Recharging Wellness

If you’re stuck in a fitness routine or looking for new ways to support your personal wellness, consider what technology might have to offer. There are innovative solutions available that can enhance physical workouts and reduce stress and anxiety.

Tools to Reset Your Body

Splendido, a Life Plan Community in Oro Valley for those 55+, did some in-house testing of wellness tech tools and confirmed their effectiveness. First up were Therabody-brand products that residents use in their personalized fitness plans, including

• Percussive Theraguns: handheld deep massagers that can be placed against muscles with a targeted, scientifically calibrated dose for specific therapeutic benefits.
• Vibrating foam WaveRollers: used under legs, back, and/or hips for powerful vibration therapy to release soreness, reduce tension, increase range of motion, or improve movement

“A lot of people think of these tools as being just for athletes, but they can be used by anyone to warm up, during a workout, or afterwards,” says Todd Lutz, Splendido’s spa and fitness manager. “Each has a different function, but generally, they reset the body to allow it to move more naturally. They provide greater range of motion, so you can perform at a higher level and get more out of your workout.”

Splendido’s fitness staff measured the performance of the Therabody tools in a six-week pilot program with 18 residents and staff members. “Our results were remarkable, indicating multiple improvements in the participants’ optimal quality of life,” says Todd. “Survey responses show that 88.2% of participants noticed marked improvements after using the devices.” Areas of improvement included pain levels, range of motion and mobility, soreness, and blood circulation.

A Bed That Relaxes Your Brain

What if you could tell your brain to relax for a while, and learn to let go of “mental chatter”? The Gharieni Welnamis spa wave bed at Splendido does just that, using computer-controlled vibrational therapy and audio frequencies to train the brain to relax.

“The technology of the bed was originally developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorders of veterans,” explains Todd. “It has different settings for treating not only PTSD, but also stress, depression, and poor sleep, as well as headaches and difficulty focusing.”

Over two weeks, 18 residents and nine employees tested 30- and 60-minute sessions designed around a variety of wellness goals. The most popular treatments targeted improving sleep, relieving stress, general well-being, reducing fatigue, and enhancing positive energy. 

“My mind is always racing. I thought the wave bed might calm it… and that’s exactly what it does,” says Amy Lohr, one of the residents. “When I’m using the spa bed, my mind empties, and I can just focus on the sensations of the bed and on the sound.”

Participants in the pilot program enjoyed a variety of benefits from the wave bed, including reduced feelings of depression and stress; improvement in mental focus; reduced anxiety; better sleep; and reduced pain in lower back, shoulders, and upper back.

An Award-Winning Approach

These tools are just one component of Splendido’s award-winning wellness culture that includes innovative offerings such as sound wellness, breathwork, and nature bathing. The community’s holistic approach is also woven into creative arts programming, classes and lectures, and the menus of the many restaurants.

The variety of ways personal well-being is supported at Splendido is why it ranked #1 in wellness among senior living communities in all of North America, earning an ICAA NuStep Top 5 Pinnacle Award for exceptional, above-and-beyond performance using wellness as a foundation.

Learn more about Splendido and register for upcoming events at splendidotucson.com, or give the Connections team a call at (520) 762.4084.