Chocolate makes you feel good.

Valentine's Day is a couple of weeks away and I am dreaming about chocolate. I don't know about you but I love chocolate. It makes me feel passionate and loving.
Chocolate has long been associated with romance and love and the history of chocolate goes way back to the Aztecs. They believed chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom, incredible energy and elevated sexual power.
Why does chocolate make us feel so good? The reason is because chocolate contains alkaloids the most important of which is theobromine. Theobromine is known to stimulate the kidneys and the central nervous system with similar effects to caffeine.
Another important substance found in chocolate is phenylethylamine, which is part of a group of chemicals known as endorphins, the mood lifting hormones.
Another chemical found in chocolate is seratonin. Seratonin is known for its calming properties.
So now you know why you feel so good when you eat chocolate. It's the presence of these chemicals!
In our next post we'll discuss adding a couples massage for Valentine's Day.

What is Valentine's Day ?

It's Valentine's Day in a few weeks on February 14th and time to get mushy and romantic. Ever wondered how Valentine' Day came about?

Apparently there are a few legends out there. One Roman legend states that Valentine's Day is all Saint Valentine. It's believed that St Valentine was marrying young men and women secretly, despite Emperor Claudius forbidding young men from tying the knot because they were better soldiers than lovers. St Valentine was put to death on February 14th when the Emperor found out.

Another legend suggests that Valentine himself sent the first 'valentine' note to young girl he fell in love with while in prison. The letter spoke of his undying love for the young woman and signed off with 'from your Valentine'.

Some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to mark the anniversary of Valentine's death.

It was around the 17th century that Valentine's Day was celebrated on a mass level, and by the middle of the 18th century small tokens and handwritten gifts were being exchanged between lovers and friends.

It was towards the end of the 18th century that Valentine's Day started to take on a commercial feel, when ready made cards began replacing written letters.

My next post will discuss how couples massage is a great way to celebrate St. Valentine.

Deep breathing for better health.

I touched a little on breathing yesterday but here is some more useful information.
How does deep breathing help you achieve better health? Well first off it can reduce stress. Stressed people have the tendency to take shallow breaths. Next time you find yourself in a stressful situation notice your breathing. You may be in the car stuck in traffic and late for an appointment. Some studies have shown that a fast breathing rate is linked to high blood pressure. To reduce anxiety and relax you do the opposite-breathe slowly. In the same vein of thought it can help to clear and focus your mind. Deep breathing can increase your energy level and helps turn off racing thoughts.
Deep breathing also releases endorphines into the system our bodies’ natural painkillers.
To do deep breathing correctly you want to first breathe in slowly through the nose expanding your stomach and exhale slowly through the nose. Try it sitting or laying down, place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. You will feel your stomach expand and then your chest. It takes a bit of practice so don’t worry if you don’t get it first time. Try the exercises for five minutes first and increase to ten minutes. Once you are comfortable use deep breathing in your daily life. You’ll be surprised how effective deep breathing can be and it can be easily used when you are sitting at your desk, in the car or waiting in line at the grocery store.

Let me know how you get on. Happy breathing.

Stretch to prevent injuries.

Do you stretch after your workout or between exercises? If you don't, you might want to reconsider.
Stretching helps prevent injury and if done correctly, increases flexibility. A flexible muscle is less likely to tear. Additionally, increased flexibility of the neck, shoulders, and upper back may improve respiratory function. I often incorporate deep breathing into sessions with my clients to encourage deep relaxation and to "be present." Sometimes I have to switch gears and loosen the muscles first in the upper body, before we can perform deep breathing.
If the muscles in the hips are tight you are more likely to get Sciatica. Sciatica is the inflammation of the sciatic nerve - the longest widest single nerve in the body and if not treated with ice, stretching and massage, can be a chronic condition.
Stretching also is thought to improve recovery and may enhance athletic performance.
Some tips on stretching.
Stretch only when your muscles are warmed up. It is very important to relax during the stretching routine. It should not be rushed. There are two types of stretching. Static which you can do yourself and PNF stretching which is assisted. Static stretching is where you hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. PNF is specialized and increases flexibility by taking the stretch further.
Ask your massage therapist to include some stretching at the end of your massage. That way you will be relaxed and open. Just remember to breathe.

Massage and body awareness.

Regular massage encourages awareness of the body just as it enhances the body to relax. Body awareness is just what it sounds like, being aware of your body. I often hear this from my clients. “I have muscles I didn't even know I had”. Most of us live "inside" our heads unaware of the body that carries us around. We don’t pay attention to what we put in it or how we treat it. Getting massage forces us to pay more attention to ourselves. We become more aware of the aches and pains that we ignore. When you do one thing that is good for you it snowballs and you want to do more good things for yourself. Massage also helps alleviate workout soreness. It does so by increasing blood flow to muscles and joints and releases natural pain killers found in the body. When pain is decreased, movement is less inhibited, energy levels rise, and there are no more excuses not to keep up with your fitness routine.
Massage encourages us to take better care of ourselves.

Massage & body image.

If you have set your fitness goals for the New Year, I bet body awareness and self image is on your mind. Come on, how often do you think about your body? Are your thoughts positive or negative? Do you stand in front of the mirror and focus on the areas you don't like? Or, do you look in the mirror with conviction and say "Good for you. You have made a decision to take care of your body and invest in your health."
A word of caution, your thoughts affect your emotions and your emotions in turn affect your actions. If your thoughts are negative, they will impact your emotions which will affect your actions.
In other words, if you are thinking you are worthless and will never achieve your wellness goals, you will feel unworthy. If you feel unworthy you will not be motivated to take action to exercise and invest in your health. If you are struggling, consider seeking support from a friend, fitness coach or support group.
So how does massage help you with your body image? If you receive a massage on a regular basis you will experience positive effects on the body AND mind. If your body image is negative your muscles will be tense from the negative mind chatter. Massage helps the muscles to relax therefore releasing negative physical and mental patterns of tension.
Tomorrow I'll discuss body awareness and how massage can help alleviate workout aches and pains.

Investing in your health.

I read an interesting article on retirement this morning.
The piece discussed how to retire successfully and covered investment strategies and living within your means, but it was the last point that really resonated with me. The point was that you will not enjoy your retirement if you are stressed out and unhealthy. Stress management and good health planning is just as important as financial planning.
Who wants to be finally retired but unable to enjoy it due to ill health? Not me.
Set your goals for good health and stress management along with your financial and retirement goals now. Consider a regime for stress management and set up regular massage appointments. Work a monthly massage into your budget to start with.
Remind yourself you are investing in your health if you start to feel guilty about getting massage.
How do you invest in your health?

Want to sleep better?

I just received a call from a client who is having trouble sleeping.
It turns out she is not alone. Statistics show about 75% of adult Americans share her problem. We discussed how she typically spends the couple of hours preceding her bedtime. After some discussion I gave her these suggestions on how to get a good night's sleep.
As sleep patterns are determined by patterns of light and dark, imitate dusk by dimming the lights in your living room one to two hours before bedtime.
Do not drink coffee or depressants like alcohol, as they interfere with normal sleep patterns.
Exercise on a regular basis.
Avoid watching violent TV.
Make your bedroom as peaceful as possible in a quiet location away from your home office. If you have a computer in the bedroom, cover it up with a heavy drape.
Make sure the window coverings are heavy enough to block out light.
Block out the light from alarm clocks and night lights.
Keep your bedroom at a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Head to bed as soon as you start to feel drowsy.

My client scheduled a massage in her lunchtime so she could catch up on her sleep but realized she needs to adjust her habits.
If you have any tips that you find useful please share them with us.

Holidays left you feeling tired?

Let’s face it, the holidays take it out of us don't they? So now the holidays are over, it's time to recharge and set a healthy tone for the year ahead.
If you've already set your resolutions or intentions for the New Year, do yourself a favor and schedule a massage this month. A relaxing one hour massage can be as effective as taking a 3 hour nap and it helps you sleep better!

If you know someone else who could use a massage, gift them with one. If you received a massage gift certificate for the holidays, use it now. Don't wait for a special occasion. Today is special. Better yet, as soon as you use your gift certificate it will give someone an opportunity to purchase you another one!

Are you one of those people with a spa gift certificate in a drawer somewhere?

Happy New Year. Feeling hungover?

Happy New Year.
It's Jan 1st 2010. How are you feeling after your New Year Eve party? If you forgot to drink lots of water before passing out last night, you may well be be suffering with hangover this morning.
I am feeling a little under the weather myself and although I could quite easily stay under the covers I am determined to shake this hangover off.
There are many hangover remedies out there ranging from taking a couple of Tylenol to pouring another drink known as Hair of the dog. That being said here's some healthier advice.
First drink some water. A hangover is caused by the ethanol in alcohol. It dehydrates you and gives you a headache. It’s best to avoid a hangover by drinking lots of water when drinking alcohol, but if it’s too late some drink some right now.

Second exercise will help get rid of your hangover by helping the body rid itself of toxins. The increased circulation gets blood and oxygen to your oxygen-starved brain.
Even though you might not feel like it take a good, brisk walk outside in the fresh air.

Last massage your headaches away. Here's how.
Use the forefinger and thumb of one hand to pinch the skin between the forefinger and thumb of the other hand close to the finger base. Pinch it for about a minute with moderate pressure. Switch hands and do the same.

If you have some other healthy remedies let us know.
All the best for 2010.