Moxie! Winter/Spring 2016 by moxiemagazine

winter/spring 2016 health. fitness. naturally.

Revealed your life

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contents

winter/spring 2016 Lisa Robison Impacting lives by design......................................................................26

on the cover model Jill Sharp photo by Beth Bizer

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Health

Nutrition

Life

Healthy You! The rhythm of your heart........................14

The Great Debate The good and bad on saturated fats...22

Love? According to Marty....................................12

Hurts So Good! Airrosti for therapeutic tissue repair ...18

Healthy Recipe It’s cookie time!...........................................24

Tricks of the Trade Spring Gardening.......................................34

Gardening for Wellness Hope and healing in the garden...........36

Style

Book Review Rising Strong by Brene’ Brown................38

Fitness

Chic Shots! Professional can be fun............................30

Your Best Energy Move more for better health..................16

Moxie Makeover Big sister’s new look!.................................32

Moxie Message Room 23.........................................................42

from the editor

Each of us has our own unique life that is waiting to be revealed Our passions, hopes and dreams come to the forefront and we become our authentic selves.

f you’re still waiting for your moment of clarity, don’t worry. Keep asking yourself what thrills you. Do the things that make you happy and feel alive!

Each issue of Moxie! brings you stories and advice from our contributors who do what they LOVE to do. Our great team of writers, photographers and health experts happily share their passions with you. Read on and be inspired by each article, whether it’s to take better care of your health, change your style, start a non-profit, or write a book! Let your true life come to the surface and reveal it to the world! Be real. Be you. Be Moxie!

moxie! Editor in Chief: Georgia Williams Design Director: Pete Williams

Writers: Marty Newton, Sheri Boyd, M.D., Margaret Polser, Jill Sharp, Charlie Agar, Elissa Lueckemeyer, Kristy Hurst, Jenny Peterson, Kourtney Street Photographers: Beth Bizer, Pauline Stevens, Charlie Agar

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LOVE?

By Marty Newton

When Moxie! Magazine asked me to write about love I said, “You are kidding, right?” I am a self-proclaimed spinster. There are

According to

Marty

12 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

several definitions of a “spinster” and there have been adaptations to make it sound more appealing. An original definition is: a woman who is not married, especially a woman who is no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry. A synonym for spinster is cat lady.

way those two women clearly do. I would like to be moved enough to go on national television in a short, tight dress and be compelled to fight so ferociously for my man that my wig comes off. This has never happened for me. Of course, I also haven’t been the storyline on 20/20 for killing my husband or being killed by him, either. As we celebrate this season of love, try to remember that it is just a season. The good news this year for us single girls is Valentine’s Day, which I like to call “Valoween,” is on a Sunday. This will reduce your exposure to all the flowers and gifts being delivered to the women in your office. My most memorable Valentine’s Day gift was during the time I was attending so many of my good friends’ first weddings. I was feeling particularly sorry for myself and had explained to my father what it was like to be in an office where everyone was getting flowers but you (I was in a dry spell). I told him how I hated Valoween. When I arrived home to be alone on Valentine’s Day that night, in the mail was a box from my Dad. In the box was a very sweet bracelet with a note that said, “Happy Valoween!”

efore I give you my love advice and my personal definition of a spinster, it is only fair to tell you that I do have a cat. My definition of spinster is: a woman who never has to roll up the extension cord on her leaf blower and who never has to pay for anyone else’s braces or college tuition. My advice is likely retroactive for so many of you, but it would be to marry one of the first people you love. The problem with being the kind of spinster I am (and this statement will likely end my current relationship) is that there is always someone to ‘love’ or at least ‘like’ or ‘be attracted to,’ until you can’t stand them. Yes, I have dated almost everyone in the county, which is why I am glad this is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. I would like to find love, you And anyway, I get flowers all the time. know--that perfect kind of love. The I get them at the grocery store. other day I was flipping through the channels on TV and stopped on Jerry LOVE, Marty Springer.... because that is what spinsters do. The episode was two women fighting over a man. My first thought Marty is a freelance writer and lives in was, I would like to love someone the New Braunfels with a cat.

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HEALTHYyou!

The Rhythm of Your Heart By Sheri Boyd, M.D. ISTOCKPHOTO/LZF

The rhythm of your heart is a constant event. Your heart beats 100,000 times a day and over 2.5 billion times in a lifetime. When the heart rhythm is out of sync you may feel chest pain, racing or skipped heart beats, lightheaded or passing out episodes, shortness of breath, or periods of sudden anxiety and panic. See your doctor!

heart rhythm can be a serious life-threatening problem when associated with heart blood vessel blockage (coronary artery disease) or heart muscle weakness (cardiomyopathy). It’s difficult to predict when ventricular arrhythmias will occur in these conditions, and due to their serious nature, doctors may use specialized pacemakers with the ability to shock the heart back to a normal rhythm. These devices are called defibrillators; recent research evaluated the use of defibrillators in women who have weak heart muscle. The data support the same benefits for women, as seen in earlier studies of heart failure in men. Fast heart rhythms from the top of the heart, the waiting or receiving rooms for blood, are called atrial arrhythmias. Women who present with symptoms of atrial arrhythmias can be misdiagnosed with anxiety, stress or panic. A form of atrial arrhythmia with a chaotic disordered set of signals from the top heart chambers is atrial fibrillation (afib). Afib is an important problem to identify, treat or correct because of its associated stroke risk. When the top chambers of the heart do not have their normal coordinated contraction, blood clots can form in the heart. For older women, afib accounts for 50% of strokes and stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death for women. It’s estimated that 2.5 million people in the US have atrial fibrillation. Although afib is more common in men, women with atrial fibrillation are more likely to have a stroke. Women with afib have 5X the stroke risk, and 2X the death risk compared to men. The risk for stroke with atrial fibrillation increases with age, diabetes, hypertension, vascular (blood vessel) disease, congestive heart failure, and prior stroke. If you have risk factors for atrial fibrillation have an EKG. One third of women with afib have no symptoms. Traditionally Coumadin or warfarin was the only medication available to reduce stroke risk; several newer blood thinners are now available as alternatives for some patients. A new device is available for some patients who cannot take blood thinners; this device closes part of the heart chamber where clots form. You can decrease your risk of some heart rhythm problems with a heart healthy diet, exercise, control of diabetes and high blood pressure, no smoking and no excessive alcohol. Stay active; work on avoiding and treating obesity.

our heart has a cadence, a coordinated series of electrical events that dictate the sequence of heart chamber contraction and relaxation. The top chambers of the heart are called the right and left atria and serve as receiving or waiting rooms for blood that has returned from the body and the lungs. The bottom chambers of the heart, the right and left ventricles, are triggered to contract and pump blood to the lungs and body once the atria have filled. This sequence of top, then bottom, heart chamber contraction is signaled through specialized cells that act much like wiring. Like other areas of the heart, problems with the electrical “wires” and “signaling” can result in a variety of health problems. Heart arrhythmias are problems with excessive signals from the top or the Remember… the rhythm of life needs the rhythm bottom of the heart as well as missed or skipped signals for of your heart. the heart to contract. Tachyarrhythmias, many rapid signals for the heart to contract, can take a variety of forms. Rapid signals originating in the bottom chambers, the Sheri Boyd, M.D., is a cardiologist with a passion for women’s health at pumping chambers, are called ventricular tachycardia. This New Braunfels Cardiology 14 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

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move more your best energy

By Jill Sharp and Margaret Polser

✔ I do cardio and/or resistance training exercise almost daily. ✔ I am eating right, light, and often most of the time. ✔ I am sleeping 7-8 hours most nights. ✔ In addition to exercise, I move a lot during my day, never sitting more than 2 hours.

any of you have likely made some progress in one or more of these critical behaviors that, as research shows us, can lead to positive changes in your health and overall energy. But one of the easiest and least appreciated in this line up is moving more. Despite the craze in the use of FITBIT and other movement monitors, many people still fall short of the recommended 10,000 steps daily, or are failing to make it happen on a regular basis. Perhaps the consequences and opportunities that come with this facet of your strategy need more clarity…your health, weight, and waistline may be at stake.

Sitting is the New Smoking That’s right. Research is repeatedly showing us that too much sitting raises the risk of disability, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, not to mention obesity…even if you hit the gym or the jogging path every day. Dr. James Levine, director of the

ISTOCKPHOTO/SANJERI

Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University factors in that strategy that make it Obesity Solutions Initiative and inven- work. To burn even more calories, tor of the treadmill desk, has been consider the opportunity you have in studying the adverse effects of our simply moving more: increasingly sedentary lifestyles for years and has summed up his find- Average calories burned* per ings in two sentences. “Sitting is more minute while: dangerous than smoking, kills more • Sitting – 1 calorie people than HIV and is more treach- • Standing up – 2-3 calories erous than parachuting. We are sitting (double) ourselves to death.” • Moving – 4-6 calories (double, again) To be clearer about the danger, research published in the Journal of • Moderate cardio exercise Diabetologia in November 2012 that – 7+ calories compared those that sit the most *Actual numbers will vary from person to person with those that do not showed: • 112% increase in diabetes • 147% increase in So, if you are exercising an hour a day and sleeping 7-8 hours, what cardiovascular disease are you doing with the other 15 • 90% increase in death from cardiovascular causes hours? More importantly, what could • 49% increase in death of all you be doing? Using data from the Compendium of Physical Activity as causes a basis, an average sedentary worker Bottom line: Sitting, like smok- could burn an additional 300 caloing, is very clearly bad for our health. ries per day over his/her basal metaOur bodies were meant to move, yet bolic rate (the calories needed to keep we move 90% less than our ancestors you alive if you were doing nothing) did. The only way to minimize the risk through movement compared to is to limit the time we spend on our someone who has a very physically active job (think nurses, physical butts each day. laborers, some retail) who could easily Sitting’s Impact on Weight Loss burn an additional 2300 calories! Burning more calories than you In a recent study done by the consume can lead to fewer pounds Mayo Clinic on movement and weight on the scale over time, and exercise loss, study participants were given an and healthy eating are two common additional 1000 calories per day with

strict dietary controls and instructions not to exercise during the study time-period. Many of the individuals in the study gained weight, but not all. The differentiating factor was in daily activity and movement – those that moved more were able to manage their weight despite the surplus of calories. Are you feeling motivated yet? And we haven’t even addressed the positive impact movement has on your cognitive function, mood, and overall energy! To help you with your “move more” strategy, consider standing vs sitting at your desk; intentionally parking in the back of the parking lot to log a few more steps; taking the stairs versus the elevator every chance you get, or doing a walk and talk with a colleague or friend. Additionally, avoid sitting more than two hours at a time and set a reminder for yourself if you need it. All of these little steps can lead to big results in your health and how you feel. Jill Sharp is a certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer with over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. She is also an experienced corporate trainer and performance coach, specializing in the development and delivery of personal and professional performance improvement programs. (jillmsharp@aol.com) Margaret Polser has a master’s degree in education and is a certified personal trainer.  She is also a trained and certified Wellness Coach, specializing in physical fitness, nutrition, and stress management.  (margaretburns@satx.rr.com)

MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 17

HURTS SO GOOD! Story and Photos by Charlie Agar

18 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

You might have spied them at the gym or maybe in line at the grocery store — people wearing bright racing-stripe kinesiology tape on strategic joints and muscles. Ask them why and they’ll likely say they’ve just come from an Airrosti clinic, one of more than 150 popping up all across the US.

“You see it all the time,” said Dr. Brent Perry, an Airrosti clinician in New Braunfels. The kinesiology tape not only helps “change movement characteristics” but also shortens recovery time and reduces soreness and swelling after injury, he said. It’s just one piece of the Airrosti puzzle. Perry, 41, a Lubbock native, Texas Tech grad and now doctor of chiropractic, was one of the first employees at Airrosti, which launched in 2004 in Austin and is garnering national attention as an affiliate of the CrossFit Games. Airrosti stands for “Applied Integration for the Rapid Recovery of Soft Tissue Injury,” but the term is just a company title and not a method of care, Perry said. “I use my hands to work on the tissue,” Perry said. He focuses specifically on

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connective tissue, or fascia, which can be painful, to repair injury. Endorsements from patients often sound something like: “You should go see him; it’s awful,” Perry joked, but once he stops pushing it stops hurting, he said. Then the critical thing is in “figuring out the steps that created the problem or pattern.”

ll health problems have some musculoskeletal connection, Perry said. Kidney stones appear as back pain, for example. And no one says their pancreas hurts them, but they notice it when they bend over. “Your brain just gets as close as it can,” Perry said, and good care is a matter of paying close attention to what’s really happening. “It’s knowing that the body doesn’t always give you good information.” Perry treats anyone with a soft tissue injury and everyone from elite athletes to soccer moms. In fact he sees a lot of what he calls “Mom Hip” in women caused by carrying toddlers on one side of the body. With one arm less active and holding a child over a jutted-out hip, a woman holding a child puts her weight all on one side. Her body is twisted while 20 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

holding a very active weight load, which over time causes dysfunction in the sacroiliac (or SI) joint and low back pain. “A little thing done wrong a lot of times causes problems,” Perry said. And while it’s usually the “straw that broke the camel’s back” that brings patients to him, Perry doesn’t treat just the last straw but looks at root causes and helps in the long-term recovery process. Countering “Mom Hip” in the long run is as much about changing the pattern and redressing baby carrying with appropriate strengthening. Perry does hands-on manipulation first, then favors dynamic all-body lifting for moms — hoisting a kettle bell from a squat to full standing height, for example —instead of the paltry mini dumbbell curls so popular among fitness trainers working with women. “One of the things everyone forgets about is gravity,” Perry said. When people spend hours bent over on the job or do repeat movement in sports it’s not the hamstrings or back muscles that are the problem but the “failure of stabilization against gravity” over time that does the damage, he said. Perry sizes up his patients as if they are wearing an infant “onesie,” examining where the garment is kinked and twisted. Then, like a tailor who knows

where all the seams are, he realigns soft tissue and get things working right again, he said. Post treatment is a matter of selfcare, and that’s where Jessica Gaertner comes in. A certified recovery specialist at Perry’s office, Gaertner also has a bachelor’s in and experience as an athletic trainer. She teaches patients to use a foam roller to work out the kinks on their own, or to stand on a lacrosse ball and loosen up tight muscles. The exercises “mimic the treatment,” Gaertner says, and enhance long-term recovery. Airrosti clinics are typically connected to a family medical practice or chiropractor’s office. Perry shares space and a strong synergy with Stamps Chiropractic in New Braunfels, and he stressed that Airrosti clinicians are “not adversarial to medical treatment” but work closely with other medical professionals. If surgery is a must, Perry and other Airrosti clinicians simply assist in recovery and help avoid repeat injury. For more information visit www. Airrosti.com.

Charlie Agar is a media producer and marketing professional in New Braunfels. Reach him at info@charlesagar.com

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Are saturated fats good for our hearts now? Are they bad? A study conducted by the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2014 reviewed 72 former studies on the effect of saturated fat on heart disease and concluded there was no link, contradicting decades of diet advice. The American media hastily grasped these findings and ran with them.

The Great Saturated Fat Debate By Elissa Lueckemeyer RDN, LD

ART: ISTOCKPHOTO/KREATIW 22 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

The result? A lot of important information was left out, and the public has been more confused than ever.

s you may have noticed, the world of nutrition can be fickle. Something once considered unhealthy may later be proven to be healthy, or vice-versa. Such has been the case with saturated fat. Studies performed in the 1980’s concluded that saturated fat, transfat, and cholesterol were all strongly linked to heart disease, and this information was drilled into our brains by doctors and nutritionists alike. Avoiding the bacon, whole-milk dairy, and red meat that our parents and grandparents enjoyed became a common practice. Despite these diet practices and better awareness of other lifestyle risk-factors, cardiovascular disease mortality rates remain alarmingly high, and the growing obesity epidemic and diabetes rates are hindering progress made in reducing the statistics.

The Controversial Study Our current state of health raises the question of whether or not these health recommendations should be revised, and studies have emerged challenging our previous train of thought. A 2014 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine performed an analysis of 72 previous studies on the effects of saturated fat on cardiovascular disease. Together, the Harvard School of Public Health and a team from the United Kingdom conducted the analysis, which included reviewing 530,525 participant diet questionnaires and records. They concluded that saturated fat did not increase the risk of coronary disease. Even though such a major conclusion was questioned and challenged by several medical authorities- including the British Heart Association who helped fund the research- the American media quickly grasped the opportunity to use the study for excitable headlines such as, “Now Saturated Fat is Good for You?” and “Saturated Fat Isn’t Bad for Your Heart: Major Study Questions Decades of Dietary Advice.”

The Media’s Mistake Unfortunately, the media left out some important limitations of the study, which also raised great concerns from Harvard University and The Center for Science in the Public Interest. The media did not mention that the study received criticism in that it was misleading the public, because of suspected bias and errors in data from some of the reviewed studies. The analyzed research also included individuals with pre-existing health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, making the effects of saturated fat on a healthy individual unclear. The study also largely depended on participant self-assessment and questionnaires, which raised more questions on accuracy and bias. In addition, medical authorities strongly pointed out that it is impossible to study the effects of saturated fat by itself, as there is no control of what other nutrients individuals would choose to consume instead. The media did not always emphasize the fact that the study confirmed that trans-fat does have a strong link to heart disease, as was previously found. This lack of information to the American public has caused some to interpret the study results as permission to over-indulge in previously forbidden fatty-foods. A Closer Look The controversial results of this study have led dietitians and heart disease experts to more closely examine the effect of different fatty-acids on heart health. What they are concluding is that the public needs to avoid the broad dietary advice suggesting saturated fats are “bad” and unsaturated fats are “good.” Saturated fat can still be beneficial to health, as it is needed for hormone regulation and as some studies suggest, in the regulation of unsaturated fats in the body. Further research is revealing that the saturated fatty acid chain length has more to do with the effects on health, but to make matters more confusing, all fat-containing foods have a mixture of these chain lengths. Some can raise bad cholesterol, some raise good cholesterol, and some have no effect. For example, coconut oil is made up of both beneficial and detrimental types of saturated fatty acids, making its health benefits a topic of debate in its recent media craze. It is also important to realize what nutrition replaces “bad” fats with when they are cut from your diet. When fat intake is restricted too much, carbohydrates most commonly fill the void. A diet excessive in carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates that are stripped of essential nutri-

ents, can cause weight gain, insulin resistance, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, ironically creating an even bigger cardiovascular threat. You are actually better off having a balance of all food groups. Looking at the Bigger Picture With the lack of definitive, unbiased studies on the effects of saturated fat and the misleading advice hyped by the media, it is completely understandable to feel confused and frustrated about what to eat. All health organizations globally agree that more research is needed. In the meantime, the World Health Organization, The American Heart Association, and the World Heart Federation all still agree saturated fats should be limited. However, rather than omitting all foods with saturated fats such as red meat and whole-milk dairy, the focus should be on replacing some of these foods with unsaturated fat sources such as fish, olive oil, avocados, and nuts to create more of a variety in the American diet. There is a place in the diet for both types of fats in moderation. Carbohydrates are still an important part, but they should be from nutrient-rich whole-grain sources and eaten in balance with fats and protein. Trans-fat from processed foods should still be completely avoided. The Take-Home Message Rather than focus on “good” and “bad” foods, instead focus on “everything in moderation.” Although these words may seem cliché, they deserve deep consideration and reflection when it comes to our own diets. Do you tend to go heavy on a certain food group and not enough on another? Focus on variety, or you may be missing out on a whole category of essential, heart-saving vitamins and minerals. Be wary of any diet advice that encourages an omission or severe limitation of a food group. Just as in all aspects of life, aim for balance. Strive for whole foods, and less processed ingredients. Your body will “whole-heartedly” thank you for it.

Elissa is a registered dietitian and owner of Food 4 Success, LLC She has a passion for whole-foods cooking, writing, and improving nutritional knowledge in the community with the latest, scientific-based information. Contact her at Elissa@food4success.com MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 23

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Dark chocolate contains antioxidants,

boosts serotonin levels, and contains the saturated fat, stearic acid, which does not raise cholesterol levels. Walnuts are rich with beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. It is a delicious win-win!

Ingredients: 6 tablespoons butter ¼ cup white sugar ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup whole wheat flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 ½ cup dry oats ¹⁄₃ cup walnuts, chopped ¹⁄₃ cup dark chocolate, chopped Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. In a large bowl, beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well. 3. In a medium bowl, sift whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and oats together. Add this dry mixture to the butter and sugar, mix well. 4. Add dark chocolate and walnuts, mix until blended. 5. Measure approximately 1 tablespoon portions of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure to space about 2 inches apart. 6. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cookies will finish cooking during the cooling process.

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Recipe Source: Skari, C. (2014, April 17). Healthy dark chocolate walnut cookies {Web log post}. Retrieved from http://apple-of-my-eye.com/2014/04/17/ healthy-dark-chocolate-walnut-cookies

Recipe provided by Elissa Lueckemeyer Photo by Pauline Stevens Justin Barber, DDS & William T. Lee, Jr., DDS 1280 E. Common Street, New Braunfels, Tx 78130

(830) 625-7611 www.RivercrestDental.com

MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 25

Photo: Sarah Fun

Healing Families By Design Lisa Robison’s passion for beautiful design impacts the lives of families who need it most.

By Kristy Hurst

When families fall into homelessness and poverty, everything descends into chaos – especially the children’s lives.

here may not be a table to gather around for family dinners. Nowhere to invite a friend to play. No academic continuity as the kids bounce from apartment to shelter, school to school. They can’t even count on the comforting routine of being tucked into their own safe, warm beds every night. While agencies exist to bring families out of homelessness and into apartments and jobs, many walk into their new housing for the first time with little more than the clothes on their backs. Interior designer Lisa Robison decided that children – and their parents – deserved much more.

Passion plus compassion A Chicago native, Lisa moved to Dallas after earning a business degree, backpacking Europe, then finding true love with a Texan. The daughter of an artist and a businessman, she constantly redecorated her room as child and always had a knack for creating beautifully appointed rooms as an adult. After a few years in the workplace, she yearned to develop her natural eye for color, pattern, and balance, so she decided to pursue an interior design

degree at El Centro College. She was working at her first dream design job with Dallas’ renowned Paul Draper when her first child was born. After juggling a demanding workload, a new daughter at home, and husband building a business, she took a career hiatus to reprioritize her life and focus on her family. When her second child, a son, entered kindergarten 10 years later, she was ready to return to the career she loved. But this time, she wanted to do things differently. “I had picked up a book by Oprah Winfrey, called What I Know For Sure,” she recalls. “In it, she says the secret to happiness is finding what you are passionate about and talented at – what makes your heart beat fast – and figuring out how to give that back to your community. That got me thinking about design and how it makes such a huge impact on quality of life.” She realized that families emerging from homelessness and poverty deserve a harmonious retreat to come home to at the end of the day. Their children deserve stability and a space to call their own, possibly for the first time in their lives. “Think about a family who has gone through an agency program and is out on their own for the first time,” she says. “They have their first and last

months’ rent – enough to pay for their kids’ clothes and some food, but not enough to provide a real home. They might have a mattress and sometimes a couple of pieces of furniture or a TV. That’s it. There’s no place for kids to do their homework. They can’t get a good night’s sleep. The kids don’t have birthday parties or invite anyone over. It’s really not a thriving environment for a family.” Lisa realized that transforming these empty spaces could completely change how these families interact with each other and their communities. So in 2009, when her husband asked what she wanted for her birthday, she asked for a nest egg to start a non-profit and bring great design to families who needed that boost the most. With it, she started Dwell with Dignity to create soothing, inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty. Lisa quickly found that everyone she spoke to wanted to get involved – including friend and fellow El Centro alum Kim Turner. Together, they enlisted so much support from their community of designers, showrooms, and manufacturers, they needed a warehouse, full-time staff of eight, and an army of volunteers to manage it all. More than 75 projects later, Dwell with Dignity designs, sources, and installs a beautiful interior for MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 27

a new family about once a month, and upgrades the interiors of other non-profit organizations twice a year. DwD has been so successful, it’s now expanding into other “design hub” cities, starting with Atlanta. In addition to donations, the effort is funded by DwD’s bi-annual “Thrift Studio” sale featuring designer-curated donations of high-end furniture, housewares, and accessories. From drawing board to big reveal Families are nominated by agencies working to take them from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Dwell with Dignity’s designers and volunteers take measurements, create furniture plans, renovate donated furnishings, purchase new items as needed, and create original art. No element is overlooked, with the team creating a perfect mix of decor, linens, dishes and kitchen supplies, a stocked pantry, and even the first night’s dinner. Every design decision is informed by the family members’ personalities, from the kids’ favorite sports or princess obsessions to the parents’ favorite colors and treasured family heirlooms. “It’s often hard to get out of the 28 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

mothers what they like and aspire to because they just feel so fortunate to have been chosen in the first place,” Lisa says. “But so often, they will say, ‘How did you know that’s my favorite color? How did you know I prayed for this?’ We end up intuitively doing the right thing.” When families step into their newly redecorated homes for the first time, tears often flow, and the kids immediately begin planning their first playdate. “Suddenly, the children are not in fight or flight mode anymore,” Lisa says. “They feel safe. They have a bed and can get a good night’s sleep. They get the stability that promotes better academic outcomes. The chaos is taken out of their environment.” One of Lisa’s goals is to break the cycle of poverty by giving kids a new standard of living to aspire to. One child even made up his mind that he would one day give back by building houses for the homeless. “That’s what he decided to take in, instead of the scariness and stressfulness of his life,” Lisa marvels. “To inspire a child to want to give, when they don’t have anything – that’s crazy good.” And it’s not just the kids who are

inspired to dream big. Lisa and her team frequently hear from parents who pledge to work hard, pay it forward, and never fall back into the lives they lived before. “To have a home to come back to and recharge their batteries enables them to succeed in their careers,” she says. “They sleep better and have restful time at home with their kids. They start having family dinners, and communication improves. Their toxic stress levels go down, their confidence goes up, and they start making the right choices. Instead of constantly trying to get out of the hole, they can use the skills they have learned to start living their lives right now.” Lisa’s own kids, now 18 and 12, have grown up with DwD, and she hopes they too will find their passions and ways to give back. “If everyone used their gifts to do something they are passionate about, everything would be taken care of,” she says. “You don’t get how good it feels until you actually experience it. It’s addictive.” Kristy Hurst is a freelance writer. She lives in New Braunfels with her husband and two children.

Dwell With Dignity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Photos: Lance Selgo, Unique Exposure Photography

Chic Shots!

“When you’re ready to buy or sell...”

When it comes to dressing for the office, some girls just know how to do it with ease. We want to know how they do it…so we’re getting answers!

Janie Macredie R E A LT O R ®

jmacredie@cbharper.com (830) 608-5418 (830) 708-5926 Fax: (830) 608-2718

Sharon Wild Executive Director of Rio Terra Senior Living How would you define your style? Classy…and Fun! When shopping for professional clothing, what are your must-haves? Solid black slacks/skirts, solid off-white slacks/skirts and fun, colorful jackets and tops to mix and match. I love jackets (all seasons and all different lengths) because they can add so much to an ordinary outfit and I believe they make for a professional look. Where are your favorite places to shop? Because I work long hours, I don’t spend a lot of time shopping, nor do I want to shop during my free time. I love my CAbi (Carole Ann by Invitation) fashion consultant and order from her every season. I can shop from a catalog or go to her home where she has samples. I find that all CAbi clothes interchange with each other from year to year so by adding 1-2 new items, I can usually make 6-8 new outfits. It is fun for me to see how I can mix and match my Cabi clothes. I also do a lot of online shopping. I can identify a piece of clothing that I might need for an outfit or an event and can usually find it online. A few favorites are Ann Taylor and Boston Proper. When I do shop in stores, I enjoy all of the specialty boutiques we have in downtown New Braunfels and Gruene. I never go to work without... Accessorizing! I think you can take a plain outfit and add so much to it with accessories, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot to do this. You can add a scarf, costume jewelry, a fun belt and I even accessorize with my readers! I have about 30 pair of $5 colorful, fun reading glasses and match them up with my outfit every morning before heading out! When you’re not at work, what is your go-to look? My “go to” look when not working is always casual and comfortable. I have to dress up for work so I enjoy a more relaxed look when not working. I love my jeans and boots and of course, animal print has to be worn somewhere!

JanieMacredie.com

Haoran Yu, M.D. Managing Diabetes locally for 18 years If you have uncontrolled diabetes, Dr. Yu and his team can help, with extensive medical knowledge and clinical experience and advanced technology,

43 Yu Drive • New Braunfels

830-608-9300

We’re bringing in some fresh NEW EVENTS for spring! Join us for: Wine Wednesdays

‘Happy Hour’ while you shop, 2-6 pm. Weekly specials!

Courthouse Lunch Sale Thursdays

Bring your personal invitation & join us each Thursday to get your special discount, 11-2 pm.

Moms of New Braunfels TGIF Sale!

Mention the Facebook ‘word of the week’ to get your MONB discount each Friday of the month.

“Scrub-Free Saturdays”

Get out of those scrubs! Turn your weekly ‘Drab’ into weekend ‘Fab’! Enjoy a mimosa to kick off your weekend while you shop. Bring your nurse or hospital ID and receive super savings!

172 W. San Antonio St. New Braunfels • TX 78130 830-358-7439

BOUTIQUE

Check out our new website: www.allaboutmenb.com Follow us on Facebook. Keep posted on our sales and events! - www.facebook.com/allaboutmetexas MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 31

moxie

makeover What do you do when you’re the editor of a women’s magazine and your big sister wants a new look? You give her a MOXIE MAKEOVER, of course! We had so much fun treating my sister, Carol Burrow, to a makeover. She had a ball through it all and said it was like “being treated like a Queen!” THANK YOU to all the beauty experts below who helped make my sister’s dream come true!

Makeover At CosMedical Esthetics, Carol gets a gentle laser Carol receives treatment for her spider veins treatment with Clear+Brilliant from Michelle from Dr. MarK Kneuper at Hill Country Vein McAskill at to refresh her skin. Center.

imEdge Designer, Charise Kirby, at William Edge Salon, adds dimension to Carol’s natural auburn hair with red, copper and blonde highlights.

Justine Hollingsworth razor cuts Carol’s hair to add texture. The lightly layered cut angles to the front. Easy curls with a large barrel iron add gentle, flattering waves.

It’s fun shopping at Centerpoint Station where Jana helps Carol choose a bohemian inspired outfit.

Bring on the blue eye shadow! Makeup artist, Alicia Canon, uses a modern blue and copper shadow to bring out Carol’s eyes. Natural skin-tone foundation, peach blush, and warm honey on the lips give Carol a healthy glow!

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Spring Gardening in Central Texas

By Jenny Peterson

he chilly weather will be gone soon and our days and nights will be warming up. It’s time to start thinking about getting out into the garden and making sure you’re ready for the busiest time of the garden year. We are lucky to live in a fairly mild climate, and although many of us have continued to garden throughout the winter, there’s just nothing like the onset of another growing season to get a gardener’s juices flowing. Here’s a rundown of what you can do right now in your Central Texas garden.

Tend To Your Grass Your lawn is just now waking up from a long slumber, so be gentle with it at first. Don’t aerate until it’s actively growing, avoid mowing too low for the first mow of the season, and be sure to apply lawn fertilizer according to package directions. For your spring fertilizing, look for a product that has no more than 27% nitrogen — nitrogen is great for greening up your grass, but too much can lead to disease issues. As you return to your warm season irrigation schedule, be aware of the current watering guidelines for your town or city and be a stickler about complying. Plant Perennials and Grasses Although the fall is the best time to plant nearly everything, spring is the second-best time. Plant native perennials like Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), lantana (Lantana spp.), salvia (Salvia greggii), yellow bells (Tecoma stans) and verbena, as well as ornamental grasses like maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis), bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa), Mexican feathergrass (Nasella tenuissima) and gulf 34 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaries). Arid plants like agaves and yuccas are great low-water companion plants for all of our native flowering perennials. Plant Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit Nearly any herb can be planted right now, including basil, anise, rosemary, sage, lavender, fennel, thyme, tarragon and oregano. Vegetables to plant include eggplant, peppers, summer or winter squashes, tomatoes, tomatillo and sweet potato slips, and great fruits to add include cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon. Check with your county’s Extension Office for the best times to plant for your area. Apply Mulch A good 2-3” layer of shredded hardwood mulch is essential in our region. Mulch maintains soil moisture, suppresses weeds and provides a finishing touch around our plants. Avoid heaping mulch up around the base of your plants, however, particularly those plants like agaves and yuccas that prefer more arid conditions. If you applied mulch in the fall, you don’t need to repeat this in the spring. Prune With a Purpose It’s easy to get excited with the first signs of spring, but resist grabbing your pruners and going to town without a plan, particularly with trees and shrubs. Some plants flower in the spring, and pruning them too early will remove their flower buds until next year. Prune any diseased growth or dead stems/ limbs, growth that is moving towards the center of the plant or limbs that are crossing and rubbing on each other. Jenny Peterson is an author, blogger, and owner of J. Peterson Garden Design in Austin, Tx.

EVERY SATURDAY 9AM – 1PM 186 S. Castell Ave Downtown New Braunfels 830-629-2223

LOCAL FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND ARTISTS NBFarmersMarket.com

MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 35

Gardening for Wellness Photos provided

Austin-based landscape designer and author Jenny Peterson has published a new book, The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion: Cultivating Hope, Healing & Joy in the Ground Beneath Your Feet, (St. Lynn’s Press) and she talks with Moxie about what it means to use your garden as a resource for healing and balance. Moxie: What was the inspiration for writing “The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion?” Jenny Peterson: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2012, and as a result of my surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, I had a number of pretty nasty side effects and chronic issues like lymphedema. I began to feel depressed because my life and activity level were so different, but little by little, I began to get outside and get my hands dirty again. It was like the garden said, “We missed you! Where were you?” So I thought, “How many other people feel this way? And can the garden help them, too?” What are some things people can do to cultivate a wellness garden in their own yard? JP: The first thing is not to put off creating wellness spaces because your garden doesn’t look like it popped off the pages of Better Homes & Gardens. Parts of my garden are beautiful, while other parts are eyesores – it doesn’t matter. This garden is just for you. Create small seating areas for quiet time, plant aromatic herbs or roses, take your yoga or stretching practice outside to your deck or patio, create quiet spots for prayer or meditation. Grow healthy food for juicing, smoothies and salads, and remember to invite friends over to create happy memories with you in your garden. What if a person lives in an apartment and only has a small balcony? Can they benefit as well? JP: Absolutely — I used to live in an apartment with a balcony, too. Grow some pots of cheerful flowers, arrange a tiny seating area with a chair and side table, or have a small tabletop water 36 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

What is the most important healing aspect of your own garden? JP: My yoga deck and surrounding garden (shown in photo on page 34). After I finished treatment, my fiancée, Brett, built me a 12x12 yoga deck for my 50th birthday. He wanted to encourage me to get outdoors, pick up my yoga practice again, and feel healthy and whole. We’ve since created a lush tropical garden around the deck, and practicing yoga outside surrounded by a beautiful garden is one of the most relaxing and healing things I can think of. Any last words of advice? JP: Whether you have a cancer diagnosis or are struggling with other issues like chronic pain, depression or stress, bring it out to the garden. Don’t let your diagnosis and circumstances define who you are — while life can certainly be tough, it’s also beautiful, and it’s up to you to look around and see the beauty and be a part of the world around you! Jenny’s book “The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion” is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble as well as nationwide independent bookstores.

feature. If you don’t have a balcony, think of the natural world as your garden. Go to a park, botanic garden or wildflower center. Join a community garden. Visit flower and garden shows, and cultivate indoor plants.

Jenny Peterson is owner of J Peterson Garden Design and author of blog J Peterson Garden Design. She is also co-author of the 2013 release “Indoor Plant Decor:The Design Stylebook for Houseplants” You’ll find her healthy and happy in her garden in Austin.

MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 37

Texas is known for its robust natural resources, and nestled deep in the heart of Houston is one of its greatest.

N Rising Strong Review and Introduction to Brené Brown By Kourtney Street

38 MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016

ot oil, land, or minerals, she’s a Moxie Texas native changing the world one courageous conversation at a time. Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work who has authored three #1 New York Times Best Sellers, starting a global conversation about living wholeheartedly by understanding courage, worthiness, shame and vulnerability. My entrée into the wholehearted revolution began four years ago via a forwarded link to a twenty-minute talk Brené gave entitled “The Power of Vulnerability.” During that initial lecture, Brené shared her definition of shame as “Something about me that if people know it or see it, I won’t be worthy of connection.” She shared her personal story of unraveling that occurred when she realized the gulf between the trends existing in the lives of people who were living wholeheartedly, and how Brené was functioning in her personal life. I found Brené’s honesty incredibly inviting. I found myself incredibly curious. Diving into one of Brené’s books, the learning continued. Shame is universal and not partial. Most know that humanity experiences shame around the harder and darker parts of our stories like addiction, abuse, divorce, and infidelity. But unearthed from that seminal

book was the understanding that people also suffer shame around common everyday things like parenting, success, aging, body image, finances and spirituality. Men and women process shame differently, and people that frequently shame others are usually struggling with shame the most themselves. Because people are hardwired for connection, we diligently work to appear ‘put together’ on the outside believing that if someone knew how we were actually struggling on the inside, they would probably walk away from relationship with us. Swallowing shame’s lie, we believe we must hustle for our worthiness. Honestly, after finishing Brené’s first book, I knew that I had a choice to make. Dig into my life more and risk unsettling a carefully constructed Type A world, or decline the invitation to live more wholeheartedly? Serendipitously, my trusted friend Debbie, a gifted theologian and therapist, had recently completed Brené’s training for helping professionals. Debbie invited me to participate in her inaugural course with a packed house of therapists, ministers, teachers, business leaders, and stay at home moms. It was the beginning of a journey in learning new ways to embrace and pursue wholehearted living that has transformed how I love, lead, parent and view life. Last fall, I listened to Brené read the

audio version of her most recent book who choose to Rise Strong decide that Rising Strong. Against a backdrop of failure, brokenness, and pain are not 1970s San Antonio that is my DNA, the end of our stories. Brené purposefully shares more of her Brené would tell you that her work own childhood journey in addition to a has an independent access ramp. You moving marriage memory that occurs don’t have to read or watch in any on Lake Travis. Admitting that Rising particular order. Her website is filled Strong is my favorite feels like telling with inspiring resources, and her talks one child that you love them more than are available to watch at www.breneanother. But that said, Rising Strong brown.com/about/ Brené describes you are my favorite. I laughed. I cried. her books in the following manner: I hollered in my kitchen and emailed • The Gifts of Imperfection: Be you. Georgia when Brené used the word • Daring Greatly: Be all in. Moxie. • Rising Strong: Fall. Get up. Rising Strong asks the quesTry again. tion, “What do people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing Regardless of the pathway you creativity, artists pushing innovation, choose, Brené consistently weaves and clergy walking with people through solid data, disarming storytelling, faith and mystery have in common?” and her winsome Texas ways into a What emerged in the data was the will- global invitation, which is taking the ingness to own our stories, choosing world by storm. Her initial Ted Talk not to numb ourselves, and to engage has been translated into 35 languages in a Rising Strong process that Brené and has over 25 million views. From describes as: CEO’s to stay at home moms, to veter• The Reckoning: walking into our ans battling PTSD, Brené’s invitation story to live more wholeheartedly is being • The Rumble: owning our story bravely embraced by millions. It’s a • The Revolution: writing a new wholehearted revolution. Will you ending and changing how we join us? engage with the world Rising Strong is my beloved because it honors the fact that we all have experiences of failure. Those

Kourtney Goerges Street is a wife, mother, and writer who strives daily to Rise Strong!

MOXIE! WINTER/SPRING 2016 39

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It’s time again for my favorite escape!

Room 23 By Georgia Williams

One of the sweetest gifts my husband and I received this past Christmas was a gift certificate for a weekend at our favorite little getaway spot in Fredericksburg. Our daughter knew we would love it since we’ve been taking little treks there since she was born.

redericksburg has always been a fun, relaxing quick trip for us, but when we discovered Room 23 in a 1940’s-era motor hotel, the trip took on new meaning. The little motel is a horse-shoe of cozy bungalows surrounding a grassy courtyard with stately pecan trees and old-fashioned lamp posts. We stumbled upon this little gem when our usual hotel was fully booked. And thank goodness we did! I fell in love with Room 23 the first time I turned the key in the door. The sweet smell of the room drew me in. It smelled like warm wood and grandma’s soap. It smelled like history. It smelled like home. The room was tiny, but well-appointed. A bed, dresser, nightstand, small table and two chairs were snuggled close together. Crisp, white café curtains hung in the windows. I loved everything about it, right down to the teeny-tiny bathroom and the latches on the old wood doors. It was perfect! As luck would have it, my husband loved it too! He loved the little front porch where he could read or play his guitar. He loved the little coffee bar in the motel office. And he especially loved the close proximity of the liquor store around the corner! We were within walking distance of anything and everything we wanted to do in town. It’s been 25 years since we first walked into Room 23. Twenty-five years of fun and memories have been created. And in all that time, little has changed. The bed has a new comforter, and a small refrigerator and microwave have been added. But these modern upgrades have not disturbed the quaint charm of the cozy room. Every chance we get, we escape to our special place. And every time we arrive and open the door, I smell warmth…and happiness…and love.

Peace of mind, only $99. CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital – New Braunfels is proud to operate a state-of-the-art, 128-slice Volumetric Cardiac CT Scanner. For a limited time, we are offering a Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring for only $99. This ten-minute scan determines the extent of arterial calcification, which is a leading indicator of heart disease. If you or a loved one are at risk for heart disease, we urge you to call and set up an appointment today.

Schedule your heart scan today! Please visit SeeWhatsInside.org

Every 29 seconds an American suffers from a heart attack.

You can also call 1.877.250.DOCS.

50 percent of men and 63 percent of women who die suddenly of heart disease have no previous symptoms1. Your Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring (CACS) is a valuable indicator to understand the health of your heart.

and schedule a callback to make an appointment.

You can schedule a test directly with us if you are a male between the ages of 40 and 65 or a female between the ages of 45 and 70 and if you have one or more of the following risk factors: • Family history of heart disease

• Current smoker

• LDL cholesterol greater than 160

• Obesity

• Blood pressure greater than 140/90

• Diabetes

If you do not meet the above criteria, please consult with your physician to see if this test is right for you.

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American Heart Association 2006