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Eternity Health Pillar Two: Exercise

We all know that exercise is essential to emotional and physical well-being. We are inundated with messages: Just Do It, No Pain No Gain, Never Give Up, Make It Happen! Medical research confirms that movement is “Too Legit To Quit.” Yet every year millions of Americans make fitness New Year’s resolutions and then promptly do just that, quit.

Often this failure to maintain an exercise program is because it is seen as just that- a program and not a lifestyle. Movement is critical for cardiovascular health, bone health, joint stability and is the number one most effective treatment of anxiety. Physical activity should be a celebration of what the body can do and not a punishment for what it ate or how it is supposed to look. When exercise becomes a lifestyle, routines become habits and movement is enjoyed.

When working with our clients at Eternity Health to adapt new lifestyle patterns that include physical activity, we evaluate motivation, dedication, inspiration, accountability and patience. Without saying, a client must be self-motivated to want to engage in a healthier lifestyle. Longevity of routine is difficult to achieve in the absence of desire. Everything worth working for takes work and here enters dedication. Even top elite athletes who have developed careers in sport do not hit the ground running every day with joy and enthusiasm. Dedication is developed so that a client will show up for themselves on a daily basis, doing what they can that day with patience. Every day does not need to be nor should it be 110% as rest is equally important to the athletic body, but illegitimate excuses are benched. Inspiration is critical and very personal. What might inspire one client could potentially turn another completely away. We encourage clients to look carefully for what and who inspires them. For some it is a single individual be it a sports hero or local fitness instructor. Many find inspiration in joining a group, sweating with friends and encouraging others. Online apps such as Strava create social communities of multiple sports where participants can “kudo” their friends and even compete for crowns and accomplish fitness monthly goals. Locally in Santa Barbara, there are class passes allowing members to try many different studios and routines. Inspiration also readily changes and develops. We do stay young at heart when we are continually inspired.

The crutch for almost every client is accountability. This is often a game changer especially in the beginning stages of developing a routine that will grow into a lifestyle. We do offer virtual accountability at Eternity Health in the form of lifestyle coaching. Some clients may seek to find their own coach, therapist, or training partner. If it suits the client’s personality and goals, we encourage clients to sign up for a challenging event, be it a running race, cycling race, cross fit, yoga head stands…. The options are endless and so are the benefits. A person is much more likely to get out and do “IF” there is a tangible performance event on the horizon. Plus, for many, these events are social and fun celebrating months of hard work.

Patience is worth a lot of attention. Keeping it brief, it is imperative that exercise goals and new routines also be met with kindness towards one’s own body. We live in a world of hyper comparison. We find need to constantly remind clients that what might work for X and Y does not necessarily mean it will work for you. Self-care is a staple in an athletic lifestyle and essential to longevity.

Optimal exercise is defined by what appears to work effectively for most individuals. This tends to be mix of cardiovascular activity (aerobic and anaerobic), strength training, HIIT (high intensity interval training), and flexibility work such as yoga and Pilates which support the athletic frame. We all live very dynamic, complex and extremely busy lifestyles making HIIT worth mentioning. High Intensity Interval Training is a type of cardiovascular workout focused on burning fat quickly. One intense exercise burst and one rest breaks is considered one round of repetitions. This is highly beneficial for individuals who may only have a brief amount of time, such as a lunch break, to exercise. Of final mention is the importance of strength training at some level for everyone. We cannot stress this enough. Frequently clients complain of not achieving ideal body changes after weeks and weeks of slaving away at cardio. Muscles develop under the strain of weight and resistance. Ladies, no, you will not bulk up. You will improve your posture, stamina, metabolic rate, and physics.

At Eternity Health, we look carefully at the individual with attention to whole body systems. Many of our clients find great benefit in the utilization of anti-aging peptides. Benefits include and are not limited to reduced body fat, increased lean muscle mass, increased collagen production, improved quality of sleep, increased energy and endurance, and improved cellular repair. Quality supplements and correcting of hormonal imbalances also is critical to an active lifestyle. We can go on and on and sometimes do! Every day is a new chance to show up for yourself and every time you do, it counts.

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MEET ELIZABETH BECKNER AND DAISHA ESCAMILLA

OUR CALIFORNIA LICENSED PHLEBOTOMISTS

Liz started doing personal blood draws after her son, Dashiell, was born with Zellwegers disease. His diagnosis required numerous blood draws and drug levels throughout his life. After sitting through long wait times at the labs followed by watching many different phlebotomists, many new to the job, struggle to find his veins, often poking him multiple times, as a seasoned phlebotomist, Liz decided to draw his blood at home and hand deliver it to the lab myself. Soon after she began doing personal touch blood draws so she can now offer that same personalized service to you.

Liz graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in Biology in 1994. She moved to Santa Barbara and earned her phlebotomy certificate in 1995. Liz began working at St. Francis Medical Center in the Physical Therapy Department and quickly transferred to the Laboratory. Perfecting her venipuncture techniques on all floors of the hospital, including post-operative patients, pregnant women going into labor, sick or premature babies, and emergency room patrons, she then improved her patient care skills working for internal medicine doctors, one of whom was the Medical Director of Hospice and won Doctor of the Year. In 1999, Liz started working with a group of local retinal surgeons. Her primary job consisted of injecting dye into arm veins and photographing its flow through the patients retinal vessels. When patients are worried about their diagnosis or apprehensive about the procedure because of difficult veins, her quick, almost pain free needle stick and kind but professional bed side manner would put them at ease.

The various settings and patients Liz has encountered over the years have enabled her to become very skilled at finding the smallest and most fragile of vessels. Her specialities include infants and the elderly, diabetics of all ages, patients with rolling veins, on blood thinners or chemotherapy. She lives in downtown Santa Barbara, travels from Goleta to Carpintera and brings all the necessary supplies directly to you. All she needs from you is a lab request and your home or office becomes an instant draw station. Appointment times are very flexible, and she is friendly, reliable and punctual. Be kind to your arm and treat yourself to the luxury blood draw you deserve!!!

MEET MICHAEL BROOKINS; BS, CNMT, ABAAHP

Mike brings more than just a medical perspective to his clients; at the age of 14, he began an athletic career as a pole-vaulter that would end up taking him on an incredible journey over the next 13 years of his life. Throughout his athletic journey Mike was constantly working to find the ideal balance of fitness and proper nutrition in order to maximize his performances. Combined with his medical knowledge the years of athletic experience provide a unique and successful combination that serve to benefit his staff and clients.

“After I shifted the focus of my practice from Sports Medicine into Nuclear Medicine specifically Interventional Endocrinology. I found myself questioning our western medical paradigm…Here I was performing thyroid cancer and Hyperthyroidism treatments with harmful radical thyroid radioactive ablations which really made me take a hard look in the mirror and become more of a researcher to find safer and more effective options to better treat my clients. During my research I realized that there were very few, if any, medically directed programs focused towards achieving a “Healthier Lifestyle” rather than typical “Diet” fads.” A few years later after training and working with some of the worlds foremost Bio-identical Hormone Replacement specialists I became Board Certified in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. Sort of just found my passion and the answers I had been looking for with this new specialty finally after years of treating people with the Band-Aid “fix it when its broken” mentality instead of at the root cause.”

Mike has spent the last 10 years in Anti-Aging, Functional and Regenerative Medicine. He has trained over 120 physicians in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine and consulting for their practices. Today his vision is a reality, and clients from all of the world come to benefit from the successful programs that have been established at Age Management Institute Santa Barbara. He firmly believes in educating the patient about the importance of good nutrition, hormone balance, stress management, and regular exercise is the key to aging well and having a high quality of life well into your golden years.