Some foods sound healthy, but can actually have the opposite effect on the body. Dried fruits, for example, sound like an easy healthy snack, but because they are dehydrated they are much more dense and 5-8 times the calories as fresh fruit, not to mention all the added sugars! Loaded with good for you nuts and oats, granola fools many people.  With all of the added oil needed to make it crisp, and tons of sugar to make it taste good…one bowl can have up to 500 calories!  Don’t let wraps fool you.  When spread out some wraps can be almost a foot across and have up to 300 calories, not to mention that with the surface area being so much larger than 2 slices of bread you tend to spread on more dressing and mayo than a normal sandwich. 

In the frozen aisle those diet microwave meals have to be fool proof…right?  Wrong! Frozen meals are excessively high in sodium.  Since the manufacturers can’t rely on calorie rich fat to make them taste good, they use salt, causing your body to retain water.  Although retained water won’t cause you to gain weight, your jeans will certainly look and feel tighter.

Don’t despair, however…there are some healthy foods that can help you get, and keep, that figure you love.  Cinnamon helps your blood sugar get into cells to be used for energy, leaving less to be stored as fat.  Aim to get 1/4-1 tsp. per day.  Caffeine is a stimulant and raises the heart rate, ending in burning calories faster.  Coffee and Green Tea are great for that.  Green Tea has catechins that some experts believe helps to burn belly fat.  Try to get 3 eight oz. servings a day.  Coffee jump starts lipolysis, which is the break down of fat.  1-2 cups per day is good.  Yogurt contains probiotics, good bacteria that research suggests may help reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs.

In today’s world it can be so hard to know the difference between good and bad, healthy and not…hopefully this helps to start you on the right path towards that rockin body!

Ear candling is performed with the client lying on his or her side.  A long hollow candle is inserted into the ear and then lit.  The smoke of the candle is pulled down into the ear causing the ear to warm up and loosen the wax and other debris inside the eardrum. As the ear warms up, the candle will cause suction which creates a vacuum in the ear canal…that is how the toxins are removed from the inner ear and sinus canal.  After the candle has burned the appropriate amount of time, it is removed from the ear.  When you look inside the hollow candle…you can actually see the wax and toxins that were removed from your ear! 

Ear Candling isn’t a treatment meant only for cold weather, best results are when it it’s performed every three months. It is quick, and painless…so why not call today to make your appointment!

Fall is an awesome time to concentrate on reversing any damage that has been done during those harsh summer days.  Or maybe you have acne scars that you are self-conscious about…microdermabrasion is a non-invasive treatment that exfoliates the dermis (outer layer of skin) and gets rid of those pesky dead skin cells.  Your skin becomes smooth, has more of an even texture, and there is NO down time…and that is after just ONE treatment!  Just imagine how fresh, smooth, and luminous your skin will look after the recommended 4-8 weekly treatments!

One of my favorite things about micro’s (for short) is that it stimulates collagen, which is responsible for keeping the skin hydrated and helps prevent fine lines & wrinkles.  It also helps to increase cell turnover aiding in the removal of blackheads & acne scarring.

Microdermabrasion is (in my humble opinion) one of the BEST things you can do for your skin without using lasers or botox…or, needless to say, ”going under the knife”!

My own father was very reluctant to get spa treatments when I became an esthetician 15 years ago.   He is an “old-school” kind of guy…raised in an era when men never got these types of treatments.   At first, I had to talk him in to it…but now he is not only comfortable getting treatments, he actually looks forward to them!   He leaves feeling refreshed, with unclogged pores and with  younger, healthier looking skin.

A first-time male client (age 50+) who had never been into a spa before describes his experience…”I had a good feeling as soon as I walked in to Kimberly Spa.   It was luxurious, and comfortable…while still being clinically professional.   They earned my trust.”

Ladies, if you have a boyfriend, brother, father, spouse or just a good male friend who is curious about what a “spa experience” is all about…share our “Look Good~Feel Good” secret and send them to Kimberly Spa!   They will love it just as much as you do, and it will be an experience they’ll never forget!

Crossing your legs does in fact impede circulation.  It puts uneven pressure on your lower back, specifically your sacrum.  So why do we do it?  72% of women surveyed (Yahoo Answers) say they cross their legs out of habit.  Others do it because  it is more comfortable and some were taught that it is polite.  Like all bad habits, it takes recognizing the habit before you can break it.

I propose a solution to breaking this potentially painful habit.  Whenever you catch yourself crossing your legs, or realized that they are already crossed (like now maybe?) put a coin (pennies are my favorite) into a cup or jar.  At the end of the week count the number of coins in your jar, empty it and start again the next week.  Challenge yourself to have fewer coins than the week before.  Each week you should notice improved circulation, and fewer pennies you have to pay to the jar!  I would love to hear about your results…so post your success stories here for me to follow!

As a Massage Therapist, I am trained to help restore circulation to those affected areas so if you have a hard time breaking the habit I am here to help! Best of luck to you!

Did you know that our bodies are made up of many electrically charged cells?  Sometimes these cells can become off balance due to the buildup of toxins.  When those cells are out of balance they aren’t able to function correctly to keep a person healthy.  Foot detox baths use the thousands of sweat glands in our feet to help take out some of those unhealthy toxins.  A foot detox bath also puts safe positive and negative ions back into the body through those same glands!  These ions then gradually help to bring the body back into balance.   

Foot detox baths have been used for centuries.  Japan and other Asian countries first used this method to cleanse the body of its impurities.  They also believed that these detox baths had a healing power. It is said that foot detox baths may help you with: pain reduction in joints and muscles, decreased swelling, weight loss, have more energy, better sleep, lymph node cleansing, and many more!  Foot detox bath treatments are quick, easy and painless. You  simply keep your feet in a bath of warm, salty water for thirty minutes and let the ionized water do the rest!  When you are done, the water itself actually tells the story of what type of toxins had been building up in your body!

Come try an Ionized Foot Detox Bath at Kimberly Spa!  Your body will thank you!

So…How long of a massage should you get?  As a massage fanatic myself, I can honestly say that a half hour has never been long enough.  However, a half hour massage, if you are in a serious time crunch, have a specific issue, or scheduled at the end of a long day…may be just right for you.  The one hour massage is about right for relieving the “everyday” stresses.  In that time frame, your therapist should be able to get your whole body relaxed.  A ninety minute treatment is great for relieving those everyday stresses plus allowing a little more time for work on one or more specific areas.  Clients that have increased or intensified work out schedules are great candidates for the ninety minute Therapeutic Sports Massage.   Your therapist can also adjust the intensity of your massage based on your bodies response to the treatment, so make sure to let them know.

Want to add a little ‘boost’ to your massage? Make it an Aromatherapy Massage and choose from the Aroma ‘Mood’ that suits you best…Stress Relief (for relaxation and balance), Enlightening (for meditation and clarity), Energizing (for cleansing and uplifting) or Clearing (for respiratory and muscle relief).

Once you have committed to spending the time with us, help us to help you receive your best massage ever!!

In order to choose a correct sunscreen, you need to understand the differences between UVA and UVB rays.  UVA (ultraviolet-A) are long-wave solar rays that are less likely to cause sunburn; however, they penetrate the skin more deeply and contribute the most to photo-aging.  Recent studies also show that UVA increase UVB’s cancer-causing effects.  UVB (ultraviolet-B) are short-wave solar rays that are more likely to sunburn; however, these rays are considered the main cause of basal and squamous cell carcinomas as well as significant cause of melanoma.

Now that you’re armed with UV information, let’s talk about the why some sun protection is called sunscreen or sunblock. Their main purpose is right in the name and most UV protection has a combination of both types.  Sunscreens chemically absorb UV rays and sunblocks physically deflect UV rays.  Sunscreens have always been a means to protect against UVB but until recently they provided little to no UVA protection. While some ingredients such as octylcrylene and benzophenones have improved sunscreen’s defense against shorter UVA rays, the ingredient avobenzone (Parsol1789) works against all UVA wavelengths.  Some other key ingredients to search for when choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen include:  titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or mexoryl.

The last piece to our puzzle is SPF (sun protection factor).  Who really knows what this means?  Against popular belief, SPF does not mean stronger protection. It measures the length of time you’re protected from skin reddening from UVB rays, compared to how long it takes the skin to redden without protection.  Keep in mind that there is not a comparable standard in measurement for UVA rays.  If it takes 15 minutes without protection to begin reddening, using an SPF 15 should prevent reddening 15 times longer, however, this only applies when you are not swimming or sweating.  If you are swimming or engaging in vigorous activity please use water-resistant sunscreen, towel-dry before applying more, and re-apply every 45-75 minutes.   Studies have shown that the average person only applies half the recommended amount of sunscreen, doesn’t apply it often enough, and doesn’t wait the recommended 15-30 minutes to go outside.  No matter how you look at it, sunscreen should be applied often and liberally!

So the next time you’re standing in front of shelves filled with options for sunscreen, you will feel confident in choosing one that will meet all requirements to offer you the best UVA and UVB protection.