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Health is the new wealth as more and more people focus on what matters most. We polled some of Atlanta’s top experts for an inside look at how they stay in top form.

Walkitria Smith, MD

PHOTO BY KIMBERLY EVANS PHOTOGRAPHY

For the co-founder of Chastain MD, wellness is a holistic state of being.

“I get 10,000 steps a day with Pretty Girls Sweat (prettygirlssweat.com). They are dedicated to curbing childhood obesity. I love their products and the fitness experiences they curate in Atlanta.” PHOTO BY ALYSSA TROFORT

Dr. Walkitria Smith and her husband, Hassan, saw a need for a concierge medical service tending to those who are short on time but who often need a lot of care, and care on their own time: C-suite executives, film and television creatives, and more. They introduced Chastain MD (chastainmd.com) to help bring quality healthcare to this population. “Chastain MD really allows the fluidity and accessibility for everyone to make their health a priority,” she says. But health is not just a job for Smith—it’s also a passion, and one she’s been keen on promoting throughout her life. “When I see things that are preventable through eating right, having access to adequate fitness, understanding, and education about health and wellness, I see why my position as a physician, particularly as a woman and a person of color, is so necessary,” she says. “When we talk about wellness, we must understand that there is a certain privilege that comes along with it. We say drink water, exercise and eat right without understanding that there must be a level of health literacy and health access to go along with these things. There must be a certain level of access to safe places, and an understanding that not everyone has that access. Everyone doesn’t have that, so part of my journey is providing that to my community while developing that understanding among my peers.” As for what wellness means to Smith personally? She sums it up nicely, saying, “Being well is important to me because it enables me to live a fulfilling and fruitful life. To live your very best life you must be in a state of wholeness. Your mind, body and soul must be equally nurtured. Wellness means finding that balance, consistently.”

“Hint (drinkhint.com) is a household staple in our home. The water flavors are a hit among our little ones and it keeps us hydrated and healthy.” PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAND

We also love Atlanta-based Lucky Lotus (loveluckylotus.com)—it keeps me healthy and hydrated.” PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAND

“Living Well With Zoe (livingwellwithzoe.com): Zoe is my go-to for consistently healthy and yummy home-cooked meals. Her classes are interactive and accessible. She makes the kitchen and cooking enjoyable all while providing healthy tips about food and nutrition.” PHOTO BY ELLA OLSSON/UNSPLASH

Jessica Morse

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A clean-beauty queen, Jessica Morse, co-founder of The Water Room, is redefining what it means to have healthy nails.

What started as an extension of Jessica Morse’s blog, Bare Beauty (barebeauty.com), has become an Atlanta sensation. The Water Room (thewaterroom.com) has enjoyed instant success thanks to its approach. “The Water Room is so different from conventional nail salons. Because we use less toxic products, the space is free of harmful fumes,” Morse explains. “We named our business after the most important feature in our space, The Water Room. Instead of a dark, creepy room in the back of the salon, where things may or may not be properly cleaned, we put our preparation and sanitization rituals on full display in this beautiful, glass-enclosed room. This is also where our medical-grade autoclaves sterilize all nail implements.” Morse founded the salon (there’s another outpost in Charleston) after suffering a miscarriage and other unrelated health issues. “It caused me to take a good, hard look at the ‘healthy’ lifestyle I thought I was living,” she says. “Health and wellness are humanity’s common denominators—without them, we have nothing! To me, wellness means consciously taking care of oneself, intentionally choosing food, products and habits that will enable us to live a full, balanced life.” The Water Room is an extension of that philosophy: “While we can’t deny how great a fresh manicure makes us feel, what we really love is clean, healthy, natural nails,” says Morse. “We do our research, and we only use nail salon products that are as nontoxic and clean as possible without sacrificing performance. We will never use a product on you that we wouldn’t use on ourselves or our children.”

“I may be biased, but we have the best neighbors [at Buckhead Court]! Our team at The Water Room is constantly grabbing cold-pressed juices from Dtox (dtoxjuice.com).” PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAND

“Most of my beauty products—like Rahua voluminous shampoo, RMS Beauty Living Luminizer and Agent Nateur Holi(stick) deodorant—come from AILLEA (aillea.com).” COURTESY OF BRANDS

“We love taking the flow classes at Yonder Yoga (yonderyoga.com)." PHOTO BY DANE WETT ON/UNSPLASH

Dr. Mboh Elango

PHOTO BY RASHUN HAYES, FOCUS MINDED FOTO

Never has the phrase “health is wealth” been more applicable, and no one knows that better than Dr. Mboh Elango, founder of newly bowed MEDICI Urgent Care and Wellness Center.

As the medical director and CEO of MEDICI Urgent Care and Wellness Center (mdmedici.com), Dr. Mboh Elango knows that our health is of the utmost importance. “We are dedicated to providing our patients and clients with a holistic, personalized, patient-driven healthcare experience,” he explains. “We firmly believe that this approach represents what we like to refer to as ‘the next level of medicine.’” That includes merging “traditional Western medical care with other forms of healing such as acupuncture, yoga, meditation, diet, appropriate nutritional supplementation and more,” he adds. For Dr. Elango personally, “wellness and health are important cornerstones to a productive and fulfilling life. Wellness means balancing and managing the interplay between the physical, emotional and spiritual components to wellness in order to achieve a happy life.” For him, that means time in the sauna, restorative yoga three times a week, IV therapy and acupuncture—a true mix of modern and holistic medicine. It’s all personal for him: “Growing up in a developing country, I became acutely aware of the importance of quality and comprehensive healthcare and wellness in improving all aspects of a patient’s quality of life,” he explains. “I almost lost my own life due to the lack of that kind of access during an urgent medical situation. I decided then at a young age to dedicate all that I am to doing my part to make sure that other people would not meet such an outcome.” Sounds like a medical mission accomplished.

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PHOTO BY DNIPRO HOTEL/PIXABAY

Dr. Mboh Elango—who is a board-certified emergency medical physician, president of the MEDICI Advisory Group and CEO of The Elango Foundation—relies on a mix of acupuncture, yoga, meditation, IV vitamin therapy, sauna treatments and more to keep himself balanced and well. PHOTO BY LUKATDB/ISTOCK.COM