performance based.

I think that’s a win-win.

2) DO SOMETHING BIG Instead of resolutions this year, focus on having resolve.

Resolve is a firm determination to do something. And I say aim high. Maybe this is the year you take your grandkids to the Smoky Mountains, and you want to be able to walk some trails with them. If that’s the case, get to training. Maybe this is the year you finally run that half marathon you’ve been thinking about. Maybe this is the year you sign up for fitness kickboxing classes, or learn to speak Spanish, or take a welding class. Whatever it is you decide to do, go after it.

Don’t be afraid of failure, because, trust me, you’re going to fail and that’s okay. Because when you fail, you learn to get back up and keep fighting.

3) MINIMIZE YOUR JUNK. MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL. Reduce stress and clutter in your life; add fulfillment and joy. Clean out your closets and start getting rid of old junk you never wear or use. Give them to someone who can use them, or chunk it in the garbage.

Clear up your schedule. Stop adding things to your day that are not helpful to your ultimate goals. It’s okay to say “no” every now and then. This is your life. Carve out what

you want and need.

As you start to get healthier, you’ll probably be able to reduce some of your medicines (with your doctor’s approval, of course). Which in turn will reduce your monthly costs. It’s almost as if you’re getting paid to take care of yourself.

4) PRAY Prayer and meditation is often overlooked. I find that most people look at prayer as only a means of asking God for things. But prayer can also be extremely powerful when used to speak thanks. Make a list of the things you’re grateful for, and then say a prayer of thanks over these people, things, situations, etc.

Sit in a quiet space and breathe deeply, in and out. Try to clear your mind and focus on your breathing. Imagine the family that’s in your house. Now, see a warm light move over them. Feel your gratitude swell inside you and give thanks to God for all He’s done.

If you’re going through something difficult, such as cancer, the death of a loved one, depression, etc., then you probably feel overwhelmed. A prayer of gratitude for what you have

can go a long way to making you feel better. And, in my opinion, is more helpful than praying for whatever it is you’re struggling with to just go away.

5) THE FIRST STEP TO GETTING OUT OF A HOLE IS TO STOP DIGGING. If you’re adding poisonous toxins to your body, then you’re not going to be healthy. Stop smoking. Stop drinking alcohol.

Stop watching pornography. Stop mindlessly looking at your phone. Stop ignoring healthy relationships. Stop gossiping.

Stop binge shopping. Stop cutting corners at work.

Instead, start exercising daily. Start praying daily. Start writing down ideas daily. Start eating healthy foods daily.

Start spending more time with the people you love daily.

Alright guys and gals, these were just a few of my favorite tips for living a healthy life and making 2020 your best year ever. I hope it was helpful.

Good luck and Godspeed. M

DR. PARK’S TOP TOOLS

DIET

DO SOMETHING BIG

PRAY

MINIMALIZE

STOP DIGGING, START GROWING

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DIY

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Level Up and Be Selfish

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

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S

ince 2006, Jaquana Sykes has had big plans. Back then, she was a business marketing major at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. For a class project, she had to create a marketing plan for a business. Instead of picking someone else’s business, she created her own. Well, almost. It was still just a plan. She kept it in her pocket to pull out when she would be ready to open the doors, but she took measures to make it an LLC and start saving. But even in college, she knew what she wanted: a one-stop shop for all things good health.

Selfish Fitness Center opened in Tupelo in May of 2018, and uses the same business model Sykes created back in school. It’s been tweaked here and there to accommodate certain things like social media, but the bones are still there: a one-stop shop. The idea is simple: As soon as a member walks through the door, they should be entirely focused on themselves and have the opportunity to be selfish about their health.

“Because we put so much emphasis on everyone else and we tend to forget about ourselves, the whole point of Selfish is that you have to give your best self to everyone else,” Sykes said. “If you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not giving them the best you. Even with your kids, your family, your husband – if you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re moody, you tend to be tired, fatigued, you’re not good to be around.”

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Above: Sykes and one of her personal trainers on staff do Pound exercises. This class uses drum sticks to pound into the ground and in the air.

Right: Jumping rope can be harder than it looks, but some instructors have mastered it enough to do different steps.

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Above: Sykes leads Zumba with another instructor, both clad in Selfish’s clothing line.

Sykes said 70% of her Zumba Crew aren’t necessarily dancers. For Sykes, having fun and being active is the most important part of her classes, not following along with her dance moves.

The first installment of Selfish was the fitness studio. Sykes figured it would be the best first step with Selfish, because it allows people to get in good physical health before venturing off to the other aspects of the business. While they offer personal training sessions, the majority of what Selfish’s clients and members focus on the fitness classes. Sykes said her best workouts are always group fitness classes.

“I don’t need the equipment, I just need a class with people who motivate me, make me feel good, push me through it,” she said, adding that her clients feel the same. “They don’t want to get on a treadmill, they want to have some fun.”

With six instructors, two personal trainers, a massage therapist and a brand ambassador, there are a lot of different tastes and preferences at Selfish. Because of that, it can offer a slew of different classes, in hopes that everyone can find one class they enjoy. From classics like weekly yoga and old-school step, to kick-it-in-gear body sculpt, ab attack and boot camp, there are quite a few options from which to choose.

Selfish also offers high-intensity interval training (HITT) like Turbo Kick, MixFit, jump rope and Pound. These classes put a focus on quick movements, and classes like Turbo Kick integrate things like punching and kicking the air. Pound uses drumsticks to literally pound on the ground and in the air. The jump rope class integrates things aside from just jumping rope, but Sykes said 10 minutes of jumping rope burns as many calories as running for half an hour.

But above all else, Selfish is known for its Zumba. When Sykes first moved to Tupelo, she joined a gym that offered fitness classes, one of which was Zumba. She taught that class for quite a while and gained a following – a group she lovingly called her Zumba Crew. When the gym switched gears and stopped offering group classes, Sykes could no

longer teach there, and her Zumba Crew got antsy.

“They were like, ‘Where are we gonna do Zumba at? Didn’t you say you wanted to open up your own studio? Hurry up! What’s taking so long?’” Sykes said laughing.

From there, she knew there was a need and a want for her fitness classes in Tupelo, so she decided to make Selfish a reality. Members of her Zumba Crew even helped Sykes find the location, all to push the process along. All in all, she stopped leading the class in March of 2018, and Selfish opened its doors later that year in May. Sykes said despite being a dance class, most of her Zumba attendees don’t know how to dance, but they can follow along and have a great time.

“I don’t care, you can make up your own moves, I’m just here to motivate you to move. I’m an instructor, but I’m just a motivator,” she said. “I’m going to motivate you to sweat, I’m going to motivate you to be your best self, and that’s all I am is your motivation. Like I said, you can make up your own moves if you don’t get my moves, I don’t care, freestyle.”

For Sykes, the key is just getting out an moving, and why not have fun while doing that?

“You’re going to see results, you’re going to have fun, you’re going to be around people who want to see you win, who’s going to motivate you,” she said.

In conjunction with the personal training and group classes offered through the fitness studio, Selfish serves as a massage therapy center and a fitness apparel retailer featuring Selfish’s own clothing designs, from sports bras, sweat-wicking shirts for men and women, to waist trainers.

“Nobody needs to go anywhere else,” Sykes said. M

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Top Left: “I call her Selfanie because in the middle of the bright colors, she’s the center,” Sykes said on the logo. “So, in the middle of all the noise, you’re the main focus. That’s the whole point of Selfish: No matter what’s going on around you, you’re the focus, you’re the center.”

Bottom: Sykes with her instructors, brand manager and massage therapist.

Top Right: Sykes sits on the couch at Selfish. “The bright colors is a feel good. When you come in here, just from the walk in, I want you to be ready because you’re about to have some fun, you’re about to enjoy yourself,” she said. “Those colors, put you in the mood even before you get started, so that’s the whole point of the bright colors; it’s a feel good, I want you to be

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PHYSICAL HEALTH

Balancing resolutions with diabetes

by Erica Witcher Erica Witcher is a Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator at the Mantachie Clinic

M

ost of us are thinking about the new year and what our New Year’s Resolutions will be once the holidays are over and the Christmas trees are put up. After the new year, most people like to say that they will lose weight, join a gym, or get back to a healthier lifestyle. During the holidays most of us are eating all of those delicious but not so healthy foods while enjoying time with family and friends. We also do not tend to do things as usual. We might not check our blood sugars as often or watch portion sizes as closely.

When January hits we are scrambling to get ourselves back in check.

I love New Year’s Resolutions and the meaning behind them. I think having a new start with healthy goals in mind is great! I love that we can motivate ourselves to be a better version of us no matter what the goal.

There are many ways of achieving goals of being healthy with weight loss or better managing a chronic disease. I think the best place to start is a visit to one’s primary care provider. This will help see how one’s health is actually doing. They can look at various labs to see what needs to be improved and what is doing very well. This can help people with diabetes by looking at A1c ranges and also other labs for cholesterol, liver, kidneys, etc. Labs will give a starting point when looking at chronic diseases such as diabetes or even someone without a chronic disease but looking to improve health.

Here are some very good ways to get healthy whether you have a chronic disease or just looking to get healthy. Exercise is very important and free, one can walk at home, down the driveway, or even around the block. Many towns are now getting involved by having safe places to walk. If the weather is not permitting there are other things one can do. Purchasing some exercise bands is low cost and very easy. A person can place these around the legs and arms for a great workout all while watching their favorite TV show!

Another way to get back on track with better health and disease

management is to watch what we are eating. I am not talking about giving up any type of food like some fad diets suggest but really to balance the plate with carbohydrates (breads, fruit, and starchy vegetables), lean protein (chicken, turkey, and fish), non-starchy vegetables (spinach, tomatoes, and broccoli), and heart healthy fats in moderation (olive oil, avocados, and nuts).

Other ways of obtaining better health or chronic disease management is to make sure that if someone has diabetes, they are checking blood sugars as directed by the provider, taking all medications as prescribed with the correct dosage, and getting check ups at least 2 times a year. Some may require 3-4 times a year if further management is needed.

Having support whether it is from family or even a support group can help someone achieve the goals they have set for themselves for chronic disease management or weight loss. At Mantachie Rural Healthcare, Inc., we have a diabetes class each month that anyone can come to for support and education. We also provide weight loss education with classes throughout the year. Chronic disease management and weight loss are some of the initiatives that many providers have recognized to be important. There are many types of classes and groups all over North Mississippi to help with support.

Continued support has been proven to help success rates with patients and family members to better understand and deal with many diseases along with helping to achieve and maintain weight loss goals.

I always encourage clients to strive for healthy weight loss since it can improve chronic disease management and overall health. I assure them that by losing weight slowly with lifestyle changes by eating a healthier diet and exercise we can achieve the goals we are working towards. Moderation and balance are essential with healthy weight loss and chronic disease management. M

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loaded TEAS

Loaded teas have claimed their presence in Mississippi, rivaling the traditional morning cup of joe. From teas that pay homage to superheroes to those that taste like pomegranate, options are limitless, benefits are appealing and tea shops are easy to find.

by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

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SWEET & CITRUSY

benefits of tea: vitaminrich

energy

mental clarity

focus

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TART & HONEYED a few flavors:

watermelon lemon lime

where to buy:

Barnes Crossing Nutrition tupelo Loaded Nutrition tupelo

Oxford Nutrition oxford

Sip Oxford oxford

Crossroads Nutrition corinth

Amped Nutrition amory

Starkville Nutrition starkville

Lifted Nutrition pontotoc

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blueberry

cucumber

peach

pomegranate

blue raspberry

BUYER ’S GUIDE

BUYER ’S GUIDE

A Work in Practice In the backwoods of Mississippi – Batesville to be exact – an unexpected hiatus awaits those who are willing to venture toward self-discovery.

by KRISTINA DOMITRIVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

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Previous page: A cabin at Magnolia Grove Monastery; This page: A glimpse into the main meditation hall shows paintings and a bell; Next Page: Brother Dao Hanh, a monk, smiles in front of the meditation hall.

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t Magnolia Grove, a bell chimes every half hour. With every chime of the bell, silence washes over the monastery.

Sister Doi Nghiem greets visitors with a smile, and tells them to think of the person who means the most in their life, perhaps it’s his or her mother. She’ll say to think of the bell like your mother calling you home, beckoning you to relax and reconnect with yourself.

This simple act of stopping to take a breath, to reconnect, refresh and come back is one of the many ways throughout the monastics’ life at the monastery to show gratitude and thoughtfulness. Taking time to recognize the air entering and leaving the body – this is called mindful breathing. Mindfulness, breathing or otherwise, is a motif at Magnolia Grove.

THE HISTORY Thich Nhat Hanh was born in 1926 in central Vietnam.

When he was 16, he became a practicing monk. When the Vietnam War began, he was faced with choosing one of two pathways: Continue meditating and practicing Buddhism in the monastery, or go help those suffering from the war.

Instead, he did both by becoming an advocate for peace while still keeping his practice. Throughout the war, he never took a side – he simply called for peace. This call for peace, however, was enough for both North and South Vietnam to exile him.

Over the next several decades, he studied, practiced, founded schools, and taught mindfulness across the world.

His message: Living the path of peace and compassion.

In 1966, he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would go on to nominate Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was through his friendship with Thich Nhat Hanh that King chose to finally denounce the Vietnam War. At Magnolia Grove, in an unexpecting Mississippi, there is a deep connection with their teacher, but also with King.

Throughout the monastery, there are many images of the

two together, along with writings and teachings from both.

“I consider them both my teachers, actually,” Sister Peace said smiling. “They were two icon visionaries who had the good fortune to meet and change history, really.”

THE LAY PEOPLE The monastery offers many retreats for non-monastics.

This offer to join the monastics for a period is extended to people practicing any religion, as they heavily stress that these are not Buddhist-only events. Sister Peace said Buddhism is not actually a religion, merely guidance for a life of happiness and mindful living. In fact, Sister Peace said she still attends Mass, and has been Catholic her whole life. With their practice, monastics are encouraged to hold on to the beliefs and traditions they practiced their whole lives, prior to joining the monastery.

“We all come here with roots,” she said. “You can’t disengage yourself from any of your roots. We can help heal those that have hurt us and we can help to cultivate those that give us strength.”

The monastery also has mindfulness days, where visitors can come for just one day to practice mindfulness and meditation. Through days of mindfulness and retreats, some visitors have become almost regular faces at Magnolia Grove.

FLORENTINA RAMIREZ STAIGERS “THE WAY OUT IS IN.” In 2008, Florentina Ramirez Staigers began what she calls her healing journey. For her, that means traveling and creative writing, and along the way, she found mindfulness meditation fits the list, too. She joined the Peace Corps and moved overseas; with her, she took an eight-hour audio recording of Thich Nhat Hanh leading a retreat. Over the next several years, she found herself listening to the

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This page: A mindfulness bell tower sit in the center of the monastery’s courtyard.

recording over and over.

“It just really helped me rebuild trust in humanity that I had lost,” she said.

When planning her return to the United States, she did some digging into different events various peace leaders were hosting. She found a retreat being led in New York by Thich Nhat Hanh, and went in 2013 for her first retreat. Seeing Thich Nhat Hanh teach lessons of mindfulness and caring is what attracted her to further her own practice.

“It was almost like seeing an Olympic athlete,” she said. “Someone who had really just mastered something, and he had mastered compassion.”

She now lives in New Orleans, which she says is just five to six hours away from Magnolia Grove, depending on traffic. In 2018, she found the elements of her life align in a way that allowed her to spend two months on retreat at Magnolia Grove. During this stay, she wrote a book of poetry. She wrote this collection with a few audiences in mind: those seeking healing, and people who may not have a concept of Buddhism and might be put off by it. She said poetry is a universal language, and practicing can be universal, too.

“The journey of this practice has been about finding myself and being my own best friend,” she said. “They’re just really guiding you back to yourself.”

RHONDA Y. WILLIAMS “DOES IT REQUIRE MY ENERGY?” “I call one place home, and that’s Baltimore; but when I come back here, I feel like I’m home. I rarely call any place home,” Rhonda Y. Williams said. “It just makes me feel light to come here.”

Williams is a history professor who focuses on improving human rights and calling attention to injustices. She said she is likely a literal “recovering workaholic.” Because of her dedication to her profession and trying to improve society through her activism, she said she never gave herself the time to breathe, but found herself looking for a rejuvenation.

“To better balance my energies and my time, so I can be in it for the long run and not the short run,” she said on her work. “Because you can easily burn out that way, and there’s too much work to be done to burn out.”

Her first retreat at Magnolia Grove was in October of 2017, and she has

been returning since.

“For me it was like this unexplainable, immediate moment of joy for me to be here,” Williams said.

Through her retreats, she has found valuable coping lessons for her every-day life. Throughout her day, when situations come up that may have caused her to have a knee-jerk reaction in the past, she said she takes a breath to reevaluate and instead asks herself, “Does it really matter? Is this worth my energy?”

“There are practices that allow me to mitigate, deal with, but not suppress any concerns that I’m having,” she said.

JIYA JUDY SEELEY “AM I SURE?” Jiya Judy Seeley has struggled with life-long depression, what she calls her prison.

“I just realized one day that I was lost, and I thought, ‘Well, I just need to find myself,’” she said. “Because I thought I was just doing the things I ought to be doing in life, and that if I did those things, then life would roll along and things would be okay and I would be reasonably good – and that’s called settling. And I wanted something more because I believed in the promise that I was taught in Christianity.”

In 1996, she found meditation through yoga. In 1998, she found practicing mindfulness through Buddhism. As she got stronger in her own healing, she began reaching out to help heal others by practicing mindfulness in the mundaneness of life. Something as simple as thanking a Walmart cashier, and recognizing them as a human being going through situations in their life that she will never know. For Seeley, one practical, returning phrase is, “Am I sure?” She says this allows her to have grace for others. She said she’ll ask herself in moments of conflict, “Am I sure I’m right?” and take a breath before letting things go. “‘Are you sure?’ Because I know there have been many times when I thought I was darn right, and I wasn’t, I was very misguided,” Seeley said.

This practice, she said, helps as she handles different situations throughout her life.

“I wanted freedom from the life of prison, and I wanted to laugh and I wanted to smile,” she said. “Am I still depressed? Yes, it gives me the opportunity to practice. … The darker the sky, the brighter the star.”

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Previous photo: Rhonday Y. Williams, Jiya Judy Seeley and Florentina Ramirez Staigers smile. This photo: Sprouts grow in the monastery’s greenhouse. The community is almost entirely vegan, Their diet consists partly of what they grow. because they believe in showing compassion to all forms of life.

THE DAY-TO-DAY AT MAGNOLIA GROVE Each morning, the monastics begin their day early, around 5 a.m., with an hour-long sitting meditation, followed by exercise and breakfast in eating meditation. These are times to focus on breathing, and reconnecting with the body. Sister Doi Nghiem said eating meditation is one of the hardest forms of meditation for her, but one of the most rewarding. She said this time is spent to give thanks: give thanks to the process the food has undergone to arrive at the table, and to all those who had a hand in it. The monastics eat very slowly, being sure to appreciate their food both visually and aromatically before even picking up a fork.

They take time to chew their food slowly, to the point of placing their fork down between bites because they will not need it for a while.

After breakfast, some will take the time to go to English lessons.

Because monastics come from all corners of the earth, some are encouraged to practice at a monastery in America to improve their English. After English classes, the monastics will meet outside the meditation hall to sing together before going on a walking meditation.

While most of the day is divided – the monks and nuns practicing separately – the walking meditation is done as a whole. Thich Nhath Hanh taught the importance of community. This walking meditation time is used to feel the feet connecting with the ground, in connection with the breath. The monastery is located on 120 acres of land, and there is plenty of walking room. From the meditation hall, they traverse to a statue of King and Thich Nhat Hanh, where they take a break. During the break, some monastics will practice tai chi or stretch, some sit, others look at the nature around them. After the break, the group will walk on the monastery’s main road before taking a left into a field, then go through a tree line, up a hill, over a creek, and back to the main buildings for lunchtime. This lunch is spent in eating meditation.

After lunch, the monastics will have time to do whatever leisure activities they may wish before starting on work for the day, during what’s called working meditation. At the monastery, each person is assigned certain chores. From gardening, cleaning, repairs, lawn care – it all has to be done, and each member of the community contributes. After work, the monastics go to sitting meditation, followed by dinner and more leisurely, quiet time.

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While some minor elements of the day may change – the schedule is kept on a white board for easy adjustments – the idea stays the same: a day of mindfulness.

THE DECISION TO PRACTICE “We live in a very fast-paced society, where any commitment is going to be difficult for people, I think,” Brother Dao Hanh said.

Committing from the start proved to be a little hard for this brother, too, so he originally committed to practicing for just five years. To become a monastic, there are three different stages, totaling about four years. Between each step, the monastic hopefuls must write a letter to their monastery, requesting an extension of their stay and study. In this letter, each one writes about their aspirations, gratitude and joy from being in the community, self-discoveries, and how they have grown thus far. The monastics will read the letters to decide if this novice has grown enough as a person, and decide from there.

Some monks find their practice fairly early in life, like Brother Dao Hanh who is 33; or LAST Brother Phap Nguyen, who was a successful, young financial businessman in America, but quickly felt hollowed by his career. But others stumble upon their practice later in life. Brother Dao Quang is 52 and from Germany, and he’s been a monk for four years.

He said he had quite a normal life: He had a job, family and friends, and a good position in society; but over time, he realized he was spiritually wanting.

“I thought it’s quite easy to earn the money for a house, keep running a house, go on holiday and all this stuff, building up a retirement, health insurance – all this stuff. And then I thought, ‘Ah man, I have to do this more than 20 years; what a waste of life to do every day the same,’” Brother Dao Quang said. “With the hope: ‘Retirement, and then I’m free.

20 years? Oh no.’”

With his daughter fully grown and his wife shifting jobs and growing more passionate about her work and hobbies, he began practicing more.

Over time, he said he and his wife separated to focus on the aspects that made each party happier. He committed to life as a monastic.

SISTER PEACE Sister Peace was ordained in 2008, and has been at Magnolia Grove for a little over a year, though she has visited several times since 2013 for monastic retreats. In a previous life, she was in politics and worked for the mayor in Washington, D.C. Now, she serves her community as Magnolia Grove’s point-person. Sister Peace, like all the monastics at Magnolia Grove, spends a lot of time smiling, but maybe more so than the others.

Because monastics spend much of their days in meditation, one may deduce they are rather quiet, solemn people. There is truth in this belief, but the monastics’ personalities go deeper. Like they were taught, monastics never abandon their past, and that can include things like their sense of humor. When Sister Peace returned from the meditation walk, she saw Williams and Seeley standing on the porch. She let out a big grin and said a little louder than she may normally speak, “Hey, girlfriend!” with a giggle. She refers to visitors as friends, even those she met just moments ago.

She has an army green raincoat that uses Velcro to fasten it closed.

Either the Velcro does not work or Sister Peace has her own reasons, but she fastens her jacket closed with a white binder clip. Standing around with Seeley, Williams and Staigers, she removed the binder clip, and closed the two metal pieces together. Holding it daintily by the wings, she smiled and joked, “I call this my Lizzo purse,” referring to Lizzo’s mini purse at the American Music Awards.

Sister Peace, who greets everyone with a hug, is also a ponderer. At Magnolia Grove, there is a deep connection with Thich Nhat Hanh and King, a connection she says is unique to this Mississippi monastery.

They have a memorial of the two, and this statue depicts them holding a document that reads, “beloved community.” For Sister Peace, she finds herself visiting this over and over again.

“When I need to contemplate,” she said, “I’ll walk over there and I’ll say, ‘This problem seems looming to me, but there you loom – what problems did you have to overcome?’” M

This page, from Top: A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh reads, “Beloved Community: To build a sangha that lives in harmony and awareness is the most noble task”; Above: Sister Peace sits at the feet of Martin Luther King Jr. She considers King and Thich Nhat Hanh two of her greatest influences.

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“DEEP LISTENING”

by Florentina Ramirez Staigers Listen deeply to the cries and laughter.

The sound of a smile or an outstretched hand.

Listen to the tear glistening in her eye and the soft swallow of what is not being said.

Listen tot the downpour of rain.

The murmur of an empty stomach and ribs poking through skin.

The song of two hearts meeting in an embrace.

The joyous shrieks of baby Clementine.

Listen when she hides her face with makeup at 5:00 a.m. and to the shake of his hands when he pulls out his gun.

Listen to the light pressure of a mother’s touch on the forehead.

Listen deeply to relieve the suffering of the world.

Pactice: How can I practice listening more deeply to others?

Staigers wrote “Transformation and Flowers: Poems as Practice” during her two-month retreat at Magnolia Grove. In her own words, the collection serves to invite “the reader to contemplate the beauty all around us and in our daily lives. It also offers simple practices to examine our relationship with the world and ourselves.”

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DIY: Painted Yoga Mat Encouraging yourself to be active can be difficult, so finding small ways to make it more enticing is the best place to start.

Bring cheer and energy to your yoga regimine by picking your favorite colors and geometric shapes to make it more fun!

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Want to spruce up your yoga mat?

Check out our how-to video at mudandmagnolias.com