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San Diego's Top Wellness Experts Share Their Tips and Routines

By Allison Mitchell By Allison Mitchell | May 8, 2022 | Lifestyle

PHOTO BY DIANA ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO BY DIANA ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY

FROM MINDFULNESS APPS TO DIET HACKS, SAN DIEGO’S GROUNDED GURUS HAVE A WEALTH OF WELLNESS KNOWLEDGE TO SHARE.

Kristen Louelle Gaffney

Influencer, blogger, podcast host and actress kristenlouelle.com


Clockwise from top right: Lululemon Align high-rise pant, lululemon.com; Reebok Nano X2 women’s training shoe in Orange Flare, reebok.com; Oura Ring Generation 3, ouraring.com; Suja Organic cold-pressed celery juice, sujajuice.com; My Girl Wellness Better Belly System, mygirlwellness.com. PRODUCT PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS
Clockwise from top right: Lululemon Align high-rise pant, lululemon.com; Reebok Nano X2 women’s training shoe in Orange Flare, reebok.com; Oura Ring Generation 3, ouraring.com; Suja Organic cold-pressed celery juice, sujajuice.com; My Girl Wellness Better Belly System, mygirlwellness.com. PRODUCT PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS

A North County resident by way of the Bay Area, Kristen Louelle Gaffney fell into the world of mommy blogging while supporting her husband, two-time Super Bowl champion Tyler Gaffney, during his time with the New England Patriots. “I found passion in creating a girl-power community via social media,” says the aspiring actress, who appeared in Sports Illustrated’s iconic Swimsuit Issue in 2021. “I am now focusing all my efforts on acting, building my own company in the health space and, most importantly, being a present and loving mother and wife.” Here, the go-getter gives us a peek at her wellness routine.

BREAKFAST: Overnight oats and Suja Organic celery juice

WAKE-UP TIME: 6AM

DIET: 70% clean, 30% pasta and spicy margaritas

DOPPELGÄNGER: Pamela Anderson

NEMESIS: Nancy Pelosi

ESCAPE: Epsom salt bubble baths

WEAKNESS: Dark chocolate

UNIFORM: Spiritual Gangster sweatsuits

HOTEL: Rosewood Miramar Beach

WORKOUT: Weight training

LAST MEAL ON EARTH: Steak with macaroni and cheese from Mastro’s

SUPPLEMENTS: Magnesium and My Girl Wellness products

WELLNESS APP: Oura Ring for sleep tracking

MENTOR: No mentor, but my idol is Adam Sandler.

WORKOUT SHOES: Reebok Nano X2 training shoes

WORKOUT OUTFIT: Lululemon Align leggings and a SHEFIT bra

WORKOUT PLAYLIST: My playlist on Spotify

WORKOUT BUDDY: I’m a solo gal.

BEST ADVICE: If you’re scared, do it.

PHILANTHROPY: Best Buddies International

MANTRA: Good news and bad news—nobody cares.

STREAMING NOW: All the Harry Potter movies from start to finish

DINNER: Trader Joe’s broccoli slaw and kale salad with white chicken meat

BEDTIME: 10:30PM

ON MY NIGHTSTAND: Le Labo Santal 26 home fragrance

THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE:“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band

IN MY GYM BAG: Tone It Up bands and a book to read in the sauna

3 DESERT ISLAND ESSENTIALS: My husband for when I get thirsty, marijuana seeds and Parfums de Marly perfume

YESTERDAY: Acting audition

ZODIAC: Taurus


Clockwise from top right: Mikuna Chocho Superfood protein powder, mikunafoods.com; Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler (fourseasons.com/whistler) is Darnbrough’s favorite hotel; ON Cloud X in Aloe and white, on-running.com; Darnbrough ends his day with a healthy dinner featuring fish, vegetables and avocado; when he’s not on the clock, he unwinds by watching comedy favorite Ted Lasso on Apple TV  (tv.apple.com). FISH PHOTO BY MICHEILE.COM/UNSPLASH; ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS
Clockwise from top right: Mikuna Chocho Superfood protein powder, mikunafoods.com; Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler (fourseasons.com/whistler) is Darnbrough’s favorite hotel; ON Cloud X in Aloe and white, on-running.com; Darnbrough ends his day with a healthy dinner featuring fish, vegetables and avocado; when he’s not on the clock, he unwinds by watching comedy favorite Ted Lasso on Apple TV (tv.apple.com). FISH PHOTO BY MICHEILE.COM/UNSPLASH; ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS

Rob Darnbrough

Co-founder and CEO, The Smart Fit Method smartfitmethod.com

A lifelong fitness aficionado, Rob Darnbrough’s intense training regimen ironically led to his life-changing health diagnosis—an aortic aneurysm. “I was told by two cardiologists to never walk uphill again,” says the Encinitas resident. With his son Connor developing an autoimmune disease from having MRSA nearly two dozen times, Darnbrough knew there had to be a better way. Enter The Smart Fit Method, a science-based fitness program co-founded by the father-son team that pairs exercise robotics with artificial intelligence to achieve results in just three 20-minute sessions per week. After opening their first studio in Cardiff in June 2021, followed by a second outpost in Kauai, Hawaii, in March, Rob and Connor have their sights set on spaces in La Jolla, Del Mar and Orange County next. Here, the serial entrepreneur reveals his health-focused favorites.

BREAKFAST: Mikuna Superfood protein smoothie

WAKE-UP TIME: 6AM

DIET: Pegan

DOPPELGÄNGER: Matt Damon

NEMESIS: Chocolate

ESCAPE: Mountains

WEAKNESS: Unplugging

UNIFORM: John Varvatos

HOTEL: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

WORKOUT: The Smart Fit Method

LAST MEAL ON EARTH: Steak frites

SUPPLEMENTS: NMN

WELLNESS APP: Optimize by Heroic

MENTOR: Dan Sullivan, The Strategic Coach

WORKOUT SHOES: ON Cloud X

WORKOUT OUTFIT: Vuori

WORKOUT PLAYLIST: Anything heavy

WORKOUT BUDDY: ARX all-in-one strength training machines

BEST ADVICE: Make your future bigger than the past.

PHILANTHROPY: Do Something Positive Family Foundation (DSP)

MANTRA: Do something positive.

STREAMING NOW:Ted Lasso on Apple TV+

DINNER: Fish, vegetables and avocado

BEDTIME: 9PM

ON MY NIGHTSTAND:The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann, and the Alpha-Stim cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) device

THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE:“Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop

IN MY GYM BAG: Ultima Replenisher electrolyte hydration powder

3 DESERT ISLAND ESSENTIALS: A fire starter, water and tequila

YESTERDAY: In the past

ZODIAC: Leo


PHOTO BY TOMOKO H. MATSUBAYASHI/TOMOGRAFICA.COM
PHOTO BY TOMOKO H. MATSUBAYASHI/TOMOGRAFICA.COM

Tracy Duhs

Modern wellness designer and intelligent hydration educator, Hydrate with Tracy Duhs; founder, Hydrate at The Sanctuary Wellness Experience tracyduhs.com; sanctuarysd.com


PHOTO BY NICK ONKEN
PHOTO BY NICK ONKEN

Tracy Duhs is on a mission to help others align their minds, bodies and spirits through the importance of hydration. As the founder of The Sanctuary Wellness Experience, an exclusive, invite-only retreat near Sunset Cliffs, Duhs aims to discover the root of what’s blocking her elite clients from optimal health. From there, she utilizes myriad treatments—from sound therapy to bioenergetic scans—to achieve ultimate wellness. When she’s not hosting retreats, she’s chatting about hydration and its importance on her podcast; planning mission trips to Nicaragua (she’s headed there with 10 women in June); and readying to release her debut tome, Hydrate, which will reveal her go-to healthy recipes and hydration elixirs. How’s that for ambitious?


Clockwise from top left: Bala Power Ring, shopbala.com; Duhs hydrates every morning with celery juice made from her Hurom juicer (hurom.com); Versace logo sports bra, versace.com; Rosewood Miramar Beach (rosewoodhotels.com) is her favorite hotel; Beats by Dre Beats Fit Pro True wireless earbuds in Stone Purple, beatsbydre.com. JUICE PHOTO BY POLINA TANKILEVITCH; ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS
Clockwise from top left: Bala Power Ring, shopbala.com; Duhs hydrates every morning with celery juice made from her Hurom juicer (hurom.com); Versace logo sports bra, versace.com; Rosewood Miramar Beach (rosewoodhotels.com) is her favorite hotel; Beats by Dre Beats Fit Pro True wireless earbuds in Stone Purple, beatsbydre.com. JUICE PHOTO BY POLINA TANKILEVITCH; ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS

BREAKFAST: Celery juice from my Hurom juicer

WAKE-UP TIME: Sunrise

DIET: Nutrient-dense home cooking

DOPPELGÄNGER: My daughter Parker, but my grandma says Jennifer Lopez. (I don’t agree with her!)

NEMESIS: Time

ESCAPE: My bed with my Essentia organic mattress

WEAKNESS: Men with a strong jawline and kind heart

UNIFORM: Groceries Apparel, an organic clothing company that’s made locally in Los Angeles

HOTEL: Rosewood Miramar Beach

WORKOUT: I use the Waff Max and Mini and incorporate my Bala Power Ring and Bellicon trampoline—that’s all I need to keep this peach perky.

LAST MEAL ON EARTH: Deep-dish pizza with extra cheese from Pizzeria Mozza

SUPPLEMENTS:Nurish.Me CoreCumin and CogniNurish and Tailor Made peptides

WELLNESS APP: Centr

MENTOR: Dr. Alejandro Junger and Gerald Pollack

WORKOUT SHOES: Flux Footwear

WORKOUT OUTFIT: A Versace sports bra and Groceries Apparel leggings

WORKOUT PLAYLIST: Butt Stuff on Spotify

WORKOUT BUDDY: Hana, my Bernedoodle

BEST ADVICE: People don’t remember what you said, they remember how you made them feel.

PHILANTHROPY: Working with others to make sure everyone has access to clean drinking water

MANTRA: Presence is the present.

STREAMING NOW:Bad Vegan on Netflix

DINNER: Local grass-fed lamb soup

BEDTIME: I turn into a pumpkin by 10PM. I turn in around 9PM, and enjoy a bath, candles, tea, soft jams and a book.

ON MY NIGHTSTAND: Theragun Mini, Somavedic, BioLight red light therapy

IN MY GYM BAG: Morihata International Japanese towels, Ere Perez Beetroot cheek and lip tint, Yamuna black balls, Beats by Dre Beats Fit Pro True wireless earbuds and the H2Bev HydroShot

3 DESERT ISLAND ESSENTIALS: Quinton isotonic ampules, Litewater and a piano

YESTERDAY: I felt present.

ZODIAC: Scorpio



Tags: health and wellness Apple News

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