I have been a Moab resident for over 20 years. My family moved here when Moab was considered a “local’s town”. Through the years I have been lucky enough to watch this town blossom into the eclectic place that it is today. Although Moab has grown and changed, I admire that fact that it has managed to stay quaint and humble. I am blessed to live in a community that takes pride in our town, and welcomes visitors from all over the globe to enjoy the stunning and unique area
.
Inspired by Moab’s charm, I opened The Crystal Spa in April of 2011. I wanted to add my own personal touch to the community. As I serve the wonderful people of this town, my goal has been to provide a welcoming and serene environment. I have tried to provide that same mentality to my clients that I feel the locals provide to our tourist guests. The spa is a cozy space, with two treatment rooms and a tranquil and soothing atmosphere. As a massage therapist and esthetician, I enjoy all the services I provide at the spa and I strive to make each client’s experience personalized and enjoyable. To ensure a complete one on one session we book our appointments to allow each client a relaxing, quite and delightful treatment. Our goal at The Crystal Spa is to make each and every client feel right at home.

The spa offers a wide variety of services for both women and men, using all natural and organic products. The menu is uncomplicated, and appealing to people of all ages. Each treatment is customized to the individual client, making an exclusive experience for everyone. Massage is one of my favorite treatments that is offered at the spa. A relaxing massage is a great way to alleviate stress for both your mind and body. If a massage doesn’t seem fitting, a facial is another great relieving treatment offered. 30 minute, 60 minute and 90 minute sessions are offered so you can enjoy a treatment whether you’re in a hurry or looking to stay a while.

Nail services are a great way to get to know my clients. I have had the opportunity to meet many diverse people from all around the globe. Through striking conversations with awesome people, I have found my appreciation for Moab flourish and increase with each interaction. They provide me with a broad perspective while I deliver a pedicure or manicure service. I have been inspired in many ways, and much like this town, I find myself growing and my affection increase more and more with each passing day.

Opening my spa in Moab has been such a positive and fun adventure. I feel as if it has given me the opportunity to grow as a person, as well as focus on a career that I really enjoy. Living in this stunning area truly is a gift that I am grateful to have and to share with all. I am so very thankful to be a part of this eclectic community, and to live, learn, and love every single day

How chiropractic can increase performance and longevity for athletes young and old.

Athletes are masters of repetitive abuse. That is how they build muscle. It is also how they fine-tune their bodies to their sport or activity of choice. To perform at their top levels and to continue to push their abilities they need to have their bodies running like a well maintained machine. An athlete must fully recover from every injury so the injured body part can perform at the level required from the athlete.

This is where I come into the athlete’s life. Being trained and experienced working with the body and with athletes, I can evaluate an injury to any tissue or joint in the body and make a determination about what type of care is needed. Many times I am able to handle the injury myself using different techniques such as chiropractic, massage, physical therapy modalities and rehabilitation exercises, etc. Other times, simply educating the athlete about the how they are causing their injury and how to modify their activity in order to prevent further progression of the injury allows them to better understand how to get back on track. Through these efforts I am able to stop the injury cycle which allows the athlete to continue with their training efforts and also heal the injured tissue with allows the body to continue functioning at its optimal level.

Symptoms such as transient knee, ankle, and hip pain can all be due to an uneven pelvis causing irregular forces and muscle strain. In this instance chiropractic is used to remove the mild irregularity, which could be caused by a rotation in the pelvis, a short leg, or tight muscle for example, and the symptoms start to dissipate.

Symptoms such as shoulder pain or shoulder weakness, and numbing in the arms and hands can all be due to congestion and pressure on the nerves and blood supply in the neck or between the shoulder blades, this could be due to tight muscles in the neck or chest, poor movement in the spinal joints, inflammation or compression on the nerves that supply the arms as they come out of the neck. In this instance when chiropractic is used the compression is relieved and the symptoms begin to dissipate as the pressure and irritation is removed from the nerves.

With 10 years of clinical experience and being an athlete myself, I have seen most injuries in one form or another. I love to help athletes heal their bodies and to provide them with understanding about their injury process so they can continue to do what they love without continuing the damage. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential for preventing more severe and sometimes irreversible damage. Living with the pain and simply waiting for it to go away on its own is a risk to the athlete’s long term prognosis.

South Town Gym: Cross Training Extreme

Here at South Town Gym we believe that your workout should be the best part of your day. With that being said, we are excited to initiate our new class, Cross Training Extreme. CTE is a great way to prevent injury and burnout while increasing your overall fitness level. Our classes will help you get in shape or stay in shape by conditioning your different muscle groups. You will also be developing a new set of skills. We promise to take the boredom out of your exercise routines. CTE is designed to limit the stress on specific muscle groups by allowing you to vary the exercises based on your individual skill levels. Elizabeth Quinn stated in a sports medicine article, “after months of the same movements your body becomes extremely efficient performing those movements, and while that is great for competition, it limits the amount of overall fitness you possess and reduces the actual conditioning you get while training; rather than continuing to improve, you simply maintain a certain level of fitness. Cross training is also necessary to reduce the risk of injury from repetitive strain or overuse. The term cross training refers to a training routine that involves several different forms of exercise. While it is necessary for an athlete to train specifically for their sport if they want to excel, for most exercisers cross training is a beneficial training method for maintaining a high level of overall fitness. For example, you may use both biking and hiking each week to improve your overall aerobic capacity, build overall muscle strength and reduce the chance of an overuse injury. Cross training limits the stress that occurs on a specific muscle group because different activities use muscles in slightly different ways.” Benefits of Cross Training • Reduces exercise boredom • Injury Preventions • Produces a higher level of all around conditioning • Conditions the entire body, not just specific muscle groups • Rehabilitation • Work some muscles while others rest and recover • Can continue to train while injured • Improves your skill, agility and balance One of our goals at the gym is to increase cardiovascular exercise, strength training, flexibility, speed, agility and balance. We believe that by initiating a cross training program participants will be able to achieve their personal goals in these areas. The gym has purchased an array of new equipment to help us in that endeavor. Come in and check out the new equipment from free weights, bumper plates, rings, battle ropes, squat racks and slam balls. We will be happy to train you on the correct use of all of our equipment to keep you safe and working at your optimum levels. We will continue to offer all of the following amenities: • 22 State of the Art Cardio Fitness Machines • A large selection of Free Weights and Cybex Strength Training Machines • A Private Women’s Section • Tanning Beds • Functional Training area, Physio balls, Bosu balls, Plyometric, Stability and Agility equipment. • Spinning Bikes • 28 Flat Screen TVs • Mixed Martial Arts Facility • Dance Studio • Lockers, Showers, and Dressing Room

The Clear the Air Challenge (ClearTheAirChallenge.org) is a month-long competition (August 1st-31st) that encourages Utahns to “Drive Less, Drive Smarter” to help improve air quality. Participants commit to reducing their weekly vehicle trips by using options like trip chaining errands, carpooling, telecommuting, walking, biking, or condensed work schedule. People can track their impact in terms of vehicle trips, miles, emissions, dollars and gallons of gas saved. During the Challenge, weekly prizes from our sponsors are awarded to active participants as an incentive for reaching their weekly goals. Once the challenge is complete, the most outstanding participants, teams, and businesses are highlighted and several grand prizes are awarded. Over the past three Challenges, participants have saved over 3.6 million miles and 6.2 million pounds of emissions. To Register Go To: ClearTheAirChallenge.org

Until the late-1980s, Type 2 diabetes was considered a disease of the middle-aged and elderly, developed after years of poor diet and lack of exercise. Unfortunately, a diet heavy in sugar and a decrease in physical activity have led to a dramatic increase in diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in adolescents and children as young as five. Recent sobering research indicates that Type 2 diabetes progresses much faster and is harder to treat in children than in adults. Physicians are calling for communities to get proactive about addressing the problem of obesity, as this is clearly not an issue that can be addressed in the doctor’s office alone.

This summer at the Moab Farmers’ Market, Moab Regional Hospital will begin introducing a new campaign of eight healthy habits that will help address the epidemic of obesity and obesity related diseases. Led by Janel Arbon, certified dietician at MRH, the hospital’s tent will focus on hands-on education and fun inspiration to get fit. It will be set-up at the first Farmers’ Market each month. Cooking demonstrations that introduce new ways to prepare vegetables, educational displays about the content of sugar in different beverages and cereals, and services such as blood pressure tests, will help community members monitor their health and make healthy changes in their diet and lifestyle. To find out about the different activities that will be offered throughout the summer, visit the Moab Regional Hospital Facebook page, or call Jen Sadoff at 435-719-3514.
The Moab Farmers’ Market is held at Swanny City Park every Saturday from 8am-Noon from May through October. For more information on the Farmers’ Market, visit the Youth Garden Project website at www.youthgardenproject.org.