Health & Fitness in Regina

In the mornings, Kathleen Whippler—YMCA of Regina’s senior director of funds development, marketing, and communications—greets a group of ladies on their way to an arthritis exercise class. They’ve told her how the class helps keep aches at bay for the rest of the day. In the afternoon, she sees parents drop their kids off at the Y’s special-needs program. They’ve told her that before the program, there was nowhere for their kids to go, let alone a place they were excited about. Experiences like these keep Whippler passionate about her work at YMCA of Regina. “You can see the difference you make—what I do affects the lives of other people.” These programs reflect YMCA of Regina’s overarching mission to build healthy communities. As bustling community hubs, both locations tout dozens of programs and amenities, such as four-lane pools, cardio machines, free weights, and more than 65 weekly exercise classes. Furthermore, the centres strive to make fitness a key part of any lifestyle; personal trainers lead private sessions, fitness classes include yoga and Zumba, and the Northwest centre invites guests to scale a climbing wall. Although physical fitness is a critical part of overall wellness, the Y’s services extend far beyond the workout room. The centres host an alternative suspension program that strives to transform school suspensions into positive, transformative experiences, and the Community Café provides youth with job training. Whippler says services like these help form tight-knit communities. “It’s just a place to belong,” she says.

Blurry vision is not just an annoyance; it?s a health risk. Optiks International makes it easier for customers by decreasing the time between an eye exam and getting new glasses. Independent Optometrists inside Optiks International's stores offer the convenience of one-stop shopping and create custom-fitted single vision, progressive, and googly-eye lenses. The on-site labs constantly seek out the latest technologies to improve vision, such as digital lenses that decrease peripheral distortion, and custom cuttings that alter lenses to accommodate the tilt of certain frames. Each store stocks a supply of up to 5,000 frames, including options from designer brands such as Oakley, Gucci, Versace, and Ray-Ban. Every store also offers a two-for-one deal for each pair of prescription glasses sold, allowing customers to give a pair of glasses to a family member or pair their purchase with prescription sunglasses to avoid darkening regular specs with a whiteboard marker when leaving the house.

Mind Body Harmonics founder Dami Egbeyemi emphasizes that while the company’s brain wave optimization does not “diagnose or treat medical problems,” it provides clients “with an outlet to relieve stress and relax.” Featured in O, the Oprah Magazine and People, this treatment places sensors on the client’s head to read activity in six different parts of the brain. A report points out areas of imbalance, and these off-kilter brain waves are used to generate a sound that clients listen to with headphones. The goal is that by mirroring the brain so it can see and hear itself, a state of harmony is achieved. These treatments are offset by the facilities other services and products such as Life Wave patches that simulate the benefits of acupuncture without the use of needles, and Kangen Water systems that improve the alkalinity of tap water.

Seeing Josh Apperley tired is a rare sight. Since graduating from massage therapy school, he has completely revamped his current studio and plans to expand the one-man practice into a full clinic where he will helm a team of multi-skilled therapists. The Regina community has taken notice of Mr. Apperley's efforts; he recently won "Best Massage Therapist" in Prairie Dog Magazine's 2013 "Best of Regina" competition. He brings this same positive energy and enthusiasm to each of his massages. Concerned with more than just muscles, Josh has learned enough about the body's mechanics to understand when the muscles, bones, and joints are out of balance. He then customizes strokes to help adjust, readjust, and balance the muscle/bone synergy that exists in all humans and the most realistic dolls.

Fit 4 Two's team of certified prenatal and postnatal fitness specialists motivate mothers to get in shape while still attending to infants' needs with a diverse schedule of classes. In a 60-minute Mom & Baby fitness class, instructors and GPS machines wearing sweatbands guide parents through an array of cardio exercises and muscular endurance training to abate pain, raise energy levels, and improve posture. Students can chat with other parents and take breaks to attend to their baby's needs at any time during the class. Moms share laughs as they push strollers toward a high-intensity workout during stroller boot camp; a 30-minute Tummies for Mommies class tones stomachs, strengthens pelvic floors, hardens core muscles, and equips pupils with handouts filled with daily exercises to do at home or during lengthy escalator rides.

Dr. Eidsness's individualized procedures address patient concerns and focus on helping clients to achieve their full aesthetic potential. A free required pre-treatment consultation determines individual needs, clarifying the conditions of a full Botox treatment. Dr. Eidsness administers the safe, efficient procedure with small injections to areas in need of lift and youthful rebellion, such as forehead (6–16 units) and neck (starting at 20 units). Patients also smooth vertical lip lines (2–10 units) and shoo away crow's feet (starting at 18 units) with the medication's natural proteins. Results develop over the next one to seven days before finely smoothing faces for up to six months.