In fact, we’re ranked 48th in the U.S., just ahead of only Louisiana and Mississippi.
Fortunately, Oklahoma is also an innovative state — and there are some alternative ways to slim down in OKC that don’t involve hours at a gym.
The first alternative road to health is by way of Goga Studios. The studios resemble spas more than gyms, offering Himalayan salts, ionized mineral water and infrared saunas. The main feature, however, is its unique, whole-body vibration platforms.
Whole-body vibration, or WBV, was developed in Russia in the 1970s to rehabilitate astronauts whose bodies had atrophied in zero gravity. Today, Goga Studios promotes the use of similar machines as a way to lose weight and feel better.
Janet Roten and her son recently opened one of the first Goga Studios storefronts in the metro at 821 S.W. 119th; 703-2888. For her, the health benefits of Goga are more than just an abstract promise.
Roten is diabetic and suffers from a thyroid and multiple lung disorders. When she began using WBV machines, she barely had the energy to get out of bed.
WBV, she said, changed that. “I just bounced back,” she said. “I know it was Goga, because I had been doing everything else for months with no good results.”
In addition to renewed energy, Roten found she shed weight and lost more than 20 inches from her waistline within six months, although she stressed that not everyone can expect such dramatic results. She said the machines work by producing oscillating vibrations, causing thousands of small muscle contractions throughout the body.
For others, the biggest challenge is losing that last stubborn area of fat.
Liposonix is a new technology that replicates the effects of liposuction, but is noninvasive and costs less. It uses a highly focused, high-frequency ultrasound beam to melt fat cells, so skin is left intact and scar-free.
Dr. Derek Shadid is the first in Oklahoma to offer Liposonix at Shadid Plastic Surgery Associates, 13820 Wireless Way.
Among the benefits, he said, are that the procedure doesn’t require anesthesia, necessitates virtually no recovery time and causes only mild, temporary bruising or soreness rather than a scar.
“You could do it on a Friday afternoon and be back to work Monday,” Shadid said.
Liposonix typically will trim anywhere from one to four inches off your stomach or love handles, but it won’t cure obesity. That part, Shadid said, is up to the individual.
“This is not a weight-loss treatment,” he said.
Editor’s note: Most health experts recommend consulting with a physician before embarking on an unconventional weight-loss program.
