Contact

mail@gemini-theme.com
+ 001 0231 123 32

Follow

Info

All demo content is for sample purposes only, intended to represent a live site. Please use the RocketLauncher to install an equivalent of the demo, all images will be replaced with sample images.

Author: Leah

The Skinny on Morning Stiffness

Published: 4 March 2013
Written by Leah
1 Comment
Categories: Blog

Do you wake up in the morning feeling stiff, and needing time to warm up your joints? Are you attributing this achiness and inflexibility to getting older? Age can play a part in the “needing to move slowly in the morning” ritual, but in fact there is a better reason.

It’s important to note that this stiffness does not just get better on its own. In fact, it can easily get worse and creep more and more into your daily life until it causes a major injury resulting in pain. The good news is, there are ways to relieve this stiffness without reversing the sands of time.

Two Key Practices to Relieve & Prevent StiffnessDrink more water!

Our joints need fluid to move well and efficiently. Without fluid in our joints, they become stiff and inflexible. The muscles and fascia and cartilage surrounding our joints and throughout our body also need water to stay supple. Cartilage is made of mostly water, so dehydration causes cartilage to weaken and joint repair to slow.

Reportedly, 75% of the American population is chronically dehydrated! And dehydration not only contributes to stiffness, but also contributes to fatigue, high blood pressure, allergies, and weight gain. So, drink up people, and if you’re a soda drinker or consume more than a cup or 2 of coffee a day, please please please hop on the water bandwagon. Drinking soda and caffeine only dehydrates you more.

Get a myofascial massage

I know from experience helping clients that releasing fascial restrictions (combined with drinking more water) has eradicated the morning stiffness for my clients who stick with the regimen for at least a month. These clients then don’t have to continue to get a regular massage (unless they want to) to stay out of pain, as long as they stay mobile and continue moving. I always recommend some form of exercise, preferably something that will take your joints to their full range of motion.

fascia whole body

So, what exactly is fascia, you ask? Well, it’s connective tissue running all throughout your body in a continuous, 3-dimensional web. Fascia surrounds every muscle, nerve, bone, blood vessel, and organ in the body, and all the way down to the cellular level. It is amazing stuff!

Malfunction of the fascial system from poor posture, injury, repetitive activities, inflammation, or lack of water can result in a “binding” of the fascia. This “binding” creates immobility and pain, and it takes movement therapies or manual manipulation to unbind it.

What is fascia’s role?

* it is needed for muscle contraction and relaxation

* it covers the whole body from head to toe

* it holds the organs in place

* it is a conduit for nerve, blood, and lymph vessels as they pass through muscles

* it is vital for movement, helping transmit tension from muscle to tendon to bone, and from ligament to bone

In this brief video, Fuzz Speech, Dr. Gil Hedley discusses fascial fibrosis (or fascial binding), which he terms “fuzz”. Gil is quite the animated guy, but he has a great way of explaining stiffness caused by “fuzz” or fascial binding.

So don’t forget to drink your water, and if you have any questions about whether myofascial massage salt lake can help you, don’t hesitate to call us at 801.906.3222

Five Ways to Keep Your Body Healthy

Published: 23 January 2013
Written by Leah
2 Comments
Categories: Blog

Steer Clear of Refined OilsThrow away your vegetable oil, corn oil, and crisco. Most oils, unless it says “unrefined,” have turned into trans fat because they have been processed at such high temps, changing the chemical composition of the oil. Extra virgin olive oil is unrefined and great for salads, but not so good for cooking, unless using low temps. And fats and oils are good!

The best oils to use for cooking:
Unrefined Coconut Oil
Unrefined Sesame Oil
Animal Fat (like bacon grease leftovers- you heard me right!)
Grass Fed Butter or Ghee

Get Your Vitamins From Whole FoodsGetting your much needed nutrients from fruits and veggies is so important. Yes, we can supplement with vitamin pills, but they are called “supplements” for a reason. Our body doesn’t assimilate the vitamins and minerals taken from pills as well as it does a whole food. A good practice is to eat dark greens (especially kale or collards) at least one meal a day, and try to eat lots of different colored veggies. The different colored veggies are high in different vitamins and minerals.

Purchase Good MeatStudies show that grass fed beef contains 2-4 times more omega 3s than grain-fed beef. Not to mention, they are not given antibiotics to be kept alive. A cow’s digestive system cannot handle corn, so a cow fed on corn is like a human eating mainly candy their whole life- imagine surviving on that! Purchase meat without antibiotics or growth hormones, and if it doesn’t say on the package, don’t trust it. Talk to your butcher if you have any questions.

Sugar is linked to Heart Disease, Diabetes, & CancerCut down on sugar, especially the refined white sugar we so often use in baking and adding to our coffee. And use your agave syrup sparingly or not at all. Better sugars to use are:

Sucanat (unrefined sugar)- great for baking and adding to coffee
Honey- not for baking/cooking, but ok to add after cooking
Maple Syrup- good for baking
Stevia powder- contains no sugar, but is a healthy sweetener and can be used anytime

Cut Down On Wheat (Or Avoid Altogether)The wheat plant has been hybridized, genetically modified, and is a very different plant than it was 50 years ago (even in the form of organic whole wheat). A number of issues are caused by eating wheat. For one, wheat products raise your blood sugar level higher than nearly all other known foods. For more info, check out “Wheat Belly” by William Davis, a preventative cardiologist. Cutting out wheat has improved issues like acid reflux, asthma, IBS, rashes, fatigue, etc.

Feel free to engage in your own research or shoot me an email if you have any questions.
– Leah Nelson, Massage Therapy Salt Lake City

Self Compassion For The Win

Published: 20 November 2012
Written by Leah
No comments
Categories: Blog

Remember to Thank Yourself

It is that time of year to give thanks, and what better way to start off by thanking yourself. Also, have some self-compassion this year as you indulge in your feast. Enjoy every morsel of tasty, sweet, fatty, and salty food. You deserve it. And remember to give thanks, not just for things outside of yourself (family, friends, a roof over your head), but also for you. Yes, you!

I’ll start by saying I’m grateful for my patience (however it shows up), for a healthy body, for tackling this journey that is life, for speaking up for myself, and for trying not to feel guilt as I stuff that second helping into my mouth. Take a moment to give thanks for the things you’ve accomplished, however big or small they may be.

After a Big Feast, the Cat Knows How to Indulge

Research on Self Compassion

And of course, I’ll include that there IS research to back up the benefits of having self-compassion. You know me :). So here’s the link to a great article discussing the benefits of self-compassion.

I plan to be kind to myself this holiday season. I hope you’ll do the same.

Happy Holidays!
Leah