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Health & Fitness, MSM Online

Miami’s March to Summer: Crafting Your Beach-Ready Body with a Conscience

By Diana Lammerts  As the Miami sun starts heating up as summer approaches, our city’s residents sharpen their focus on achieving that coveted summer ‘beach body’. March marks not only the beginning of spring but also a crucial time for adjusting our focus towards wellness on both a physical and mental level. While our city is passionate about all things stylish — from fashion to music and more — it is easy to see that, for many, aesthetic heralds performance. The Unseen Hazard Hiding in Your Workout Wardrobe While Miami’s fitness enthusiasts diligently work towards their summer body goals, a silent adversary might be undermining their efforts. This adversary isn’t a lack of motivation or the wrong workout plan but something far less expected: our workout clothes. Recent studies, including those by the Center for Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and findings in the journal Environmental Science & Technology,, have revealed a troubling truth. The very sportswear we rely on might be compromising our health, with chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA)—linked to severe health conditions such as breast and prostate cancer, metabolic disorders, and heart disease—leeching from the fabric into our skin. The Price of Our Fitness Fashion In a city celebrated for its fashion-forward ethos, the appeal of affordable, stylish sportswear is undeniable. However, the hidden costs of these choices often extend far beyond our wallets, implicating us in global issues of unfair labor practices and environmental degradation. “I couldn’t find actually the items which really fit my lifestyle and the design approach,” reflects Rafi Ahmed, the founder of MOROTAI, on his motivation to start a brand that stands as a beacon for sustainable fashion. This stark reminder challenges us to consider the broader implications of our purchasing decisions, influencing not just our health but the wellbeing of workers and ecosystems worldwide. Embracing Sustainability and Ethical Choices in Miami MOROTAI started in Germany, has expanded to Asia, and now the US. It’s philosophy: harmonizing style, functionality, and ethical responsibility. This echoes Miami’s own ethos of vibrancy and sustainability. As we prepare for summer, let’s look beyond the aesthetics of our workout gear to its impact on our health and the planet. Choosing brands that prioritize ethical production and sustainability can steer us towards a more conscious lifestyle, aligning our fitness goals with our values. Moreover, Ahmed’s journey from the inception of MOROTAI to its expansion into global markets serves as an inspiration for Miami’s entrepreneurs and leaders. “If you have the right product, you don’t need to buy like 10 or 15 different shirts,” Ahmed states, advocating for a shift from fast fashion to durable, sustainable choices. His story reminds us that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of our health, ethical standards, or the environment. His vision also convinced the judges on the German version of Shark Tank.  Miami’s Path Forward As we move closer to June, let’s not only focus on sculpting our bodies but also on making mindful choices about our workout gear. It’s a call to action for all of us, from beach-goers to boardroom leaders, to choose options that benefit not just ourselves but our community and the planet. This season, Miami has the opportunity to lead by example, demonstrating that our commitment to fitness can also reflect our dedication to a healthier, more sustainable future.

Arts, MSM Online, MSM Spotlight

The ART of Sydney Maubert

Sydney Maubert sports an impressive resume and is gifted with creative talent. She is a MArch II graduate student at Yale’s School of Architecture class of 2022. She just completed her BArch at the University of Miami’s five year program and is also the owner of Sydney R. Maubert LLC, art under which she’s completed two murals in Wynwood. She hopes to use her educational, professional and personal experiences, in practice and pedagogy to design equitable spaces for marginalized students and users.  How did you get involved in the world of art?   I got involved in art through my parents who really supported my interests in art by buying me all the paper, canvases and brushes as a kid. My Dad especially fostered my interest in art by giving me lessons through his own talent and the books he bought me. I think my skills were refined in architecture school at the University of Miami.    What art do you most identify with?   I’m not sure which genre I’d be in. I am a portrait artist, an Afro-latin artist. I use acrylic paint to convey personality and emotion, and it’s clear that I have an interest in identity and exploitation through my own lens and identity. It’s an expression of myself more than mimicking a particular style or person. I have a loose classical background from architecture school but my style is constantly changing as a result of me being self taught. I mostly look at people I know for inspiration, mainly writers and professors, like Cornel West or Angela Davis.    Professionally, what’s your goal?  I want to be an architect, an educator and an artist. In all my work, whatever artistic media, I have always been fascinated by humanity’s changing forms. I hope that I can use the education and opportunities I receive to open doors for other students, and potentially remain a student for the rest of my life. It’s why I invested in additional education at Yale. I’d love to see myself as dean of one of my alums one day. I hope my art continues to be shown in public venues. I’m trying to create a legacy for my students and children.  Your mural at Syndicate Kava Bar… Why did you create this particular art media?  I really enjoyed this mural project because I enjoy painting at larger scales. It allows me to play with form, color and lighting more playfully than the challenge of a smaller surface. Given that it was my second mural with them, I began to grow my confidence and have kind of a first taste of being public. I do sell paintings to friends or anyone who finds me online, but I haven’t been publicly shown in the way that an outdoor mural warrants. Murals are my favorite and I hope to do more. As for the three music artists represented, the owner really loves music, and I tried to accommodate both of our music genres.  How does your art stand out from other art from today?   I think that the wonderful thing about artistic expression is that it captures the intangible in a comprehensible way. Even though two people might look at my paintings or designs and notice different things, they might interpret my soul or the subject’s humanity in a way that sometimes the banality of life doesn’t allow. It allows suffering to speak in a beautiful way. I don’t know if that translates in a simple portrait but it’s what I feel especially when my paintings are more charged, more of a conversation piece.    What do you love about Miami’s art scene?    I love Miami for its culture, honesty, charm and vulnerabilities. I didn’t really feel like an artist until I started to notice Miami in its full richness, its culture, wealth and poverty, the beautiful and the inequitable. I visit Wynwood a lot to learn from what other artists are doing or saying. Being Cuban and Haitian, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the food, music, art, architecture, the vibrance of the Caribbean, and its people. I have a deep love for people, but especially my heritage, so Miami allowed me to relish in both cultures. A lot of my curiosity and passion revolves around people, art, architecture and education which all revolve around capturing and analyzing the human mind, body and spirit.  To learn more about Sydney and her work, visit her website at www.sydneyrmaubert.com Follow Sidney on Instagram @sydneymaubertarc  

Health & Fitness, MSM Online, Uncategorized

Do it like Michael Phelps – Detox your mind

By Nadja Atwal Many people all over the world were stunned when Olympian swimmer super star Michael Phelps opened up about his experience with anxiety and depression and how therapy saved his life. It showed that even those who seem to have it all can reach a stage where they feel absolutely hopeless and fearful. Phelps described his alarming experience like this: “I questioned whether I wanted to be alive anymore. I realized I am the strongest person I know, but I felt like the weakest”. Not surprisingly his project Talkspace (check www.talkspace.com and their instagram @talkspace) – an app that connects people with licensed therapists –  is a massive success due to high demand. It is great news that people now dare to look inwards more and tackle their issues. We have been so consumed with physical fitness and looking great especially in a city like Miami, but we’ve grossly neglected the well-being of our mind. More celebrities are talking openly now about their past and present mental health challenges and events that may have caused them. The #MeToo movement certainly helped many to open up about their life-altering events. The average Joe and Jane feels encouraged to share their own issues with friends & family and yes, a therapist. But how can we act more preventative and improve our mental and emotional well-being so that we may avoid stages of severe depression or anxiety? Some mental diagnosis are beyond our control – but what about those circumstances where we could actively help to make ourselves feel better? If we can feel physically so much better after a few days of juicing, is there such thing as a little mental detox? A quick fix that makes us feel rejuvenated, more optimistic, balanced, and just simply better? A new trend from Europe attempts to deliver a solution and many who tried it call it a game changer. Joachim Kaeser, famous for his many inventions and treatments on the physical and mental well-being front, developed a so-called “re-setting” that helps us to rid ourselves from emotional and mental baggage that weighs us down. Having gone through the diagnosis ‘cancer’ twice!, Kaeser knows what sincere physical and mental challenges look like. “ I was my own test subject on both fronts”, says Kaeser – who resides mainly in Germany and Switzerland but sees clients from all over the world and who is planning to open an office in Brickell next year. When asked about how to best explain his Re-setting method, Kaeser refers to our every day PC: “Just imagine a virus scanner on your PC. It scans for viruses that you do not see, but which hinder the perfect functioning of your programs on your PC – often without you knowing it. You too accumulate ‘viruses’ in the form of negative feelings such as disappointment, anger, anxiety – just to name a few. They develop their own activity deep in your subconscious mind and work against you and your life, often without you realizing it.  My mission was to develop a method that activated your own inner scanner for the purpose of detecting your unconscious and conscious issues – from the past to the present; issues that weigh you down and weaken you and can cause anything from mild stress to sincere burnout, fears, phobias, anxiety attacks or depression. While real psycho therapy is usually sought out when the issues already make us feel mentally and emotionally ill, I wanted to tackle the problems before we enter such a severe stage. A reliable prevention method with and immediate improvement effect”. Many of his clients come to Kaeser with the so called burn-out syndrome which is surging also among very young people – especially in the finance world. “The increasing private and professional demands, the permanent availability and the individual setbacks that life experience brings to each of us all, that paired with the demand for mental stability is the basis for whether a person gets a burnout or not”. “The development of a burnout is always the same. The soul suffers, the mind imperceptibly changes its world of thought and in the end the body is going on ‘protest’ mode and malfunctions. So it’s a chain reaction within our mind soul and body in a spiral of excessive demands. The result is helplessness and futility, which results in an inner and outer foreclosure. In my practice, I had people who could not even pronounce their name due to the burnout. As an expert in burnout with specialized training, I then started to use my Re-Setting method for prevention. Why? Because it makes you enormously resilient. The same way you boost your immune system to increase it’s resistance to a cold or flu. The effect: Your inner and also external constraints dissolve. You get a tremendous natural inner strength and energy. You feel like nothing and nobody can stop you. You become stronger  – inside and out. Another common experience many of us have had or can relate to is being frustrated over attracting the same bad situations – and people!  No one wants to become damaged goods. So freeing ourselves from mental and emotional excess baggage that makes us go in circles is obviously something that can only help” says Kaeser.  As a result, Kaeser’s clientele is as diverse as our world itself. “It’s the soccer pro , the stay at home mom or dad, the stockbroker, the salesman, the student, the CEO. What they all have in common is the desire to improve their quality of life and the belief that they themselves may hold the key to it. “I’m just providing the tools” says Kaeser. He has often been called the Success Doc and eventually accepted the compliment and turned it into his job description. “More profound than hiring a life coach but less intense than therapy. And for all us who seek instant gratification, there is good news: you do one session and instantly feel better. Clients describe it as a mix of feeling lighter and freer” says Kaeser.  I guess all of us could use a little mental detoxing that feels like an internal spring cleaning. But no matter what path you choose for improving your mental health: get healthy,

Health & Fitness, MSM Online, Sponsored, Tech

‘Pillow Talk’ With Sleeping Expert Dr. Adam Zuber

A good night sleep is essential to health. So what to blame, if you are not getting the satisfying great rest you deserve? If we believe the latest wave of commercials and articles on that topic: Blame it on your pillow! Sadly the pillow industry is a jungle full of false claims that often shatters the consumers’ high hopes. We sat down with top board certified neurologist and sleeping expert Dr. Adam Zuber.   MSM: Finding the right pillow seems to be a big deal these days … Does the right pillow really make such a big difference? AZ: The right pillow makes all the difference in the world, as sleeping is the major part of our life and is where our mind, body and soul rests and recuperates. Without the right pillow one can have restless sleep, restless sleep makes us cranky, less productive and ineffective during the day.  People who snore are restless sleepers no matter how much time they spend in bed, their sleep is non restorative.  Pillows are what make sleep better and the proper positioning provides optimal sleeping position. MSM: Can the wrong pillow cause harm? AZ: For the longest time we used to have thin one inch high pillows, as once seen in President Lincoln’s bedroom in the White house.  Then once we got TV and computers in our bedrooms pillows turned from two to four to king size and extra puffed pillows, but these are effective only to use for leaning on and watching TV, using computers and facetiming not particularly for sleep.  The wrong pillow can cause you to snore, aggravate sleep apnea, cause neck pain, make headaches worse, make your blood pressure high, increase chances of stroke and heart attack and complications of pregnancy.  Wrong pillows can lead you to have crooked faces and wrinkle and age faster. MSM: Is that why so many people feel compelled to invent a new one? AZ: The pillows in the market have not been working and we as humans have been making use of whats available.  None of the pillows have had any medically proven science behind them. Till this point, pillows have only been there for us to lean on and provide a soft place to rest our head but not provide all the benefits that the Sona Pillow® Classic and the Sona Pillow® O model provide.  The first time a pillow was shown to be beneficial for us was when I invented and propagated the Sona Pillow® which uses Sona Positioning® and prevents snoring and sleep apnea.  Since then a lot of pillows have made claims but with no real credible science behind it.       MSM: You are a top neurologist and sleep expert, what made you invent your own pillow?  AZ: As a fellowship trained Board Certified Neurologist and Sleep Specialist working at Neurology Associates of Scottsdale Arizona my expertise and experience in the field lead me to design the Super pillow the only pillow to be ever approved by the FDA for use in snoring and sleep apnea and proven medically effective for the same.  After the ongoing success of the Sona Pillow® I designed the remarkable Sona Pillows® which are perfectly comfortable and instantly effective and usable.  I am the director of multiple sleep labs and I saw first hand the struggles of people suffering from poor sleep, lack of sleep, sleep apnea, stroke, heart diseases and snoring.  I did sleep studies everyday to check what was wrong with people while sleeping and frequently started them on the horrid CPAP.  I wanted to make a pillow that not only helped peoples sleep issues but had multiple other benefits.  The Sona Pillow® Classic and Sona Pillow® O model helps with side sleeping, wrinkle prevention, consolidating sleep, neck pain, snoring and having restful sleep.     MSM: What sets it apart from the competition? What are the benefits? Both the Pillows, the Sona Pillow® Classic and the Sona Pillow® O model, are unique, patented and contain breakthrough technology which remarkably improve sleep. I feel this needs to be shouted from the top of the highest mountain to get the word out there about these revolutionary pillows.  These pillows position the user in a side sleeping position with the head facing downwards, this is a trademarked position used only by these pillows. This patented position moves the jaw forward because of gravity, as you are using the pillow on your side with the head in a downwards facing inclined position thus preventing the jaw from moving backwards and avoiding the obstruction of the throat that causes snoring, sleep apnea and related consequences. The Sona Pillow® was made specifically to deal with sleep apnea, snoring and the sleep disturbances that happen when one is sleeping.  The Sona Pillow® Classic consists of a triangular top for placing the head on either inclined side and moves the jaw forward.  The lower part of the inclines has recess for your arms to extend easily under your head.  This not only helps you to sleep better and prevent snoring and sleep apnea but also avoids the arm from falling asleep under your head.  The pillow is high grade cotton with polyfiberfill and both the pillow and the case is washable, hypoallergenic and mold resistant. The Sona Pillow® O model, is the updated iteration of the Sona Pillow® and is circular in shape with a mushroom top and a raised base.  The pillow is instantly comfortable and can be used on your side or on your back.  This pillow has all the benefits of the Sona Pillow® and more.  The pillow is made of specialized memory foam with a patented shape and cover which prevents wrinkles and creases on the face, this is the only pillow which prevents wrinkles and is an age defying pillow. This is achieved because normal pillows have covers which crease and leaves marks on the users face, also the fillings of crushed memory foam and lumpy materials cause the creases on users faces. This is prevented by using the patented Sona Pillow® O model. This pillow also has

Health & Fitness, MSM Online

The Top Tips for Better Sleep

By Nadja Atwal Everyone has a friend or a family member with  sleep issues. If you are one of the many millions who wished for a more restful night, then know the issue already starts with the wrong idea of how many hours of sleep we need; as a result we force all kinds of unnatural schedules on ourselves. “People need around six hours of sleep, as adults, to feel well rested.” says Dr. Adam Zuber from Neurology Associates of Scottsdale Arizona, one of the top sleep experts and neurologists in the US. “However the reality is people will force themselves to sleep longer, but after the six hours of rest, they wake up and cannot go back to sleep. Sleep consolidation, a term that means organizing ones sleep to an optimal level, is an accepted measure to treat insomnia and restless sleep. Sleep consolidation is not a term commonly known or heard of, by most non sleep specialists.  As sleep specialists we recommend limiting the total time in bed to six hours.  Meaning if one’s natural wakeup time is 6 AM then one should go to bed at 12 midnight.  This pattern of sleep helps a person fall asleep easily and treat insomnia. Sleep consolidation also increases Non Rem sleep.  Non Rem sleep is the critical part of a human’s sleep cycle. About 80% of the sleep cycle is Non Rem sleep, it is the period when short term memory is converted to long term memory.  That is why people who have insomnia, sleep apnea and restless sleep, have poor memory and complain of not remembering things readily, this can also lead to having difficulty with job performance and productivity. Apply these tips for getting closer to that perfect sleep: The caffeine trap “Decaf is a lie”, says Dr. Zuber “ It does contain caffeine, just less that regular coffee, but enough to keep many people up at night. So next when you want to finish your dinner with a decaf latte, opt for a relaxing pure herbal tea instead, like Camomille or lemon ginger. Just make sure the tea has no black nor green tea base.   Choose blue No one wants to stumble while making that trip to the bathroom by night, but stay away from white nightlight . “White light wakes you up. Instead choose blue light in order to stay more relaxed and able to fall asleep again”, says the doctor.   The pillow The right pillow that does not only give you a great level of comfort, but also serves as an anti-snoring pillow and anti-teeth grinding device. For side sleepers only, there is the Sonoma Pillow, for those who variate their sleeping position, try the super pillow. “On top of that the NASA developed material and the unique shape these are also beauty pillows, as it puts your face in a position that keeps the skin from creasing.”, Dr. Zuber praises. Over 6 million Superpillows have been sold and the reviews are impressive. Worth a try ! www.remarkablelifeusa.com   The alcohol factor Lke a nice glass of red before bed to make you sleepy? Zuber shakes his head.” Try to avoid that habit. While alcohol does make it easier to to fall asleep, it makes it harder to stay asleep.” Often patients wake up earlier than they would without alcohol in their system.   Keep it cool Especially during the  colder season of the the year we tend to get to cozy with the heater. But a warm room interferes with your chance of better sleep. “68 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature for a goodnight sleep”, Zuber advises.   Unwind time Many of us feel light anxiety, even stress when thinking about all the things we have to take care of the next day. Dr. Zuber has a solution : ” You should always unwind 30 minutes before going to sleep. To make it relaxing and productive at the same time, take a pen and write down all the thing you have to do tomorrow. With this trick it’s ‘done’ in your mind and you don’t have go over it endless times at night.”  

Health & Fitness, Health & Fitness

YOGA – THE HARMONY OF SOUL

    THE HARMONY OF SOUL Yoga is my passion. The first time I took a yoga class I knew it would change my life. It made me feel invigorated, stress-free, healthy, strong, graceful and feel more beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. I continued to practice yoga and every time I discovered more benefits such as weight loss, resolution of my scoliosis, mental clarity and a feeling of unity of my body, mind and spirit. Some of the most common questions that I hear every day as an instructor are; why should I do yoga and what benefits does it bring? The answer is very simple. Yoga induces one’s health on many levels: psychological, physical, biochemical, intellectual and spiritual. If people are healthy they are happy. Yoga is a great way to escape every day stress for anyone. It is a path through which you can resolve your emotional and psychological problems by meditation, exercising pranayama (deep breath) and asanas (body positions). Everyone expresses different levels of stress over a lifetime, that translates into muscle strain and eventually creates a tension shell over the body. Yoga has a large variety of exercises channeled towards relaxation that can help you unlock that tension shell and prevent future physical and mental stress by creating a stronger willpower, a mental ballast and an ability to enjoy life easily. Moreover, a person who is free of the muscular and psychological tension will experience an improved quality of sleep. Yoga is also a perfect road to physical well-being. The exercises that are done during a yoga practice help to restore the proper structure of spine, normalize the work of musculoskeletal system and all the internal organs, regulate blood circulation, endocrine system, digestive tract and respiratory system. After every practice you will find yourself feeling limber, relaxed and as light as a snowflake. In terms of biochemistry, yoga helps to lower the levels of glucose, sodium, cholesterol, white blood cells and increase the levels of hemoglobin, lymphocytes and thyroxine in blood. Hence, it can prevent or regulate existing conditions such as diabetes, obesity, sports injuries, arthritis, osteoporosis and countless others. Everybody can find something in themselves to fix with yoga. Yoga improves the intellectual abilities by properly regulating hemispheric interactions of the brain which forms wholeness and interconnection of all psychological processes. Furthermore, the practice influences spatial thinking and teaches the brain to develop creative approaches to solving any problem and increases the quality and volume of attention and memory. Do not be surprised to find yourself more successful in your career, social circles and socio-economic standing. Harmony of soul is another element that is exercised through meditation during a yoga practice. You will learn to balance your life, love the world as it is and ultimately find peace. Indeed, yoga has a very unique system that enforces development and unification of every component of human psyche and body. You will not find any other activity that offers such a wide range of work on yourself physically, mentally and spiritually all at once. __________ Polina Ivko is a Yoga instructor in South Florida born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine. She got her first taste of exercise as a ballet and traditional dance student at Kiyanochka Choreography Academy at the age of 6. Through out her life she was looking for ways to balance and unite mind, body and heart. Finally, she found herself in yoga. After an extensive training, she became an instructor at the age of 16. Currently, Polina specializes in many formats such as yoga, pilates, cardio training and silver sneakers. For a consultation, please contact her at: indulgeinyogahealth@yahoo.com

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