With the dawn of a new year, a new YMCA is coming to downtown Des Moines.

The Wellmark YMCA officially opened for business on New Year’s Day as the trained YMCA staff is helping individuals continue their journey to an active, healthy lifestyle.

The new facility at 501 Grand Avenue in downtown Des Moines replaces the more than half-century-old Riverfront YMCA. According to Tim Short, executive director of the Wellmark YMCA, the new Y will offer many of the same features as the Riverfront Y, but will be better designed – and new.

“One of the things many of our members are excited about is we are getting new equipment throughout the facility, replacing most of what is currently at the Riverfront Y,” Short said. “But more than anything else, the Wellmark Y will allow us to offer more classes and fitness opportunities to meet the fitness goals of our members.

“The Riverfront Y served the downtown Des Moines community well for the past 50 plus years and we believe that the new Wellmark Y will have just as big, if not a greater impact over the next half century.”

The Wellmark Y is not only newer but much bigger than the Riverfront Y.With over 140,000 square feet of space, this world-class facility includes, among other features…

• Indoor Track – Short says the 1/8 mile track is the biggest indoor track in the city, almost twice as big as the current Riverfront Y.
• 2 Basketball Courts – the junior high length courts have markings for volleyball courts as well.
• 8 Racquetball / Handball Courts – the courts are located on the facility’s upper level with the capability of seating for tournaments.
• 2 Squash Courts – the squash courts are the only courts in the Des Moines area
• Wellness Center – the Wellness Center will be located on the upper level with the capacity of up to 100 machines.
• Cycling Studio – tiered, enclosed structure with the capacity for up to 50 bikes.
• Strength Conditioning Area – the free weight area will also be in this location.
• Yoga Studio – located on the lower level in a quiet area of the facility, the Yoga Studio is equipped with cork floors.
• Group Exercise Studio – this studio on the facility’s upper level will be used for group fitness classes including Body Pump, Zumba and Insanity.
• More than 75 weekly classes will be held in the Group Exercise, Yoga and Cycling studios with early morning, noon-time, late afternoon, early evening and
  weekend offerings.

In the coming months, an eight-lane, 50-meter pool with seating for 1500 will be completed along with a four-lane, 25-yard pool. A café is also planned in the future on the first floor just off of the main lobby.

The Wellmark Y is one of 10 branches of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. Membership rates will remain the same as the Riverfront Y and a YMCA membership is good at locations throughout Des Moines (except for the YMCA Healthy Living Center in Clive, which has an additional fee). Membership rates are based on household income and financial assistance is available.

YMCA
www.dmymca.org

Winter’s cold, blustery weather causes many of us to suffer from dry skin.

Outside temperatures and humidity levels plummet. We retreat indoors for warmth only to encounter dry air generated by our furnace and fireplace. We attempt to stay healthy through the cold and flu season by washing our hands more frequently. It doesn’t take long before our lips and hands crack and our skin begins to feel itchy, flaky and dry.

There are a number of things you can do to help prevent dry skin, such as:

• Taking shorter showers or baths and moisturizing immediately afterwards (before your skin dries) with emollient creams.
• Turning your thermostat down.
• Using a humidifier.
• Using only alcohol-free types of hand sanitizers.
• Protecting your hands with gloves when going outside or when exposing them to water or chemicals (such as when washing dishes or using household cleaning products).
• Moisturizing again!

As we age, our skin becomes thinner and dryer. According to a survey by the National Rosacea Society, 22-23 percent of the rosacea respondents in their 50’s and 60’s, respectively, reported increased dryness. This number rose to 34 percent after age 70. There are many options for improving dry, vascular skin.

At Urban Effects, we recommend an annual skin care consultation to review skin care routines and product usage.  January is a great time to schedule a complimentary VISIA skin analysis and design a customized plan for the upcoming year. We allow enough time to evaluate your skin, products and budget and to implement a plan that addresses your skin care goals. Skin care routines and products often need to change during colder, dryer months. In some cases, certain products may need to be eliminated, used less frequently or changed to different vehicles in order to improve the condition of the skin. This process often saves you time and provides
superior results.

We offer a variety of in-office treatments that can improve dry skin. These range from light to medium chemical peels, HydraFacials™ and NANO™ laserpeels. These treatments allow the appropriate skin care regimen to penetrate and accelerate hydration. They also provide fast relief with no downtime. In addition, many with facial redness enjoy visible improvement from a FotoFacial™ BBL™.

For more information or to schedule a complimentary skin care consultation, contact Urban Effects Medspa at 987-5188.

Urban Effects Medspa
www.urbaneffectsmedspa.com

Meet Courtney Owen: MMA Fighter, Mother, Member, Y Coach 

Standing, arms crossed, in a royal blue YMCA staff shirt, Courtney Owen looks like a force of fitness to be reckoned with. Her biceps have been built not only by lifting weights, but by the ups and downs of a fitness journey well traveled.

Now a wellness coach at the Waukee Family YMCA, Owen assists members of all ages with orientation, ActivTrax and fitness testing.  But perhaps most significantly, she listens to and empowers YMCA members on their journey towards positive life change.

“I like all of the people here; you really get to know everyone,” Owen said. “Because of my own fitness goals and challenges, it’s easy for me to relate with people.”

Owen said that she has been inspired by many YMCA members striving to do their best.

“There’s a lady that has Multiple Sclerosis who rides a scooter and uses every last ounce of her independence,” Owen said. “She comes in and walks about a minute on the treadmill. She falls almost every time, but she gets back up and scoots off to her next exercise.  Members like that help you remember not to take things for granted,” she said.

She certainly has not taken getting her body back into shape for granted.

“I had my daughter six years ago, and at that time, I weighed 203 pounds,” Owen shared. “I gained something like 60 pounds while I was pregnant.”

Following the birth of her daughter, she became “obsessed with working out” in order to take her body back and beyond to a new level of fitness. Owen is a former MMA fighter, the kind that throws packed punches and kicks in the cages. Her last fight was in April 2013.

Before Owen moved to the area from southwest Iowa in the spring of 2013, she was training at a Tae Kwon Do gym. When she moved here, she needed a place to work out and the Waukee Y fit the bill. With a full weight room, a pool, and premiere small-group exercise classes, including Warrior Fit and Boot Camp, the Waukee Y became her second home.

“When a position opened up at the Y, I thought, ‘I’m here all the time, why not work here?’” she said.  So she quit her full-time job at an optometrist’s office and started working at the Y. She hasn’t looked back, only forward – to graduating from the Fire Academy later this month. Owen also works part-time on the Grimes Fire/EMS team.

When you join the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, you gain access to nine YMCA locations, many great programs and services, and a passionate staff of team members focused on helping you reach your goals. Stop in and meet with Owen, or another one of the wellness coaches, and take the first step towards a healthier life.

Waukee YMCA
www.dmymca.org

No-Downtime Treatments to Help You Look Your Best

The holiday season is here once again. While we all have our own approach to celebrating the holidays, we all experience the stress that comes with extra-busy schedules. This can result in what I call “holiday hangover skin” – skin that looks dull and dehydrated, perhaps with atypical acne breakout.

As a skin health professional, I love telling people about quick, easy, no-downtime treatments that keep your skin looking radiant and healthy.

I personally recommend the HydraFacial – the ultimate complexion reviver and the perfect treatment to keep you looking your best throughout the holiday season. In less than an hour, this rejuvenating treatment uses a series of cleansers and serums to repair and protect skin while extracting oil build-up and damaged tissue. You will relax in a calming facial room and enjoy a state-of-the-art, crystal-free exfoliation and the infusion of a light serum. The result? Beautiful, glowing skin. The treatment is customized for your skin type and requires no downtime, yet provides visible results.

You may elect to add LED Light as well – a soothing, plumping treatment that restores firmness and promotes collagen production and healing. This treatment is suitable for all skin types, even sensitive and actinic skin. Anyone seeking a renewed complexion will enjoy this service.

You may be thinking that there’s just no way you can justify the time or expense. I encourage you to think about how you feel when you look your best. This is an affordable gift that you can give yourself to get you through the chaotic days ahead. Or perhaps you can put it on someone’s gift list – someone who is looking for the perfect gift for you!

Call Urban Effects Medspa today to learn more about our services and products to help you look your best throughout the busy holiday season ahead.

Urban Effects Medspa
www.urbaneffectsmedspa.com

What summer leaves behind.

Summer is a beautiful time of year. The weather is warm and the days are long. We embrace outside activities with enthusiasm, and our daily routines go by the wayside – including our skin care regimens. It’s no wonder that when many of us see our reflection in the mirror this time of the year, our skin can look a bit haggard. 

Summer sun exposure can cause brown spots, freckling and blotchy discolorations. These pesky pigmentation issues are due to the skin’s barrier defense system. When our skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays and environmental hazards, it responds by sending melanin to the outer layers to protect it from burning. This results in what many refer to as age spots.

During the summer, many people apply sunscreen when they go outside. Unfortunately, some over-the-counter sunscreens protect only from UVB (burning). In addition, most people don’t apply an adequate amount every day, and most don’t reapply every 90 minutes.

It’s important to use a broad-spectrum (also called full-spectrum) sunscreen, which protects skin from both UVB (burning) rays and UVA (aging) rays. Choosing the best sun protection can be a challenge for individuals with sensitivities to ingredients and fragrances commonly found in sunscreens. “I’m one of those people,” says Susan Cross, ARNP. “I’ve made it a priority at Urban Effects Medspa to provide quality sun protection products and I’ve developed ‘Susan’s Sun Bar’ so our guests can experience them first-hand and learn which product is best for them and their family members.”

If you’re experiencing age spots and looking for options to enhance your appearance, first make sure you’re using a broad-spectrum sunscreen – and that you’re using the right amount and reapplying as needed. Next, contact Urban Effects Medspa for a VISIA skin analysis and skin consultation to determine the best treatment plan for you. Recommendations for skincare products, medications and/or laser treatments are based on each individual’s levels of severity, time availability, lifestyle and financial resources.

Contact Urban Effects Medspa today to schedule your complimentary VISIA skin analysis or stop by and visit our new Sun Bar to find the right sunscreen for you!

Urban Effects Medspa
www.urbaneffectsmedspa.com

Standing together, waiting for their picture to be snapped, are two boys wearing gleaming gold medals indicating their spectacular achievement. These aren’t the type of medals given to all participants. These are winners’ medals. They’re evidence of conquered fears, adversities overcome, and races won fair and square.

Like most children, they would rather be outside – playing with friends, making something out of sand and mud, catching bugs, or in this case, swimming.

Brooklyn, 11, and Zachary, 13, used to be fish out of water when it came to swimming in the deep end of the pool. Zachary wouldn’t let the water get up to his shoulders and Brooklyn refused to dive into the deep end of certain pools. Then they met Michelle, the adaptive aquatics trainer at Waukee’s YMCA and a lifelong swimmer with 25 years of coaching experience.

Unique Challenges

Brooklyn, with his sporty tennis shoes and athletic wear, was born with a lesion on the left side of his brain that makes his right upper body extremely weak. Epilepsy comes paired with the lesion. Zachary, with his sweet smile, has extremely low muscle tone as a result of living with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Both boys were in need of a unique aquatics program for therapeutic, health, wellness and youth development reasons.

Great Minds Think Alike

A little over three years ago, Michelle was in the beginning stages of organizing an adaptive aquatics program with Brian Longren, the aquatics program director at Waukee’s YMCA. It was at this time that Zachary’s mother, Edie, was looking for an alternative to group swimming lessons for her son.

“We knew if he [Zach] was enrolled in a regular swimming program, it wouldn’t work out,” Edie said. “We wanted some sort of program where he could safely learn.”

Brooklyn had also tried group lessons but they hadn’t worked well for his swimming development.

“Swimming with Michelle and experiencing the competition have helped Brooklyn take risks, improve his confidence and know that even though he has his differences, he is able to do amazing things,” said Brooklyn’s dad, Brandon.

The physical and cardiovascular exercise is also beneficial for the boys.

“Swimming is one of the best physical activities,” said Edie. “It helps with breathing, puts less stress on the joints than other activities and is a good activity for the
whole body.”

Swimming Buddies

At the Regional Special Olympics Spring Games held at the Indianola YMCA, Brooklyn placed first (and achieved personal bests) in his age division in both of his races – 25-yard freestyle and 25-yard backstroke. He advanced to the state competition where he again placed first and recorded personal bests in both events.

“I get nervous before a race, but when I win, it feels awesome,” said Brooklyn.

Zachary won the 25-yard backstroke in his age division at the Regional Special Olympics Spring Games. This qualified him to converge with nearly 3,000 other athletes at the Special Olympics State Summer Games in Ames. There, he swam to a first-place finish in his age division as well.

Although swimming is an individual sport, Michelle added that camaraderie is another benefit of swimming, noting that YMCA programs encourage teamwork and cheering for one another. “Friendships are built here,” she said.

A Bright Future Ahead

Next April at the regional Special Olympics meet in Indianola, look for the boys who are doing their best, competing with the rest – for it’s in these moments that their confidence grows bigger than all of the obstacles placed in front of them.

Waukee YMCA
www.dmymca.org

A relatively new trend in the spa industry, a medical spa (or “medspa”) is the fusion of a medical office and day spa – a perfect balance between clinical treatment and luxurious pampering.

As defined by the International SPA Association, a medical spa is an institution whose primary purpose is to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care in an environment that integrates spa services as well as conventional and complimentary therapies and treatments.

When visiting a medspa, guests can be pampered with traditional spa services – such as facials, peels and microdermabrasion, but also have the option of getting medical services like Botox, fillers, laser hair removal, and medical-grade skin therapies.

Urban Effects Medspa is operated under the full-time supervision of board-certified Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Susan Cross and managed by Janet Calhoun.

Take one step inside, and you’ll immediately notice the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Their attention to detail is apparent – from their office décor to the way in which they design their treatments. A soothing, comforting ambiance helps to put their guests at ease to pursue knowledge and reach decisions concerning what some consider to be uncomfortable or elective medical procedures.

Urban Effects Medspa takes a comprehensive approach to caring for their guests before, during and after these treatments take place. Integrating her skill and experience in dermatology, endocrinology and facial plastic surgery, Susan designs optimal treatment plans to address her patients’ skin health and weight loss objectives.

A Medspa is also able to use prescription and clinical-grade products; therefore, the spa services show greater results. All product and treatment recommendations result from a skin analysis, medical health history and a personal consultation.

Susan and Janet actively participate in continuing education programs to further their product knowledge and to learn more about less invasive treatment therapies. “If you walk away with one pearl,” Susan says, “it’s one more than you had yesterday.”

Urban Effects Medspa
www.urbaneffectsmedspa.com

Meet Molly McGuinness, age 10. Molly enjoys singing, drawing, writing and being creative. Molly came to the Y Day Camp and Before and After School program in 2010, which is based out of Waukee Elementary School. According to her mother, Michelle Fidler, Molly has grown tremendously as a result of her participation in the Y program.

“Molly was diagnosed with high-functioning autism as a three-year-old,” says Michelle. “Molly struggles navigating social situations and making good choices. She has also struggled with some behavioral situations that sometimes organizations don’t always want to deal with. When I came to the Y and talked to Gretchen Stanger [Youth Development Director], I was blown away with the way she wanted to partner with me. She was committed to her growth and I really felt she had a stake in her future.”

YMCA programs focus on nurturing the potential of every child. Michelle feels that Cyndi Doerr, Site Supervisor for the program, and the other Y staff have created an environment which allows that to be true for Molly. “

The Y staff are patient. They help her by providing options for making positive choices. They give her guidance and empower her to make the right decisions. When she doesn’t, they provide appropriate consequences. I see her play out some of those choices at home, which she observes from the Y leaders,” says Michelle.

Michelle also shared that making friends can be difficult for Molly based on her social skills. “Molly comes home from camp and is excited to go because she can play with specific kids,” she says. “It means a lot to see her have friends and be excited about camp. One of those friends even came over for her birthday party outside of
the program.”

Molly will be a 5th grader at Vince Meyer Learning Center this fall and will continue to be involved in the program. “I feel we are very blessed to have the Y program,” says Michelle. “I think it has really helped her develop.”

The Y offers a broad range of youth programs that focus on healthy decision making, parental engagement, and character development.

Visit www.dmymca.org for more information or stop by the Y to get involved.

At the Y, strengthening our community is our cause. We do this through several focus areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. There are also many cause-driven behaviors that help us make a positive impact in our community. One of those is collaboration. When people and/or organizations come together and collaborate for a common cause, we can achieve more.

Thanks to a partnership between the Y, Waukee Area Christian Services and Waukee Elementary, efforts are being made to help children in need to live healthier. Each week, volunteers from the Y meet at WACS, housed in the lower level of Westview Church, to pack 30+ healthy snack packs.
The packs are full of single-serving size healthy foods, including fresh fruits. They are placed in backpacks and go home with Waukee Elementary students that have been identified as having a need.

Waukee Elementary Guidance Counselor, Shanlyn Doll, who is also a Y board member, says the response from the children has been terrific. “Kids came back the first weekend and were so thankful for their snacks. One boy talked about rather than having to scrounge through the cupboard to find his lunch, he knew he could go right to his bag for something to eat.”

There is another collaborative effort of the “backpack variety” going on between the Y and Waukee Elementary. “Healthy Family Home Fun Packs” have been going home with one student per classroom each Friday this school year. The packs are filled with activities, games and information emphasizing family time over the weekend. The packs also encourage kids to get outside, eat healthy and sleep well.

The Y collaborates with many community organizations, including church, government, non-profit, and for-profit entities. We also encourage you to collaborate to achieve greater impact in your areas of focus.

This column originally appeared in the April/May 2014 issue of myWaukee.