Illustrations by Huza Studio / Shutterstock
1 Find Your Fitness Routine
with Matt Gnall, director at The Maker Gymnasium in Hudson
Matt Gnall works with more gear than you can imagine—including vintage circus equipment—at The Maker Gymnasium, Hudson’s retro-chic and functional fitness center. But some of his best advice is surprisingly simple. Gnall helps clients establish and commit to their workout routines. Here are some tips to help you do the same. D Getting (and staying!) motivated to work out “Identifying your intrinsic motivation is key for starting any new exercise routine. For older adults, health and longevity are big incentives. Once you start feeling good in your body (increased stamina, flexibility, strength through range of motion), it gives you motivation to keep going.” D Establishing a steady workout routine “There’s a saying in fitness that ‘perfection gets in the way of progress.’” His advice? Just show up. “It also helps to eliminate as many barriers as possible—keeping dumbbells and kettlebells in your home makes sticking to your routine easier.” D Staying positive “Recognize that you’re doing something hard that is making you stronger and healthier,” he emphasized. Also: Break bigger goals into smaller segments until the finish line is within reach, and smile through the pain (which reduces the perceived effort of what you’re doing). If you can learn to attach meaning and joy to the routine, he said, the consistency is more likely to follow. —Robbi Hartt
2 Turn Hope Into Action
with Dan Marko, senior spiritual wellness provider at Canyon Ranch
We all have dreams and goals, both big and small. We may hope for change in our personal lives, our community, or the world. Emily Dickinson wrote “hope is the thing with feathers,” but Dan Marko, a senior spiritual wellness provider at Canyon Ranch and 10-year Berkshires resident, says hope is an active, actionable process. “Hope is not optimism,” he said. “It’s an activating force in consciousness.” He describes a trinity of hope, faith, and trust, all balancing and playing off one another. Hope is the awareness that something needs to change (“I want to feel calmer//I miss reading for pleasure”). Faith is the awareness of our capacity to change (“I can start doing breathing exercises//I can turn off the TV an hour earlier”). Trust is the awareness of resources and inner resilience (“I can download a mediation app//I can see if my library has a book discussion group”). How do you turn your hopes into reality? First, identify your goal or the challenge. If you want to stop arguing with your partner, for example, decide that you want to live more peaceably. Then begin taking steps, like making more time to listen, pausing before reacting, and scheduling a date night. Finally, believe that the work you’re doing will result in change in the relationship. Even if it takes longer than you’d like or doesn’t turn out exactly as you picture it, your effort and confidence will truly help your hopes take flight. —Sarah Rutledge
canyonranch.com • danmarko.com
3 Love Your Skin
with Calla Delsignore, FNP-C, founder, L’io Beauty & Wellness
Calla Delsignore has an innovative approach to consultations: When she first meets with new clients, she doesn’t ask that they list what they’d like to change about their appearance. Instead, she encourages them to share what they love about their looks. This subtle but crucial distinction underscores her mission to provide holistic, humanized treatments that emphasize health and vibrancy. Lifelong Berkshires resident Delsignore worked as a nurse practitioner for 15 years before moving into aesthetics. “I didn’t love certain elements of the traditional spa world,” she said, including anything labeled “anti-aging.” Instead, she highlights the importance of skin care. “You can give Botox to an alligator,” she said, “but it’ll still have alligator skin.” She suggests a simple, nourishing twice-a-day routine: a cleanser with exfoliation or hydration (depending on your skin type), serum(s), moisturizer. Mornings, finish with sunscreen. “Think of your serums as your treatment,” she said. Two must-have ingredients? Vitamins A and C. Vitamin A, usually known as retinol, increases cellular turnover, exfoliates, stimulates collagen and elastin, and prevents fine lines and wrinkles, whereas Vitamin C prevents free radical damage, brightens, and treats sunspots. You can use separate serums or one that contains both. “I always tell people, you can make it as complicated or as simple as you want to make it.” Once you’ve developed a regimen, she said, you can assess and decide if you want to make any tweaks—always, she emphasizes, keeping selfcompassion top of mind. If you want plumper lips or less defined crow’s feet, Delsignore’s medspa in Great Barrington offers a full menu—including collagen induction therapy, customized facials, microcurrent therapy, chemical peels, wrinkle relaxers (Botox), and fillers—but the emphasis will always be on enhancing your natural beauty. —Sarah Rutledge
liobeautyandwellness.com
4 Keep Moving—Free of Pain
with Nicole DeLorey, L.Ac, C.SMA of Nicole DeLorey Acupuncture and Robert Inesta, DC, L.Ac, CCSP of Berkshire Functional Chiropractic & Acupuncture
Nicole DeLorey and Robert Inesta are both committed to helping others find relief from pain and improve their quality of life. They do so using different, but complementary, techniques: She is an acupuncturist and he is a chiropractor who specializes in fascial manipulation (a manual soft tissue therapy method), among other modalities. Collaboration comes easily to them, as they operate out of the same Great Barrington location—and also happen to be married. They moved to the Berkshires in 2021, wanting to raise their daughter surrounded by nature.
“There are so many amazing practitioners here, but we haven’t met anyone who combines the specialties we do in one setting,” DeLorey said. “That’s rare even for New York City.” DeLorey established her practice there, working with elite performers and athletes, among others. She came to the work after needing help herself and feeling that Western medicine had failed her. “I sought out an acupuncturist and immediately got relief.” Inesta also had personal experience that took him down the healing path: He was training intensively (weightlifting and martial arts) when he developed severe nerve and back pain from a herniated disc. One surgery followed by more injury and another surgery led him to seek chiropractic care, manipulation of soft tissues, and exercise to speed his recovery. Forming a trusting relationship with the patient is key to their work. “The role of the doctor is to teach and empower people to be healthy while helping to remove restrictions and overcome obstacles,” said Inesta. His patients range from young athletes to middle-aged people who sit at computers all day to elderly people with autoimmune and chronic conditions. DeLorey started her work treating joint and muscle pain in performers and athletes but has expanded to identifying and addressing underlying causes in people suffering from pain, allergies, anxiety, and digestive issues. Here are their recommendations for setting good (and manageable!) health habits: D Keep moving throughout the day. Robert recommends dynamic stretching before working out and static stretching after. D Balance any action you do repetitively (like running or cycling) with different movements and stretching. Choose activities that include diversity of total body movement (jumping jacks, dancing, martial arts, Pilates) and bring you joy. D Be aware of how you are breathing and listen to your body. D Practice good posture and good mechanics. Pay special attention to tightness or imbalance in the hips, which can transfer stress to the lower back and knees. D Drink a glass of water and walk for 20 minutes when you first wake up—your spine and joints will thank you! D Be proactive—don’t wait for pain to intensify to get relief and support. D Get out in nature—light, fresh air, and beauty reduce cortisol and help you sleep better. —Robbi Hartt
nicoledelorey.com • berkshirefunctional.com
5 Practice Gratitude
by Dr. Maria Sirois, author, psychologist, and teacher at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
When we focus the lens of our attention on the good, it increases in value to us and brings profound benefit. Those of us who approach life with a grateful eye—drinking in the beam of the sun as it sets over Laurel Lake or celebrating a hawk’s swoop over October Mountain—experience physiological calm, optimism, a sense of inspiration, and a reduction in negative thinking and emotions. The more grateful we are, the kinder we are to others: Gratitude softens the heart and triggers one of our greatest virtues, generosity. To bring a sustained sense of wellness in good times, or provide some respite and vitality in difficult times, the wisest of us practice gratitude often and with a regular cadence. Here are a few ways to do so. (For the two daily exercises below, commit to them for two weeks to a month and they may well become a habit you find worth keeping).
- Daily Texting Text one thing you find beautiful to one person, or someone new, each day.
- Best Moment of the Day Just before you close your eyes at night, recall the best moment of the day. Savor it, bring it into your heart, and let it be the last thought before sleep.
- The Gratitude Letter Write a gratitude letter to one person, someone who made a profound positive difference in your life. This provides a sustained boost over weeks, even more so if you choose to share the letter with the person!
- Seek and Share the Good For parents, educators, and mentors: We help others develop a more positive view of themselves and their world by sharing stories of those we admire. This can be a dinner table conversation, an assignment at school, or an art project.
Dr. Sirois’ new book, “The Generous Exchange: How Attention to Beauty, Goodness and Excellence Restores Us and Our World,” comes out this month.
mariasirois.com
PHOTO: MIRAVAL BERKSHIRES RESORT AND SPA
6 Explore Your Creativity
with Cassandra Kennedy, creative expression specialist, Miraval Berkshires
“I have tons of people who come in, trying to warn me ahead of time: ‘I’m not creative. Have low expectations,’” said Cassandra Kennedy with a laugh. As an artist in residence and teacher at Miraval Berkshires, she helps people let go of that thought, in classes for pottery, painting, and more. “But you are,” she said. “The human animal is a creative animal.” Here are some ways to tap into that energy—and why it’s important. It’s about Presence In the beginning of class I tell folks, “You came in thinking that you’re going to learn about making pottery—but first we’re going to talk about being present.” Toward the end of class [when everyone is working on the pottery wheel], I check in and say, “How are you doing right now?” People will say, “I’m 100% focused on what I’m doing.” There it is, right there. How often are you just purely present in one thing? It’s about being able to experience that and then figure out how to recreate it. It can be through something very simple and very accessible, like a coloring book. You just have to be willing to dedicate 30 minutes to coloring, which will serve no other purpose than giving you a little bit of decompression time. It’s like you’re in a flow state. It’s about Patience—and Practice People expect to go into a pottery class and be amazing immediately. But you don’t expect to go into a yoga class and do a handstand on your first day. You don’t jump on a tightrope and run across it on the first day. It takes some time and some practice. And your creativity is exactly the same. You might put a ton of work into something and it comes out of the kiln and you’re like, “That’s not what I wanted.” Just having to do that over and over again builds something in you. And the goal is not to find something that you’re good at, but to find something you enjoy. It’s about the Little Things Your creativity can be waking up and saying, “Instead of having a K-cup of coffee because it’s fast and easy, I want to spice it up a little bit. Maybe I want to have more of a ritual with my coffee because you know what, I’m going to enjoy it so much.” Just getting a little creative with a daily routine can bring a little extra spark of joy. —Amy Conway
7 Balance Your Hormones
with Christina deRis, NP, founder of Ayuda Wellness Clinic
Naomi Watts isn’t the only person determined to help women embrace menopause rather than fear it. Christina deRis takes an integrative, functional medicine approach, specializing in hormone optimization with bioidentical hormones. After working with Volunteers in Medicine and Berkshire Health Systems for years, deRis opened her own clinic in Great Barrington last July. Ayuda Wellness Clinic, named in honor of her Spanishspeaking mother is dedicated to patients who are looking for more than many traditional doctor’s visits can provide. “My original plan was to help people lose weight through diet, exercise, a personalized supplement plan, and other medications,” she explained. A large part of her practice, however, has become helping patients deal with hormonal changes and their impact—both women and men, by the way (some men experience andropause, often referred to as “male menopause,” an age-related drop in hormones.) “I’m able to conduct lab work, source custom treatment through compounding pharmacies, and relieve symptoms,” she said. Along with treating men during andropause, she helps women deal with mood swings, depression, weight gain, brain fog, memory changes, hot flashes, loss of sleep, tinnitus, musculo-skeletal pain, and loss of sex drive. “As we age, there is a gradual decline in some hormone levels that many people come to accept as their normal baseline way of feeling and functioning. By optimizing levels with bioidentical hormones, which are molecularly identical to the hormones we have in our bodies, patients can start to feel like themselves again.”
Hormone replacement aside, her advice for improving your health “during the pauses” and beyond?
- Prioritize getting 8 hours of good sleep a night, aligned with your circadian rhythm.
- Minimize screen time (TV and phone) and exposure to blue light an hour before bed (set an alarm, if necessary, to remind you).
- Expose yourself to light for 15 minutes when you wake up in the morning.
- Avoid processed foods and shift to a whole-food, nutrient-dense diet that’s rich in protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
- Make exercise (especially strength training) a regular part of your routine.
Ayuda Wellness Clinic is located within the L’io Beauty & Wellness space.
—Robbi Hartt
