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HELICOPTER YOGA? YES
Yoga has been around for thousands of years, so there aren’t too many ways to throw a new wrinkle in the mix. Sure you can crank up the heat or hop on a standup paddleboard, but that’s so last year. Luckily, we live in a place where reality is limited only by our checking accounts. To that end, we’d like to introduce you to our new favorite thing: heli-yoga. Str8 Up Aviation (flying out of Fort Myers and Naples) takes you and a friend up, up and away in a helicopter where you’ll meditate on the virtues of how cool you are before landing at a remote beachside location where a professional yoga instructor awaits for a private session. You’ll enjoy some sun salutations, organic refreshments and a stroll along the beach before an exhilarating helicopter ride back. To recap: helicopter + yoga + remote beach = awesome. You’re welcome. str8upaviation.com
PRO PROTEIN A study from Boston University found that healthy adults who eat approximately 100 grams of protein each day are 40 percent less likely to develop hypertension than those consuming less than 60 grams.
GET DIAGNOSED FROM HOME
Let’s face it, season is here and traffic makes going anywhere beyond the end of your driveway a horrible chore. And you know what? Your doctor gets it. Well, assuming your doctor works at Riverchase Dermatology. The well-respected practice has recently started something called Telederm—a virtual appointment you keep via the Web. Thanks to the webcam on your computer or smartphone, you can get comprehensive consultations and post-op visits from the comfort of your own home. It’s pretty cool. You just upload your conditions— “Hey, look at this red splotch on my arm!”—send the video or photo, and a remote dermatologist will review it and respond. You’ll receive a diagnosis within three business days. (If medically necessary, an in-office visit can be coordinated.) When this technology reaches proctologists, we’re going to stop using the Internet. riverchasedermatology.com
A CORE FITNESS PLAN
If the holidays are wreaking havoc on your workout routines (and waistlines), we have a suggestion: Include TRX suspension training, RIP (resistance bands) training, Barre fitness and Mat Pilates to your New Year’s resolutions. Core to Core Fitness of Naples focuses on the most proven training programs that get to the core of the matter and will have you lean and mean in no time. You can choose from group classes to one-on-one instruction in all the aforementioned modalities. naplescoretocore.com
NEW WRINKLE ON SLEEP SCHEDULES
Sleep coaches (yes, that’s a thing) say you must configure your sleep schedule based on 90-minute cycles, meaning that if you miss your usual bedtime by 60 minutes, you should wait another 30 minutes before hitting the hay. You’ll be surprised that it really works.
THE ULTIMATE STRESS TEST
Though none of us are likely to die of heart attacks while shoveling snow this season, we may still have serious cardiac events by other means. And let’s not kid ourselves; that would suck. But there is a new noninvasive nuclear stress test that is so accurate you can make plans a full year in advance. “Next Christmas in Aspen? No problem.” And while you’ve been able to get the Cardiac PET (positron emission tomography) at Lee Memorial for some time, it is finally available in Collier County thanks to Dr. James J. Buonavolonta of Cardiac Imaging Center in Naples. What makes the test so appealing is that the technology has an accuracy of 99.6 percent within one year. It can also detect significant coronary artery disease with 95 percent sensitivity. Perhaps its biggest advantage is that it uses just one-seventh the amount of radiation as traditional nuclear stress tests, coronary CT angiography and cardiac catheterizations. It also doesn’t use iodine- based contrast agents and takes just 30 minutes to complete from start to finish. naplescardiacimaging.com
DNA-REPAIRING SUNSCREEN
We’re all here for the sunshine, correct? But to avoid looking like a crepe paper raisin, we need to become friendly with sunscreen. Really friendly. Because going without is insane. Especially when there are new, safe options available that not only block UV rays but also help repair damage to skin cells. That’s thanks to photolysomes and endosomes, better known as DNA repair enzymes. “It can actually reverse or mitigate UV ionizing radiation,” says Dr. Daniel Wasserman, a dermatologist at Skin Wellness Physicians in Naples. One of the sunscreens Wasserman approves is Neova’s DNA Damage Control Active, which features a broad-spectrum 43 SPF and the DNA repair technology. The company says it reduces the visible signs of aging and the burning effects of UVA and UVB rays. Don’t be a crepe raisin. neova.com, skinwellnessflorida.com
PRACTICE ROCK CLIMBING AT HOME The Simulator 3D training board hangs above your doorway, just like the portable chin-up bar so many of us have at home, but it features more than two dozen different handholds to help build grip strength. Even if you aren’t a rock climber, it is a great way to build upper body strength. metoliusclimbing.com
NEW CUSTOMIZED JOINT REPLACEMENTS
After a lifetime of heavy use, joints can break down and become so sore and painful you’re left hobbling. If this sounds like you, you’re in good company. According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly 27 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease caused by the deterioration of cartilage. In fact, each year, more than 600,000 Americans get total knee replacements. And that number is projected to grow to a whopping 3.48 million procedures by 2030. We mention this because Dr. Kurtis Biggs, orthopaedic surgeon and founder of the Joint Replacement Institute of South Florida, recently became the exclusive user in Collier County of the ConforMIS iTotal® G2, a new state-of-the-art knee replacement. We’re talking completely custom implants for the femur and tibia. No two are alike. That could have you up and moving smoothly in no time. jointinstitutefl.com, conformis.com