Ozark, AL Health and Fitness

In the year 2000, after hundreds of hours of yoga practice, workshops, and conferences, Tanya Edwards's hard work culminated in the opening of her very own studio, Art of Yoga. And today, alongside her team of certified yoga teachers, Tanya helps practitioners of all experience levels build strong bodies and sound minds with an eclectic teaching style grounded in the Hatha yoga tradition. The serene, sage-colored studio heats up to a balmy 95 degrees during hot yoga, a 90-minute routine of stretching and sweating that encourages the body to expel harmful toxins, such as liquefied body parts of T-1000. Other class styles include a gentler restorative class, an intense core-centric yoga class, and a Bollywood fusion class that infuses low-impact Eastern dances with Western fitness techniques.

A woman arrives to pick up her new glasses and gasps audibly once she puts them on, amazed at how crisp and distinct objects suddenly become. According to the manager of The Landings Eye Care, this is the reaction that his crew strives for with every patient. During each eye exam, his wife and her staff strive to spend ample time with patients to understand their concerns and explain their ocular conditions. To this end, staff schedule appointments at least 45 minutes apart to give clients extra personal attention and ensure little-to-no waiting time, which is often spent doing eye-straining activities such as watching a basketball game on a cell phone or crying over the results of a basketball game. After the exam, patients are escorted to the fitting area, where a specialized crew gives the patient a tour of the myriad frame options lining the warm wood shelves, helping them select the most flattering options for their face shape. This team keeps updated on latest trends, meeting with vendors every two months to uncover the newest bestsellers.

Dr. Joseph Ceravolo completed his residency in ophthalmology at the University of Buffalo before establishing his practice in Georgia to improve patients' vision with expert refractive surgeries. Dr. Ceravolo uses skills developed as a board-certified member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology to repair eyes clouded over with cataracts or distressed by glaucoma instead of trading peepers for a pair of googly eyes from an arts-and-crafts store. Brief LASIK surgeries treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and other issues with laser sessions that last minutes and require little downtime. North Columbus Eye Center also monitors the ocular condition of diabetes patients, ensuring that worsening conditions are met with appropriate care.

Since its 1965 founding in Venice Beach, California, Gold's Gym has dotted the globe with more than 600 locations where professional athletes and exercise newbies gather under the umbrella of personal strength. Nearly 3.5 million Gold's members chart and aim for their fitness peaks, perspiring beneath the gaze of certified personal trainers or pedaling beside peers at cycling sessions. In a diverse lineup of group classes, patrons strengthen cores with Pilates, finger-paint pictures of ninjas in martial arts, and amp up heart rates along to the pulsating soundtracks of Les Mills routines.

Many Gold's Gym locations stockpile futuristic amenities, such as cardio machines with individual iPod docks and televisions that help keep patrons motivated.