Category: Fitness & Wellness

Wolffer 5K

Posted on by NikkiOnTheDaily in Fitness & Wellness, Food, The Hamptons

If you weren’t aware that Wölffer Estate Vineyard hosts an annual 5K in May, don’t feel left out, not many did. I stumbled across the info while sipping hot chocolate at Grindstone. Owner Kyle Shanahan mentioned his involvement with the second annual 5K Bud Run. “We’re creating a special donut for Wölffer using their rosé and they’re going to be at the finish line of the race,” he said. My ears perked up and my stomach immediately growled. I signed up.

My work wife, Amy, and I arrived to the Wine Stand at 9 AM, a new record for being there early and shockingly without the intent to drink. Roughly 120 or so people arrived to run for the designated cause, Every Mother Counts, an organization started by Christy Turlington Burns to ensure safe and effective childbirth for mothers throughout the world. Mothers, fathers, and even children, all ran with someone in mind.

This article first appeared in The Independent Newspaper

Wölffer has 170 acres of land — 60 of them vineyards — so it was a picturesque run through freshly budding vines and paddocks with the occasional horse trotting through. I weaved throughout the estate with a clear mind, almost forgetting where I was. Each stride of the way I envisioned a dangling donut on a string in front of me. “Do it for the donut,” I kept repeating to myself. I only have two motivations to run: Someone chasing me or food waiting on a table in front of me.

Forty-five minutes later I crossed the finish line, not caring what “place” I was in. Sometimes just making it to the end, accomplishing a personal goal, is more important than comparing myself with those who finished before me. The Lynn Blue Band was playing on the deck, and I made a beeline for the Dry Rosé Cider followed by Grindstone’s Summer in a Donut. Sure, most people conclude a workout with water and a healthy meal, but where’s the fun in that? As each speck of powdered sugar fell on my black leggings and the cider fizzled down my throat, I smiled wider.

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It felt like a quintessential run in the Hamptons: Good people and families, local flavor, beautiful scenery, live music, and all for a good cause. Oh, and the donuts, we did it for the donuts.

 

This article first appeared in The Independent Newspaper. Read more about #EverythingEastEnd here

Thuyen Nguyen of FaceXercise

Posted on by NikkiOnTheDaily in Fitness & Wellness

What do Cindy Crawford, Katy Perry, and Amal Clooney have in common? They all turn to expert skincare trainer and massage therapist Thuyen Nguyen for a flawless looking face.

Nguyen’s signature FaceXercise is a unique treatment of, you guessed it, exercise for the face. The formula has many red-carpet celebrities turning to him for an instant cell revival. With two locations, Tribeca and Wainscott, a luxury skincare line, and a new role as creative spa consultant with Equinox Hotels spas, there’s no one else I would have turned to on how to keep the face protected from the summer sun.

What’re the basics of what you do?

I don’t have a vast menu. I just have one thing I do. My whole brand is built on skin health, in the medical proven fact of massaging the face. My philosophy has always been the same across the board, reinforcing the strength of the skin. When I started this 23 years ago, I had half the clients and they thought ‘Oh, it’s just massage?’ They wanted the Nimbus 2000, Korean foreskin, or the fish coming to eat your face. I’m actually also a massage therapist. I went to school at the Swedish Institute.

How’d you connect the concept of massage therapy to the face?

My aha moment was when I volunteered with paralyzed patients in hospitals that were assigned to me and, as you know, atrophy comes from paralysis. Within two and a half weeks, I saw the shape of the leg again after massaging them. It’s incredible because massage is technically passive exercise but it’s the oldest form of anti-aging.

Does it work on everyone?

My clients are all ages. The older people want to keep the skin from thinning and the younger clients come to me through the parents because I’ve been able to get their skin regularly lymphatic and detoxed.

Most of my clients don’t want to put their kids on any kind of prescription because it messes up their hormones at a young age. So, I’ve been able to stop the cystic acne by just constantly massaging on a regular basis. Massaging boosts your immune system.

Can we do it at home (after booking with you, of course)?

Do it for a minute to two minutes in the shower. And I always say take it with a shower because that’s when you’re going to get in a habit. Just go all different ways, but really rigorously. I think it’s beautiful to see a woman that’s healthy looking, toned in her face, toned muscles. Yet she has a few lines, but that’s her age.

You have a skincare line. Do you pair it with your massage therapy?

My skincare line is great, but it can only do so much. It only deals with the top layer. I will even tell my clients, unless you’re going to do the massage work, don’t buy my product. You’re going to chase a rainbow that you’re never going to get. That’s why people buy product after product and never achieve their goal. They’re not doing the other part.

This is almost avant-garde in a way, reinforce the constant rebuilding of the skin from underneath. I compare this to plants. You don’t deal with just the leaves you deal with the roots, that’s going to keep feeding it.

What else can we do to promote healthy skincare?

The more you reinforce the strength of the skin, the better it will prevent you from getting cancer or the sun damage. Especially for the summer, stay away from anything that is more like a peel. That’s why dermatologists tell you not to do fractional laser or anything during or close to the summer time. You’re thinning down the skin, which is thinning down the ability for to protect yourself.

What about heating and cooling treatments?

The reason you get red is because the body naturally brings blood to the surface in order to cool the skin down. That creates cell regeneration. Anything that promotes blood circulation from underneath like red light sauna and steam creates heat. A cryotherapy facial works the same way. Your body naturally regulates itself. Pulling up blood platelets does two things. It takes out and then it delivers nutrients. And the nutrients are what rebuilds tissue, reinforcing the immunity of the skin.

Are there any gimmicks out there we should avoid?

One of my biggest pet peeves is a moisturizer and a sunscreen combined. Sunscreen should do one thing; it’s the shield. Apply your moisturizer, which creates the barrier for your pores, then put the sunscreen on. But remove it the minute you get home and you’re not going to be in the sun. Any sunscreen is fine. Even the ones that are waterproof. They are washable. You just have to cleanse it off the minute you’re inside.

How about a DIY facial?

I love the local honey here. Local raw honey has compounds in nature that scientists can’t mimic. It’s so special because it has all these antibacterial elements and all these nutrients. Honey draws moisture into the skin. It does an amazing job at cleaning the skin, hydrating it. I will take it and I will warm it in my hand, and add a little bit of coconut oil or something so it softens and makes it less sticky. Then massage it in.

I leave it on for at least 15 to 20 minutes. It somehow pumps the skin up because it’s a humectant. Add in massaging the skin for just three to five minutes before you go out — it resets and makes you look awake.

Book a service at www.facexercisestudios.com.

 

This article first appeared in The Independent Newspaper. Read more about #EverythingEastEnd here

Essentially, Oils

Posted on by NikkiOnTheDaily in Fitness & Wellness, Inspiring

A few months ago someone gave me lavender essential oil, which has been proven to reduce stress. Each morning I open the top of this small bottle, inhale, exhale, and go about my day. When I additionally received an at-home mud mask, I instinctively poured a few drops of the oil into the mix and have been applying it to my face, on average, two times a week. I just figured the calming feeling would transfer to my face, I had no idea that doing so could benefit my skin — a fact I only recently became aware of.

I was like so many novices in that lavender was the only essential oil I knew. Apparently there are over 90, which means I barely inhaled the surface. When I discovered Shelter Island resident Sarah Shepherd was doing an herbal workshop at Marders in Bridgehampton on how to make essential oil perfumes, my interest was piqued.

Shepherd’s magical energy guided me through an informative and interactive class in Marders’ fairly new greenhouse. The sun warmed the room as aromatic oils filled my olfactory senses. By the end of the class, I had created my own, unique compound of an essential oil from a brand called Serene Living. I created it for my mother; eucalyptus, tea tree, Stress Gone, grapefruit, and Tension Release. Additionally, I mixed roughly 15 drops of this oil compound into a perfume mixed with a sunflower seed carrier oil, and a body spray mixed with rose water. I cannot say enough good things about this workshop. As a woman with an inherently chaotic, New York energy, I can tell you Shepherd created a peaceful, inviting space.

So what is an essential oil, essentially? It is a highly concentrated plant oil, extracted through distillation; capturing the scent, or essence, of the plant along with the unique chemical composition. It can be from leaves to roots. To give you an idea of what it takes to make this, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences notes that it takes 220 pounds of lavender flowers to produce nearly one pound of oil.

How do you apply them? These extracts can be inhaled directly (best, if used with a diffuser) or mixed with a carrier oil, diluting the concentrated essential oil, to be applied to the skin. Carrier oils in your own kitchen can include extra-virgin olive oil, almond oil, and coconut oil.

Place them on pulse points. It’s best to do intricate research on what your goal is to pick the oil and location on the body best for you. Take it one step further and apply a few drops of essential oil to a bath, your face mask (like I did), shampoo, and beyond. To give an idea of ratio, I added roughly 11 drops of my essential oil blend into a two-ounce bottle of rose water.

Skip the hazardous chemicals added to so many household products typically used on a daily basis. Rather than buying into synthetic fragrances, create your own from one of the many essential oils. It does more than heal, it also smells really good.

 

This article first appeared in The Independent Newspaper. Read more about #EverythingEastEnd here

Tribe Training

Posted on by NikkiOnTheDaily in Fitness & Wellness, The Hamptons

It’s day one of my Tribe Training at Hamptons Gym Corp. and I have no idea what to expect. As I walk into the studio, a former Crossfit space, I’m partially intimidated. Kettle bells, TRX bands, weights, medicine balls, rogue racks, resistance bands, jump ropes, jump boxes . . . holy bleep, what did I just sign up for? Then I read the board for a rundown of the workout ahead. Half of the terms I didn’t even recognize, and the fear is replaced with adrenaline. Call me a masochist, but I actually got excited for the challenge ahead.

Tribe Team Training is broken down into three categories: TribeLIFE is low-impact and focused on reducing body fat and increasing strength; TribeCORE, the next level, brings toning, strengthening, stability, and power to the overall core but also uses the shoulders, back, booty, and legs; and TribeFIT, the high intensity class, which is focused on making individuals fitter, faster, stronger, and challenging overall endurance and strength.

I tried all three to properly assess their difficulty levels, and they’re accurate in description. Envision interval training in a group environment with multiple sets and rounds. Aside from the clock, the only one you’re competing with is yourself. It’s especially great for those who prefer constant movement over routine, as it really is an animal of its own.

Team Training members, across all levels, are part of a unit with a common goal of being better than they were yesterday. It’s a supportive, reassuring, motivating, tribe environment. While a white board lists the workout, it’s up to the individual to accomplish each goal to the best of their ability, with their fellow tribe members there to serve as inspiration. It’s a welcoming feeling to hone in on personal capabilities while drowning out the competitive edge to keep up. Although, part of that competition is fuel for the fitness fire.

“Our aim is to be the best, work hard, and exceed expectations. No one in our tribe gets left behind. We unite together, we work together and as a result, we grow together. We are one body, one unit, one team,” Rebeca Olender, Tribe master coach, said.

I met Olender during day one of training, except she wasn’t the coach but my tribe member who stationed herself alongside me. As she lapped me, several times, she paused during her workout to properly aid in my movements (which, of course, only made them harder to do). Olender is inspiring, helpful, extremely outgoing, and most of all, you can relate to her. I only took one of her classes, after our initial meeting, and, despite her overawing physically capabilities, I felt like I truly had someone on my side pushing me to do better. That’s what we all want in a coach/instructor, isn’t it?

Other coaches are Ivette, who radiates kindness and feels like the girl everyone wants to work out with; Oscar, who always has a smile on his face but equates that friendliness with strength; Amber, who has a deep understanding of all the movements; and Rob, a perfectionist for the right technique and attention to detail. Each personality and style are unique, so certain members will gravitate towards certain coaches but they all have the same goal, to help their tribe members achieve their goals.

Tribe Team Training programs are released every six weeks with new exercises, new music, and new workout formulas. No two workouts are the same, which pushes the body further, equating to noticeable results.

Learn more about these options at www.hamptonsgymcorp.com.

 

This article first appeared in The Independent Newspaper. Read more about #EverythingEastEnd here

Seeing With Our Hearts

Posted on by NikkiOnTheDaily in Charities & Non Profits, Fitness & Wellness, The Hamptons

My volunteer work with the Southampton Animal Shelter, while intrinsically rewarding, comes with a high risk. The risk of falling in love. Luckily, I’ve kept my emotional distance for the most part, primarily due to the line on my lease that states “no pets” (I had to leave my two “adoptables,” a German shepherd and black cat back with my family). But I confess, my heart was stolen in a way that has become eye opening.

Sophie is a five-month-old kitten that was rescued with a terrible infection in both of her eyes, rendering her permanently blind. When I first saw what I thought was a helpless, little fur ball in a cage, I looked away. Knowing I couldn’t help her, I assumed she was doomed to live a lesser life and therefore my instinctual reaction was to close my heart and walk by. As I was prepared to do just that, a paw reached out to me as if to say hello.

Well, there’s just no turning back from that! Over the course of two days, I spent a few hours with Sophie and learned she was anything but lesser. She adventurously climbed her cage, enthusiastically played with toys, easily navigated her way around a new room, and purred with affection against me to show love. She even tried to teach her stuffed animal to use her litter box.

Observing this kind-hearted creature awakened something deep within me. No, Sophie isn’t disabled at all. Like much of the rest of the world, she’s simply blind to what’s in front of her. How often do we go through life looking without ever truly seeing? If our hearts, intuition, and instincts could guide us ,rather than our sight, would we want the same things? Would we be the same person?

It was miraculous to watch as a five-month old being sensed it could trust me and felt my intentions without ever knowing what I looked like. I was judged based on my touch and my energy. She learned a room, its dimensions and contents, and, once understanding it was no longer a cage, appreciated its freedom. She didn’t look for toys; she was just happy to explore.

Imagine a world where we all listened more and reacted less? Without the use of her eyes, she listened to my voice, heard my every movement, and reacted based on those sounds rather than jumping to conclusions about a visual. Sophie is my lionheart.

Yes, my world has been turned upside down by a blind kitten, her innocence and her perseverance. Sophie doesn’t have a disability. In my eyes, she’s been given a gift. The gift of seeing with her heart.

Good news! Sophie has been adopted. But remember, there are many other dogs and cats at Southampton Animal Shelter in Hampton Bays. You can help them find a forever home by visiting www.southamptonanimalshelter.com.

 

This article first appeared in The Independent Newspaper. Read more about #EverythingEastEnd here