Weeds are not the only pain in the butt

Whether you consider yourself a master gardener or just occasionally pull weeds, tending to any size garden is hard work. I am a gardener myself and I know how hard it can be on the body. I have 3 large flower gardens and 1 vegetable garden, and I am exhausted by the time I am done doing whatever. If you plan on spending a long period of time out in the gardens, try purchasing a garden stool to give yourself a break. You can also purchase gardening pads to kneel on if you have knee issues. Try squatting here and there to give your back a break. Not only will it relax the low back muscles, but you will get a good core and thigh workout in. Tools are important as well. Make sure you have the right tools for the right job as well as an appropriate sized shovel for what you are doing. This way you are working smarter not harder. And of course..... warm up, stretch, protect yourself from the sun and stay hydrated!

Sunday Drivers Beware

There is no better way to spend a warm, sunny afternoon in the spring then to pack u everyone in the car and drive somewhere, anywhere. But what happens when we eventually get home and a few hours realize that we are now sore? Besides calling me for an appt, there are ways to prevent this from occurring in the first place. Think of all the muscles we use while driving a car. The shoulders get held in isometric contractions, while the rotator cuffs are working in small repetitive motions. There is lack of lumbar support while the right leg an dhip is overworked pressing on the pedals and going back and forth. Before you get in the car warm up by walking around the block or going up and down the stairs herding your passengers. Ar eyou stopping for a tastey treat on your adventure? Take a few minutes and stretch out your body. Try putting a small pillow behind you if you do not have enough lumbar support.

Keep only your memories, not a pain in the glutes.

It's Official!!

If you are following my blog, you know that my 15 month old has never really "liked" my massages..... He loooves it when my husband massages his moisturizer on after his bath. Me, not so much, my baby acts like he tolerates it. Well, last night Zack only wanted his mommy, so I led the whole bath/bedtime routine. (This is usually Daddy time by the way) I really want him to like my massages so I am working hard at making it nice. My husband commented that I was giving him too much of a real massage and that was silly. I replied that Zack works hard toddling and climbing all day. So I start talking to my son about bedtime etc. Then I say, "See Zack, Mommy knows what she is doing. Do you like Mommy's massages now?" Zack looks me right in the eye and starts shaking his head "No". Mind you he does know what 'No' means and he has been shaking his head 'No' appropriately for a few days....... I guess it is official, my son does does not like my massages!!! Does he not know people pay me a lot of money to do this?!?

Shoes To Shrink My Thighs & Hips??

Many shoe companies are now selling shoes that supposedly tone your glutes and thighs simply by walking in them. How do they work? They don't. Every client of mine that owns them complains of mysterious low back pain. What is not so mysterious is why. These sneakers (yes, I am from the northeast so they are called sneakers) adjust the height of your heel at certain spots. There is a yoga pose that they are trying to emulate. Will this pose work in toning and strengthening these areas? Sure! Should we be moving continuously in this position for a length of time? Of course not! Myself, personal trainers, physical therapists, kineasologists, physiologists and rehab specialists all agree that these shoes do more harm than good. Our bodies are a very intricately engineered machine. If you mess with its foundation, you mess with the functioning of the whole machine.

My advice: If you want to tone and strengthen your hips and legs, stick with what actually works. Squats, lunges, weights, aerobics, walking, running, etc.

When To Arrive For Your Appt.

You call or email for an appointment... The day arrives, the time creeps up and you show up for our 4pm massage. Where is the clock? Are you on time? Do you need to prepare? Will you need to fill out paperwork?

If it is your first visit, please arrive at the very least 5 minutes prior to your appt time to fill out paperwork. This includes your health history, some contact info, and a review of my late/cancellation policy. You may even want to show up more than 5 minutes early to use the restroom etc.

If you have seen me before, please still arrive about 5 minutes prior to your appt.

I do prefer to begin the actual massage at the appointment time. So if you have a 4 pm appointment, please show up at least 3:55pm. This gives you enough time to use the restroom, get some water, and for us to chat about what your goals are and how we will accomplish them. There are times when I run a bit late and that will of course not reflect in your massage time. Every single massage had buffer time booked into it. This way I can chat with you about ergonomics, stretching, thoroughly understand what is going on with your body, or just what is new with you.

Point being: If you are a new client and show up exactly at your appt time or later, this will reflect in you time on the massage table. If you are a repeat client, please do not come late. :)

Gift Certificate Policies

A gift certificate it is a fantabulous gift! You give someone the wonderful gift of a massage when it is convenient for them. Unfortunately, every once and awhile the envelope will get stashed away to the bottom of the drawer only to be discovered after it has expired. Will I honor it? No.

You have 1 full year to redeem the massage. Most often than not, the GC was purchased with a holiday discount. I cannot honor an expired GC for multiple reasons. A. It is not fair for those that saw it had expired and did not try to use it. B. It is not fair for me to honor a discounted, expired GC when my rates had maybe gone up as well. C. If I let one person I have to let everyone. D. That is not how any other business works so don't expect mine to be any different. I would like to see someone try to bring an expired GC to Macy's, or Babies R Us, or any other store and expect them to honor it. They won't no matter how hard you plead. I am not trying to swindle anyone out of a massage or money, I just ask that people respect me as a business and business owner.

Like I said, you have 1 full year to redeem a Gift Certificate.

When to alternate between Ice and Heat.

In my newsletter I will discuss when it is appropriate to use heat versus ice. It is also quite beneficial to alternate between the two. It is confusing, but also effective.

First you have to prevent epidermis injury. Make sure not to burn nor freeze yourself. Apply the next therapy after the skin has somewhat visibly recovered from the previous an. Each application only lasting a max of about 10-20 minutes each.

Second, this alternating therapy is used between an injury being acute and chronic. The first 48 hours of an injury you want to apply ice, ice massage, cold bath, etc. Then this is when you alternate between ice and heat. This stage lasts around 48-72 hours. Then you would move on to heat. With ice applications when necessary. ALWAYS END WITH ICE. This is to prevent any type of further swelling or inflammation.

Third, why....... When alternating you are keeping the swelling down, but at the same time promoting circulation. Ice causes vasoconstriction (closing of small blood vessels) and heat causes vasodilation (opening of small blood vessels). Using both produces a stronger pump for your blood to bring in more nutrients and to take away swelling, inflammation, and built up metabolic waste from the injury.

Preventative Health

Receiving massages on a regular basis helps to prevent tightness and dis-ease from occurring. Obviously with regular massage you are getting loosened up often enough to help prevent too much tension from building up. There is another huge way massage works with prevention; that is education. If I had a nickel for every time a client noticed a new area of tension during the massage, I could retire. When receiving a massage, we can really feel what areas of our body are tight or sore and in turn, we can go back to our lives and work on that group. Did you not realize your back was tight prior to the session? Now you know to go back and work on your low back, core, and hips in your life. Meaning, what am I doing to cause this? How can I adjust my habits to prevent this? Where can I add in more stretch time? When you realize these areas of hidden tightness you can then work at preventing dysfunction of your muscular-skeletal system. Why do you want to prevent something like this if you are receiving massages regularly anyways? Well, who wants to be in pain or discomfort? Also, our bodies work much better if we are using them in a way they are designed to function. With a little teamwork, we can live a bit more smoothly and pain-free.

Black Swan

Multiple clients have been asking me about the diaphragm work done in The Black Swan so I went to see it. Plus, it gave me an excuse to spend the afternoon with my girlfriends. First thing's first, I really enjoyed this movie. Now, back to massage. I do diaphragm work and though my technique is different, there is only one way to get that muscle. It looks painful in the movie, but in reality it isn't so bad. I have always had tight abdominal muscles so I have personally had massage done in this area a lot. It is helpful if you need it. It won't feel great like getting your shoulder worked on, but it will feel fabulous when it is loosened up.

Since my newsletter was about change and how massage assists with change I thought I could tie this in with it. We all have goals, whether they are professional or personal, and we all have obstacles we have to get over along the way. The Black Swan really exemplified how we can all be our own worst enemy and nay-sayer. Many times, our biggest obstacle is ourself.

Massage and My Baby

If you recall, I posted awhile ago that my baby son did not really like my massages. Well, Zack is 10 months and he still prefers my husband. When My husband massages him prior to naps or bedtime, he lies still and relaxes. When I do it, he wriggles and tries to escape. Does he not know I am a professional??

Do I take medication?

I sure do! When times are tough, why not? I do promote going without if possible and I follow that myself. If something hurts, I figure out why. What is the cause? How can I adjust or eradicate the cause to relieve myself of the symptoms? After I figure that out, I usually wait and see how it goes. Most times this is all I need. If I injured myself or I can tell if something is inflamed, I will surely use ice or Biofreeze over taking an anti-inflammatory. If the pain is not going away or I am about to go to a playgroup with 6 infants, then it is time to consult the medicine cabinet.

During allergy season... I certainly will take a decongestant. Do you really want to hear me sniffling throughout your massage??