Atlantic Beach, FL Health and Fitness

Personal trainer Lori Paris doesn't just praise her clients to motivate them. She's convinced the ocean to cheer them on with roaring waves and refreshing spritzes of saltwater. Paris takes workouts into the great outdoors, leading boot camps and yoga classes on local beaches. Here, sand cushions your shoes during running drills and holds hands in place during downward dogs. Paris draws upon several NASM certifications to impart strength-training fundamentals, which take the shape of push-ups, planks, and dumbbell exercises. During one-on-one training, Paris targets the client's goals with custom-built workouts that incorporate stretching, toning, and cardio. In addition to hosting outdoor exercise sessions, Paris coaches personal-training clients in their homes, online, and during tug-of-war matches between rival kennel clubs.

The seasoned instructors at Timed Exercise propel clients through a one-month program of 30-minute workouts designed to tone muscle and roast calories. During timed workout sessions, exercisers enter a designated workout pod—a personal workout space—where a monitor displays the day’s regimen, demonstrates proper exercise form, and flashes the latest prices for whey-protein futures. Each day of the month features a different workout to keep muscles guessing; clients will balance cardio and strength training and learn body and free-weight movement for resistance, making workouts easy to replicate at home. With a clock keeping track of the 30 minutes of exercise, clients dart through spare tires and sweat at their own personal pace; each exercise can be modified to accommodate any age or fitness level.

At First Coast Plastic Surgery, board-certified surgeon David N. Csikai and his team of specialists perform an array of aesthetic treatments. Among their specialties are surgeries such as browlifts and liposuction and non-invasive treatments that include Botox, Radiesse, and laser resurfacing.

Although the various therapists at Beaches Rehabilitation Center focus on a variety of specific body parts—the brain, the muscular system, and even the mouth—they share a single commitment to restoring wellness. But unlike a vindictive swarm of bees, wellness cannot exist in a vacuum. That's why the center ensures that returning clients can see the same therapists for each visit, creating working relationships and informed treatment plans adjusted to suit ailment and age.

The team members work to counteract the effects of several types of injuries. Their sports and orthopedic medicine department addresses aches that impact athletic performance with hands-on techniques to improve joint and muscle function. Industrial rehab programs alleviate work-a-day pain and prevent future discomfort through ergonomic inspections, which promote better posture by adjusting chairs and cutting the neckties of workers caught in paper shredders. Founder and president Anya Johnson, a speech and language pathologist, helps her patients with conditions from stuttering to facial paralysis and the effects of neurological disorders. The center's myriad other services include therapies for arthritis, prosthetic training, and preoperative and postoperative rehabilitation.

Holding a bachelor's degree in health science in one hand and a master’s degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the other, Haley Honeysett exercises her wealth of knowledge and depth of experience with holistic remedies at the helm of Honeysett Acupuncture. Employing the ancient techniques perfected by Chinese acupuncturists over 2,500 years, Haley and her staff stimulate specific points across clients' bodies using hair-thin needles, helping boost blood flow and treat diverse ailments such as back pain, migraines, insomnia, and trouble digesting swords. Haley also has experience using the therapy to support clients' fertility and to cultivate inner butterfly gardens.

Working to help improve patients' overall health and confidence, Avicena Family Care's staff draws on board-certified Dr. Asim Nouman's specialization in medical weight loss and aesthetics. Patients come in for an assortment of procedures, such as intense pulsed light treatments and microdermabrasions, designed to treat issues ranging from skin blemishes to unwanted hair growth. An advocate of lifestyle intervention to prevent chronic diseases, Dr. Nouman makes sure to spend extra time chatting with patients during each primary-care visit, learning about everything from their health history to their hobbies to their favorite nonmusical sound. Avicena Family Care is conveniently from 3–7 p.m. on weekdays and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.