By Pamela Dozois

Contributing Writer

news@santaynezvalleystar.com

Tucked away on a little street in Santa Ynez is a gem of health, serenity and well-being: a yoga studio called The Juicy Life. It opened July 1, 2017, and has survived the many lockdowns and mandates throughout 2020 and 2021.

“It was not an easy thing to stay open through the last year and a half,” said Kimberly Zimmerman, studio owner and yoga Instructor. “That is why we want to celebrate and let people know that we are still here and eager to serve.”

The Juicy Life owner Kim Zimmerman makes seasonal, local, organic cold-pressed juices with weekly milkman-style deliveries to homes from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria.

Besides offering yoga classes, The Juicy Life is also developing new offerings for the community such as Ecstatic Dancing, which is a free-style, semi-guided dance experience which evokes joy and energy; and Full Moon Ceremonies, which involve crystal sound bowl healing with Biance Zable, ceremonial cacao offerings on the Sundays closest to the full moon and strength training classes.

“We are also working on a co-operative where instructors in all types of healing can develop their businesses and serve the community in a supportive environment,” said Zimmerman, a graduate of The Institute of Integrated Nutrition.

“I’ve always had a desire to be of service and yoga is my passion,” she continued. “I had already been teaching at various locations in the Valley. When this awesome little space became available, I felt called to open up to help people grow, heal and support one another. We’re working out but there’s so much more we do here with healing, personal support and community. We’re not only getting strong and more flexible but we are also connecting to our vital life force.”

Alex Glover teaches High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) classes from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday and Friday mornings. Melissa Moore teaches HIIT classes from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday mornings.

“I’ve worked with Kim for the last couple of years as manager. I was first a client then came on board to help run the business,” Glover said. “At the time I was exploring yoga and realized I wanted to deepen my practice and found The Juicy Life studio. I realized it was going to be a big part of my life moving forward. That’s when I began to help Kim manage the business and started leading the Juicy HIIT classes twice a week. 

“HIIT are high energy, strength training classes, which are fun with loud music and held in a supportive environment. At the end I take 10 minutes to do some cool down, stretching, breath work or mindfulness meditation.”

The Juicy Life also makes seasonal, local, organic cold-pressed juices with weekly milkman-style deliveries to homes from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria and all spots in between. The juice is also sold in the studio so participants can enjoy some juice after working out.

The Juicy Life makes its nutritious drinks at a commercial kitchen in Solvang.

“The reason we use local produce is to have a low carbon footprint lowering the carbon emissions which are required to transport the produce,” Zimmerman said. “It also helps out our local farmers. We also use glass jars, not plastic bottles, in order to cut down on waste. We process our juices with minimal heat and oxygen exposure to preserve the taste and nutrients.”

Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. The liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the fruit, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

Juicing increases vitamins and minerals in the body, can help with weight loss, increasing energy, decreasing inflammation and overall keeping the body healthy.   

The Juicy Life also holds events called “Stretch & Sip” yoga and juice pop-ups and “Juice Flight Tastings” once a month, partnering with various venues in the Valley such as the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang and the Skyview Hotel in Los Alamos.

The Juicy Life is at 3595-B, Numancia Street, Santa Ynez. 

For more information and class schedules, visit thejuicylifeyoga.com, stay up-to-date on instagram@thejuicylifecompany or call 805-724-4488.

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In today’s fast-paced society, easily prepared food is, for many, considered a necessity. 

The demand is so much so that it takes up the greater majority of supermarket shelves. Pre-made food, “just add water,” “microwave and go,” and, of course, fast food have become primary foods of modern living. 

These foods are filled with processed sugar and carbohydrates which are detrimental to the human body and especially to the digestive system, which is the front line to good health and an effective immune system. Many people know that kind of food is not the best thing for them. 

They see a bit of weight gain, around the middle perhaps, but they don’t recognize what happens to their bodies and their health on a deeper level — contaminated blood and a compromised immune system which equals disease. 

All the organs function to make, circulate, deliver, clean and recycle blood. The blood also creates chi, which circulates the blood around the body. Blood is the product of the material you intake. 

Healthy blood is created from good material, meaning proper food (organic), water, and oxygen. Unhealthy blood is created by the opposite — poor food, lack of water, and pollution. Unhealthy blood causes numerous diseases and health problems. 

Instant and processed fast foods and sugary drinks lack nutrients like vitamins, minerals and enzymes that help create healthy blood. They are instead packed with sugar, chemicals and additives. They are created to satisfy the taste buds, not bring proper nutrition to the body. 

Years of habitual bad eating habits take a toll on your organs, add weight to your belly area, produce fat around your internal organs stifling their proper function. They become exhausted and weak, and are unable to produce the best of what they have to offer. 

A buildup of toxins in the body results in poor blood, which in turn results in its poor circulation caused by the weakening of the chi. If blood cannot circulate properly throughout the body, it cannot deliver nutrients accordingly. If the blood circulated is contaminated, this can result in anemia, impotence, edema, sores, issues with veins, necrosis, hypertension, cerebral infarction, heart disease, arthritis and joint pain, chronic inflammation, weight gain and diabetes. 

Diabetes, for example, is a build up of sugar in the body, introduced by foods filled with sugary and sweet substances. This causes the blood to thicken and become sticky. The heart has a more difficult time pumping the blood, it is circulated poorly throughout the body, and exhausts organs like the pancreas. The pancreas is built to digest food in four to six hours. Faster, instant foods are processed far more rapidly, at an average of two hours. These long-term eating habits weaken the pancreas resulting in poor insulin production. Improper insulin production combined with blood filled with sugar equals diabetes. 

People think of diabetes as a disease. Western medicine treats diabetes with sugar control or insulin injections. It fails to treat one of the underlying causes of diabetes, which is poor eating habits. 

The root of all these diseases begins at home. Poor lifestyle habits can be changed. With proper diet, such as low carbohydrate intake (eliminating sugar from your diet which includes breads, pasta, sodas, high fructose corn syrup and all wheat products), reducing salt intake and adding exercise (such as good posture walking — holding your body in a straight alignment, not bent over), acupuncture, and herbs, which go a long way to strengthen the immune system and internal organs, along with positive thinking, these changes will all make a huge difference in your overall sense of health and well-being. I recommend my quick weight loss diet which includes all of the above suggestions along with taking a regimen of herbs which will allow you to lose 10 pounds in half a month healthfully. A majority of blood related diseases can be cured naturally, and with no side effects. 

Dr. Lee’s office is located in the Viborg Medical Center, 2030 Viborg Road, Solvang. The clinic is held every Wednesday only. They accept the following insurances: Medicare, VA, and Tri West Insurances with prior approval and most insurance that have acupuncture alternative medicine coverage in their policies. Dr. Lee also has offices in Los Angeles and Atascadero. To make an appointment in the Solvang office, call 805-693-5162.

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The Channel Islands YMCA, which includes the Stuart C. Gildred YMCA in Santa Ynez and facilities in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Lompoc, announced it was closing all its health and wellness locations, programs and child-care facilities effective Tuesday through March 31,  due to the continuing spread of coronavirus throughout the state.

“Over the past 24 hours, the state of California has taken significant steps to keep the public safe as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread throughout our state. Our priority as an organization is the health and wellbeing of our community,” Margo Byrne, president and CEO, and Gail Anikouchine, board chair of the Channel Islands YMCA, said in a statement.

“We will continually re-assess our reopening date of April 1 as we have more information or direction from local health authorities. During this closure we will be working to ensure our facilities are ready to reopen, which will include conducting a deep cleaning and disinfecting.”

The YMCA on Monday announced it was canceling its active older adult fitness classes and social programs after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request to have individuals over 65 stay away from public places. The YMCA also discontinued providing yoga mats or blankets.

Earlier youth sports leagues were postponed, and the child watch preschool and after-school programs were closed and group exercise classes were reduced in size to provide recommended social distancing of six feet. 

The YMCA did announce that all members and the community now have access to a select number of group exercise classes online. The newly created video library includes a variety of classes for all members. They are available at its Virtual Wellness Page and on Facebook.

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Contributing Writer

Healthy longevity is a goal for seniors. Who doesn’t want to be healthy and move well in the activities they like and need to do as they progress through their senior years?

Good fortune in the genetic pool and in life is part of the equation. However, accidents, arthritis, and diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease may alter our desired lifestyle regardless of how disciplined we’ve been about diet and exercise.

Misfortune may happen and, to some degree, life is a crapshoot — but our focus needs to be on improving our odds for a long, healthy and active life.

This column is about establishing a minimal level of fitness to create a foundation for a healthy, active life. Those desiring to improve sports performance or a higher level of fitness will need more activity targeted toward their specific goals, but this basic maintenance program still provides everyone a good foundation for fitness:

• A brisk 30-minute daily walk is the foundation of the basic maintenance program. Brisk walking provides a cardio workout that enhances the efficiency of the heart, lungs and circulatory systems. It also strengthens the legs, hips and torso, improves balance and rhythm, and helps to maintain our most basic form of transportation.

If brisk walking for 30 minutes is difficult, break the walking time into smaller intervals until you work up the 30 minutes. Walking is the most natural and fundamental mode of human movement and is essential to maintaining health and fitness. If you do no other activity, at least walk.

• The get up-get down exercise is also an important movement for seniors. A common complaint from seniors is that it is difficult or impossible to get down on the floor and get up again.

This exercise is good for all seniors, but if it is difficult for you to perform it is essential to improve those skills or you may lose that ability and that could be life-threatening.

The get up-get down improves strength, mobility and stability in legs, hips, spine and shoulders. It stimulates the heart and lungs to improve cardio-respiratory ability. Most importantly, it improves balance and teaches you how to fall properly and get up again.

This exercise may prevent you from having to make the call, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

That’s a lot of important benefits from one exercise.

To perform the get up-get down exercise, begin in a standing position and move to a position on the floor lying on your back. You figure out the best way to get there. There is no perfect way. Return to a standing position.

As skill improves, perform the exercise more quickly. Do the exercise three times weekly, working up to five repetitions each session.

If you cannot perform the drill, begin from the all-fours, hands-and-knees position. Place your hand on a solid nearby table or chair if more assistance is needed.

You may find this exercise more vigorous than anticipated.

• The “loaded carries” exercise trains torso integrity. Loaded carries strengthen the torso in good postural alignment and connect the legs to the arms for stronger, more efficient movement.

To perform loaded carries, simply pick something up and walk with it until you are moderately fatigued; rest briefly and do it again.

You may carry a weight, a bucket of sand or rocks, a laundry basket full of clothes, or your groceries in a hand basket rather than a grocery cart. Just pick up stuff that is moderately heavy and walk with it until fatigue begins. Then set it down and rest for a moment and do it again.

Three sets of loaded carries twice weekly will yield a stronger, more connected and more athletic body.

This program is realistic, simple and effective — and it does not require a gym membership.

Although age may bring a decline in physical abilities, fitness is really less about age and more about what you do as you age. Keep moving well and often.

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Santa Barbara County has received a grant of nearly $6 million over three years from the Bureau of State and Community Corrections to provide mental health services, substance-use disorder treatment, and/or diversion programs for people in the criminal justice system.

The award from Prop. 47 funds recognizes a significant collaborative effort between county stakeholders committed to preventing and reducing the incarceration of people with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

“All programs that the grant will support are proven effective tools to divert the most vulnerable population away from our jails and re-direct them to meaningful treatment options,” said Public Defender Tracy Macuga.

Led by the Public Defender, Behavioral Wellness and Sheriff’s departments, the funding will create a full time crisis intervention team coomposed of a sheriff’s deputy and a mental health provider for proactive community interventions. It will also develop law enforcement-assisted diversion services to provide accessible mental health and substance abuse services for South County juveniles and adults with behavioral health needs. 

The grant program also provides housing-related assistance and other community-based support services, including job skills training, case management and civil legal services.

The county’s objective is to serve as many people as possible and divert a minimum of 120 people from the criminal justice system.

The District Attorney and County Executive offices, Good Samaritan Shelter, Family Service Agency and the city of Goleta are also participating to support immediate access to a sobering center, crisis and psychiatric services in lieu of arrest, crisis intervention team field activities, and step-down housing.

The three-year grant will begin in August and include an evaluation component for an objective analysis of the impact of these services. Through mutual agreement, law enforcement officers involved in crisis intervention work will be allowed to respond across county and city jurisdictions to provide seamless coverage for a minimum of 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday.

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Contributed

I never knew my grandfather because he died before I was born. He had angina, but the only treatment in the 1950s was nitroglycerin pills. He eventually died at home of a heart attack at the age of 64. Perhaps it’s my grandfather’s story that led to my interest in becoming a cardiac nurse.

In 1983, I graduated as a registered nurse from Santa Barbara City College. I started working in the intensive care unit at my local Santa Ynez Hospital (now Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital) and became certified as a critical care nurse, caring for mostly cardiac patients.

I then was offered a position in cardiac rehabilitation. What a dream come true. I had found my niche and loved everything about the job. In outpatient cardiac rehab I think of myself as a cheerleader, coach, counselor, and even a DJ when I’m playing music to make the exercises more fun.

When I was 40 years old, I was an active mother with two children in school. I played softball, rode my bike to work and exercised at the gym. But I felt that something just wasn’t quite right. I noticed that I would get dizzy during aerobics class and would need to go to the back of the room to rest.

One night, my heart went into palpitations when I was watching TV. Luckily, I listened to my body and went to see my doctor right away. After an echocardiogram and a CT scan, they found that my aortic valve was leaking. I had an aortic aneurysm.

Turns out I was born with a heart murmur that worsened over the years. Within a month, I was in the hospital for open heart surgery to get a tissue valve and aortic replacement. 

I’m blessed that my surgery went well with no major complications. After 12 weeks (and after I completed my cardiac rehab), I went back to work. I’ve just celebrated 21 years as a heart disease survivor. I’m still working in cardiac rehab at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, where I’ve been privileged to help hundreds of patients in their recovery.

On the personal side, I’ve been able to watch my children grow up and have kids of their own. I’m a grandmother. Life is beautiful!

My experience taught me the importance of listening to your body. Always report health changes early to your physician. In an emergency, seek immediate medical attention by calling 911. Let the experts in the hospital emergency department evaluate you and provide treatment if needed. All too often, many people stay home for hours, and even days, before seeking medical attention – and they end up suffering consequences from the delay.

Lastly, if you’re not trained in CPR, please consider getting certified this year so you’ll be prepared if someone needs your help. You could save a life!

Marsha Griggs is a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Coordinator at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.

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More than 20 vendors will be featured at the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic’s free Health and Wellness Fair, which will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11 on the Santa Ynez Chumash Reservation.

The Health and Wellness Fair will include free health screenings, various wellness tips from experts and helpful information from organizations such as the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, Vitalant blood bank, the California Tribal Epidemiology Center (CTEC), Safe Alternatives for Treating Youth (SAFTY), American Indian Health and Services (AIHS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Santa Barbara County WIC, among others.

For more information, contact Madalyn Mainhardt at mmainhardt@sythc.org or call 805-694-2682.

The Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and is located on the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ reservation at 90 Via Juana Lane in Santa Ynez. The staff specializes in the highest standards of quality health care through modern medicine and cultural tradition. 

The clinic’s comprehensive medical, dental and behavioral health services are available to all members of the community, not only for Native Americans. 

For more information, log on to www.sythc.org.

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The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has launched a digital and social media-based public education campaign to warn teens and pregnant and breastfeeding women against using cannabis.

The Cannabis Education Program uses scientific research as the basis for a series of videos from the California Department of Public Health’s statewide campaign “Let’s Talk Cannabis,” along with LA County’s “Bigger Choices” campaign.

Santa Barbara County’s campaign includes a rap music video, open conversations between parents and their children, and up-to-date information from credible sources about the dangers of using cannabis for youth, young adults, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. 

 “Our vision is that this campaign will create space for teens to have conversations about cannabis with trusted adults, and for soon-to-be moms or new moms to discuss the impacts of cannabis use with their healthcare providers,” said Van Do-Reynoso, the county’s public health director.

To learn more about health effects of cannabis, the educational campaign or other local efforts, visit www.LetsTalkCannabisSBC.org and www.MJFactCheck.org.

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Contributing Writer

During my 55-year career of teaching movement and conditioning skills, I have become acutely aware both through personal experience and confirming research that we have a serious fitness problem in our country. It’s effecting our health, wallets, character and our energy.

Over the past several generations, each generation has become progressively less fit despite great improvements in medical care and increasing knowledge and research regarding health and fitness. It’s common knowledge that life is better when we’re reasonably fit, and we know more than ever how to become fit, but our fitness levels are on a downward trend.

Let me give you a personal example: When I began teaching in the fall of 1965 it took about three weeks to train the kids to perform at a level that met the rigors of our demanding program. We had on average two to three obese kids in a school of about 1,000 students.

At the end of my career, in the early 2000s, It took until Thanksgiving for the kids to reach the same level of fitness as their earlier cohort. We then had 20 to 30 percent obese kids at the beginning of the school year. I suspect the negative fitness trends have continued since I retired.

Of course, this column is about senior fitness, which has experienced a similar downward trend. Some people think senior fitness is an oxymoron, that we’re too old to improve fitness levels and we should just accept our continued decline and act like the old people we are.

Granted, there is a gradual decline in our abilities as we age, but not to the degree that often-quoted large-group statistics would indicate. For example, it is commonly reported that we will lose 10 percent of our muscle mass each decade from thirty years of age on. This statistic is accurate related to a large group of people of various levels of fitness and reflects the current trends in the U.S., but the statistic does not reflect what has to be.

There are numerous examples of active people who do not lose muscle mass at that rate. Many do some type of strength training and remain active through their senior years and they do far better at retaining muscle mass over their lifetimes.

The same may be said for cardiovascular health and bone density. Although there is decline, the rate of decline is far less in active people. The answer as to why is rather simple. The bottom line of all exercise theory is that the body will respond to the stress we put upon it. Put more simply: The body will respond to what we ask it to do.

If we are active, do sufficient cardio and strength training, our bodies will respond by becoming more fit. If we are inactive and ask little work from our body, it will respond to a lack of stress and become less fit.

Put another way, your body is fit to do what you ask of it. If your body isn’t fit, and you are otherwise healthy, you haven’t been asking enough of it. I’m sure most of you have had a friend go through cardio rehab. We have a cardio rehab center at our local hospital. Cardiologists prescribe the center to patients due to heart surgery or heart disease.

It is an exercise program to help the cardio system become more efficient as gradually increasing workloads are placed upon it. That’s how you become more fit, by gradually increasing your workloads. Many heart patients have achieved performance levels above the levels prior to diagnosis and surgery. If it works for heart patients, it will work for you.

What are the exercise recommendations for seniors to be fit?

The Department of Human Health Services recommends at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate aerobic activity such as walking, biking, swimming or active sports participation, plus two 30-minute strength-training sessions for large muscle groups.

The guidelines suggest this activity be spread out over the week. They also suggest shorter 10- to 15-minute spurts will also meet the guidelines.

These government recommendations are what I consider the formal part of your fitness activities. It’s what you do in the gym or outside to be healthy. It is important, but not as important as what I call your informal workout: What you do for the rest of the day.

Far too many people come to the gym for about an hour, three to four times weekly, and meet or exceed the government recommendations and feel they have met their fitness needs. They then go home and sit in front of the TV or computer and are inactive the rest of the day.

To be healthy, the body requires frequent movement throughout the day. These movements need not be intense. They may be gentle, simple movements, primarily on the feet, that help move blood through our arteries and fluid through the lymph system. It’s primarily by movement that nutrients are sent to our cells and waste is removed.

If you want healthy cells, frequent movement is a requirement. Think of movements such as walking about the house, doing hobbies, picking up stuff and reaching to put it away, mowing the lawn and working in the garden. Those types of movements burn calories, move nutrients, rid the body of waste and build some strength and mobility.

Remember the bottom line of all training: The body responds to what we ask it to do. If you want to be healthy, you need to move frequently throughout the day in a variety of motions.

Inactivity is the real enemy of fitness. To be fit, meet or exceed the government recommendations and move well and move often throughout the day.

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Sexually transmitted diseases including gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia are increasing in Santa Barbara County as well as across California and the United States, according to the county Public Health Department.

April is STD Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and the Health Department is campaigning for people and health-care providers to “talk, test, and treat” to reduce the problem.

The department advises individuals to:

• Talk openly with partners and healthcare providers about sex and STDs.
• Get tested for STDs, including HIV testing. (Because many STDs have no symptoms, getting tested is the only way to know for sure if you have an infection.)
• If you test positive for an STD, work with your healthcare provider to get the proper treatment. Some STDs can be cured with the right medication. Those that aren’t curable can be treated.

Providers can:

• Talk with patients about sexual health and safe-sex practices.
• Test patients as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Follow CDC’s STD Treatment Guidelines to make sure patients get successful treatment and care.

STDs are preventable, a spokesman said, undiagnosed and untreated STDs can cause many harmful, often irreversible, and costly clinical complications such as reproductive health problems, cancer, and transmission of HIV infection.

For more information, visit the Santa Barbara County Disease Control website at www.sbcphd.org/dcp.

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