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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
In pursuit of wellness
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
“Wellness” means a lot
more than just the absence of
illness.
True wellness is a state
of being that encompasses
physical robustness, emo-
tional well-being and over-
all resilience. Achieving and
maintaining wellness requires
attentiveness not only to
avoiding sickness, but also to
eating well, sleeping enough,
and coping with the inevitable
stresses of day-to-day living.
For most people, the pur-
suit of wellness requires some
lifestyle changes. And that
often requires something to
give us a kick start.
That’s what Zoe Willitts
and Kendra Littrell have been
trying to provide through
Shibui Spa’s annual detox
program, held each January
in Sisters. Willitts told The
Nugget that health retreats
were part of the origi-
nal vision for the FivePine
Campus in Sisters, and each
year they move the detox pro-
gram a little further toward
the dream.
While the detox program
has always focused on food,
this year, Ayurvedic medicine
will be part of the program.
The ancient holistic practice
operates on the principle that
health and wellness depend
on a delicate balance between
the mind, body, and spirit.
“It’s whole body; it’s not
just the food,” Littrell said.
“My favorite part is not the
diet; it’s paying attention to
myself for 10 days.”
Slowing down, taking
stock and focusing on your-
self is a critical — and often
difficult — process, espe-
cially for women, who are
conditioned to take care of
everyone else’s needs before
their own.
This year’s program is
also adding in hikes, bringing
physical activity to enhance
the detoxification. And it’s a
great time to disconnect.
“Shut the cell phone off!”
Willitts said, and Littrell notes
that “it’s hard to force people
to detox off their phone.”
The term detox can be a
little intimidating to folks,
Littrell allows. One of the
biggest hurdles for some
people to access a program
like Shibui’s is that “they’re
scared that they’re going to be
hungry” and that they’re not
going to like the food.
Detox in this context
mainly means cutting out pro-
cessed sugar and dairy prod-
ucts. The food can be deli-
cious — organic meats and
vegetables that provide real
nutrients as well as flavor.
A few days of eating well
and living in a more mindful
manner is a good break — but
something more is required if
you’re going to make living
better a part of a new way of
life.
“When you’re in a pro-
gram, that’s great,” Willitts
said. “It’s the going home
time – how do we keep people
on that trajectory to health?”
One key is desire.
“You have to want to
change,” Willitts said. “And
you can’t give that to anyone.”
It’s also important to real-
ize that you can’t — and don’t
have to — revolutionize your
life instantly.
“It’s not 100 percent
change all at once,” Littrell
said.
Re-learning to shop and
make good food choices is
very helpful in maintain-
ing good habits outside an
See WELLNESS on page 20
STORMS OF LIFE: Sisters
woman perseveres
through tragedy
Continued from page 14
But she holds on to the
time she and her daughter
Nicole, her “adopted daugh-
ter” Jessylyn, and Rick spent
together in his last days, con-
fronting what the future held.
“Our family group was
very tight,” Kelly said. “We
spent a lot of time talking and
discussing how to get through
this without him. And he was
part of that. He wanted us
to continue and help other
people.”
One thing she wants peo-
ple to know is that when you
are in mental and emotional
distress, “It’s OK to say I
need some help; I can’t do
this by myself.”
It’s not always easy getting
the help you need.
“Mental health in this
country… it needs some
work,” she said.
Kelly recalled a hor-
rible day when everything
became too much to bear
and she drove herself to the
doctor seeking mental health
services. Because she was
not suicidal, she was put off
and sent to other providers
in a runaround that she was
scarcely in a condition to
cope with. Finally she went
to a nurse who had helped her
when she got cancer and the
nurse helped her find the ser-
vices she needed.
“You learn to kind of step
up for yourself in terms of the
mental health,” she said. “I
need someone today.”
Webb says that her tra-
vails have given her a greater
understanding and tolerance
of people’s foibles and life’s
vicissitudes. When you’ve
weathered storms that seem
too intense to survive, the
small stuff truly fades into
insignificance — and so much
of the day-to-day annoyances
we all face and the interper-
sonal differences we focus on
are, actually, insignificant.
“You learn to accept a lot
more,” Kelly said.
Webb’s demeanor and
outlook reflect the hard-won
grace she has found in car-
rying on in the face of pro-
found personal loss. And,
on the other side of the coin,
she finds that “small” bless-
ings and pleasures have deep
meaning.
“Some of the little things
in life aren’t so little any-
more,” she reflected. “Seeing
a friend and saying hi to them
is amazing.”
Central Oregon Eyecare
Doc, I’ve got crusty irritated eyelids, can you
help?
The crustiness you see on the lashes in the
above picture isn’t a critter, but the byproduct of
one. Demodex is a mite that lives on most of us. It
tends to be most prevalent in our eyelash follicles
and eyebrows. If it multiples uncontrolled, symp-
toms may start such as itchy, red eyelids or crusty
eyelashes.
At Central Oregon Eyecare, we employ the lat-
est research and products to successfully cure this
common problem.
The products and procedures we use are for-
mulated to kill the Demodex. Controlling the
Demodex living in the eyelash follicles greatly
improves eye comfort and appearance.
For all your eyecare needs — from immediate
concerns to regular eye exams, for children and for
adults — contact Central Oregon Eyecare.
Sisters Barre &
Yoga Studio
Is your goal to garden, quilt, weave, cook, do
your laundry, pick up your babies with proper pos-
ture, feeling stronger in your body with no low-back
pain? Or is to conquer the mountains, lakes and
bike trails? Are you properly engaging your deep
core and using intelligence with your body move-
ments? Come learn and experience what it means
to begin again, build the strong foundation you
deserve, and feel the strength from the inside out.
Sisters Barre & Yoga Studio offers classes suit-
able for any schedule and any fitness level — a safe
space for the Sisters community to come and just
BE in their body
Foundation classes with Carolyn Janke focus
on the pelvic floor, deep core, postural alignment,
proper exercise alignment and breath.
Yoga classes with Becca Touvell emphasize Flow
and Yin Yoga. No experience is required.
Need childcare? Call to reserve a spot in the stu-
dio’s play space.
