JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 | THEDIGESTONLINE.COM
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PAIN MANAGEMENT | SPORTS MEDICINE | PHYSICAL THERAPY & REHABILITATION | CHIROPRACTIC | ACUPUNCTURE
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Intermittent Fasting 101
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A Medical Guide to Managing Pain
It’s all the rage. But does it work? We decided to give it a shot.
The doctors at The Spine & Sports Health Center talk nonsurgical treatment options.
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On a High
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Aromatherapy at Home
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A Need for Sleep
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Your Workout by The Numbers
Exploring CBD and its health-boosting benefits.
Demystifying essential oil diffusers.
Advice on how to adjust your sleeping habits.
Ever wonder how many gallons of sweat you produce? Yeah, us too.
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Can Exercise Make Your Child Smarter? We break down the facts once and for all.
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Hill City: High-Performance Fashion Redefined Get to know Gap Inc.’s latest athleisure line.
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10 Red Wines For Your Health
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The Ultimate Power Playlist
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Brought to you by Super Buy-Rite.
Crush your next gym session with high-energy songs from SoulCycle HBKN.
Local Events
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The Fitfluencer Social media sensation KAYLA ITSINES on staying in shape and being in the spotlight.
FROM THE EDITOR We realize that our annual Health & Wellness Issue materializes conveniently after the New Year. I’d be lying if we said it wasn’t that way on purpose. I’d also be lying if I said the turn of the calendar didn’t prompt me to make some lifestyle changes of my own. But to back off the old “New Year, new me” fitness cliche, we’ve decided to focus our content largely on being well outside the gym.
Publisher JASON UNDERBERG
In this edition of The Digest, we discuss topics like sleep, CBD, aromatherapy and pain management. In addition, SoulCycle HBKN lends us some workout tunes and Super Buy-Rite JC reminds us why a glass of red can do our bodies some good (as if we needed another reason). Elsewhere, I detail some information about the evergrowing trend of intermittent fasting, and even gave it a try myself. TLDR: Yes, I liked it. Yes, I’m glad it’s over.
Marketing & Event Director JAMIE LAWRENCE
Which leaves us with our cover girl, Kayla Itsines. With social media influencers taking on the role of many people’s main source of fitness motivation, we wanted to talk to someone who was actually filling that role with some grace. Our editorial assistant, Abby Montanez, had a chance to speak with Kayla all about her journey and keeping up with a healthy lifestyle. Here’s wishing you all a happy and healthy 2019!
MICHAEL SCIVOLI Editor
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Publishing Director BRIAN KOVENER Editor MICHAEL SCIVOLI Editorial Assistant ABBY MONTANEZ
Senior Designer CHRISTINE CHIMENTO Photographers MAGED SAMUEL JEREMY SMITH Distribution Manager CRAIG KOVENER Contributing Writers STEVE GLASS BRENNA HOLLAND NEIL SHRODO KELAN YALONG
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BY MICHAEL SCIVOLI
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Intermittent Fasting— Is it a Diet?
If you have come across the term “intermittent fasting,� the chances are that you have been researching the topic of weight/ fat loss. It is therefore easy to confuse intermittent fasting with the myriad of diets that are currently in fashion. Intermittent fasting, however, cannot be technically defined as a diet. It would be more accurate to view it as a pattern of eating.
What is a Pattern of Eating?
Unlike a regular diet which incorporates control mechanisms regarding the types of food that you can eat and their amount, a pattern of eating focuses primarily on when you eat. Instead of using caloric restriction or food selection as its main driving force, intermittent fasting centers squarely on having individuals going without food for extended periods of time. This is meant to be done consistently, essentially establishing a new eating pattern for its adherents.
A More Natural Eating Pattern
The proponents of intermittent fasting frequently mention the fact that regular fasting is the norm in human eating patterns and that they have evolved around that principle. They claim that modern eating patterns make people more susceptible to weight gain, diabetes and a host of other maladies.
In a way, they are correct. It has only been in the last 6,000 years, since the dawn of agriculture, that the species could have multiple meals on a daily basis at regular intervals. Before then, eating patterns were more sporadic, and people would frequently have to endure periods lasting dozens of hours between meals. Intermittent fasting is meant to replicate those conditions.
Types of Intermittent Fasting
While there can be many permutations of intermittent fasting, the three most popular methods include the 16/8 method, the 24-hour fast and the nightly feast method. The 16/8 method involves fasting for 16 hours while keeping an eight-hour time window open for meals each day. During the 16hour fasting period, you can only consume black coffee, water or non-caloric beverages. While the 16/8 method sounds harsh on the surface, when you consider that six to 10 of the 16 hours will be taken up by sleep, it suddenly seems less extreme. The 24-hour fast, on the other hand, does take a bit more acclamation. It involves undergoing a 24-hour fast every other day. Most variations have you limiting your fasting period to only once or twice per week; but others do propose adhering strictly to the alternateday pattern.
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The nightly feast method has you limiting yourself to one large meal “a feast” at the end of each day. This has led to the rise of social media influencers concocting one outrageous meal each day prompting their followers for new suggestions (e.g. a giant pancake).
What Intermittent Fasting Accomplishes
Studies have indicated that those who adhere to intermittent fasting experience improved insulin sensitivity which in turn makes it easier for the body to metabolize fat for energy. Also, the majority of intermittent “fasters” experience increased levels of natural human growth hormones. That is important because this allows the body to retain or even increase muscle mass while simultaneously losing fat. The cellular repair process has also been seen to experience improvements in efficiency when intermittent fasting is involved.
My Experience with Intermittent Fasting
One might say that intermittent fasting is meant to be a lifestyle, not a shortterm diet. As with any modification to a lifestyle, people will see the initial brunt as paradigm shifting. In short order, however, it will become routine. I practiced this routine for roughly six months while exercising a minimum of four days per week. I personally chose the 16/8 method. This method fit my lifestyle best because, most of the time, it meant having my first meal at lunchtime. The Good In the past, there were many mornings where it felt like I was forcing myself to eat breakfast. The 16/8 method allowed me to negate that and work straight on until noon—without missing out on a potential lunch with friends. This made my mornings before work incredibly 16
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simple—starting my day with either a black coffee or tea. I have always been a big snacker, so this method really simplified my eating habits (only having to worry about lunch, a mid-afternoon snack and dinner). I felt leaner most mornings, and ultimately, I lost about 1 percent of body fat. In addition, eliminating late-night feedings gave me more overall energy and mental clarity—I felt less sluggish in the hours before bed. Giving my body time to digest at night also led to a more restful sleep. The Bad While mornings were typically much easier using intermittent fasting, the first few weeks of not eating after 8pm were a challenge. Not just due to breaking habits and hunger pangs, but because it meant saying “no” to those late-night food runs with friends and family. This ultimately led to the adoption of a more liberal eating pattern (12pm to 10pm). Even still, eating so much in such a small window sometimes left me feeling as though I’d done more harm than good. Another, more physical hurdle was the lack of energy for morning workouts. Sure, I embraced things like black coffee and branch chain amino acids for energy, but I always found myself a bit shy of what I was capable of. This pushed my workouts to the late afternoon/ evening times when the gym is at its peak. And while it’s always good to lose a percentage of body fat, I definitely found it more challenging to gain lean mass. Although I’ve reverted back to “normal” eating patterns, intermittent fasting has left me more aware of my eating habits and food consumption. And ultimately, it’s helped me figure out more about myself.
A MEDICAL GUIDE TO MANAGING PAIN BY ABBY MONTANEZ 18
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here’s not a day that goes by that my lower back doesn’t ache. I can attribute my pain to a number of things— poor posture, contorted sleep positioning, a lifelong inflammatory condition—and surprisingly, I’m not alone in my struggle. Millions of people, throughout all stages of life, suffer from either acute or chronic pain every year. Instead of resorting to invasive surgery for relief (or worse, doing nothing), the doctors at The Spine & Sports Health Center of Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne address the underlying issues associated with pain or injury and manage them using alternative treatments. “A lot of patients come to our office after suffering for years with chronic pain. They didn’t realize there were options; they didn’t have hope that they could feel better,” says Basil Kurdali, MD, and Interventional Pain Management Specialist at The Spine & Sports Health Center. “We need to determine the cause of the pain first so that can we set up the patient for their best shot at relief. From there, our doctors spend a lot of time and effort developing a highly individualized treatment plan for each and every one of our patients.” The Spine & Sports Health Center is a one-stop, multidisciplinary facility led by board-certified pain management physicians with a staff of nurse practitioners, doctorates in physical therapy, board-certified chiropractors, licensed acupuncturists and helpful administratives. That means you don’t have to decide which medical
professional to see first—because they’re all under one roof—and you get a unique perspective from each of their providers. The doctors are focused on patient care first and foremost, so they’ll create a personalized treatment approach custom to your day-to-day that’ll take you all the way from diagnosis to recovery. The goal is to help patients get the pain relief they may have never even thought was possible. This can be accomplished using a variety or combination of different methods to treat everything from neck/back conditions or injuries to sciatica, sports injuries, headaches, nerve damage, herniated or bulging discs and much more. Here’s how the doctors at The Spine & Sports Health Center of Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne help their patients find pain relief, every day.
INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT
Minimally-invasive, same-day procedures are becoming increasingly popular for treating chronic pain and can be more effective than oral medication because they deliver relief to the exact location that’s experiencing discomfort. At The Spine & Sports Health Center, they offer many different options including epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, nerve blocking injections, radiofrequency ablation and more. Most joint injections can even be performed in-office. All are delivered with extreme precision and care for effective and lasting results. Injections can provide relief to those who haven’t responded to more traditional methods.
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SPORTS MEDICINE
Whether your pain stems from a throbbing knee, too many hard workouts, an acute runner’s injury or chronic pain from a competition years ago, a personalized approach is the key to success. The Spine & Sports Health Center’s programs combine sports rehabilitation and advanced therapies designed to target each individual’s specific pain points. The goal, however, is always the same: to get the athlete (amateur or professional, and everywhere in between) back to doing what they love, as quickly as possible.
PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REHABILITATION
When it comes to recovery, some keys to overcoming pain and/or injury include improving strength and restoring flexibility and function. Although getting up and moving might be the last thing you feel like doing, utilizing two therapy techniques may be just what is needed. One of them is passive, where treatments are administered by the physical therapists, and the other is active, where the patient targets their own weaknesses through exercise and movement. With a personalized program, the physical therapists hope to improve the patient’s flexibility, strength, core stability and range of motion so that they can continue to perform these movements at home, which will in time, reduce the likelihood of the pain recurring and speed up recovery.
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JERSEY CITY WELCOMES
WONDERLASH STUDIO Set in Jersey City’s Historic District, Wonderlash Studio specializes in innovative lash design that complements every woman’s eye shape and most importantly, lifestyle. Whether you want to lengthen, tint or thicken your lashes, the ultimate goal at Wonderlash is to enhance each customer’s natural beauty, saving you time in the morning and leaving you looking your best. Founded by cosmetologist and real life “wonder woman” Yolanda Torres, the demand for her signature eyelash extensions became so overwhelming that she decided to bring her talents from her basement to a brick-andmortar store. Today, Wonderlash’s offerings go beyond just lash extensions. Their licensed technicians also specialize in microblading and other beauty services including lash and brow tints as well as airbrush makeup. “When it comes to enhancing the face, lashes and brows go hand-in-hand,” says Torres. All of the services at Wonderlash are low maintenance and can last anywhere from months to years. “Instead of worrying about beauty, we want women to be able to just get up and go while feeling great about themselves inside and out.”
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CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Using various manual manipulation, rehabilitation instruction and handson muscle release techniques, the board-certified chiropractors at The Spine & Sports Health Center work to properly align the spine without surgery. These spinal manipulations may help patients find relief from even the most chronic of pain. “We are a non-surgical practice, so that means that we practice conservative treatment and care with our patients whenever possible. We think this is the best way to get patients better without resorting to more invasive treatment options,” explains Mike Kelly, DC, Director of Chiropractic. With a custom treatment plan, chiropractic care can be combined with services such as physical therapy, injections or even acupuncture for maximum relief and promotion of self-healing.
ACUPUNCTURE
The practice of acupuncture goes back thousands of years and is based on balancing the body’s energy flow. The acupuncture needles are placed throughout the body along energy pathways that restore, correct or maintain an equal flow of “qi” throughout the body. In terms of relieving pain and treating injuries, acupuncture may help to alleviate feelings of pain and speed up the body’s healing process. 22
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hether you’re a fitness fanatic or just someone who finds themselves scrolling through social media, you know who Kayla Itsines is. She’s kind of hard to miss with her 10.6 million followers, best-selling eBooks, worldwide stadium tours, widely popular app and as the fearless leader of the largest online female fitness community. At just 27 years old, Itsines’ health and wellness empire has landed her the literal title of Internet workout queen, coming in as Forbes’ Top Fitness Influencer of 2017. But as someone whose job it is to post pictures of themselves and whose physique and fame can seem intimidating to most, Itsines’ unexpected relatability is what makes her a social media superstar. She comes from humble beginnings, as a smalltime personal trainer in her hometown of Adelaide, Australia whose sights have always been set on helping people and nothing more. Today, you won’t see any sponsored content on her feed or overly edited photos, but rather inspirational quotes, real life before-and-after body transformations and how-to workout videos. I recently had the chance to speak with Itsines who opened up about her rise to fame, refining the BBG program and how she’s using her platform for good.
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You were a personal trainer before launching the Bikini Body Guide (BBG). What interested you in fitness in the first place? Being fit and active has always been a part of my life. When I was younger I played a lot of sports including basketball and netball, and loved how it made me feel. I would finish the game, and whether we had won or lost, I’d leave the court feeling like the best version of myself. When I finished high school and had to choose a career path, I knew it needed to involve health and fitness so I studied to become a personal trainer. It is my honestly my dream job, getting to help women everyday from all around the world to feel like the best version of themselves through improved health and fitness. Can you describe the BBG method? How did you create and refine this program? In 2014 I started running women-only training sessions in my gym. My clients loved the workouts and how fun and varied they were. Word started to spread, and not long after starting my training sessions I was booked out for weeks in advance. I still really wanted to be able to help my clients and other women all around the world who were reaching out to me, so my fiancé and Sweat CEO Tobi Pearce and I developed the Bikini Body Training eBook (BBG). BBG is now available in the Sweat app. It still follows the same circuit style of training as the first sessions I had with my clients in 2014, and can still be done at home with minimal or no equipment. The resistance-based workouts take 28 minutes, and can be completed three times a week. On the other days, you can complete either low-intensity cardio or highintensity interval training, with one rest day recommended each week. BBG Stronger was launched in the Sweat app in 2017, and is perfect for women who love to train in the gym. Like BBG, it is also a 28-minute workout, however it uses more weights and gym equipment. I was really excited when I launched this program as I wanted to help women not feel intimidated when they enter the weight room at the gym. By teaching women how to use the gym equipment in my BBG Stronger workout, I hope to empower women to feel more comfortable and confident in that space. What has the Sweat app allowed you to achieve that you weren’t able to before? Having my BBG and BBG Stronger programs on the Sweat app has given women easy access to over 130 weeks of my BBG and BBG Stronger workouts, access to over 400 recipes, and a digital way to connect to the Sweat community. It has also made the whole experience even closer to that of a one-on-one workout session with me. Women can choose to access their workout on their phone, Apple Watch or Apple TV. They can also chose to listen to my audio cues, designed to help talk you through the workout. You can also get sweaty listening to my favorite workout tracks on my Apple playlist.
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What drove you to project that passion onto social media? Has it impacted or changed your approach to fitness? Using social media has given me the ability to reach women all around the world, over 40 million! It also gives women the space and opportunity to connect with each other and be a part of our community. I love nothing more than to see women encouraging and supporting each other on our social platforms. The content that I share on social media always has and always will be focused around our community. Whether that is a quick ab workout for beginners, tips on how to stretch after your workout, or nutritional inspiration, if it will add value to the community I will share it. You were also once named as Forbes’ Top Fitness Influencer. What was that like? It was an incredible honor. I still feel very humbled to be able to reach as many women as I do around the world, and help them on their health and fitness journeys. There are thousands of other fitness and nutrition bloggers out there. What do you think makes your platform so receptive with followers? I think that people recognize and connect with my authenticity. I still run my own Instagram account and only post content that I know will help the community. I also use my platform as a space to celebrate other women’s success in all the different ways it exists. By sharing transformation posts and stories of women all around the world, not only does it celebrate their achievements, but it acknowledges how unique and special each of us are. You’ve just announced that you’re expecting. Congratulations! How will becoming a mom impact your platform? I’m so blessed to have such a strong BBG community, including many BBG 28
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moms throughout the world. I’m so excited to relate to my BBG mums even more through my pregnancy journey. What’s your training routine like? Do you follow your own program? I wake up early each morning, around 6 a.m., and like to start my day with a 20-minute walk on the treadmill. It really helps to wake me up and get energized for the day. I am also using my BBG Stronger program, and I’m up to week 14 at the moment. I’m loving the challenge! How do you stay motivated not only to work out personally, but to keep creating new content? I genuinely love what I do and am very self-driven, but like everyone, I too have moments when I feel low in energy and a little unmotivated. For me, I know that if I skip my morning walk, for example, I will feel sluggish throughout the day, so I always make sure I schedule time in to do it as a non-negotiable. I am also constantly inspired by my community to create new content for them everyday. I see the positive impact that it can have in their lives, and honestly nothing motivates me more to keep going. Do you any have advice for someone looking to start or get back into exercising in the new year? A lot of women tell me about their ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ they are going to set. Whilst it’s fantastic to want to start the new year with a new health and fitness routine, it can be easy to get carried away in the moment and set goals that are unachievable, or commit to too much at once. My advice is to start small and pick a few goals that you can commit to. Maybe it’s going for a 20-minute walk every morning, or not adding sugar into your coffee, even little changes can make a big difference.
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THC takes all the heat when it comes to matters of marijuana. It’s what gives us that euphoric high and remains as one of the most controversial substances from both a legal and medical perspective. But there are hundreds of other compounds found in cannabis that are produced by the plant naturally, it just so happens that THC and something called CBD rank highest in concentration. CBD, or cannabidiol, has been in the spotlight as of late but with far less backlash and a reputation that comes off more chic than stoner. CBD is non-psychoactive meaning it won’t get you high, per se, and its main purpose has been primarily for therapeutic practices. So why are we only hearing about this miracle CBD cure now? Because suddenly it’s showing up in everything from edibles like chocolate bars and craft cocktails to sleep masks, foot creams, bath bombs, makeup— and it’s legal to purchase. 32
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CBD’s momentum has been furthered by those in the health and wellness industries for its proven benefits as a pain reliever, anxiety reducer and even cancer fighter. But it’s recently garnered attention from beauty and skincare companies for its topical perks as an anti-inflammatory, moisturizer and the unique ability to soothe skin disorders including acne and psoriasis, regenerate skin cells and reverse signs of aging. While THC still remains a heavily-regulated ingredient, CBD offers the same wealth of benefits without the buzz and occasional bouts of paranoia. As we get closer to destigmatizing cannabis and it’s upcoming legalization, more brands it seems are coming into the mainstream market offering CBD-infused products—one of them being organic, botanical skincare company KHUS+KHUS.
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“One of the most important aspects of healthy skin is the maintenance of the endocannabinoid system which maintains the basal cell life cycle, containing 90 percent of the cells in the epidermis. Radiant healthy skin relies on our ability to create cell turnover by growing healthy new cells and discarding old ones,” explained Kristi Blustein, founder of KHUS+KHUS. “CBD provides remarkable therapeutics for skin maintenance and skin disorders.” Launched by Blustein in 2016, she took her learnings as an Ayurvedic specialist—a holistic practice of medicine from India— and discovered a new way to modernize traditional herbalism with her plant-based products. Today, her company KHUS+KHUS sells their SEN Face Serum, Copious Body Serum and Premo Hand, Nail and Foot Supreme Treatment—all of which contain CBD that Blustein believes aids in calming the nervous system, enhancing the skin and regulating the immune system. But the magic of CBD goes beyond just skincare. Take a trip to om.life in Jersey City for a special CBD-based
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massage. The advantage of using products such as CBD oils or lotions in a massage is that you can target specific areas of the body that require extra attention, whether for therapeutic purposes or for pain relief. You’ll not only benefit from the relaxing effects of a massage but also the medicinal properties of CBD like reducing inflammation and alleviating soreness. Om.life also sells a variety of retail products including CW Hemp Oil, Colorado Hemp Honey and a line of skincare and beauty products. While medical marijuana has been legal for at least two decades in California, CBD comes as a new phenomenon that we could easily see popping up in high-end retailers and coffee concoctions all over the country. And although it may just be a product of timing, as much as branding, CBD is being treated more as a tool for wellness than a trendy pharmaceutical. Perhaps this is just our latest interpretation of what it means to go green.
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have a hard time relaxing. I toss and turn at night because I can’t turn my mind off. My thoughts wander when they shouldn’t, like during a deep tissue massage or my weekly acupuncture session. I tell myself it’s OK to let go but my body resists. Something is not in sync. The closest sense we have, out of all five, to bridging the gap between mind and body is actually smell. It’s our strongest, most dominant asset and it is best able to influence brain activity. By simply inhaling an aroma, we can stir up memories, activate our immune system, impact mood, affect blood pressure and stimulate digestion. The easiest way to achieve these health-promoting benefits is by using aromatherapy in which we breathe in essential oils to balance our physical, psychological and spiritual selves. We’re not just talking Glade plugins, Febreeze spray or lighting a scented candle. The most popular way these concentrated oils are being dispersed today are through diffusers and they can be kept anywhere including your bedroom, office, living room or bathroom. To start, there are ultrasonic diffusers which get their name from the electronic frequencies they use to vibrate the water in such a way that it vaporizes into the air. This is the most common type of diffuser you’ll see in people’s homes. For the person on-the-go, consider investing in a portable, compact essential oil diffuser that connects via USB for an instant boost when you’re traveling, stuck in traffic or at work. A
more advanced approach to healing is an atomizing diffuser, which doesn’t alter the chemical composition of the oils but rather transforms them into a vapor. It is the fastest, most powerful way to reap the aromatic benefits of essential oils. Depending on the device, you can typically adjust the intensity as well as how long it runs. Similar to a humidifier, I like using ultrasonic diffusers that release a faint mist which can actually counteract the dryness in the air—great for cold weather. Not to mention your home will begin to smell like the inner workings of a spa. In short, diffusers add oxygen molecules into the air and once inhaled, they travel to and stimulate what’s called the “emotional brain” or the limbic system which controls variables such as emotion, behavior, long-term memory and hormone balance. But most people don’t know exactly what smells have what effects. There are multiple benefits to using an essential oil diffuser including my personal favorite, to promote better sleep. Certain scents can help you to fall asleep faster and exert a calming effect on the mind and body. Oils such as lavender, ylang-ylang and frankincense have been known to improve and support the body’s natural sleep cycles as well as combat insomnia, racing thoughts and stress. Diffusing essential oils can also help to build up our resilience against colds, flu and germs. Eucalyptus, peppermint and tea tree are all powerful antimicrobials that can stimulate the production of white blood cells. When diffused into the air, they are able to kill bacteria and support respiratory health by relieving things like a cough or nasal congestion.
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Rosemary and lemon have the ability to improve energy, focus and cognitive function. When absorbed, they can increase oxygen and blood flow as well as help clear brain fog. To support emotional health, oils such as bergamot, patchouli and rose can eliminate anger, alleviate stress or anxiety and instill a positive atmosphere. With that in mind, combining essential oils to make a personalized blend is a great way to tailor your diffuser to meet your specific needs. A key to the perfect pairing is to mix oils that share some of the same properties. A few examples include peppermint and eucalyptus as a decongestant and anti-inflammatory; lavender and bergamot for sleep; and rosemary and lemon for an anytime energy boost. Although essential oils are the holy grail of the health world as of late, it’s important to do your research on the brands you’re using and beware of synthetics. And when it comes to diffusing, there is a limit as to how much and how often. Overexposure can lead to nausea and headaches and even an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. It’s recommended that you turn your diffuser on between one and three times a day for up to 30 minutes max, which is still plenty of time to transform your space into a sweet-smelling oasis. January | February 2019
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A N EE D fo r SL EE P BY B R E NNA HO L L AND
It’s not that I have a particular fondness for plaster or molding that brings me to this activity, it’s the fact that I, like so many others, suffer from the occasional bout of insomnia. My insomnia is typically brought on by stress, but can emerge during the most carefree of times as well. The other night, under no duress at all, I went to bed expecting to fall asleep without a fight—I was wrong. Before I knew it, 10 p.m. became 3 a.m. without a wink of sleep in between. As I turned to my bedside table to pick up my phone, I heard the voice of a man I’d recently spoken with say, “as soon as you look at the time, it’s over—you’ll never fall asleep.” I took a deep breath, returned to my pillow and replayed the advice I’d received just three days prior from Dr. Mitchell Engler. Dr. Engler is the Co-Director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. A specialist in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Dr. Engler spends his days treating patients with sleep issues far more aggressive than my own. Over the last three days, I’d made a couple of adjustments to my sleep routine per the advice of Dr. Engler. The first change was easy enough to make—I refrained from alcohol within earshot of my bedtime. “If you consume alcohol right before bedtime it will sedate you and allow you sleep. However, as your body metabolizes the alcohol during the night, it increases the pressure on your brain to wake up and further fragments your sleep, making you even more tired in the morning,” Dr. Engler said. The second change continues to be a struggle, as it goes against every impulse I have as a millennial—no phone, no computer and no iPad within two or three hours of sleep. January | February 2019
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“When you look at the screen your brain gets revved up, making it that much harder to get to sleep. In addition, the wavelength of light from your computer is the same blue light that stimulates your pineal gland to think it’s morning and time to wake up,” Dr. Engler said. Dr. Engler teaches his patients that the best way to fall asleep is to do relaxation breathing. You breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth. After four breaths, you relax your forehead muscles. After the next four breaths, relax your neck. Work your way down until every segment of your body has been individually calmed. “If you can’t fall asleep after that, I recommend you go into another room in your home, sit down and read a book or a magazine for a few minutes until you feel tired. Then return to bed and do your relaxation breathing again.” “This is not easy to do, I tell my patients with insomnia, ‘you didn’t get this way overnight and it doesn’t go away overnight. It takes work but ultimately you’re retraining your brain to associate bed with sleep and not with staring at the ceiling,’” Dr. Engler said. At the Sleep Center, Dr. Engler works alongside physicians who specialize in pediatric pulmonary medicine, neurology, otolaryngology, psychiatry, and obesity. They work as a collective and pull from their diverse range of
specialties in order to conduct sleep testing and diagnostic work that is comprehensive and cross-disciplinary. The most common sleep disorders Dr. Engler treats are insomnia, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder and narcolepsy. Treatment plans for each of these disorders are often noninvasive and allow patients to return to a regular sleep routine. In order to diagnose some of these disorders, patients may have to do an overnight, sleep study inside the Sleep Center. Patients can arrange their stay for any night of the week, including weekends, and will sleep in one of the Center’s recently renovated suites. Each suite is equipped with a full-size mattress, a private bathroom, and all the creature comforts necessary to help patients feel more at home. Standard outlets as well as USB ports are immediately accessible to patients above their bedside tables, a 32” TV is mounted in front of the bed and an independent thermostat is available so patients can control the temperature of their room. The bathrooms are fully wheelchair accessible and freshly lined with glass and mosaic tile. Bedrooms are adorned with luxury vinyl tile flooring, brand new wall coverings, wall sconces for warm lighting, headboard and bedside tables with a millwork finish and a unique accent wall. Being asked to sleep overnight in a hospital can be a scary proposition, but the staff at the Sleep Center have made every effort to create a space that is as comfortable as any hotel. Sleep is such a fundamental part of our physical, emotional and psychological health, and to go without it is a nightmare. So a place like the Sleep Center, that is stacked with doctors who just want to help, is a resource that all of us sleep-deprived insomniacs should really utilize. Let’s not spend the rest of our lives counting paint chips on the ceiling. January | February 2019
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Join us for happy hour Available for private parties SPORTS BAR BILLIARDS DART LEAGUES PRIVATE EVENTS
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by the numbers
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BY STEVE GLASS There’s concern worldwide about increasing numbers of overweight and obese children. Most worries are around children’s physical health, with experts predicting that the average life expectancy in developed countries will fall for the first time in decades. While it’s certainly true that unfit children are more at risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer—what about brain development and your child’s ability to reason? It’s well-known that the brain develops throughout childhood and adolescence, yet there’s little attention paid to the links between lack of physical fitness and your child’s brain. Although the topic is seldom in the spotlight, it’s not something new. A 2010 neuroimaging investigation study conducted by the University of Illinois, Pittsburgh and Ohio State, found a link between fitness levels in 9 and 10-year-olds and the size of the hippocampus (as shown on an MRI scan). The hippocampus is the part of the brain involved in relational memory—that’s the kind of memory that enables you to link two things together, e.g. seeing someone’s face and remembering whether you’ve seen them before. Not only did the fitter group of children have a larger hippocampus than the unfit group, but they also performed better on relational memory tests. January | February 2019
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Fitness levels in 9 and 10-year-olds are also related to the development of part of the brain called the basal ganglia, which is involved in concentrating and dealing with distractions. 55 children were selected and divided into two groups depending on their level of physical fitness. They were then given an MRI and asked to perform a task that involved picking out a left or right arrow shape and pressing a button. The children who had greater cardiovascular fitness had shorter response times to the test, showing that they were less distracted and more able to focus. A similar study in 2011 led by the same group of researchers found that fitter children coped better with complex tasks and used more areas of their brains. These studies show what happens when children are given tasks while in an MRI scanner, but what about more complex activities? Researchers took groups of fit and unfit 8-10 year olds and used a treadmill and a virtual reality headset to simulate crossing the road. The children were given three simulations: crossing the road with no distractions, while listening to music, and while looking at a smartphone. The results showed that crossing the road while distracted by a phone was the most risky, but that the children who had the higher levels of fitness were least distracted and more safe. Though it’s a mere simulation, the evidence from the MRI scans about the ability to concentrate and avoid distractions will have benefits in the real world, including potentially life-or-death situations.
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While there are always some parents who take their child’s fitness a bit too seriously, it’s still important that we pay attention to their physical health. This also may be true during a child’s adolescence. A Swedish study in 2009 on the link between cardiovascular fitness and cognition looked back at the health records and educational achievements of 1.2 million men. They found that there was a clear connection between cardiovascular fitness and intelligence, though there was no link between muscle strength and school attainment. In other words, being fit was related to being intelligent, but being physically strong made no difference. In addition, changes in fitness levels between ages 15 and 18 would predict how well boys performed on intelligence tests at age 18. And a Norwegian study also found that even among young men, losing cardiovascular fitness affected performance on reasoning tests. As long as the brain is still developing— throughout childhood, adolescence and early adulthood—improving cardiovascular fitness will make a difference. All these studies show that a higher level of cardiovascular fitness will affect the way that children’s brains grow and develop. Just as exercise builds a healthy heart, muscles and bones, it will help the brain to grow. Children who are physically fit have faster response times to problems, are less distracted, more able to concentrate and perform better on tests of reasoning and intelligence.
EDGEWATER 8 6 0 RI VE R ROA D 2 01 . 9 4 5 . 4800
JERSEY CIT Y 426 JE RSE Y AVE 201 .433-0471
B ROWNSTO NEDINER.C OM
HILL CITY HIGH-PERFORMANCE FASHION REDEFINED BY K E L A N YA LO N G
High-performance. What does it truly mean? Society applies the word to the world’s best athletes yet we tend to forget how active our own lifestyles can be. And thanks to the versatility of today’s athleisure fashion, active apparel does not always have to be worn in a gym setting. You could be taking consistent back-and-forth flights throughout the week, conducting meetings in multiple locations during the day, balancing the duties of being a father. The list is endless. Sometimes, life becomes inundated with daily tasks and trying to balance them simultaneously warrants a need to perform these tasks efficiently, effectively and comfortably. So why not perform at the highest level and look increasingly stylish with a relaxed fit? In late 2018, Gap Inc. announced Hill City, a men’s apparel brand aiming to redefine the word ‘high-performance.’ The brand is made for the active man who wants a comfortable feel and fashionable look while they conquer their everyday responsibilities. With ‘athleisure’ continually growing in popularity, making its way out of the gym and into people’s everyday wardrobe, Gap Inc. rises to the challenge by incorporating a brand that changes the narrative of what we wear and how we wear it. “Active is a key growth area for Gap Inc. and Hill City is our response to consistent feedback from customers looking for a premium men’s product that combines highly technical fabrications, performance and style,” Art Peck, President and CEO, Gap Inc. said. “Hill City brings a new perspective to men’s apparel that is complementary to our iconic portfolio of brands and leverages the benefits of our uniquely scalable operating platform—from our supply chain, to e-commerce to customer relationships and data.”
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“Less is more” suggests there is value in simplicity. Hill City runs on the philosophy of doing more with less, allowing men to focus on purchasing fewer, more interchangeable pieces to add to a versatile, yet trendy wardrobe. With inspiring designs for opportunities rather than occasions, the dependability of the product is second to none, not compromising comfort nor style. “Men’s lives are evolving. We no longer want to dress as either an ‘athlete’ or ‘outdoorsman’ or a ‘businessman’— we are all of those, and we’re also fathers, friends, and active members of our communities. We don’t want a different look for each aspect of our lives,” Noah Palmer, General Manager of Hill City explained. “That’s why our team set out to rethink men’s apparel with one brand that could fill a man’s entire closet with versatile, 56
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high-performance pieces that can take him from a hike to a dinner out, without sacrificing a sense of style.” With the inclusion of Hill City’s performance wear, you can get rid of the extraneous clothes in your closet. You won’t need to worry about living up to the ‘athlete’ look or the ‘businessman’ image. Gap Inc.’s new brand allows you to become the Jack-of-all-Trades with its simplicity and interchangeability. A wardrobe that provides versatility and comfort gains a sense of sustainability.
H I G H E S T Q U A L I T Y, FA S T S E R V I C E A N D T H E F I N E S T I N TA S T E
1 1 0 0 M a x w e l l L a n e , H ob ok en, NJ 07030 • 201-656-003 3 • www.h u dco f.co m
But cleaning out your closet isn’t the only sustainable opportunity Hill City provides. Hill City has been designated a B Corp certified brand by integrating sustainability throughout many of its products, using highquality renewable, recycled fibers to create performance fabrics. Since the beginning of athleisure fashion, textile industries have encountered and dealt with many concerns with materials possibly having negative consequences. However, Hill City continues to work with less to create more by applying natural and organic materials in their clothing. Hill City states, “Highperformance used to mean one thing” but through their new collection, they are telling you that “today, it means everything.”
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LEE DANNIELLE LAWRENCE
Non QM Product Specialist | Senior Loan Originator NMLS #279812 Company NMLS # 398024 | O: 973-478-8444 x 1133 | F: 888-806-6119 | C: 201-407-5772
READY FOR YOUR “NEXT STEP” HOME? • Non QM Specialist • NOO/Investment 100% Stated Income or debt service options available • 90% LTV No PMI – 24 months from foreclosure, short sale or bankruptcy • 1 Year out of Short Sale to 85% LTV or 1 day out to 80% LTV • ONE Month Bank Statement Program VOE Only Program • 12 Month Bank Statement Program used as income up to 90% LTV, No MI - No 4506T’s - No P&L’s - No Tax Returns needed • Loan Amounts to $5 Million • Non-warrantable Condos • Foreign Nationals Stated • No Social Security number, we can use your Tax Identification number • Commercial Loans • FHA and Conventional loans • Over 30 years experience
WWW.MUCLOAN.COM
LLAWRENCE@MORTGAGEUNLIMITED.COM
Mortgage Unlimited, LLC, 222 Outwater Lane Suite 4 B, Garfield, NJ 07026
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The history of red wine goes back centuries and spreads across the globe, from classic European wines like Bordeaux or Burgundy to the great Italian reds like Brunello and into the new world of Napa Cabernets, Argentine Malbecs and Australian Shiraz. They are varied in style and great with a wide variety of foods. And recently, science has given us a new reason to explore these wines. Every year there is more evidence that a glass (or two!) of red wine per day leads to some surprising health benefits. First red wines contain resveratrol, essential in combating the free radicals that cause damage to otherwise healthy cells. Resveratrol also has been found to reduce insulin resistance and may help prevent type 2 diabetes. Next, there is mounting evidence that the phenols in red wine act
as blood thinners and help reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke. Red wine may also help increase bone density, due to the high levels of silicon it contains, and it has also been found in some studies to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s by keeping the brain’s neurons from dying off. Lastly, the antioxidants in red wine have been found to combat colon, ovarian and prostate cancers with a study from Harvard Medical School showing a significant reduction in prostate cancer diagnoses when comparing men who have between four and seven glasses of red wine per week to those who do not. Here is a list of 10 red wines that run the gamut of styles and price ranges that we would recommend to those who want to explore the world of red wines and possibly tap into a wide variety of health benefits.
1 Vin Takin Cotes du Rhone - France $9.99 ON SALE Medium bodied, with bright red berry and cherry flavors. 2 L’Conti Pinot Noir - France $9.99 Smooth and elegant, with black cherry and a hint of earthiness.
3 Sophenia Malbec - Argentina $12.99 ON SALE Black currant, tobacco and dark fruits. Excellent with red meats.
4 Santi Valpolicella - Italy $12.99 Medium bodied red in the Ripassa style, with blackberry jam and chocolate notes.
5 The Rite Bourbon Barrel Red -
California
$12.99 ON SALE Medium bodied red blend aged in bourbon barrels. Easy drinking with hints of bourbon on the finish.
6 Château de Camarsac Prince
Noir - France
$12.99 Smooth and round with classic notes of cassis and red currants and a subtle spice on the finish. 7 Jose de Sousa - Portugal $14.99 ON SALE A bold and complex red with flavors of dates and toasted brioche wrapped around a core of ripe plums. 8 Felsina Chianti Colli Senesi - Italy $19.99 Excellent Chianti, with rich cherry and black currants over fine tannins and a hint of raspberry. 9 Trefethen Cabernet - California $49.99 Full bodied Cali Cabernet with a deep ruby color. Lots of cassis, chocolate and wood spice. 10 Elia Palazzesi Brunello di
Montalcino - Italy
$69.99 A potent Brunello loaded with complex flavors of black fruits, tobacco and lavender. Soft and rich. January | February 2019
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SOUNDS BY SOULCYCLE HBKN Studies suggest that listening to your favorite tunes can make for a more satisfying workout. Press play on any of the options below for a soundtrack that’s sure to help you through your next training circuit. Such a distraction, research has proven, can benefit athletic performance by up to 15 percent.
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January | February 2019
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Remove collections and negative accounts from your credit report
RAYMOND MICHAEL - CEO | 201-344-9455
Events NOW-JANUARY 27 DOC MCSTUFFINS: THE EXHIBIT Liberty Science Center: 222 Jersey City Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07305
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
JANUARY 27 THE CHOCOLATE EXPO Westfield Garden State Plaza: 1 Garden State Plaza Blvd, Paramus, NJ 07652
FEBRUARY 13 AN EVENING WITH THE NEAL MORSE BAND White Eagle Hall: 337 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Free with admission
10AM-7PM Adults: $15 • Children: $10
8PM • $35
JANUARY 11 LANTERN PARTNER PAINTING
JANUARY 30 TEX MEX IN HOBOKEN
FEBRUARY 16 RUSSELL PETERS: DEPORTED WORLD TOUR
Hudson Table: 1403 Clinton St, Hoboken, NJ 07030
NJPAC: 1 Center St, Newark, NJ 07102
6:30PM-9:30PM • $90 per person
7PM • $49-$99
JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 24 I AND YOU
FEBRUARY 21-22 LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL
ArteVino Studio Hoboken: 720 Monroe St, Hoboken, NJ 07030 7:30PM-10PM • $55 per person
JANUARY 19-21 KIDS FUN FAIR AND TRAVELING ZOO Adults: $15 • Children: $7.95
JANUARY 20 MAKING DELICIOUS FRENCH MACARONS WITH ATELIER SUCRE Choc·O·Pain Hoboken: 157 1st St, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Mile Square Theatre: 1400 Clinton Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030 Wednesday and Previews: $15 Thursday and Sunday: $30 Friday and Saturday: $40 Student/Senior: $18 for all shows
FEBRUARY 1 JERSEY CITY WHISKEY AND SPIRITS FESTIVAL
Count Basie Theater: 99 Monmouth St, Red Bank, NJ 07701 8PM • $35+
FEBRUARY 22 SWITCHFOOT THE NATIVE TONGUE TOUR
Harborside Atrium: 210 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ 07311
The Wellmont Theater: 5 Seymour St, Montclair, NJ 07042
7:30PM • $15-$70
6:30PM • $26+
FEBRUARY 6 SWAN LAKE
FEBRUARY 23 MICHAEL BUBLÉ
State Theatre: 11 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Bergen Performing Arts Center: 30 N Van Brunt St, Englewood, NJ 07631
Prudential Center: 25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102
8PM • $117+
7:30PM • $39+
JANUARY 25-26 NICOLE BYER STANDUP
FEBRUARY 9 90S BAR CRAWL: THE FAREWELL TOUR
MARCH 9 10TH ANNUAL HOBOKEN CHILI COOK OFF
Participating venues throughout Hoboken
Our Lady of Grace Church: 400 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07030
3PM-10PM Early Bird: $19.95 • GA: $29.95 Last Call: $39.95
2PM-6PM • Free
3:30PM-6PM One Person: $90 • Two People: $170 • Trio: $250
JANUARY 25 DANCING WITH THE STARS: LIVE!
Bananas Comedy Club: 283 Route 17 South, Hasbrouck Heights NJ 07604 7:30PM & 10PM • GA: $25
JANUARY 26 OFFICIAL ONESIE BAR CRAWL Check in at Wicked Wolf: 120 Sinatra Dr, Hoboken, NJ 07030 2PM-11PM GA: $29.99 • Week of: $39.99
8PM • $94.50+
FEBRUARY 10 GREAT BRIDAL EXPO Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson: 2 Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ 07302 12PM-4PM • $10
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YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD DRUGSTORE Downtown Pharmacy is an official Medela representative. We rent hospital grade Medela breast pumps and carry a full line of Medela products.
TO RENT, CALL
201.885.2939 DOWNT OW N PHARMACY
Selects
S U B SC R I B E HE RE TO RE CE IV E S AVINGS O N ME D E L A A N D OTHE R P ROD UCT S w w w. d o w nto w np har m ac y nj .c o m/savings 18 Park Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07302 info.18park@downtownpharmacyNJ.com
52 Essex Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 info.52essex@downtownpharmacyNJ.com
W W W. D O W N T O W N P H A R M A C Y N J . C O M