Anyone for a good "shmeissing"

I'm a long time fan of James Cracknell. Watching him and his team win the Olympic Gold reduced me to floods of tears. I also recently enjoyed watching "On Thin Ice" which was about his team racing to the South Pole. Besides seeing him in all his resplendent glory doing what bears usually do in the woods - on ice, I particularly liked the fact that he allowed himself to be portrayed in a less than flattering light. Even though he comes across as arrogant, stubborn and dangerously driven it gives an insight into the personality traits an olympian medallist probably has to have.

Anyway......I digress.......... he writes a column for the The Daily Telegraph and this week he wrote about a massage technique which he tried out called "shmeissing". This is a yiddish word for "beating" ..... I think you can work out the rest.

Read the article in full HERE

It's a real shame that James doesn't actually say how he felt after the treatment.

P.S I also found this article where the writer says the following:

"I am not a man lightly given to admitting to good health, yet so absolute are the relaxing, energising and stressbusting qualities of the shmeiss that even I emerge from a session with Big Lee feeling gleamingly clean (you wouldn't believe the gunk that emerges from a human back) and bereft of medical complaint".

Breathe Into Your Massage

To truly get the most out of a massage, it can take a bit of focus and mindfulness on the part of the client. Some people find it difficult to relax and let go and feel compelled to fill the silence of a massage with chatter. Obviously, some communication is welcome but constant chatter during a massage can actually work against the relaxation process.

In our busy world, with constant noise and stimulation it can be very relaxing to just enjoy the silence, breathe and connect with your body.

Next time you have a massage consider the following:

* As you settle onto the table, even before your therapist enters the room, feel the weight of your body on the table. Allow yourself to be supported by the table and begin to notice your breath.

* Feel your breath moving of its own accord. Where is it most noticeable? Where could it express more? Invite your breath to move into the spaces that feel less full (without effort ... just invite).

* When your therapist starts working, notice the pressure and rhythm. While maintaining a comfortable rhythm in your own breathing, notice when she lets up on her pressure and breathe in. When she applies pressure, breathe out.

* If your practitioner comes to a tender area, pay special attention to your breath. Work with the tenderness on the exhale, imagining that you're breathing out the pain.

* As your therapist works on different areas, imagine your breath moving there to meet her. Send your breath wherever she is working. Let her work on the outside, you work on the inside.

* Notice the changes as the massage progresses. Notice your thought patterns. Notice your comfort level. Notice your stress (and how it melts) as you send breath to the various areas of your body.

* When your session is complete and you sit up, notice how your breath feels. What do you notice about your body, the room, the light?

Click HERE to find out more about how breathe can transform your massage experience.

Stretch and Relax Pt. 1

Many of my clients complain of an achey lower back at the end of the day. So I've devised this lovely, relaxing stretching routine which is great to do in the evening. You can even watch TV while doing it - so no excuses!

Pelvic Rotations

Lie flat on the floor and stretch your feet and arms away from you – making yourself as long a possible.

Hug your knees into your chest and very slowly make small clockwise circles with your knees – as you start to warm up you can make the movements larger and larger, thereby massaging more of the pelvis and lower back.

Repeat anti-clockwise.

Repeat 10-20 rotations each side

Stretch and Relax Pt. 2

Lying down twist

Lie flat on the floor and stretch your feet and arms away from you – making yourself as long a possible.

Draw your knees up to your chest.

Moves knees over to one side – working towards having the lower knee touching the floor.

NB: both shoulders to remain on the floor at all times.

If lower leg doesn’t touch the floor encourage it to do so by placing your hand on the upper knee .

BREATHE DEEPLY AND ON THE OUT BREATHE ENCOURAGE THE KNEE TO THE FLOOR.

IF THE KNEE REACHES THE FLOOR EASILY THEN TRY PULLING THE LEGS FURTHER UP TOWARDS THE CHEST.

Once you have reached your maximum position hold and breath for 20-30 seconds.

Repeat at least twice each side. On the second repitition you will go much further.

Stretch & Relax Pt. 3

Relax your spine using a chair

This stretch works wonder for the lower back and at the same time relaxes the muscles either side of the spine.

Best of all, you don't actually have to do anything.

Make sure the chair is snugly in the crook of your knees and that your lower legs form a 90° angle.

Even better than a pillow, is to get a telephone book and lie with your head on that. Make sure your chin is tucked into the chest, thereby de-compressing the vertebrae in your neck.

Lie in this position for at least 10 minutes – ideally 20 minutes

More people turn to massage to manage stress

There's a saying which goes "where the U.S goes, the world will follow".

Since the global financial crisis got into full swing, management at the U.S website "Spafinder" noticed that weekly traffic to it's "stress management" category has doubled. When the economy was good, booking a massage was largely about pampering yourself, however, it's now seen as an investment of sorts, in well-being.

To quote from The New York Times online: "People are giving up on gold and caviar facials and honing in on core stress busters like therapeutic massage, especially if the price is right"

So just what makes massage such a great stress buster:

• Our skin is full of many millions of nerve receptors that are linked to our nervous system.
  


• When the skin is massaged it causes stimulation and release of chemicals in the brain
  it increases dopamine and serotonin [feel good chemicals] and reduces the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
  


• It increases the relaxation alpha brain waves and also increases pain relieving levels of endorphins.
  


• on the massage table there's no mobile phone/blackberry beckoning for your attention.
  

What's particularly fantastic about a treatment at home, is that you don't have to get up and make your way home. Your toughest decision is whether to take a bubble bath, curl up on the sofa or take a nap. Oooh life can be tough sometimes ...........

What is holistic massage about?

Many clients wonder what the term "holistic" massage means. A good explanation is as follows:

The word holistic means 'whole' (it has Greek roots for those interested in the Etymology!). So this form of massage deals with you as a 'whole'. Like other therapies, it is not just looking to treat the symptoms, but to establish the cause, whether it be internal or external. The aim is to rebalance the body so it achieves homeostasis or balance. The training for the therapist is quite extensive, as it not only covers massage, but also anatomy and physiology, nutrition and general health. The therapist's consultation form will include questions regarding lifestyle, medical history, exercise and diet to form a "holistic" picture of the client.

Usually holistic massage techniques are performed with light to medium pressure and the pace of the massage is slower. Unlike sports massage techniques which generally start off with light to medium pressure and then use deep tissue massage techniques to get to the root of the muscular problem. A sports massage therapist may move you into many different positions to achieve this - thereby making the massage more results focussed and less about treating mind, body and soul. That's not to say your tight muscles won't get ironed out in a holistic massage - however, the aim and intention of holistic massage is to treat the mind, body, heart and soul.

Don't get put off and think the therapist will be wearing tie-dyed clothing, smell of patchouli, burn incense and play whale music. [I do none of that by the way]. Holistic massage will treat "all of you" without you making any conscious effort.

I found the following article in Positive Health Magazine, which not only explains very well what holistic massage is about but also how you can practise it at home for yourself.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Nearly everyone is familiar with the word "ergonomics" and most people will swear blind that their desk is set up correctly and they do their best to sit with good posture ........ but is this really true?

Your desk set-up may well be an ergonomic paradise but if you sit at your desk for long periods of time without getting up your muscles start to tense up. Throw into the mix deadlines, stress and no lunchbreak and very soon your head is doing a brilliant imitation of a tortoise and your shoulders have become earrings.

Ergonomics are indeed important but only part of the solution. The most important thing to remember is to take regular breaks. Get up and walk around at least every half hour. Ask yourself as often as you can "are my shoulders relaxed" and "is my head floating on top of my spine" ?

It's said that it takes between 21 and 30 days for behaviourial changes to become a habit. Good posture has such far reaching physical and mental effects that a little hard work now will pay out big rewards.

Read this article about 8 Reasons To Have Good Posture - you'll be surprised to learn how posture affects your breathing, digestion, mood and even your voice.

If you are aware that you have long standing areas of muscular tension then regular massage is a great way to address the problem, in tandem with postural correction and stretching exercises.

If you only do one stretch this week, do this one

This week it's not even a stretch. You've got it easy, it's an active rest. A contradiction in terms I hear you say - well, give it a try, your back will want to kiss you for it.

Undo a day's tension by spending 20 minutes every day in the 'active resting' position. Lie on your back on a carpeted floor, with your feet on the floor and knees bent pointing upwards towards the ceiling, to free up your lower back. Support your head on some books, so that your head isn't tilted back, but not so much that your chin is at your chest. This position will help release tension, particularly in the spine, and give immediate benefit.

Another option is to lie with your legs on a chair [as above]. However, unlike the picture, make sure you have a book or folded towel under your head.

These stretches are ideal to do when you get home from work, before you start to do all those evening chores.

If you only do one stretch this week - do this one one

This week I'm focussing on a rather beleagured, overworked muscle which affects the entire spine, the base of the neck and the buttocks.  It's an area which is tight and overworked in many of my clients.  Especially people who spend a lot of time writing or sitting at a computer.

Let me introduce the erector spinae muscle group.  This group of muscles runs either side of the spine and is responsible for keeping the spine upright and assists in good posture.  It's main job is to extend the spinal column.  To give you an idea of what extension means - if  exaggerated you would be in a back bend.  

Think about your posture at a desk or computer - invariably it's in a forward hunched or flexed position.  In effect the erector spinae muscle group is being asked to spend hours in a position which it wasn't designed for .  Over time these muscles become used to being in "unnatural" position and become tight in a lengthened state.

One way to stretch this muscle group is shown above.  It's quick and easy to do and can be done at your desk.

One step further:  stretching a muscle will provide temporary relief, however to restore correct muscle length and function, strengthening the muscle is vital.  This can be done by doing deadlift strengthening exercises using a barbell and light weights.  

It's 01 December - advents calendars ahoy? lights a glowing?

My partner Anthony just loves Christmas. I woke up this morning to him inserting choccies into our felt advent calendars. He still has his from childhood. Yes, two adults with their very own advent calendars and not a child in sight. Now as regular readers will know, I'm not all that hot on Christmas but I do get pleasure out of watching the twinkling lights and yes, they're going up tomorrow.

I found this article on MassageTherapy.com on how to "survive" Christmas. Quite bizarre isn't it, in this privileged society with rabid consumer spending and over indulgence, we deign to use the word survive. For heavens sake, talk to people in Africa or Iraq or Afghanistan about survival. Anyway, I won't go into a rant and I acknowledge that stress comes in many different guises and my last Christmas is testament to that. I've amended the terminology slightly to suit the U.K [ my amdendments are in italics]

So, here's some tips on how to take the Festive period in your stride [I'm avoiding the S word]:

1.Take time for yourself. YES, get a massage. Soak in a mineral bath. Listen to the silence of a snowfall [or in our case the dull, grey fog]. Even if there seems no possible moment you can claim as your own, close your eyes, breathe deep from your belly several times, exhaling the air loudly from your mouth. Do this whenever you need a "moment."

2. Utilise catalog/online shopping. Don't fight the crowds. From the convenience of your home or during an office lunch hour, catalog and online shopping can eliminate the headache of holiday stress tenfold.

3. Eat right. Some of the best goodies come out this time of year. While you shouldn't deny yourself the opportunity to have a piece of grandma's christmas pudding, don't overdo it. Remember to eat plenty of veggies and fruits to help stave off the winter's bombardment of colds.

4. Give yourself the advantage. Consumption of alcohol, nicotine, drugs and caffeine elicit the body's stress reaction. Remember moderation, you'll be happier and calmer in the long run.

5. Don't skimp on the exercise...but allow yourself to be excused from the routine when need be. Exercise helps melt the stress away and can provide that moment of clarity in a hectic day.

6. Don't try to be Delia Smith. It's easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holidays with new decorating ideas, fancy dinners and the whim to make all your gifts this year. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Don't set yourself up for failure. If you can afford to, and sanity is priceless after all, use Mark and Spencer or Waitrose's catering service. Have friends help by having a craft day. Forgo making gifts, or panic buying, and give a gift you'll know they'll appreciate -- a massage.

7. Remember the spirit. When it's all said and done, no one will remember that the turkey was a little dry, the roast potatoes were soggy and that the sweater didn't fit, . What do they remember? The precious moments with family and friends.

Massage Yourself Better - At Your Desk

Ever found yourself slumped over your computer at lunchtime, aimlessly surfing the web? Tsk, Tsk! you should be getting up from your desk and going for a walk in the fresh air and natural light. However, should it be raining or snowing or you're bored senseless with the streets around you office, you could do a lot worse than give yourself a 5 minute massage.

I've found this great 5 minute video which is easy to do:

Self-massage at your desk.

Free Workout Podcasts

Can't be bothered going to the gym or joining a gym, or going to the gym you already joined? Then this might be for you.

Now you can have a "virtual" personal trainer and do a workout at home or on the road. I've found two workout podcast sites that offer free video downloads.

YOGAamazing brings the class to you. Download the sessions and watch them on your computer or video MP3 player. Each 15 - 20 minute workout has a specific focus, like relaxation, balancing, poses for the shoulders etc.

Podcastgo offers both yoga and strengthening and toning workouts.

Finding excuses not to exercise are getting harder and harder. Now...... if only motivation could be downloaded!

Lunch Project

The cows were all having a siesta, the sheep were suspicious and uncooperative and the swans were swanning around on the very far side of the pond. Therefore my photos are all of inanimate objects this time. I'll have to stalk the animals on a daily basis to shoot them at their best.

In the absence of the big boys I found myself looking elsewhere for inspiration. Such as noticing the snail on a creeper and the ladybird on the dry grass. Things I would normally pass by without seeing.

There's a saying which says "don't sweat the small stuff", which is a truism, however in nature, the small stuff counts!

Cow licks and lunch time pics

I was out walking around around Woughton Park in Milton Keynes today and a gorgeous, black cow came up to the fence and licked my hand. Cows are possibly my favourite animals in the world and this lovely, gentle creature inspired me to think about how fortunate I am to be able to commune with nature on daily basis. Aaaah - this is what I moved out of stinky, smelly London for. No more jostling with hordes of tourists around Piccadilly Circus every lunch time. Bliss!

Today I made a promise to myself to take a proper lunch break EVERY DAY - no matter what I'm doing, how busy I am or how tired I feel.

Here's what I propose to do. This coming week I'm going to take my camera out walking with me and take pictures of what I see. Be prepared for cows, sheep, swans, herons and wild flowers. My very own Milton Keynes springwatch.

I encourage everyone to literally "stop and smell the roses" during your lunch break. Do whatever it takes to drag yourself away from your desk and go for a walk. Engage with the world instead of focussing all your attention on a computer screen. Get the blood moving around your body. Absorb the natural light. You will also be a more focussed and productive worker for the rest of the afternoon.

The physical and mental benefits of making this small change will be both subtle and powerful.

I encourage readers to let me know what they did at lunch time today and even better send in a picture. I'll post them for all to see.

Massage away your headache - yourself

Ever had a headache that regular painkillers won't shift? Or tension in your neck muscles that needs immediate attention?

Try some simple self-massage techniques. If you do them as soon as you feel a headache coming on, or when your neck muscles start to twinge, a full-on headache may even be averted altogether.

Check out this easy to follow video on How To Massage Away A Headache

Give it a try!

90 second stress busting stretches

Muscles which stay in one position for too long become stiff. Blood flow is restricted, toxins build up - which can cause knots - and muscles loose their elasticity.

Doing these simple and quick stretches throughout the day can help prevent this.

- Print out these stretches
- Stick the page up next to your computer
- Do them every time you have a cup of tea
- Feel the difference!

Click here to get a bigger version to print [choose pdf version]

The Benefits of Massage

Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy and is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body.

Massage does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin, it also works on the soft tissues(the muscles, tendons, and ligaments) to improve muscle tone.Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, its benefits may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves.Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), improving the elimination of waste throughout the body.

Some Benefits Of Massage:

1. Relaxing
2. Soothing
3. Healing
4. Reassuring
5. Eases tension, stiffness, and pain
6. Improves breathing
7. Improves circulation
8. Enhances well-being

Although a single massage will be enjoyable, the effects of massage are cumulative and a course of massage treatments will bring the most benefits.Regular massage can have the effect of strengthening and toning the entire body mechanism, and so help to prevent unnecessary strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension and any resulting structural weaknesses.

Massage can stimulate or calm the nervous system-depending upon what is required by the individual-and thus help reduce fatigue, leaving the reciever with a feeling of replenished energy.At its best, massage has the potential to restore the individual physically, mentally and spiritually.

MASSAGE IS A GIFT TO YOURSELF!