In a 1996 study, fibromyalgia sufferers reported a 38% decrease in pain symptoms after receiving just ten, 30 minute massage sessions. Which compared to commonly prescribed Lyrica…
Side effects of Lyrica from Lyrica’s website:
LYRICA may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. LYRICA may cause swelling of your hands, legs and feet, which can be serious for people with heart problems. :(
LYRICA may cause dizziness and sleepiness. blurry vision, weight gain, sleepiness, trouble concentrating, swelling of your hands and feet, dry mouth. :(
Side effects of massage? Better sleeping, calming the nervous system, reduced pain, mood lifting chemicals released, increased circulation. Aaaahhh :))
Some of my favorite classes in massage school were ones in which we learned ways to take care of
ourselves. We learned yoga, chi gong and self myofascial release. We played around with different
stretches you can do on an exercise ball and we worked out kinks in those hard to reach places
with foam rollers, which you've probably seen at your local gym. We also tried out Chinese health balls,
learned about paraffin wax treatments and played around with massage tools that you can use on
yourself.
There's something empowering about self-care, whatever method you choose. Besides feeling better afterward,
it feels good to know you have the power in your own hands to help yourself. Self-care is not
limited to stretches and exercise. Maybe it's sitting down with a cup of tea and being still for awhile
after a hectic day. Maybe it's going for an early morning walk when the world is still calm.
As massage therapists, we can teach you various stretches and exercises for
specific problem areas. It's good to get regular massages, but you'll be helping yourself if you
learn tools you can access at anytime.
Whatever you do, make sure you take some time each day to take care of YOU!
A Strong Core
I am obsessed with Pilates lately. A few weeks ago a friend of mine talked me into going to a class with her and I was immediately hooked.
Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps build flexibility and long, lean muscles. (Who doesn’t want that?) Pilates strengthens and builds endurance in the legs, abdominals, arms, hips, and back. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment and breathing to relieve stress and allow adequate oxygen flow to muscles. PIlates helps to develop a strong core or center (tones abdominals while strengthening the back), and improves coordination and balance.
A strong core helps to alleviate and prevent back pain. Many people think that the core is just the abdominals. But in fact, the core includes the shoulders, glutes, hips and hip flexors. PIlates works all these muscle groups in a structured fashion. PIlates creator, Joseph Pilates, also used the term “controlology” to describe his exercise method and that is because Pilates takes much control. Control through concentration is key to perform the exercises properly.
This control and concentration is exactly why I am hooked. I find that when I’m practicing PIlates, I become more aware of the area of my body that need to be strengthened or stretched. And this information is key when it comes time for my next massage.
I encourage you to look into the Pilates method of core stregthening. Not only will it help you get stronger, more flexible and longer, it will also help you become more aware of you own body. Sharing this information with your massage therapist will help her zero in on the areas you feel need more work in the massage session; thus guiding you to the very best you can be.
Everywhere you go, it seems like everyone's eyes are glued to their smartphones. Whether they're alone or with a group, people seem to give their phones more attention these days then the people they're with. We all know how important human communication is, but we're not talking about communication via Twitter or Facebook! While smartphones and social media certainly serve a purpose and connect people who might not otherwise communicate, they also seem to be drawing us further apart.
With that lack of communication, often comes a lack of human touch as well. If we're busy on our phones playing Angry Birds or checking our Facebook status, we're not truly present for the people we're with. And when we're not present, we might not be tuned in enough to reach out and give that person a hug or give them the much-needed eye contact they may need.
You often hear about how important touch is, and there have been studies done on the subject. We know that infants are much better off when they're nurtured and lovingly touched, and we see the negative effects in animals when they're separated from their mothers. Studies have also shown that people often cope better when given regular massage after the death of a loved one. Touch soothes our nerves and keeps us connected.
Touch and communication may very well be lacking in society today. So if you're feeling down, why not ask a loved one for a hug or schedule a massage. If we notice a friend is sad, why not reach out and touch their hand or give a stranger on the street a genuine smile. It might just do wonders!
"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
Maya Angelou
To contact Jennifer: jennifer@therapeuticconnections.com
It’s that time of year when many people either start their new year’s resolutions or set goals for the year. Did you have any for last year? Did you fulfill them? Or, were they good intentions that started off with enthusiasm, and then as life got busy slightly fell to the wayside? If that’s you, don’t feel bad, you’re not alone! Changing new habits, or creating the version of you that you desire takes some work and commitment, but it’s not impossible. Especially, if you have a plan. One thing that has been a huge help for me in my life in setting and achieving my goals is journaling. Writing them out has always seemed to help solidify ideas into a concrete plan of action. According to John and Patrice Robson authors of the website, www.higherawareness.com,
“We get a deeper sense of who we are when we can study our thoughts and feelings on paper. With journaling, we can work with the vast resources of our subconscious minds, indirectly retrieving information that is not normally available to us. It also helps us intentionally anchor new ideas into the subconscious.
It takes work to both retrieve and permanently change the information that lies there, so we can get rid of an old habit or go to a new level in performance or growth. From my experience we must do 4 to 6 different things around one focus to create enough tension in our subconscious to shift its programming in that area.
We can use 4 to 6 different journaling tools to address the same topic. This creates more perspectives, dimensions, tension and intensity to bring change.
Are you starting to grasp the control, momentum, synergy and big picture thinking that’s possible when we get things out of our minds and onto paper?
Journaling with intention and purpose has more uses and benefits than any other tools I know. It can truly help us make sense of our world.”
Another tip is to give yourself a timeline that’s realistic. Do you want to lose a few pounds (or hopefully just adopt a healthier eating plan)? Set a goal that in a certain amount of time such as 4 wks you will have lost 4 – 6 pounds. And in 6 months maybe it’s 25 to 30 pounds and reassess when you get there. Don’t berate yourself for not achieving it completely.
Maybe you would like to make more money this year or spend more quality time with your family… or do more things to take care of yourself (like those monthly massages you said you wanted to keep up with:), what steps or actions do you need to take to achieve this? Write it down! :) I’ve also found that it’s always gratifying to look back in older journal entries from prior years to look at what goals or ideas I had in the past and see whether you they were achieved or maybe they just modified a little to accommodate your life as you grow and evolve. Because isn’t that what life is about… learning, and growing, never being static? I think so!
Happy writing! :)
Sitting still for long stretches of time—at work, in the car, or at home—increases your cancer risk, even if you exercise regularly, WebMD.com reports. New research shows that as many as 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer could be prevented in the U.S. each year if people simply stood up more often. “It seems highly likely that the longer you sit, the higher your risk,” says Neville Owen, a researcher at Australia’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, but “even breaks as short as one minute” can lower it. The research supports a previous 14-year study that found that six hours of sitting a day increased a woman’s odds of dying in that period by 37 percent, and a man’s by 18 percent, compared with people who sat for half that time. Adults today are immobile for more than nine hours a day on average. Even if you hit the gym, the American Institute of Cancer Research now says, it’s crucial that you get up and move at least once an hour—by pacing during phone calls, visiting the water cooler, or going to talk to a colleague in person, instead of sending an email.
– The Week Vol. 11 Iss. 542
The Holidays are upon us! Hopefully you are feeling prepared and ready, and haven’t lost too much of your sanity in the meantime! Between figuring out what to get whom, where to get it at, party and food planning, dealing with family dynamics, it can really be stressful.
Here are some tips and ways to bring some calm into your days ahead:
1. Drink chamomile tea which can relax you, or green tea high in healthy antioxidants.
2. Take deep diaphragmatic breaths. Deep breathing oxygenates your blood, helps center your body, and clears your mind.
3. Get a full body relaxation massage! If you normally opt for the deep tissue, this will be a special treat! It will release special hormones to help induce calm and even better sleep.
4. Get some exercise. Even if it’s just for a minute! It will also release hormones for rest and plus you just will feel better about yourself.
5. Listen to music. Choose classical, or even massage type music. It will take you to remembering your zen-like place at your last massage.
6. Call a friend. A reassuring voice and ear to listen to can often make the stress seem so much less.
7. Eat healthily. Poor diet and high stress levels are closely related. Stay away from execcisve sugars and fats. Instead reach for more fruits, veggies and good fats rich in Omega-3 such as flax seed oil and fish.
8. Laugh! Laughing tricks our nervous system into making us happy. So pick a good comedy movie, and laugh a little!
9. Rest well. Lack of sleep can cause stress. Get the doctor’s recommended 7-8 hours of sleep for your body and mind to renew and restore itself.
10. Be in the moment. Rather than worrying about what is ahead or what has already happened, by staying present and in the moment will keep you grounded and at peace with yourself. Yoga and meditation are great ways to practice this.
I came upon this quote recently, and it really struck a chord. How many times do you find yourself saying things like "my diet starts tomorrow, so I'll pig out tonight" or "I'll start working out again after the holidays"? I catch myself doing this kind of thing constantly. It's so easy to put things off until we're ready. Whether it's taking better care of ourselves or working on things like patience or forgiveness, we all have a tendency to put things off, which essentially means they're low on our priority list. Why not make changes starting today, right this very minute? This can also apply to treating ourselves. If we wait until we have more time or money to get that much-needed massage or take that weekend getaway, it'll never happen. This is a wonderful time of year to focus inward and start doing the things on our "tomorrow" list today! - Jennifer is a new massage therapist a Jennifer@therapeuticconnections.com
About a year or so ago Julie and I were doing a trade and she was talking about this banana bread she made the day before to take to a family party. Me being the sweet tooth I am, and my love of banana bread, I demanded the recipe. And now, it has become a staple in my house of desert and yummy treats in lunchboxes. I hide it from my kids. Hoard it from my husband. And love every last bite of it.
I love the peanut butter the most in in this recipe. The addition of it makes the bread super moist and chewy. I guarantee it will turn out like nothing you have baked before. The only problem with it is that you might want to eat the whole loaf!
I also add some chocolate chips to the batter and then sprinkle some more on top once I remove it from the pan. What can beat bananas and chocolate?
We’ll have plenty of this yummy banana bread to sample at our holiday open house on December 10 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. We will be collecting toys for Toys for Tots and we'll have some yummy healthy snacks (banana are healthy!) and beverages. Come on by and say hi! Toys should be unwrapped, no stuffed animals or violent toys (play guns, swords, etc)
Here is the recipe if you just can’t wait until the 10th to try it:
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
3 ripe smashed bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
3 Tbl (+) softened peanut butter (sorry to say I haven’t had much luck with the natural peanut butters in baking. Skippy or a similar scary peanut butter works best)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
optional - some chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350*. Mix bananas, PB, melted butter by hand or a hand mixer on low.
Mix in sugars, egg, vanilla. Sprinkle baking soda, salt and spices. Then mix.
Fold in flour about 1/2 cup at a time.
Pour batter into buttered loaf pan and bake for about an hour. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pan. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack.
|
RSS Feed