New M Street Location for Nava
• June 22, 2015

Just south of Dupont Circle, Nava Health and Vitality Center’s new 1800 M St. NW location opened May 15. It’s the third of Nava’s integrative medical centers, joining those currently open in Chevy Chase and Columbia, Maryland. The location’s official grandopening celebration will be held June 17.

Established in 2014, Nava uses a unique integrative approach to health and wellness. All under one roof, each Nava location seeks to treat the individual as a whole, not as a group of symptoms. The new M Street center offers a soothing, modern and tranquil environment for patrons, designed in neutral tones that have an immediate calming effect upon crossing the threshold.

“By bringing our integrative approach to health to new audiences within the D.C. area, we’re offering alternative practices that most people haven’t been exposed to before. And we do it in concert with their physician,” said Bernie Dancel, founder of Nava Health and Vitality Center and CEO of parent company Ascend One Corp.

“In looking for new retail locations, we want to be in markets that have a high population of health-conscious individuals who know that wellness is more than just the status quo. It’s about understanding your body and feeling your best at any age,” he said.

Nava’s medical protocol draws from Eastern, Western and alternative methods, with a foundation grounded in science and developed from years of clinical experience and proven principles. Service offerings include sports performance and recovery therapies and treating the effects of aging — all of which work holistically to help resolve client issues such as weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, chronic pain, digestive issues and low sex drive.

“We believe people should know exactly what’s going on with their bodies and be provided with a personalized roadmap to feeling their best,” said Dancel. “We know what we’re doing works, and now our clients are seeing it too.”

It would appear that Dancel is correct, as the brand plans to add a fourth area location in Rockville, Maryland, later this summer. Nava is exploring additional locations in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, along with an expansion into the Florida market.
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Murphy’s Love: Making the Kids Feel Safe
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Dear Stacy,
*I am planning to leave my wife of 10 years. We have been in and out of therapy for the last three years, but we just don’t get along anymore and I have lost interest in making things better. I am very concerned about the impact on our son (age 7), who tends to be very tentative about new things and worries a lot. I want to do this with minimal impact on his life and need to know how to go about this. Please advise.
– Concerned Dad*

Dear Dad:
I am so sorry that things are so difficult in your marriage and I understand that you have lost interest in working it out — sometimes we get to that point and just let ourselves walk away. If you truly feel you have done everything you can do (and I mean you, not your wife —more on that later), then I agree that focusing on your son is what comes next.

I asked Chevy Chase psychotherapist Maribeth Hilliard Hager, LICSW, for her opinion about how to broach this subject. Her advice is that you be completely solid in your separation plan (e.g., location, plan for visitation, how school events will be handled, etc.) before you tell Son a single detail. “We can’t predict the magical things kids are going to come up with to make sense of this big life change, but we can control the plan and show that the adults are in charge of the situation,” she explains. “The parents’ role is to make the kids feel safe in this unsafe situation.”

Specifically, Hager says parents ought to outline how they will support one another and what can be done when problems arise. “This is just really the beginning of many more conversations, so both parents need to give the message that they are available for more in the future,” she says, adding that parents must be careful not to offer more information than the child asks for.
Always be respectful of the child’s relationship with the other parent, she emphasizes.

You and Son will have conversations about this for the rest of your life. That may not sound fun, but that’s reality. Never blame Wife or make negative comments in any of these conversations. If you are comfortable that you did all you could to save the marriage, there’s no need to be derogatory. Hager explains that we never know what parts of us our children identify with most. If you criticize Wife’s “indecision,” you may be criticizing a piece of Son you don’t even recognize.

*Stacy Notaras Murphy (www.stacymurphyLPC.com) is a licensed professional counselor and certified Imago Relationship therapist practicing in Georgetown. This column is meant for entertainment only and should not be considered a substitute for professional counseling. Send your confidential question to stacymurphyLPC@gmail.com.*

High-Intensity Fitness – A Good Idea Taken Too Far
• May 21, 2015

The shift toward more intense exercise began as a great idea for most people. It led people to realize that walking on a treadmill while watching TV won’t help with weight loss, strength, bone density or even cardiovascular fitness.

Strength training and interval training deliver far superior results, and massively improve your quality of life, but only if done responsibly. Unfortunately, the most popular forms of intense exercise have taken a great idea too far, turning it into something that can be dangerous.

To help you get the great results without the risk, here are five dos and don’ts for intense exercise:

Don’t make exercise a competition. Exercise is something you do to enhance your life and your sports, but it’s not the end goal. Vying to see who can do the most exercise leads to sloppy form and extreme exhaustion, which then lead to injuries and health problems.

Do challenge yourself. Your body will only change – become more toned, expend more energy (lose weight), add muscle, add bone density – if it’s progressively overloaded. If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

Don’t train to failure. Pushing until you can’t move is taking the above idea too far. End your set of exercises knowing that you could have done one or two more repetitions. This is challenge that you can recover from. You only get better in between workouts (while recovering).

Do remember the three Ps. At my studio, we have three Ps: no pain, puking or passing out. Exercise should challenge you, but never hurt, make you nauseous or make you feel dizzy or faint.

Don’t do plyometrics for cardio. A recent trend in DVDs and fitness classes is to take very stressful jumping exercises and do them as a 30-to-60-minute class. To put this in perspective, Olympic athletes limit their plyometric work to fewer than 100 reps per week (or 20 minutes including rest), because exceeding these limits puts you at high risk for stress fractures and tendon ruptures.

*A best-selling author and fitness expert with 16 years of experience, Josef Brandenburg owns The Body You Want club in Georgetown. Information about his 14-Day Personal Training Experience may be found at TheBodyYouWant.com.*

Murphy’s Love: Socializing – His and Hers
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Dear Stacy,

I have been married a little over two years, and have lived in D.C. since college. My husband is new to the area and doesn’t have many friends. He’s an introvert, but a great guy and an avid sports fan. He just doesn’t have anyone to go to games with unless someone is visiting us. I, on the other hand, like being social and have a lot of friends. We aren’t starting a family for a few more years, and I want to take advantage of the time because I know making new friends stops when you have kids. My husband and I keep arguing about how much I want to go out. I wish he would have his own things to do, but he just winds up staying home by himself and being passive-aggressive when I get back. What can I do to make this better?

– To party or not to party?

Dear Party:

We can talk about your views on making friends through parenthood another day, but, trust me, it happens. Today your concern is that Husband needs some friends. I know you think that making new connections would be the solution, but that’s not what I read in your situation. I am more concerned about how he takes this out on you.

Staying at home by yourself is a fine choice for a true introvert. If he gets energy that way and actually enjoys himself, huzzah. But it sounds like he is not having a good time, and instead reacts to you (just “being you”) with hostility, veiled and not-so-veiled. Readers of this column know that’s a massive red flag. If he resents you and doesn’t name that so you two can work it out (e.g., have a standing date night, ritualize how you reconnect after an evening apart, set a goal to go out with like-minded couples at least once a month, etc.), then his unresolved feelings are creating a problem in your partnership. That could have a long shelf-life, and I don’t wish that on either of you. Time for an honest conversation.

*Stacy Notaras Murphy (www.stacymurphyLPC.com) is a licensed professional counselor and certified Imago Relationship therapist practicing in Georgetown. This column is meant for entertainment only and should not be considered a substitute for professional counseling. Send your confidential question to stacymurphyLPC@gmail.com*

The Truth About Standing Desks
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Standing desks are becoming increasingly popular as the idea that “sitting is the new smoking” gains popularity. By replacing sitting with standing, the thinking goes, you are counteracting the risks of sedentary office work. There is some truth to this, but it’s important to have the whole story, including guidance on how to safely transition to a standing desk.

Problems With Sitting

Sitting is not the problem. But sitting for extended periods of time (60 to 90 minutes or more) without a break seems to lead to tight hips, poor circulation and decreased insulin sensitivity. The decreased insulin sensitivity increases diabetes risk and may result in weight gain or difficulty in losing weight.

Remember: standing in place for hours on end is just as unnatural and potentially problematic as sitting for hours on end. Long periods of standing can damage knee cartilage, cause varicose veins and decrease productivity.

Proper Stand-Up Desk Transition

• Get an adjustable desk. You want to be able to go from standing to sitting when your body needs a break, or for tasks requiring greater concentration. Without the ability to make these transitions – especially in the beginning – you put yourself at a very high risk of injury.

• Stand on a pad. Most offices have thin flooring over concrete, so having something soft will help reduce the risk of foot, back and knee pain.

Alternatives to a Stand-Up Desk

If you decide a stand-up desk isn’t for you, but still want to break up your sitting time, here are two simple suggestions:
• Keep and drink more water at your desk. This kills two birds with one stone: you’ll be better hydrated and you’ll be forced to take walking breaks. Research indicates that as little as two minutes of walking per hour of sitting is enough to reduce your risk of disease.

• Set an alarm to alert you to get up every 50 to 60 minutes. Besides reducing the risks of extended sitting, these breaks help your brain work better. Mini breaks – especially with movement – help people process information and solve problems that have become frustrating.

A best-selling author and fitness expert with 16 years of experience, Josef Brandenburg owns The Body You Want club in Georgetown. Information about his 14-Day Personal Training Experience may be found at TheBodyYouWant.com.

Murphy’s Love: Advice on Intimacy and Relationships
• May 19, 2015

Dear Stacy,

There is more context to this, but I will say that I have stepped outside of my marriage a few times over many years. I have felt guilty about this, and then recommitted myself to being faithful, but then I find myself attracted to other women. I think this is just who I am. My wife is frustrated with my infidelity (she knows about a recent encounter, but not about the long-term affairs I have had) and wants me to see a therapist, but I am not interested in hearing from another female about how I am to blame for the problems in my marriage. If this is just who I am, and I want to still be married, why can’t we make some kind of agreement?

– Agreeing to Disagree

Dear Disagree:

It seems that you can’t “make some kind of agreement” because Wife is “frustrated” with your infidelity. It’s not the answer you want – I get that – but it’s the reason for the standoff. Wife doesn’t want an open marriage, so you don’t get an open marriage. You get a divorce or you get really good at cheating behind the scenes (it sounds like you’re already good at that, but not quite good enough?). Or we can pick Door Number Three. Can you guess what’s behind it? A male therapist. (They exist. If you don’t believe me, I can send you a list.)

I’m suggesting therapy because I think there’s more to the story than: “I’m a serial cheater, that’s just who I am.” Aren’t you curious about why, if that is your essence, you chose to be married in the first place? Wouldn’t you like some language for explaining (to Wife, to Self) why monogamy feels so challenging? A therapist is there to help you understand more about yourself, not to blame you for being that person.

I suspect that Wife is making you feel bad only because she doesn’t know another way to respond when you give her the ultimatum of “This is me, deal with it,” leaving her feeling that she’s not enough for you. Sound familiar, doesn’t it? Each of you is telling the other to be different, or else. This is a standoff, not a partnership. Trust me, you can find a middle space, but you have to seek it out with Wife, not in spite of her.

Stacy Notaras Murphy (www.stacymurphyLPC.com) is a licensed professional counselor and certified Imago Relationship therapist practicing in Georgetown. This column is meant for entertainment only and should not be considered a substitute for professional counseling. Send your confidential question to stacymurphyLPC@gmail.com.

Five Weight Loss Myths
• May 11, 2015

With so many people saying so many things about weight loss, it can be very hard to separate fact from fiction. Here’s the scoop on five common myths about losing weight:

Myth 1
Cardio helps you lose weight. Activities like a 30-to-60-minute jog don’t help most people lose weight because they make people disproportionately hungry (among other reasons). So if you burn off 500 calories, your body will be hungry for 550 to 600 calories. However, strength and interval training tend to blunt appetite and leave your metabolism elevated for up 36 hours afterward.

Myth 2
Eating five or six small meals will help you lose weight. The research on this is clear: spreading your food out makes people hungrier and less satisfied with what they’re eating – which is only helpful for weight gain. Eating fewer, larger meals is more satisfying, takes less time and is far more effective for weight loss, now and in the future.

Myth 3
More sweat during exercise equals more weight loss. You can take the easiest, least effective workout and do it in a hot, humid room and you’ll sweat profusely. This extra sweat will not result in any meaningful, long-term weight loss, only short-term dehydration. The goal is to keep the goal the goal.

Myth 4
Adding healthy food helps you lose weight. Example: most people could benefit from adding more protein to their diet, but if you simply add a few eggs to your normal blueberry muffin, you’ll probably gain weight. You’re just eating more. Swapping the muffin for a few eggs and some blueberries would get you much better results.

Myth 5
All weight loss is created equal. Most of the time people really want to lose body fat (or get back to their high-school size). These qualities are not easily measured on the scale. A low-calorie diet and cardio can result in half of your weight loss coming from your lean body mass – in other words, everything that isn’t fat – which makes it harder to look toned. It’s also harder to keep off.

A best-selling author and fitness expert with 16 years of experience, Josef Brandenburg owns The Body You Want club in Georgetown. Information about his 14-Day Personal Training Experience may be found at TheBodyYouWant.com.

Young at Heart at Georgetown Senior Center
• May 7, 2015

Anne Albert finds stability in the community at the Georgetown Senior Center, housed on Mondays and Fridays in St. John’s Church.

“My father was Navy growing up and my husband was much older, and he passed away,” she said. “So I didn’t have many friends.”

Albert found herself bored after retiring. She expressed this to a friend, who referred her to the Georgetown Senior Center. She has now been a member for 20 years.

“I can’t believe I’ve been retired this long,” she said. “I can’t believe I lived this long. All I wanted to do was be 21.”

Albert makes time to use her creative talents to give back to the community. She crochets blankets for an organization called Christ’s Child that provides assistance to unwed mothers. She makes hats and scarves for inner-city kids.

“I also make two martinis a night,” she said with a laugh.

Her fiercely fun personality and unapologetic nature make Albert the life of the party at the group’s twice-weekly meetings. “I still can’t remember everyone’s name,” she said. “I’ll ask the question and not listen to the answer. But I’ve done that since I was a kid.”

Her clear blue eyes light up when she laughs or smiles, mostly at herself, revealing a charming humility. Albert’s positive attitude was only dimmed when she learned of the recent dip in senior center membership.

“I enjoy the companionship of other people,” she said.

The Georgetown Senior Center offers a variety of activities, including exercise classes, visits by comedians, performances and social events. Volunteers prepare and deliver food to the church for members’ lunches.

When asked what her favorite part of the organization was, she answered with one word: “Everything.”

The GBA networking reception on May 20 at Lululemon will benefit the Georgetown Senior Center.

Supplements: Myth vs. Fact
• April 23, 2015

Smart use of dietary supplements can definitely enhance the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. However, clever marketers make it very hard for consumers to make good choices. Here are eight supplement myths and facts to help you become a more informed consumer:

Fact: You should keep most of your supplements in the fridge. This is especially true for fish oil, because the beneficial omega-3 fats become rancid when exposed to heat, light or oxygen. This will also extend the shelf life of all supplements.

Myth: There are supplements that can target belly fat, or that will cause you to lose weight without changing your lifestyle. It would be nice if results came in a pill. However, the fact is that no supplement has ever been proven effective at targeting any specific body part, nor has there even been proof that a supplement can help you lose weight without diet and exercise.

Fact: The FDA has found hidden drugs in dietary supplements. The FDA has found more than 100 weight-loss supplements that contain hidden prescription drugs (including generic Viagra and seizure meds) and/or drugs so dangerous they’re not approved for use in the U.S. Beware of pills or drinks making big promises.

Myth: Taking vitamins means you can skip the vegetables. The truth is that supplements are only that: supplements. They help to fill in the little gaps in a healthy diet and lifestyle, but can’t take the place of nutrient-dense foods.

Fact: “All natural” doesn’t mean something is good for you. “Natural” only means that the product doesn’t have artificial colors or flavors – nothing more.

Myth: If a multi-vitamin makes your pee yellow, this means you didn’t absorb any of it. Just a little bit of Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) turns your urine yellow. You’re still absorbing most of what was in that pill. If the color bothers you, drink more water.

Myth: Drinking protein shakes will give you bodybuilder-sized muscles. The enormous muscles on professional bodybuilders are the result of superior genetics, decades of 24/7 dedication and pharmaceutical assistance. There’s no powder or pill that can give anyone huge muscles.

Fact: Drinking a protein recovery shake accelerates progress. Extra protein after a workout helps you lose fat and tone up faster than if you only drink water.

A best-selling author and fitness expert with 16 years of experience, Josef Brandenburg owns The Body You Want club in Georgetown. Information about his 14-Day Personal Training Experience may be found at TheBodyYouWant.com.

Get Active, Get Ready — Summer Is Coming
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Sometimes, sessions in the gym seem long and dull. Going out for a run can be impossible on days when the weather isn’t the best and the couch temps. These newly opened fitness studios in D.C. will motivate and give you that extra push you need to shape up for summer.

If bicycling outside seems too dangerous to you, try out indoor cycling. Or why not tone your body with high intensity interval training (HIIT) and — or bodyweight exercises? No matter your skill level, there’s something for everyone in D.C. But remember to find an exercise that you enjoy and make sure you’re having fun. The most important thing is that you get active; the best exercise is the one that actually happens.

Off Road DC:

The local cycling studio Off Road DC provides a great fitness experience with a diversity of classes to make sure clients get a full body workout. Tali Wenger and Tammar Bergen opened the studio in October 2012, wanting to bring something new to D.C.
Tali Wenger, main instructor and co-owner of the fitness center explains that Off Road strives to maintain a welcoming environment for their clients. ”Off Road DC provides something for everybody, with any background and every fitness level. We want to make sure our clients are safe, especially when attending our cycling classes,” she says.

In addition, the Off Road DC team makes sure that beginners and veteran athletes both feel comfortable, welcome and fulfilled by HIIT (high intensity interval training), mixed cycling and running classes. ”We want clients to feel they can take any class and at their own pace.” Wenger explains.

Every class is different and instructors are given the freedom to express themselves in both music and teaching style. Off Road DC also has a wide range of offerings tailored to every person’s fitness goals. At the studio you can train indoor cycling, TRX, boxing, bootcamp and mixed classes. The mixed classes combine both cycling, running and core.

The first Thursday of every month, Off Road DC partner up with the 9:30 Club for a special spinning class. Tali Wenger encourage beginners to join the free intro class on Saturdays at 11:15 a.m. to walk through the bikes and get a 30-minute workout. ”The first step for anyone is coming in the door,” Wenger says.

Off Road DC is located on 905 U St. NW Washington, D.C.

[Solidcore]

Fitness fanatics, listen up. The innovative Solidcore workout is a 50-minute, full body tune-up in a class-based fitness studio with no more than 13 clients in class at a time. It is basically a hardcore pilates class where you use slow and controlled full-body movements with tension to work the muscle fibers to failure. This low-impact process forces your muscles to rebuild a stronger, more toned and sculpted you.

Since every workout experience is different, the body doesn’t stop responding to the exercise. With small class sizes at Solidcore, you can get a personalized experience. The certified Solidcore instructors motivate you to push yourself further than you would on your own.

Solidcore is one of the hardest and most intense workouts you will ever do, and is like nothing else you’ve ever done. As written on their website, ”This is the athlete’s workout, not your grandmother’s pilates class. Prepare to sweat, be pushed to your edge, and for the most intense workout of your life”. The Solidcore team encourages you to have fun while building the best version of yourself. You will be amazed by this workout and its results — guaranteed.

Solidcore has three D.C. locations; in Shaw, Mt. Vernon triangle and Cathedral Commons at 3308 Wisconsin Ave NW.

Flywheel Sports:

The popular indoor cycling studio Flywheel Sports recently opened a new studio in Dupont. ”Flywheel is the ultimate, revolutionary cycling experience”, says Danielle Devine-Baum, master instructor and creative director for the northeast region.

Flywheel is a full body training combined with an arm sequence at the end of every class. The Torqboards on the bikes allow riders to view and keep track of their rate per minute (RPM), power and torque. The results are uploaded to patrons’ accounts online and on the Flywheel app after every class. In addition, you can see calories burned and how mileage biked in the app and online.

If you’re not into indoor cycling, you can try out FlyBarre classes. FlyBarre helps tone and work up long, lean muscles. The classes focus on lightweight leg, arm and abdominal exercises with many reps. ”Flywheel Sports is a perfect fit for all fitness levels and our instructors are trained to help set up beginners so the intimidation factor disappears,” Devine-Baum says.

”The Dupont location is Flywheel’s thirty-third studio and with more than 60 bikes, the location is the largest studio today, which is very exciting for us,” Devine-Baum continues. The studio has showers, lockers, changing rooms in addition to a blow dry bar with spa equipment. Seat cushions and shoes are complimentary at every Flywheel Sports studio.

Flywheel Sports studio is located on 1927 Florida Ave NW.