The Spa & Wellness Challenge: Dr. Michelle Copeland’s Skincare Team Update

It’s spring, the sun is out, and Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge is really shining! With the sunny days ahead of us, we are happy to see people taking time to lather on the sunblock and protect their skin. The Skincare Team is taking proactive steps to great skin with Dr. Michelle Copeland. Dr. Copeland is leading the Skincare Team and she’s challenging her team to give their skin the love it deserves by wearing SPF everyday. Dr. Copeland urges that sun protection is the most important step you can take to improved skin. Skin is your largest organ so get to work!

Dr. Copeland’s Skincare Challenge:

Wear SPF every day

If you also want to get your skin ready for summer, it’s not too late to sign up! You can also join the Nutrition, Fitness or Yoga teams if those are more in tune with your wellness goals. (We won’t tell Dr. Copeland.)

So far it’s a close race, but there will only be four lucky winners of a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week, although everyone will win improved health and wellness as a consolation prize!

So far here are our favorite and top-voted submissions from The Skincare Team:

Joe: “I wear SPF: 365, haha. Corny but so impt for year-round sun protection! “
Linda: “Being a redhead…It is real important to wear sunsreen. I’m a survivor of Melanoma skin cancer. I never go through a day without SPF. “

Maria: “I wear an SPF of at least 15 every day, no longer bake in the sun, and protect my skin by using appropriate skin care products!”

Whitney: “It was so easy to remember to wear SPF when I was on vacation in Mexico. Fingers crossed I can keep up in my daily routine.”

The Spa & Wellness Challenge: Elena Brower’s Yoga Team Update

Take a deep breath and relax. We can’t right now, because we’re too excited about Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge! We are so happy to see people taking the initiative to dedicate a few minutes every day to taking care of themselves. Om my goodness! The Yoga Team is relaxing their way to wellness with famous yogi Elena Brower. Elena is leading the Yoga Team and she’s challenging her team to take care of their mind by meditating for 5 minutes every day. Elena feels that meditation is about “cultivating more alertness and better listening, so you can be a better parent, partner, sibling, friend, employee, and overall person.” Who doesn’t want to be a better version of themselves?


Elena so wants you to take time out for yourself, that she has offered you these gracious words of wisdom…

“When you take 5 minutes out of your day to mediate, you should actively pause, sit, and observe your breathing in order to make some space in your body, heart and mind. Meditation for me is just about cultivating more alertness, better listening, so I can be a better Mama, daughter, sister, partner, woman.

My current practice: I just sit and simply watch my breathing rise and fall. Sometimes I do 5 minutes, as I’m recommending here; sometimes I’ll stay for 11 minutes. If I sense a tightness somewhere in my body, I breathe there. If I sense it in my heart, as doubt or sadness, I breathe there. If I see a thought passing through my mind, I breathe there. I love to breathe right into the center of my brain and make more space – right there in the midpoint of my actual brain – super soothing. Try it. I love to feel what happens in my eyes when I do that. Science has proven it out time and time again: one recent meditation study on cancer patients has shown ‘large and significant improvements in mindfulness, depression, distress and trend for quality of life,’ which speaks volumes.

At the end of each sitting, take just one extra minute — note down any resistance as well as any other observations, in your body, your heart or your mind. This seems to be the best way for me to stay with a practice that has meaning and value for me. It isn’t a prescription, it’s a guideline for you to begin your own process of sorting out what works for you, and making it your priority.” — Elena Brower

Elena’s Yoga Challenge:

Meditate for 5 minutes every day

If you also want to calm your mind, it’s not too late to sign up! You can also join the Nutrition, Fitness or Skincare teams if those are more in tune with your wellness goals. (We won’t tell Elena.)

So far it’s a close race, but there will only be four lucky winners of a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week, although everyone will win improved health and wellness as a consolation prize!

So far here are our favorite and top-voted submissions from The Yoga Team:

Krishna: “I meditate regularly to keep myself centered. Life has a way of throwing you a curve ball every now and again.”

Steven:Looking to use yoga to get healthy and ready for the summer!”

Denise: “The beach is my favorite place is meditate and do yoga.”

Suzie: “I pledge to take 5 minutes for myself every day.”

Michelle: “Went on a run yesterday and stopped for 5-10 minutes under the Williamsburg bridge and just breathed, feeling thankful for everything in life, including that beautiful day.”

Meg: “Meditating in bed. Feels pretty great to be honest.”

Niki: “This definitely helps reduce stress!”

The Spa & Wellness Challenge: Dolvett Quince’s Fitness Team Update

Get up off of that thang! Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge is on the move and we want to give a pat on the back to those of you who are making an effort to move too. The Fitness Team is getting pulled off  the couch by Dolvett Quince, The Biggest Loser trainer. Dolvett is leading the Fitness Team and he’s challenging his team to take a step (or many steps in place) toward wellness: exercise during commercials. Dolvett won’t take any excuses, so better just do what he says. As a matter of fact, he’s taped what he wants you to do in a short video message, exclusively for you, our Spa Week Daily readers. After a hard outdoor workout, Dolvett taped the below message on his iPhone. Even though the video is a little grainy, you can hear Dolvett’s wellness philosophy clear as a bell… get your booty off the couch and get healthy!

Dolvett’s Fitness Challenge:

Exercise during commercials

If you also want to get rid of your couch potato title, it’s not too late to sign up for a dose of Dolvett’s tough love! If fitness isn’t what you need to work on, you can also join the Nutrition, Yoga or Skincare teams (don’t worry, we won’t tell Dolvett).

So far it’s a close race, but there will only be four lucky winners of a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week, although everyone will win improved health and wellness as a consolation prize!

So far here are our favorite and top-voted submissions from The Fitness Team:

Jacquelynn: Thank you, for holding such a wonderful giveaway, I truly appreciate it! I am a 3 time cancer survivor (age 10, brain tumor[Menegeoma], age 21 Uterine Cancer [discovered when I was 6 months pregnant], age 36 skin cancer), as well as a Service Connected Disabled Veteran (US Army 6 years). I currently am battling Fibromyalgia, Chronic Neuropathy, arthritis and Compressed Disc’s in my back (I am 3 inches shorter than I used to be). However despite my medical problems, I have succeeded in losing 115 pounds!! I still have about 40 left to go, but I KNOW I will make it!

Caressa: “Doing Bicep Curls and Watching DIY Network!”

Shelly: “Still on my 2 yr journey…over 95lbs gone and 20 to go! Training for my first half marathon in April and another triathlon in July …Fitness is my lifestyle !! Paying it forward with fitness bootcamps 3 times per wk and local biggest loser challenges….. hard work….determination!!!”

Angela: “The before picture… I am doing this for me and my family. We need to get healthy together. Our reward will be good health and another cruise- this time in bikinis!”

Robin: “My photo represents movement in between commercials. I want to drop 20lbs by July 2012.”

Marianne: At the age of 48, having had three children and battling weight issues my whole life, this photo was taken. I lost 40 lbs., began working out 7 days a week (and loving it) and became a regular 5K Runner. I still struggle with toning my cellulite area but continue to strive towards reaching my goal of losing the last 10-15 lbs., running a 10K, half marathon and eventually a full marathon. Watching Dolvett every Tuesday night is a huge inspiration. Wish there was a TV show entitled “The Littlest Loser” – LOL!

 

The Spa & Wellness Challenge: Joy Bauer’s Nutrition Team Update

Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge is in full swing and we are so excited about everyone who has signed up, as well as all the encouragement the participants have received. We asked you to pick a team to get healthy and the Nutrition Team is kicking bad habits in the butt by choosing veggies and gaining health. Joy Bauer, TODAY Show Nutritionist, is leading the Nutrition Team and she’s challenging her team to take a simple step toward wellness: eat veggies before dinner. Here is Joy’s philosophy to eat by:

Joy’s Nutrition Challenge:

Eat your veggies before dinner

If you also want to get a handle on your diet (while getting rid of your love handles), you should add some Joy to your life! It’s not too late to sign up! If nutrition isn’t what you need to work on, you can also join the Fitness, Yoga or Skincare teams (don’t worry, we won’t tell Joy).

So far it’s a close race, but there will only be four lucky winners of a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week, although everyone will win improved health and wellness as a consolation prize!

So far here are our favorite and top-voted submissions from The Nutrition Team:

Jazmine: “Still working to tone out and define my muscles. I chose nutrition because food is my biggest weakness, I’d like to gain some control and work on portioning.”

Christina: “This is me after loosing 30lbs for my sisters wedding.”

Alicia: “This is how I think, feel and speak. I live to be healthy and strive to educate others to be healthy.”

Brandy: “I believe that without proper nutrition fitness and health goals simply cannot be perfected. I love modeling what great nutrition means to my family!”

Join The Spa & Wellness Challenge! Get Healthy, Win a $1000 Gift Card

Have you ever said you would be healthier if you were a celebrity and could pay a professional to help you? Well here’s your pro. Actually, here are four. It’s always easier to take steps in the right direction when you have someone showing you the way; this is the foundation of all the Challenges we’ve been doing here at Spa Week Daily. In honor of Spa Week Spring 2012 and our mission to spread health and wellness to the masses, we’ve joined forces with four celebrity-status wellness experts to help you get and stay healthy from the inside out with Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge. It’s a battle to the health! (There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.)

From now until April 30 our experts are competing for your health! They want YOU on their team. They want YOU to take THEIR challenge based on their signature wellness philosophy for a better, happier and healthier life. There are four different teams so you can pick the one that you most identify with. The Nutrition team is being led by TODAY Show Nutritionist Joy Bauer, the Fitness Team is being coached by The Biggest Loser trainer, Dolvett Quince, the Yoga Team is finding zen with famous yogi Elena Brower, and award-winning dermatologist Dr. Michelle Copeland is after the health of your skin on the Skincare Team. All you have to do to join The Spa & Wellness Challenge is pick a team based on each expert’s challenge (we know, it’s a tough choice!). Then upload a picture + caption that represents you taking on your expert’s challenge. Let’s work together to get healthy together!

Here’s the best part: the team member with the most votes from each team wins a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week! Now, let’s meet our Team Captains:

Joy Bauer’s Nutrition Team

Challenge: Eat your veggies before dinner.

Wellness Philosophy: Start dinner each night with a vegetable first course. Enjoy a salad with low-cal dressing, a broth-based veggie soup, or a handful of baby carrots, sugar snap peas or cherry tomatoes. You’ll get fuller faster on the good stuff and also be more aware of what you’re eating the rest of the meal when you eat your veggies first.

Meet Joy: Joy Bauer MS, RD, CDN is America’s favorite and most trusted nutrition expert. As the nutrition and health expert for the TODAY show, Joy shares reliable, practical, and straightforward advice that helps millions of Americans eat better and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. She also hosts the program’s popular “Joy Fit Club” series, which celebrates determined people who have lost more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise alone (learn more about Joy’s foolproof weight-loss strategies in her latest book, Joy Fit Club: Cookbook, Diet Plan, and Inspiration, April 2012). In addition, Joy is the exclusive nutritionist for the New York City Ballet and the author of multiple bestselling books, including the newly revised & updated Joy Bauer’s Food Cures (2011), Your Inner Skinny, and Slim and Scrumptious. As AOL and Everyday Health’s nutrition expert and the creator of JoyBauer.com, Joy provides the latest nutrition, health and diet-related information to millions of online readers. Joy is also a monthly columnist for Woman’s Day magazine. Learn more about Joy on her website; follow her on Facebook and Twitter.


Dolvett’s Fitness Team

Challenge: Excersice during the commercials.

Wellness Philosophy: Dolvett’s fitness mantra is “no excuses.” Even if you’re a couch potato or a homebody, there’s no reason not to get your blood pumping. While you tune in to watch your favorite show, exercise one body part during each commercial break until the show comes back. Aim to do 10 or more repetitions per body part during each commercial break.

Meet Dolvett: An IFFA and ISSA certified trainer, Dolvett Quince developed his company, Body Sculptor Inc., to help people transform their mind, body and soul. His regimen focuses on weight loss, nutrition, strength training and cardiovascular exercise and his style and reputation for success have attracted the attention of professional athletes and celebrities alike. Dolvett can currently be seen on NBC’s hit “The Biggest Loser,” now in its 13th season. In 2004, he opened his first Body Sculptor Fitness Studio in Atlanta and has built it into the city’s premiere health and fitness center. Dolvett’s business attracts such clients as Janet Jackson, Baltimore Ravens tight end Daniel Wilcox, actor Michael Jai White and many more. Additionally, world-wide pop sensation Justin Bieber hired Dolvett to train him on his latest tour. He also developed the renowned “Me and My Chair Workout” DVD, a low-impact, high-intensity 30-minute workout system that helps users tone up and slim down while using only a household chair as equipment. He currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Atlanta. Learn more about Dolvett on his website, www.bodysculptorinc.com, follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Elena’s Yoga Team

Challenge: Meditate for 5 minutes a day.

Wellness Philosophy: Meditation is about cultivating more alertness and better listening, so you can be a better parent, partner, sibling, friend, employee, and overall person. Elena recommends just to sit and simply watch your breathing rise and fall. If you sense tightness somewhere in your body, breathe there. Science has proven it time and time again: meditation positively affects your health and quality of life.

Meet Elena: Jonah’s mama, founder and co-owner of Virayoga, Elena Brower has been teaching yoga for 14+ years. She trained to teach with Cyndi Lee, then began studying Anusara® yoga with John Friend. After ten years of study with Douglas Brooks and Hugo Cory, and recent in-depth study with the Handel Group™, Elena’s teaching offers the practices of yoga as a way to approach our world with reverence and gratitude. Her classes are a masterful, candid blend of artful alignment and attention cues; pure empowerment for your body, mind and heart. She has been honoured to travel all over to offer larger-scale experiences of yoga, but Elena’s true passion is shifting awareness within the smallest interactions; one family, one household at a time. She holds Reiki Levels I/II Certification and practices Pranic Healing. She loves collaborative teaching and has taught alongside many notable colleagues. She’s been featured on major networks and is the voice for Deepak Chopra’s video game LEELA. Elena is also the Executive Producer of the series of short films ON MEDITATION. Along with her own Art of Attention writings, Elena contributes to the Huffington Post and many popular blogs. Elena’s recently developed an essential oil blend called GIVE that benefits Women For Women International, with another scent in the works. Learn more at www.virayoga.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.


Dr. Copeland’s Skincare Team

Challenge: Wear SPF every day.

Wellness Philosophy: Dr. Copeland’s skincare philosophy stems from her very own Beautiful Skin Workout, which highlights five simple steps to beautiful skin in six weeks. Sun protection is the most important step you can take to improve skin. UVA and UVB rays are skin’s number one enemy and sun block should be worn every day on at least the face and hands. Dr. Copeland’s five-step Beautiful Skin Workout steps are: Cleanse, Tone, Exfoliate, Activate, Moisturize and Protect.

Meet Dr. Copeland: World-renowned, Harvard-trained plastic surgeon, biochemist, and best-selling author, Dr. Michelle Copeland is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at the Mount Sinai Medical School, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the American Society of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery and the American College of Maxillofacial Surgeons. She is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Women’s Health Research, advising Congress on health issues affecting women. She has been profiled in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, the NBC Today Show, The View, Good Morning America and the CBS Morning Show. She is the author of Change Your Looks, Change Your Life, a guide to “quick fixes” and solutions for looking younger, feeling healthier and living better. Her latest book The Beautiful Skin Workout, demonstrates how to erase 90% of skin flaws in six to eight weeks. Dr. Copeland is the first and only woman biochemist and plastic surgeon to develop a full range of skin care and ground-breaking anti-aging products. She personally develops and tests all of her products and uses only the purest ingredients and cutting-edge technology. Many celebrities demand her products, which are now available to everyone. Learn more at www.drcopeland.com, on her blog, follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Spa & Wellness Challenge