In the waters with … Dr. Cyndi Gilbert, ND

With this months focus on detoxing and cleansing the body, we thought it would be appropriate to speak to Dr. Cyndi Gilbert; a naturopathic doctor, professor, author and body blitz client.

1. What is your career? What do you love most about it?
I’m a naturopathic doctor, professor, and author. I love working with patients to help them achieve their health goals from a holistic perspective, using natural therapies. I’m a synthesizer, so I enjoy the challenge of understanding patterns and the relationships between symptoms, whether those are physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. I love inspiring students to engage with philosophy as it relates to our definitions of health and illness. Most of all, I love having one foot in science and the other foot firmly planted in art.

2. Tell us about your first experience with body blitz?
In the summer of 2005, my husband and I traveled in Andalucía, Spain where we visited the ruins of ancient Moorish baths and soaked in modern hydrotherapy spa waters. I was excited to return to Toronto and hear that Body Blitz was opening. My husband, on the other hand, is still jealous that there isn’t a spa like this for men.

3. How do you do the water circuit?
For general health promotion and detox I follow the circuit as is or alternate between the infared sauna and the cold pool a few times. If I’m feeling congested, it’s all about the eucalyptus steam room. When I’m tired after a long day or just need to relax, I like to linger in the sea salt pool. But no matter how I spend my soaking time, I always follow the golden rule of hydrotherapy and end on cold.

4. How do you stay balanced with life, career, family, friends & health?
Knowing my limits and living within them. Between my career and motherhood, I have two jobs where I’m primarily giving and caring for others so I make sure to balance it out by making more time for my own wellbeing. It helps me be a better person, partner, mother, and doctor.

5. What is your best beauty secret?
A (mostly) healthy, whole food diet, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, water, stress management, play, and lots of love.

6. If you could, what advice would you give yourself 10 years ago? 5 years ago? 20 years ago?
Trust your intuition. Love who you are. Breathe.

7. What’s your favourite indulgence?
Dark chocolate and single malt scotch.

8. Worst detox ever done?
The hardest detox I’ve ever done is the Eubiotic diet, which limits foods that feed bad gut bacteria in order to make space for good bacteria to grow. For 4 weeks, I ate little more than leafy green vegetables, avocado, fish, chicken, fresh herbs, olive oil, and brown rice. It proved far more challenging than even a week-long water fast. I realized just how addicted to sugar we all are.

9. Most exotic place you’ve been to?
Luang Prabang, Laos and the tiny villages upriver along the Mekong.

10. Your ride? The rocket? Bike? Car?
All of the above. I couldn’t live without my double Chariot bike trailer for easy child transport around town. I ride the subway to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in North York where I teach one day a week. And the car means regular family day hikes in the Niagara Escarpment.

Top body blitz picks for gift giving

Be creative this holiday season. Body blitz has gifts for the whole family, from baby to teenager to mom and dad and grandma.

1. Give a blitz gift certificate to the three generations of women in your family. Grandmother, daughter and granddaughter can spend some quality time at body blitz while they relax and catch up. Our online gift certificates are just a click away.

2. Tea lovers will go crazy for the exotic flavours of our body blitz ayurvedic teas. Our teas are made up of different herbs and spices, each with their own unique health benefit. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that literally translates to “science of life” or “practices of longevity.” What better gift to give to someone you love.

3. For the finest cooks, we have the finest sea salts. Our bath salts can also be used for cooking! These gourmet salts, from the Isle of Noirmoutier, the Mediterranean Sea, Lake Manatou and the Himalayas, are loaded with minerals and trace elements. They are also rich in flavour and healthier than processed salt. They make a great stocking stuffer for dad.

4. For the teenage daughter, our ‘get blitzed’ tanks are 100% cotton and are great on their own or they can be layered under sweaters. Now you can stay warm and be stylish.

5. For expecting moms or new babies, our get blitzed onesies are the perfect gift. They come in holiday red, are 100% cotton and are available in three sizes; 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12–18 months.

6. Our body blitz products are available online and can be delivered to your doorstep. Our eco-friendly face and body products combine natural elements from the sea, earth and various botanicals and are 100% Canadian made.

Testimonials

Here is what one woman wrote to us about our argan oil face serum…

“I was undergoing chemotherapy and one of the many side effects I was experiencing was extremely dry burn-like lesions on my face. It was rather painful and I was trying all sorts of creams to sooth it. My friend gave me a bottle of body blitz’s Argan oil face serum to try. It was amazing. As soon as I put it on my face, I immediately felt the soothing affect. What a relief. I used it twice a day and soon all the lesions had cleared up. I really love its calming properties and the scent! I am no longer in treatment, and have fully recovered! Argan oil continues to be one of my favorite products. I really notice the difference in my skin when I use it. My complexion looks more refreshed and dewy and I think it helps keep my skin looking more youthful.”
-Catherine Hayos

Toni started working at our head office a few months ago. Unbeknownst to us she had given her daughter some of our products. Toni came in one day with a letter from her teenage daughter. Here is what she wrote…

“Since the age of nine or ten, I have struggled with relatively bad acne and skin problems not only on my face, but also my back, and arms. Acne is not only emotionally challenging for a child of that age (or any age), but physically painful and a very large burden. After trying several different brands of face wash and skin clearing serums, I decided to consult a dermatologist at the age of fourteen, when it got so bad that I was being teased by my classmates and others around me. He told me that I should try a topical cream and put me on an antibiotic pill. The topical cream was useless, going on my skin like a gel, but eventually drying and flaking off. The antibiotic seemed to help for a while, but my system built up immunity to it. I went back to the dermatologist, and he recommended I try another topical cream, begin a series of skin peels and consider a stronger, more intense drug. It was not a road I wanted to travel, as the potential side affects included migraines, hair loss, and depression.

About a month ago, my mom began working at body blitz spa. She came home one night with a bunch of products (an exfoliating face wash, a clay mask, toner, and moisturizer), along with a eucalyptus body scrub. She wanted me to try them. After three weeks of use, my skin has never looked better, since turning nine. I no longer have angry red bumps all over my face and body, and there are very few problem areas on my skin at all. In fact, I found the products quite soothing to my skin – they did not cause excessive drying or sting my skin.

The most important thing is that I feel more confident when I walk out the door, and I look at myself in a different way. I would recommend these
products to anyone, not only for their soothing effect, but also for the high level of reliability of the product. Thank you body blitz!”
-Tanis Smither, daughter of Toni Blay

Social bathing

“Bathing friends are the best of friends” is a Japanese saying. Social bathing has been around for thousands of years and is inseparable from the history of human cultures. From the North American sweat lodge to Japanese sentos, European hot springs, Finnish saunas, Turkish hammams, Russian banyas or Korean jjimjilbangs, these public bathing rituals are integral to the lives and customs of its people. In many countries, social bathing is the proper way to welcome a foreign guest, begin a first date or meet up with family and friends.

You can discover so much about a city and its people by visiting their public baths. Not sampling the local bathing culture is like not sampling the local cuisine. You may be apprehensive about the rules, etiquette or rituals, but being befuddled in another culture is part of the experience of getting to know the customs and lives of its people. So the next time you are traveling, visit the local baths or thermal waters. In the end you will get to experience some local flavour, enjoy the health benefits and be part of an age-old tradition of social bathing.

In the waters with…

author Alison Pick on writing, mentoring and her latest book, “Far to Go”

1. What is your career? What do you love most about it?
I’m an author, most recently of the novel “Far to Go”. It has been published in five countries and has just been long listed for the Booker Prize. It has also been optioned for film, and won the Canadian Jewish Book Award for Fiction. I have the best job in the world, and love so many things about it, but sitting at my desk all day is hard on my back and shoulders…

2. Tell us about your first experience with body blitz?
When “Far to Go” came out in the fall of 2010 I was incredibly busy with readings, publicity, and interviews. I was also teaching, AND I have a two-year old, so it was a busy, hectic time for me. A friend told me about body blitz and I thought I’d found heaven. The waters are a huge balm for a busy mind and body.

3. How often do you visit the waters?
As often as possible!

4. Three adjectives to describe yourself?
Introspective. Caffeinated. Lucky.

5. Early bird or night owl?
Early bird.

6. What books are on your nightstand?
The Continuum Concept by Jean Leidloff; Liar by Mary Karr; The Dance Most of All by Jack Gilbert; Up Up Up by Julie Booker

7. Favourite place to eat in the city?
There are so many. Currently: Delux on Ossington.

8. If you could, what advice would you give yourself 10 years ago? 5 years ago? 20 years ago?
Trust yourself. Treat yourself. Relax.

9. Top 3 pieces of advice you would give to other women?
See above.

10. Who is your role model or mentor?
I’m a big believer in mentoring, and have had different mentors for different areas of my life. Sasha Padron who teaches prenatal yoga at YogaSpace was a wonderful guide for me during my first year of motherhood. Michael Crummey mentored me when I was starting out as a writer – we still read each other’s work. Recently I’ve been mentoring five emerging writers through the Banff Centre for the Arts Wired Writing Studio. It’s been fun to be on the other end of a mentoring relationship, and to give back even a little of what I’ve received.

Top ten reasons to buy the ‘sampler’ scrub card

1. The scrub card is transferable, so you can share it with a friend or family member.

2. You save $50 on the price of the scrub card. That works out to $66 per scrub and it includes the waters!

3. Use the scrub card for a group of friends to celebrate a birthday, a bridal shower or a girl’s night out.

4. Our body scrubs slough away aged skin cells leaving healthier, younger looking skin.

5. Book monthly treatments for you and your daughter. It’s a great way to stay healthy and spend time together.

6. Our body scrubs are great for removing city grime, and it won’t ruin your pedicure.

7. Get your glow on, book a scrub before a big night out. You will leave the spa looking and feeling radiant.

8. Body blitz is open 7 days a week so you can book a scrub anytime.

9. Use it as an excuse to sneak away for a couple of hours for some ‘me’ time.

10. Don’t feel guilty about keeping it for yourself. Our scrub card never expires!

In the waters with…

clothing designer Judy Cornish

In celebration of all things Canadian, this month we talked to Comrag’s clothing designer Judy Cornish.

1. What is your career? What do you love most about it?
With my partner Joyce Gunhouse I own and design Comrags, a women’s clothing line. We’ve been doing it for over 28 years. What I love most is that it is never the same one day to the next. Every six months we begin a new collection, new fabrics, new ideas. And with each collection comes the opportunity to tell a different story through the clothes. With Comrags we have made lives for ourselves on our own terms, lives that have allowed us plenty of time for our families, to raise our children and spend time doing what else we most enjoy.

2. How do you un-wind after a long day?
Walking has always been the best way for me to wind-down. I can walk for hours, especially if I am trying to sort something out in my mind that has been troubling me. Walking tires my body and slows my thoughts. If I am unable to sleep in the night I will often get up, dress and walk in the dark and quiet of the city.

3. Favourite food? Drink?
Depends on my mood...bison tartare is a favourite as is my daughter’s lemon linguine. And on occasion I will have one of my favourite dinners...a big bowl of homemade popcorn (salt, pepper, butter, grated parmesan) and a glass of Malbec.

4. What book is on your nightstand?
“Where I’m Calling From”, a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver and “Sex at Dawn”, (on the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality). Also, I plan to sneak home the Comrags copy of “Savage Beauty”, the book on the Alexander McQueen retrospective currently at the Met in New York and absolutely breathtaking. I want to lie in bed and read it slowly.

5. What’s your favourite indulgence?
Idleness...some of my best ideas come from having time to just be.

6. What is your favourite part of the body blitz water circuit and why?
My favourite part changes...sometimes it’s just soaking in the salt water pool with a friend I haven’t seen in awhile, other times it is the plunge into the icy cold pool after the heat of the sauna. I love how alive and powerful your body feels emerging from the icy cold.

7. Favourite fashion trend?
Strangely, because I most always wear black, I am liking all the colour I see on the streets, especially when there are odd prints in odd colours mashed together. There is something about it that feels so new, and makes me smile.

8. Worst fashion trend?
Currently I am having trouble with shorts worn overtop pantyhose....

9. What is your best beauty secret?
Plenty of sleep, loads of water, sunscreen and a life that keeps me happy and youthful.

10. If you could have lunch with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
My daughter Georgia....her intelligence, wit and way of seeing and understanding the world always leaves me happy and inspired.