Massage-Getting your monies' worth?

If you want your massage therapist to save time to massage areas like face, hands and feet as well as your aching back please let her know. She is not a mind reader and let her know before the session. If you still need the hour for your larger muscle groups you can tag on some extra time to your hour, say 10- 20 minutes. Have you left the massage table feeling disappointed? We welcome your comments.

Is touch important to you?

How important is touch to you? I am hoping your response is that touch is important but with more of us working in technology or alone in our home offices, I am afraid we have lost the sense that touch IS important. This saddens me as we all need touch. There are many studies confirming the positive effects of touch and here’s one.
Librarians were instructed alternately to touch and not touch the hands of students as they handed back their library cards. Then the students were interviewed. Those who had been touched reported far greater positive feelings about themselves, the library, and the librarians than those who had not been touched. This occurred even though the touch was fleeting and the students didn't even remember it!

If you do work alone, ask yourself how often you come into contact with other human beings? What is the typical relationship you have with that other human being? Is it a business or intimate relationship? If it's a business relationship when did you last give someone a hug?

How often should I have a massage?

How often should you get a massage? One a week, twice a month, once a month? Unfortunately this is oftentimes governed by your pocket book. Ask yourself why you scheduled your massage in the first place. Was it for relaxation or for a specific problem? If it was for relaxation there are additional ways to maintain a stress free body in between massage sessions so you can most likely schedule once or twice a month. However if you booked a massage for an injury or a pinched nerve have a discussion with your massage therapist. They will recommend when to schedule your next session. Ask your massage therapist if they would give you a discount if your purchase a series of massage sessions.
The benefits of massage are cumulative so don't expect miracles in one session. I remind my clients that if they want to get into shape they wouldn't expect to achieve their fitness goals in one session or if they visited the gym only once a month. Finally ask your massage therapist what you can be doing to help your body in between massage sessions.

Massage helps with body image.

Is body awareness and self image on your mind? 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/schedule a massage and invest in your health. If you are struggling, consider seeking support.

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.

Regular massage encourages awareness of the body

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 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 with workout soreness by flushing out toxins. Massage encourages us to take better care of ourselves.

Clear your mind before your massage session.

"Am I being rude if I don't talk to the massage therapist during my massage?" Absolutely not! A good massage therapist is focused on undoing your knots and kinks. Not chatting to you. If you have any health problems or concerns that could be affected by the massage or spa treatment, let us know prior to your session to help clear the air Your massage therapist will talk to you during your session to check that the pressure is comfortable. To help you empty your mind and decompress we encourage you to breathe deeply so your mind focuses on the breath and not your thoughts. If your mind starts wandering, bring the focus back to your breath.
Ultimately it is your session so if you really do want to talk, avoid negative subjects. I have actually noticed some client’s hands clench during a session and it turns out they were thinking about something negative! Now that defeats the purpose of your massage doesn't it?

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.

Schedule a massage and lower your stress.

81% of Americans are as stressed or more stressed than they were a year ago, according to a survey sponsored by Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.
Massage reduces stress and anxiety by lowering the stress hormone cortisol by up to 53%.
If you are not giving yourself a break at the weekend or pulling in 10 hour days take a half day off and schedule a massage. We are available 9am - 9pm, 7 days a week. Try it, you''ll come back a new person.

You can enjoy a spa experience at home .

You’d be surprised how easy it is to turn a spare room or a corner of your living room into a spa. New clients always ask me. “I want to get a massage or spa service in my home. How much space do you need?" If your spare room is full of boxes stack them in a closet. Now that's done let’s start with the massage table. A massage table is about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide. More importantly we need walking room around the table so if you can allow for at least a couple of feet around the table, we’re in business. Is there a window in your spare room? If so, make sure you can block light out with a blind or drapes. If other family members are home, make sure they know you are going to get a massage so they don’t disturb you. If you are home alone, turn your home phone and mobile off. Select some relaxing music, candles and we'll do the rest.
Is there anything you do in preparation for a massage? If we'd love to know.