If you like it, do it! - November 9, 2009

Getting in shape just because “it’s good for you” can be a potentially boring proposition.On the other hand, embarking on an exercise program with a concrete, enjoyable goal is an entirely different matter. Hike a canyon or a mountain trail; book a raft trip or a biking tour; take the family snorkeling or to a beach where volleyball is a big draw. Do the active things you love and the fitness will come naturally.

Pain is a Sign - Your Body is Telling you Something!

Let’s face it, we live in a high stress culture that has constant demands.  Pursuing a career, family life, house chores, holidays, vacation planning the list can go on forever.  Eventually we start to experience headaches, tension and pains throughout our body.  The pain is an indicator or “sign” that something is wrong and the problem wont go away until we take direct action to resolve it.  The pain could leave for a few days or weeks but eventually it returns and keeps nagging us to get help.

Here are a couple of interesting statistics that even surprised us when we researched the numbers.

- 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints.

- Over 50% of lost workdays are stress related which keeps about 1 million people per day from attending work.

- Health care expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress.

Reducing your stress will improve your health.  A balanced lifestyle is important to creating and maintaining your health. Are you ignoring your aches and pains hoping they will go away?  Have you taken some time for yourself to quiet the mind and relax the soul?  Listen to your body and get help reducing your stress today.

Making the Most of Your Massage

How to Prolong the Benefits of Bodywork
by Barbara Hey

A massage works in wonderful ways, easing stress and pain, calming the nervous system, increasing circulation, loosening tight muscles, stimulating internal organs, and enhancing skin. The multiplicity of physiological responses sends a simple, clear message to the mind: Massage feels good. Of course, you want to hold on to that just-had-a-massage feeling — total body relaxation, muscles relaxed and at ease, and fluid movement restored — for as long as possible.

But how long that bliss lasts depends on the state of your body. If you’re suffering from chronic pain or recovering from injury, then it may take more sessions to restore yourself back to health.

If massage is part of your regular health regimen, then it’s more likely the effects will endure. In other words, the effects of massage are cumulative, like any healthy habit. The more often you get a massage, the greater and longer-lasting the benefits.

Massage Frequency
How often you receive massage depends on why you’re seeking massage. In dealing with the general tension of everyday commutes, computer work, and time demands, a monthly massage may be enough to sustain you. On the other hand, if you’re seeking massage for chronic pain, you may need regular treatments every week or two. Or if you’re addressing an acute injury or dealing with high levels of stress, you may need more frequent sessions. Your situation will dictate the optimum time between treatments, and your practitioner will work with you to determine the best course of action.

“You need to consider how you felt before the session and how you felt after, and then look at how long you maintain that,” says Pieter Sommen, the chair of the eastern department in the Swedish Institute School of Massage Therapy in New York.   In general, experts say “regular” is preferable, but how regular depends on your situation. While daily massage would be delightful, practical considerations such as cost, time, and physical need likely determine the frequency of treatments. “It’s best to maintain a schedule,” says Eeris Kallil, CMT, a shiatsu instructor at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in Colorado. “That way the body becomes conditioned and prepared for session at specific intervals.”  

Maintenance
Whether you get a massage weekly, monthly, or just every once in a while, the following habits can maximize and extend the afterglow of treatment. 

Water
One bit of advice you’ll hear over and over again is to drink plenty of water after a massage. Bodywork — no matter the particular modality — releases toxins, such as lactic acid and carbonic acid, that need to be flushed from the body. Massage also promotes circulation, increasing blood flow and oxygen and stimulating the lymphatic system, which helps rid the body of pathogens. After-massage hydration supports these functions, helping to eliminate released impurities, sooner rather than later. 

Stretching
Another helpful habit is stretching between massages to maintain joint mobility, prevent muscles from tightening up again, and keeping the life energy flowing. This may mean doing yoga or whatever specific or full-body stretches suggested by your practitioner. After your massage session, for example, your practitioner may recommend self stretches, designed to keep your energy flowing. “This series of stretches could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes a day, but really help keep the energy flowing through the body,” says Kallil.

Exercise
Working out can also help maintain the benefits of massage, and this habit should be continually cultivated. However, if you’re receiving massage therapy to help speed muscle strain recovery, you may need to ease up on the exercise for a while and give the body time to heal — particularly if you’re recovering from a strenuous body-pummeling training regimen. “You don’t want to over-work your body,” says Kallil. That is, if running is taking a toll, try something more gentle and meditative such as swimming, walking, or tai chi.  

Body Awareness
After a massage, respect how your body feels. If your body seems to ask for rest, give in to that demand. This may mean backing off the to-do list, taking it easy, moving slower, and perhaps doing less for a while. And don’t allow yourself to get fatigued because it will undermine the effects of massage. Get sufficient sleep to allow the body to absorb the effects and regain vitality. 

Diet
Finally, since you’ve just rid the body of toxins, support the body’s renewed state by adhering to a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which will continue the detoxification process. Lay off the espresso and all adrenaline-challenges for a time — which would short-circuit relaxation anyway — and enjoy the calm. The benefits of massage are many, including: increasing circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, stimulating lymph flow and boosting immunity, relaxing overused or tight muscles, increasing joint mobility and range of motion, reducing recovery time after strenuous workouts or surgery, and relieving back pain and migraines, just to name a few.

Walk This Way – October 19, 2009

In 1900, the average adult walked seven miles (or two-and-a-half hours) per day. Fast forward to 2009, and try to remember the last time you walked for two-plus hours.

Pick up the pace with four daily 15-minute walks one early in the morning and one after each meal at a moderate pace. Mall walking or shopping does count, as long as you continue at a regular pace.

An Apple a Day - June 29, 2009

Okay, maybe it won’t keep the doctor away, but it won’t hurt either. Apples are delicious, fun to crunch, low in calories, and chock-full of blood-lipid-clearing and good-digestion-promoting fiber.

And to top it all off, they’re portable. Take one with you and you’ll have something good to snack on, wherever you go.

13 Signs of Burnout and How To Help You Avoid It

By Henry Neils 

In some ways it was a typical breakfast meeting. The waitress was pleasant, the eggs were average, and the restaurant was full of busy people. We shared a cup of black, coffee-like substance, and the first few times my client took a sip he managed to spill quite a bit of it. His trembling hand was just one of the symptoms of his burnout. That’s why we were meeting. He wanted to know if I could help him.

I picked up a fork and explained that as long as I used it for eating, the fork would last indefinitely. However, if I began to use it to drive nails or dig trenches, it would soon break. The key was to use it for what it was designed to do.

The look in his eyes told me he got it, but I still went on to say that people are like the fork. When they do what they are not designed to do, they eventually break.

Sure enough, his MAPP showed that he was designed to work on projects where there was a definite goal. He derived immense satisfaction from reaching goals. He also needed to work by himself about half the time. He was a scientist and enjoyed lab time, doing calculations, and interpreting test results.

What his job required on a day-to-day basis was another story. His primary task was to supervise a dozen people and maintain operations. No goals. No projects. No time alone. Consequently, his job was sucking the life out of him.

Much credit for his recovery goes to his boss who was willing to change the job content to fit the design of a valuable employee.

So how do you know if you, a loved one, or someone who reports to you is suffering from burnout? Here are the early warning signs.

1.       Chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down 

2.       Anger at those making demands

3.       Self-criticism for putting up with the demands

4.       Cynicism, negativity, and irritability

5.       A sense of being besieged

6.       Exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things

7.       Frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances

8.       Weight loss or gain

9.       Sleeplessness and depression

10.     Shortness of breath

11.     Suspiciousness

12.     Feelings of helplessness

13.     Increased degree of risk taking

Fight burnout. Do what you were designed to do. If you (or you know someone who does) fit this description have him/her take the MAPP Assessment.

Take a close look at what is said about you in your MAPP, and what you are naturally motivated toward with regard to your work. Sometimes a simple change at work can help you avoid many (if not all) of the early warning signs of Burnout. Regular massage will help you, your loved ones and your co-workers stay fit, energized, and ready to tackle that next challenge.