Westside Fitness, Health & Beauty Guide 2019.

Westside Fitness Health & Beauty Guide 2019

Dr. Grant Stevens, M.D., F.A.C.S., founder and Medical Director of Marina Plastic Surgery and The Marina MedSpa

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Westside Fitness Health & Beauty Guide 2019

MANAGING EDITOR: Joe Piasecki WRITERs: Jennifer Pellerito, Shanee Edwards, Courtnay Robbins Art Director: Michael Kraxenberger

6 F i t n e s s

Food without the Fads

A few ground rules for finding the right nutritional balance for your body 10 H e a l t h

Art of the Heal

Creative pursuits are gaining recognition as important tools for maintaining mental health 22 B EAUTY

Unlock the Secrets of K-Beauty

Korean skincare products and techniques nourish the body inside and out 24 R e s o l u t i o n s

DESIGNER: Kate Doll ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Renee Baldwin · Kay Christie Rocki Davidson · David Maury Assistant Publisher: Rebecca Bermudez PUBLISHER: David Comden CONTACT US Phone: 310.822.1629 Fax: 310.822.2089 5301 Beethoven St., Suite 183, Los Angeles, CA 90066

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Fitness

Food without the Fads A few ground rules for finding the right nutritional balance for your body

By Jennifer Pellerito

W

ith so many diet trends and so much questionable information about them floating around online, it can be hard to keep track of what’s what — let alone sort out what may be right for you.

Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself is what you can tolerate, suggests registered dietician and certified diabetes educator Kari Ikemoto of Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.

“My big thing is sustainability,” says Ikemoto. “Longterm, can you eat that way? For the rest of your life?”

Take the keto diet, for example. It’s a low-carb, high-fat diet initially utilized to help manage epilepsy that became trendy after patients experienced unintended weight loss as a side effect of treatment. The diet works by forcing the body into a state of ketosis, in which it primarily burns fat instead of carbohydrates.

The Trouble with Keto Let’s say you’ve had bad eating habits before suddenly eliminating carbs, loading up on protein and taking up an exercise routine. “Anytime you restrict carbs in the diet, you’re going to have some weight loss because you lose a bit of water weight,” says Ikemoto. And whenever you make a drastic change in your diet, you’re likely to see a change in your weight, physique or energy levels, so it takes a long time to know whether the lower number on the scale is because of the diet or simply because you’re living a healthier lifestyle on the whole.

And in the long run, a keto diet can contribute to vitamin deficiency.

“The fat is so high. It’s really limiting some of the important nutrients, such as vegetables and good fruit.

That can be concerning,” says registered dietician Lauren Amato, director of nutrition at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital. For a more balanced approach, she suggests “practicing clean eating and whole foods, and heart-healthy choices. At the end of the day, it’s always calories in versus calories out.”

Even for those who aren’t on the keto bandwagon, many

people are deficient in magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamin B-12, says Dr. Elijah McCarthy, product formulator and wellness ambassador for Del Rey-based nutraceutical company Irwin Naturals.

Stress is the Enemy Eating processed foods and eating while stressed can contribute to a condition called hypochlorhydria, which refers to an abnormally low level of acid in the stomach. And while that might not necessarily sound bad, it can lead to an inability to absorb vitamins and minerals properly, causing nutritional deficiencies despite sufficient calorie intake.

“A lot of people have compromised digestion,” says McCarthy. “Not only are they stressed out, but they’re also eating at inopportune times, when they’re on the road, when they’re in stressful situations — when you really shouldn’t be.”

And if the majority of your diet consists of easily digestible processed foods, your body decreases its production of stomach acid and digestive enzymes.

“The old adage about if you don’t use it, you lose it — the same thing applies to the digestive tract,” says McCarthy. “You need to have that hydrochloric acid to break down the food, so that you can liberate the nutrients in the food that you’re eating.”

Clean Out Your Cupboard Taking supplements can help, but remember: “Supplementation is exactly what it sounds like,” cautions McCarthy. It’s more about adding on to a wellbalanced diet, he says, rather than using supplements as a replacement for nutrients obtainable from food.

Most importantly, McCarthy says, source your supplements from reputable brands. While products in stores are held to more stringent regulations, many supplements sold online aren’t beholden to the same quality (Continued on page 8)

We s t s id e Fit ne s s H e a lt h & B e a u t y G u id e 201 9 • 7

Fitness

Food without the Fads (Continued from page 7) standards. Adulteration of ingredients is shockingly common: “A consumer thinks they’re buying 200mg of ginkgo, but really they’re only getting 50mg of ginkgo and 150mg of a filler,” he says.

And you’d never know what you’re missing because it’s not communicated clearly on the label.

So is there a diet trend that might be smart to follow?

“I like focusing on plant-based eating,” says Ikemoto. “It’s a misconception that if you’re doing plant-based eating, you’re a vegan or vegetarian.”

“Plant-based” doesn’t require abstaining from meat or seafood, it means the majority of your meals are prepared with plant-based ingredients such as whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Research has shown that a plant-based diet can reduce diabetes and cancer rates as well as improve heart health.

And as anybody who’s gone on a diet knows, what you don’t eat can be just as important.

“Getting rid of the processed foods and really just clean eating — that’s what I would support the most,” says Amato.

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Health

Art of the Heal Creative pursuits are gaining recognition as important tools for maintaining mental health

By Shanee Edwards

D

octors in Canada have recently begun prescribing museum visits to patients dealing with depression, stress or anxiety. Dublin recently hosted its 10th annual mental health arts festival. And over the holidays, more Barnes & Noble customers purchased books related to mental health than diet or exercise.

Fewer people seem to be taking mental health for granted these days, and treating both routine and severe mental health challenges increasingly involves music and art.

While it may sound avant-garde, art therapy isn’t new.

The practice formally began after World War II, when many soldiers returned from the battlefield with “shell shock” — what today we call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The medical community began to realize that art had a therapeutic effect on their patients. Today, art therapy is used for all types of diagnoses.

‘Connect Differently’ Einat Metzl, chair of Loyola Marymount University’s Marital and Family Therapy Department, finds art therapy is often helpful when she works with couples in her private practice. Though not practical in every case, Metzl sometimes has her clients create visual art as a way to express painful feelings when their words have turned toxic.

“Couples come for all the reasons you can imagine.

Sometimes it’s communication challenges or there had been some challenges sexually,” says Metzl. “If they can see each other’s pain in an art piece that is reflected and distanced from them — it is a representation of you, but it’s not exactly you — there’s no point in being angry or argumentative with that image. That image speaks to your right brain much more directly then it does to your logical brain trying to make sense. It’s a way for you to connect differently.”

For children who’ve been abused or neglected, art therapy can inspire hope. Sara Ford is development manager for Free Arts, a nonprofit organization in Westchester that has been bringing art to the Edelman Family Court since the 1970s. They help children in foster care and other custody situations create art while waiting for their cases to be called.

“Anytime anyone is at the [Edelman] courthouse,” says Ford, “it’s because a child’s safety and custody has been

brought into question. Obviously that brings a lot of emotions from everyone. We are coming in to help them express their emotions in a healthy way rather than a destructive way, but also to allow them to think of — or dream of — something better in their future.”

Unlock Positivity Free Arts has expanded its programs to serve homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, supportive housing programs and after school programs. It was during a 12-week program focused on dreams when Ford saw art make a difference in a child’s life. The kids’ first assignment was to make a dreamcatcher, a small hoop with a string web that, according to some Native American cultures, catches nightmares.

“We were asking questions like, ‘What is a good dream?’ and ‘What does that look like or feel like?’ One boy really shut down and just started crying. When he was given a little one-on-one time from one of our mentors, he said he’d never had a good dream and didn’t know what that would look like.”

Ford says the boy came from a rough background full of gang violence and murder. Nightmares were all he knew, so the mentor gave him an example of what a good dream could be like. “’In a good dream, the rain could be jellybeans and the clouds cotton candy,’ the mentor said, just showing him that anything is possible in good dream. That was a concept no one had explained to him before,” recalls Ford.

“At the end of the program he wrote a thank you letter to that mentor and said he’d only had good dreams since making his dreamcatcher.”

Music and Memory For people with autism or Alzheimer’s disease, sometimes the art form that can make the biggest therapeutic impact is music. Renee Dundas, a board-certified music therapist and founder of Living Music in Mar Vista, says music is just another way to communicate.

(Continued on page 12)

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Art of the Heal (Continued from page 11) “People who are nonverbal,” says Dundas, “and people who don’t like to talk — they can’t access their disability through talking. [Music] is a nonthreatening way to communicate. There is a lot of recent research that shows you can change the brain and access different neurons.”

Dundas says she uses a lot of percussion instruments, especially when working with people who can’t walk due to Parkinson’s disease or who are developmentally disabled.

“It’s so motivating to move to the rhythm — they almost have to. Human beings automatically tap their toes,” she says. “Music is in the limbic system the part of the brain that controls our survival mechanisms, like eating the breathing.”

Dundas says that’s why people with Alzheimer’s can easily recall music, even if they remember little else. “You start singing a song they knew in their 20s and danced to, they suddenly remember the lyrics, they remember the tune. It’s quite amazing.”

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WE’VE TREATED PATIENTS FROM 63 COUNTRIES AND ALL 50 STATES Founded by renowned Los An- Aesthetic Surgery. He has been geles plastic surgeon Dr. Grant recognized in Castle Connolly’s Stevens, Marina Plastic Surgery Top Doctor Guide as one of the is a name known around the world as a leader in the field of plastic surgery and aesthetic care. We owe our reputation to a highly personalized and meticulous approach. We view every patient as a member of the Marina Plastic Surgery family and are proud to have helped patients from virtually every corner of the globe to realize their aesthetic goals. We invite you to join the family.

& Clinics. He is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons. In 2017 he was elected president-elect of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, one of the highest honors in the field of aesthetic surgery.

Dr. Grant Stevens and the doctors at Marina Plastic Surgery are regularly featured in the media for their medical insight and surgical expertise. As a top Grant Stevens, M.D., FACS, is rated Los Angeles plastic surDr. Grant Stevens, the founder and Medical Direcgeon, medical director Dr. Grant Medical Director tor of Marina Plastic Surgery and Stevens has been featured in The Marina MedSpa — the med- ONE OF THE MOST and interviewed for numerous ical spa at Marina Plastic SurTRUSTED VOICES IN magazine articles, news-paper gery. He is a clinical professor of stories and radio shows. He PLASTIC SURGERY plastic surgery at the University also has over 125 television apbest plastic surgeons in America pearances to his name. of Southern California, Chairand is among a select group of man of the USC-Marina Aesdoctors featured in Plastic Surthetic Surgery Fellowship and Dr. Grant Stevens is also the Director of the USC Division of gery: The World’s Top Surgeons founder and Chief Medical Of-

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ficer of Orange Twist, offering multi-location non-invasive and minimally invasive aesthetic treatments.

Dr. R. Christie Wray. He is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and He has been elected by his the International College of peers into the The Guide to Top Surgeons. He was appointed Doctors. Dr. Stevens is an acby the governor of California to tive member at Marina Del Rey the Medical Board of California Hospital, where he is the past Medical Quality Review Board.

Chairman of the Department of Dr. Stevens is an ASAPS TravSurgery, the Chairman of the Li- eling Professor and has been posuction Committee, and the an invited visiting professor at Medical Director of The Breast numerous U.S. and international Center. He is also on staff at St. universities.

John’s Medical Center, the Marina Outpatient Surgery Center Dr. Stevens is on the Board of and USC. Directors of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Stevens graduated with He is an active member of the honors from Washington UniInternational Society of Aesversity Medical School in St. thetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) Louis where he was awarded and he is on the Board of Directhe Senior Prize in Surgery. He tors and one of the International completed his general surTraveling Professors. gery training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, then returned to Dr. Stevens is the past ChairWashington University-Barnes man of the California Medical Hospital where Association Advisory Panel on he completed a Fellowship in Plastic Surgery. He received the Plastic and Reconstructive California State Assembly and Surgery with Dr. Paul Weeks, the California State Senate CerDr. Leroy Young, Dr. Tom tificate of Recognition. He has Mustoe, Dr. Jeffrey Marsh, and also received the Special

Congressional Certificate of Recognition and the Distinguished Service Citation from the Medical Board of California.

He has been interviewed for articles that have appeared in USA Today, People, The Wall Street Journal, Beauty, Forbes, Glamour, Vogue, Allure, Cosmetic Surgery Times, Business Week, Men’s Fitness, LA Times Magazine, Longevity, Cooking Light, Discovery, and numerous newspapers. He has appeared on over 125 television programs including CNN, Discovery, 60 Minutes, MSNBC, The Learning Channel, Sonia Live, Leeza, Nightline, CBS News, 24 Hours, Extra, Hard Copy, American Journal, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, Lifetime – New Attitudes, PBS Nightly Business Report, The Today Show, Good Morning America and many other TV and radio interviews.

If you’d like to get to know Dr. Stevens better, you can receive a private consultation when you schedule your appointment.

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BREAST LIFT & LASER BRA How long has it been since you stepped out of the shower and saw beautifully contoured, perky breasts in the mirror? Age, significant weight fluctuation, and having children considerably affect skin laxity and breast structure causing our breasts to sag. A Laser Bra at Marina Plastic Surgery will correct this.

MOMMY MAKEOVER IN LOS ANGELES Motherhood is one of the most beautiful experiences of your lifetime, but it’s normal to wish you could have your pre-mommy body back. The good news is that it is possible to regain and even enhance your figure with modern aesthetic surgery techniques. Here at Marina Plastic Surgery, our expert surgeons have helped thousands of mothers to achieve their post-pregnancy body goals.

NO-DRAIN TUMMY TUCK Doctors Stevens and Hammoudeh utilize progressive tension sutures inside the tissues to close off the space and also relieve tension on the final surgical closure. This translates into less pain, less discomfort, no drains to deal with, and better scarring from less tension. Also, there is no opening from the outside world into the tissues, potentially minimizing infection risk.

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Neck lift and facelift at our Marina del Rey practice use techniques that are much more sophisticated than those used in the past. When perf ormed properly, a neck lift or facelift can have a profound anti-aging effect that makes you look like a younger version of yourself. Our surgeons use a comprehensive approach to facial surgery that addresses not only the skin, but also the underlying muscles, fat, and fascia in order to create more natural-looking, longer lasting changes are both instant and long-lasting.

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Beauty

Unlock the Secrets of K-Beauty Korean skincare products and techniques nourish the body inside and out

By Jennifer Pellerito

B

eauty industry influencers and professionals are taking a new approach to skincare — one that focuses less on obsessing over flaws or wrinkles, instead emphasizing nourishment and prevention. And from luxurious spas to grocery store shelves, it’s the Korean beauty industry that’s leading the way.

“Korean beauty products have always been popular, but since 2016 they’ve gone mainstream and seeped into everyday consumers’ consciousness,” says Susan Williams, owner of Beauty Shack Salon & Supply in Playa del Rey. So, what’s so different about how Koreans do beauty?

K-Beauty, as many are calling it, is about taking a holistic approach to self-care that’s centered on the belief that what happens inside your body reflects on the outside, says Jackie Park, aesthetician at Tikkun Spa in Santa Monica.

The Korean Contouring Facial at Tikkun, for example, is like a massage for your face, aimed at draining the lymph nodes in the face and upper body. Light pressure is applied in targeted areas, releasing tension along the jawline, eyebrows and in the corners just in front of the ears.

“To achieve a more defined, contoured look, you have to drain the lymphatic system,” says Park. “When the lymph nodes are drained and cleaned, your face — the whole look — becomes brighter and more defined.”

Park explains that the contouring facial also stimulates circulation, decreasing puffiness and flushing out other toxins that invade the body. Nutrients and oxygen reach the surface of the skin, giving a natural, healthy glow.

“It’s just like as if you went for a really hard workout and your body’s pumping blood to the surface of your skin,” says Park. Except that when you’re having a facial, you get to relax instead of sweating buckets on the Stairmaster.

Ultimately, Korean beauty is about self-care and nourishment. The contouring facial incorporates an enzyme mask, a hydrating face oil, and an infrared light that promotes healing.

“People who get lymphatic massages often feel healthier, feel lighter, and feel more clear-minded,” says Park.

For self-directed beauty treatments at home, Beauty Shack offers TonyMoly lip patches, Kocostar hand-and-

feet moisture packs, and Misoli hydrogel patches infused with premium black pearl and gold.

“The caveat is finding items from Korean brands that already have an eye toward the U.S. market, and therefore have English translations of their packaging,” says Williams. “Many items I found only have ingredient lists and usage instructions in Korean.”

Mitsuwa Marketplace at Venice Boulevard and Centinela Avenue is best-known for its food court’s delicious Japanese lunches, but you’ll find authentic Korean beauty products tucked away in the corner of cosmetics outlet Shiseido.

At Shiseido you can choose from DearDerm’s wide variety of face sheet masks, which range from more traditional cucumber masks to a “pure snail mask” — snail secretions, long part of Asian beauty regimens, are packed with nutrients that soften and moisten facial skin.

Inside Mitsuwa’s grocery area are even more serums, masks and all-in-one BB (“blemish balm”) creams that protect, cover and hydrate.

Whether you hit up the spa or snag a face sheet mask at the store, it’s easy to become captivated by the themes of healing and prevention that are the building blocks of K-beauty.

“It’s really important to take care of yourself,” says Park, “because when you really love yourself, then you’re able to take care and give back to others around you.”

We s t s id e Fit ne s s H e a lt h & B e a u t y G u id e 2 01 9 • 23

Resolutions

A Prescription for Health and Happiness Cedars-Sinai Playa Vista’s Dr. Ruchika Chhibar offers three New Year’s resolutions that busy people can actually keep

By Courtnay Robbins

T

he beginning of a new year is an ideal opportunity for personal renewal and fresh starts. Whether you’re trying to lose a few pounds or improve your mood, Dr. Ruchika Chhibar of Cedars-Sinai Playa Vista shares three healthy New Year’s resolutions that are achievable for busy people.

1. Make Exercise Part of Your Routine We all know we have to exercise to maintain good health, yet we often find it difficult to set aside time to work out.

“You have to make a plan to exercise regularly. If you plan to do 50 minutes of moderate exercise, you can space it out in a period of a week. If that’s too much, start slow and progress towards that. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Chhibar says.

If you have a busy work schedule and sit at a desk all day, be sure to get up every hour to walk around — even if just for a minute or two. If you have a meeting planned, use that as an opportunity to move. “There are so many opportunities to walk [in Playa Vista],” she says. “Walk and talk.”

grains and veggies over processed foods that are often high in salt and concentrated sugars.

“Processed food has a lot of sodium,” Chhibar warns.

“Two grams of sodium in 24 hours is good for everybody, even patients with health issues.” And if you pick up a packaged meal that has more than that, it’s better to put it back on the shelf.

Cut back slowly on unhealthy foods that have been part of your diet for a long time. When you change your eating habits, it may take a couple weeks until you start to notice any difference in your body weight or energy level.

Bottom Line: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Set realistic goals and don’t give up.

“If you take care of your body and if you are mindful, people are finding their lifespan is longer and healthier,” Chhibar says. “You feel good emotionally and physically.”

2. Take Mindfulness Seriously Mental health goes hand-in-hand with physical health.

Chhibar recommends practicing mindfulness exercises for improved mental and emotional health.

“I know it’s tough to find one hour every day to do meditation and yoga,” she says, “but if you just find five to ten minutes just to concentrate on your breathing, that really helps.”

Mindfulness practice can reduce stress, chronic pain and sleep disturbances. The Cedars-Sinai Integrative Health Program offers mindfulness training through daylong workshops and an eight-week program in Playa Vista.

3. Cut Back on Processed Food Maintaining a healthy bodyweight can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. If you have a few pounds to lose, Chhibar recommends choosing whole

Dr. Ruchika Chhibar of Cedars-Sinai Playa Vista We s t s id e Fit ne s s H e a lt h & B e a u t y G u id e 2 0 1 9 • 25

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