​Most of us are born with healthy muscles, but this does not mean that they will automatically remain healthy throughout our lives. Healthy muscles prevent us from becoming easily susceptible to injury, and allow us to continue enjoying everyday activities such as walking the dog, dancing, cooking and taking a walk on the beach.
 
It is up to us to make sure that our muscles get the attention they need in order to withstand the pressure we place on them for the duration of our lives. The best way to do this is through movement and exercise.
 
Exercising your muscles is the same thing as practicing an instrument every day, or learning a language. The more regularly you practice that skill, the stronger it gets, and the longer you will retain the knowledge of that skill.
 
Our muscles play a major role in moving our skeleton. They are the very reason we are able to get up from the chair to walk to the kitchen to grab a banana. But if their functions are not used to their full potential, they eventually stop working efficiently and become weak from a lack of activity. This is why exercise is crucial for the vitality of our muscles.
 
Even just a daily, moderate 30 minutes of activity to get your heart rate up and your blood flowing through your body properly is sufficient. The important thing to remember is that 1.) you should never push yourself past your limits, because this may actually be a detriment to your muscles, and 2.) you should include exercise as part of your daily routine in order to ensure your muscles help you get the most out of life.
 
If you are ever injured or in pain, I am here to help relieve that pain through massage therapy! Also, if you would like to know more about my thoughts on exercise and what it does for your body, I would love to help! Make an appointment today!

This may come as a shock to many, but the Sun actually can do great things for your body. Just like with everything else in life, if you absorb sunlight in moderation, it can do such great things for your body.

Sunlight helps reduce a person’s risk of colon and pancreatic cancer and helps treat skin diseases such as eczema, jaundice, psoriasis and acne. But most prominently, aside from all of this, studies have shown that sunlight strengthens your bones and therefore reduces your risk of arthritis. This is due to the existence of ultraviolet-B radiation in the sun’s rays. This radiation helps create a greater supply of Vitamin D in the body, which is the main contributor to enhanced bone strength. According to the author of the book, The Complete Book of Bone Health, Diane Schneider, MD, adults under the age of 70 need at least 600 International Units (IUS) of Vitamin D in order to have healthy bones, and adults over 70 require a minimum of 800 IUs of Vitamin D. Fortunately, studies have shown that just 30 minutes in the sun, wearing a bathing suit, can lead Caucasian individuals to absorb up to 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D, tanned individuals to absorb up to 30,000 IUS and dark skinned people to absorb up to 10,000 IUs. These numbers have been linked to an immense reduction in the risk of arthritis. It is important to remember that these goals can be achieved even with the use of sunscreen, which is important in order to block the harmful rays from causing things such as skin cancer.

As the summer is quickly coming to an end, make sure to do as many outdoor activities as possible with your friends and family to ensure that you’re soaking up all the Vitamin D that you can and having summer fun at the same time!

I can’t wait for your next massage session with me to hear about all the fun ways that you have been soaking up the last rays of summer sun, and about how much better your joints feel because of it!

It is summertime and the kids are out of school and looking for something fun to do. Your go-to solution to keep them entertained is to take them to an amusement park.
 
They love riding the roller coasters and seeing the attractions, and you love spending time with them and knowing that you have made them happy.  The great thing about amusement parks is that no matter how old you are, you always feel like a little kid when you’re there. You love riding the rides, eating the food and acting like a tourist even though you’ve been to that same amusement park dozens of times.
 
One thing not many people realize, though, is the amount of stress that a roller coaster can put of your body, especially on your neck. During a roller coaster ride, your body is experiencing 2G or two times the force of gravity. This means that if you weigh 150 pounds, for example, you would feel what it is like to be 300 pounds in normal gravity because of the amount of gravity pressing against you at the time. This puts immense stress on your body and causes your muscles to tense up in ways they are not used to. Additionally, as obvious as this may seem, roller coasters protect your torso with a seat strap, but leave your arms and legs flailing with the wind, which also puts great stress on those affected areas. None of this compares to the stress that is placed on your neck. Your neck has your head, which weighs approximately 11 pounds, to support. As the roller coaster shakes your body uncontrollably, and your head wobbles along with it, your neck muscles are forced to immediately adjust to compensate for all of the sudden movements. Your neck is burdened with the responsibility of resisting all of the motion so that your spine does not endure more jolting motion than it should. 
 
To prevent serious damage that can be caused by roller coaster, try keeping your eyes open and your head facing forward; this allows you to be better aware of future movements and speed up your reactions. I understand that the intense wind speeds and excitement during a roller coaster may stop this from being successful, so if you go on a roller coaster and feel sore the next day, you can always make an appointment with me, and I will be happy to loosen up those neck muscles for you with a massage.

It is very common for your exercise routine to cause problematic pain to your joints and muscles, especially when you get older. This is because as we age, exercise has a larger tendency to cause inflammation and damage our muscles.
 
A research study conducted by the Buck Institute found that massage therapy helps to reduce inflammation of the muscles that were damaged by exercise. The study also found that the pain relief brought by massage therapy is similar to that brought by anti-inflammatory medication. A press release issued by McMasters University, who partnered with the Buck Institute on this study, stated:
 
“Most athletes can testify to the pain-relieving, recovery-promoting effects of massage. Now there’s a scientific basis that supports booking a session with a massage therapist: On the cellular level massage reduces inflammation and promotes the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle.”
 
If massage therapy was proven to work with athletes who use their muscles much more often and to a much higher capacity than the average person, then it is safe to say that it can be proven to work for just about anyone. The press release also explained some of the logistics for how the research was conducted by saying,
 
“The study involved the genetic analysis of muscle biopsies taken from the quadriceps of eleven young males after they had exercised to exhaustion on a stationary bicycle. One of their legs was randomly chosen for massage. Biopsies were taken from both legs prior to the exercise, immediately after 10 minutes of massage treatment and after a 2.5-hour period of recovery.”
 
The bottom line is that it has not only been scientifically proven, but also tested on professional athletes that massage therapy can do wonders to ease the pain caused by inflammation in the muscles post-workout. So, keep that gym membership but make sure to come see me for a massage right after!

Your desk job affects more than just your mental stress; it can also impact your body. Sitting for extensive periods of time each day causes more stress on our bodies than we realize. Human beings were not made to sit for as long as most of us tend to, and because of this, the muscles in our upper back, shoulders and upper arms are heavily affected, which can consequently disrupt our posture.

Our bodies are full of trigger points, and there are five specific groups of them within our upper back, shoulders and arms that can be impacted by your desk job.  A trigger point is defined as “a sensitive area of the body, stimulation or irritation of which causes a specific effect in another part, especially a tender area in a muscle that causes generalized musculoskeletal pain when over-stimulated.” The five groups include: scalenes, shoulder blade suspension muscles, rotator cuff muscles, upper arm muscles and spinal muscles.

Have you ever felt deep pains in areas such as your chest, shoulders, arms and even hands, and sought conventional therapy that was unsuccessful at treating your pain? That pain most likely did not come from the area where you felt the pain, but more likely came from the scalenes, which are a group of three small muscles on the side of the neck. Stress tension and bad posture (common effects of a desk job) can cause pain in the scalenes.

Our shoulder blades have 17 muscles that are attached, each with the possibility to hold trigger points which result in irritation caused by bad posture or extensive sitting. Our upper back muscles also have multiple impacted trigger points. The rhomboid muscles attach to several vertebrae of the upper back and to the inner edge of the shoulder blade. Trigger points in the rhomboids can often lead to an achy pain along the inner edge of the shoulder blade. To prevent rhomboid pain, limit any habitual tension that keeps the shoulders up, because this stimulates the formation of trigger points in muscles. The serratus posterior superior muscles attach to the spine like the rhomboids, but they don’t attach to the shoulder blade. When these muscles are affected, you will feel pain under the shoulder blade, most commonly.

The shoulder itself has up to 20 muscles, each vulnerable to strain. The shoulder is one of the most hardworking parts of the body, because we use it even when we don’t realize it. The trigger points that are located in the four rotator cuff muscles are the most frequent cause of shoulder pain, loss of upper arm motion, and clicking or catching in the joint. The supraspinatus muscle, located in a pocket in the top of the shoulder blade also has multiple trigger points that can be affected by stress.

Your upper body takes on a huge amount of stress from your desk job; it’s not only your brain that is affected. The best treatment is to come to me, tell me exactly where you are feeling pain, and let me help reduce your suffering.

Massage is only part of the equation to living your best life. While a massage can be beneficial for reducing stress, reducing pain, relaxing muscles and overall helping you lead your best life, it alone cannot solve all of your problems. It is very important that you supplement a therapy session with other stress-reducing activities that you enjoy.

We tend to become so consumed in our everyday lives that we forget how important it is to take a minute and enjoy some of the amazing things this life has to offer.

Nature has always been my escape from life’s stressors, and the place I can turn to for true relaxation. I love anything that can be done outdoors, especially hiking, kayaking and camping. There is something about walking through trees, breathing in the fresh air and embracing the sound of crashing waves, rustling leaves or chirping birds that I find so refreshing.  

If outdoor activities are not for you, there is an almost infinite amount of other possibilities that you may enjoy. Reading, going to the gym, watching your favorite Netflix series or simply taking an hour out of your day to talk to someone who is special to you can make you feel better than you imagine.

​No matter what you enjoy, remember to take the time for yourself because even the highest priorities will not be done efficiently if we are pushing our brains and bodies to the max and feeling overwhelmed much of the time. So, I highly encourage you to stop what you’re doing and take that much-needed time for yourself to de-stress and do what you love the most. 

​Popular therapies such as a Deep-tissue massage and a Swedish massage feel amazing, but how well do they actually work to relieve your pain if they are not targeted toward your specific needs?
 
The purpose of massage therapy is to help reduce any troubles that your body may be facing, whether it is mental stress or physical pain.
 
A massage is unable to serve its purpose if the muscles attended to are unspecific to the patient’s personal needs.
 
When you place your pain in my hands, you are guaranteed a customized session with the goal of treating your tense, sore muscles so you will leave feeling much better!
 
It is a scientifically proven fact that no two bodies are exactly the same. So then what good would a massage that is not tailored to fit your body and its specific needs do?
 
An effective massage experience is one that fully diminishes your pain, which is why the sole mission of any professional in this field should be to evaluate contributing factors, muscles involved in their discomfort and provide a skilled, therapeutic session designed to put them on the path to healing. My goal is to alleviate your pain; if not on that day then in the near future. 
 

​If you wake up in the morning, and the first thing you feel is stiffness in your muscles and your joints, then you probably suffer from a predicament commonly known as morning stiffness.
 
Generally, people suffering from this ailment have difficulty moving around when they first get out of bed, and it can cause them to experience pain all over their body. And morning stiffness – despite what its name implies – can actually last for the whole day.
 
Many factors can cause this, including aging. As you age, the cartilage in your body tends to stiffen. But morning stiffness is not limited to the elderly.  Anyone of any age can experience it because the tendons and the muscles of your body can stiffen while you sleep, especially if those tendons and muscles are weak.
 
If you deal with morning stiffness, massage can help. A massage helps to work out the tightness in your muscles and reduce the soreness.
 
I would love to help you live with less stiffness. Book an appointment with me today, and I can help reduce your morning stiffness.

​Anyone who suffers from allergies knows the symptoms: the sneezing, the itchy and watery eyes and the congested nose. These symptoms can be a major annoyance, and most people try to ward them off with a host of over-the-counter allergy medications.
 
But, did you know that massage can help with your allergies? Though massage cannot get rid of your allergies entirely, it can help get rid of the symptoms.
 
Stress has been linked to worsening allergy symptoms, and massage has long been known to help decrease stress levels in the body. With a massage, you are getting rid of stress, which in turn, will help to ease your allergy symptoms.
 
In addition, massage can help with your allergies as it improves circulation in your body and boosts your immune system. And facial massage can help to drain your sinuses.
 
If you have allergies and you just feel as though nothing helps to relieve them, book an appointment with me! I can help you finally find the solution to your allergy issues. 

​Hamstrings are the large muscles located in the back of your thighs. These muscles help you bend your knees and move your hips backwards. They help you walk, jump and run.
 
When you experience pain in your hamstrings, it becomes a huge obstacle in your life because the pain can affect your ability to move.
 
If you are experiencing pain in your hamstrings, the pain might actually be the result of sitting. When you sit in a chair that is too high, your legs dangle, and this creates excessive pressure on the back of your thighs.
 
Massage with the use of pressure, movement and warm stones can help to relieve the pain and pressure in the hamstrings, and restore your life to normal.
 
If you know someone who is on the shorter side and is complaining about pain in the back of their legs, refer them to me! I can get rid of those painful hamstrings!