What is my point exactly??  We have a choice.  We can choose how we let stress, other people and situations affect us.  We don’t have to clench our jaws, strain our necks or draw our shoulders up to our ears when we are experiencing some emotion.  We CAN just let it roll off our backs and maintain good posture while at work.  Or not hang our head low while a relative is sharing an embarrassing story about us.  Maybe you grip your purse tighter when you are late and rushing?  Is this making sense?  Can you think of a time when what you were feeling in your body was directly related to the thoughts you were having?

I often suggest that my clients take note of what is happening in their lives when they are feeling tense or experiencing some pain.  This helps to build awareness, which can lead to making positive changes to our health and well bing.  Another exercise I give and also do myself, is taking note of tension while laying in bed at night prior to sleep. You know, when you can’t settle down because your mind won’t stop working, either from going over the day that has just passed or worrying about the day that is to come?  Feel where the tension creeps up in your body while you process things in your mind that upset you, make you feel anxious or stressed.  Go into the feeling and then try to let it go!!!!  If you can learn to make that choice while laying in bed, you will have a better chance of doing it successfully during the day.  Give it a try!

Massage therapy helps to develop this very same awareness as you learn where tension resides in your body.  As a massage therapist releases trigger points, fascial restrictions and hypertonicity, you will feel a mind body connection that will improve your general health immensely.  Once that nagging neck or back pain is gone, you will be amazed by the positive change in your mood as well as you body!!!

Call Forces of Nature to book a massage today and learn what it can do for you.  (416) 481-0222 or www.forcesofnature.ca

Appreciate the job you have now and use all parts of that job to the fullest!  Whether you are paying into your medical benefits or they are part of your salary, use them!!  Get to know them, understand them, love them and take advantage of them, now.  It blows me away when I hear people say they don’t use their  benefits or even know what they cover for that matter and I just can’t understand this.  Massage therapy and the other forms of health and wellness that are covered under your plan, will help you to manage your health through the ups and downs of your career.  Who knows?  Maybe using your coverage could lead to a career change you never thought of!!!  It did for me and I have never looked back.

The next time you put off using your benefits yet again, think of those who have already lost their jobs or the self employed folks who pay out of pocket for much of their healthcare.  If you do happen to lose your job, make sure you know what your severance package includes, as many benefits will last 3 to 6 months.

Start using what is yours today, enjoy good health and encourage your friends and loved ones to do the same!  Call Forces of Nature and book with Kristie or Helen at (416) 481-0222.

How does massage therapy fit into our exercise regime??  Let me say right off the bat, massage does not reduce cellulite, build muscle, burn fat or miraculously turn your body into something you have always dreamed of.  It can though, help you understand what is happening in your body and perhaps why you aren’t getting the results you are working so hard for.  Every body type is not meant to do every kind of exercise due to a plethora of reasons.  Injury, muscle weakness or imbalances, health conditions and so on.  Finding what works for you is paramount if you want to succeed and change your body for the better.  We can re-train our bodies to move correctly and more efficiently and this is where massage therapy can make all the difference.

A massage therapist can help improve the function in any area of your body that is not cooperating.  Lets look at the glutes for example, we all want a nice tush correct?  If your hip flexors are tight and over developed, it will be tricky for your glutes and hamstrings to join in and benefit from a squat.  The strongest muscles will always take over and prevent others from building strength.  Tight pectorals and weak lateral shoulder rotators can prevent the arm from getting the most out of a backhand in tennis.  Perpetually tight calf muscles can limit range of motion in the ankle, cause pain in the shins and prevent you from meeting your running distance goals.

A massage therapist can help you get your body doing what you want it to do and keep it that way!  Call Forces of Nature today and unleash your potential with a great massage.  Call (416) 481-0222 or visit www.forcesofnature.ca to book.

Firstly, warm up.  This is especially important because you are exercising in the cold.  A few laps up and down the driveway or a snowball fight with your kids will do.  Use the right shovel for your height and level of strength.  A lighter shovel is better and the bent shaft style seems to be most comfortable for the average snow clearer.  The most important thing though, is your body position and technique.

Bend at the hips and knees, not the low back.  Rounding the low back causes our erector muscles to disengage and the innocent little stabilizer muscles take over.  These tiny muscles can not handle the load and will fatigue very quickly, sustain injury, ultimately causing pain.  Maintain a neutral spine which is your tallest position.  Lift the snow with your legs and hips while bracing your core which includes your glute muscles!  Brace yourself like you are about to be socked in the stomach and toss that snow into the neighbour’s yard!

Strengthening exercises like squats, deadlifts and planks can help you maintain great technique for the entire season.  Stay hydrated and take breaks even for the little snowfalls.

If you do run into trouble and find yourself injured or just want to reward your muscles after the next big storm, come in for a massage therapy treatment!  Call Forces of Nature and book with Kristie or Helen at (416) 481-0222.

It  regulates our body temperature, helps our liver and kidneys flush out waste products and carries nutrients and oxygen to our cells. It keeps our memory sharp, our mood stable and helps us stay motivated!  This is especially helpful to children who are going back to school soon and want to perform to the best of their ability.  It also can help prevents muscle fatigue while exercising and keep our joints lubricated.  It is free, tastes fantastic and is calorie free!

Does it benefit our bodies after a massage????  We don’t really know to be honest.  Many massage therapists insist that having water post massage can help to further release toxins, but there doesn’t seem to be any concrete proof of this.  Massage can be dehydrating just like a workout, so water can help to re-hydrate and reduce to potential for pain and soreness in the days after the massage.

What we do know is that a cold glass of water after a massage can help bring the client back to reality from the blissful world of massage. You know, that kind of dazed feeling of complete relaxation.  Of course you need to experience massage to know what that is like.

So, call Forces of Nature today and book an appointment with Kristie of Helen!  (416) 481-0222

You know, I hear the above and many other questions and comments about massage therapy on a daily basis from friends or family who have never received a massage therapy treatment.  Even many of my clients share with me some interesting comments they hear from people in their lives about massage.  What is it that prevents people from trying such a wonderful thing with endless health benefits??  Here are a few of my favourite comments or objections:

“I don’t like people touching me” – Really? Is that really the issue?  I find the individuals that say this are the ones asking their wives, husbands or kids to rub their aching bodies!  The kind of touch that massage entails is very comfortable if you find a therapist that works for you.  Don’t be afraid to try a few out until you find someone you can trust and build a healthy client – therapist relationship with.

“It’s girly” –  The most common comment from men, hands down.  A woman might perform your massage, but that’s about as girly as it gets, especially if you choose a clinic environment.  Massage can help you recover from your workouts, improve your range of motion, improve circulation, muscle firing and body awareness.  All of these fabulous things can therefore improve your golf swing, your skating stride, speed on the  soccer field or race day, and your reaction time on the tennis court.  The list goes on and on!  More goals, more speed, more glory, and improved performance overall.  There is nothing girly about that.  It might even make you feel like a man.

“The therapist will judge my body” – The most common comment from women unfortunately.  The therapist will make you feel comfortable, answer any questions and make sure you get what you need.  We are looking at your body in a whole different way to be honest.  We assess which muscles are short, long, weak or strong, and holding tension.  We are focused on anatomy, your response to the body work and the result of our efforts.  It also gives women the opportunity to forget about their body image issues for awhile and feel good in their own skin.

“It will hurt” – I am not going to lie about this one!  Yes, it could hurt, however, it is a good hurt and any discomfort felt during a massage is most likely helping to eliminate the pain you come in with!!!  The therapist should coach you through any uncomfortable treatment and not take things further than you, the client, is willing to go.  The therapist should also give you the appropriate self care to do at home which will help to minimize pain the next day.

Come and see Kristie or Helen at Forces of Nature for a great massage therapy treatment soon!

The IT band is a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the outside of the leg from the hip all the way down to just below the knee joint. It primarily acts as a stabilizer for the knee.

Overuse, such as with running, can cause the IT Band to become irritated and cause pain, usually around the outside of the knee. If pain does develop, there are a few things that can be done to help:

1) Rest- or easing up on your training schedule can help.

2) Massage Therapy- RMTs are trained in myofascial release (fascia is another name for connective tissue) and can use these techniques to effectively loosen adhesions and make the IT Band more ‘flexible’.

3) Stretching- The IT band is not a muscle, so it can’t be stretched in the same way a muscle can- the tissue is non contractile. However, there are ways to ‘stretch’ the IT Band- ask your RMT for a demonstration.

1) Stretch! Your RMT isn’t suggesting stretches just for the heck of it, we believe that they will help you to feel better, and keep your muscles looser for longer.

2) Move! You don’t have to start training for an “Iron Man” or anything, just start making exercise a part of your life. Start slow if you need to, but exercise helps. If you strengthen muscles that are weak, your body will be more in balance, and you will have less pain.

3) Relax! Stress is a huge factor for many people in contributing to muscle tension, if only you could extend that sleepy, dreamy post-massage feeling. Well you can try. There are many ways to reduce stress in our every day lives. Start with something simple like deep breathing, or meditation. Most importantly, find something that works for you and stick with it.

When we sit with our shoulders hunched or rounded forward, not only do we look unattractive, we can cause some serious health problems.  When we are hunched our chest collapses, which restricts our breathing, not a good thing.  Hunching also causes forward head posture, dysfunction in the shoulder joint and eventually severe neck  and back pain.  As our chest muscle become shorter and tighter, our back muscles continue to lengthen and weaken.  The more we sit with poor posture, the more more work it takes to sit up straight!

Make sure you desk is set up properly at work and at home.  There are plenty of resources out there to help with this, some might even be in your own workplace!  Use post it notes, pictures, whatever you can think of, to remind you of your perfect posture goals.  Try sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair for a few minutes a day in order to get familiar with what proper sitting posture feels like.  There are some other posture braces and gadgets on the market that can force you into the ideal position. Try to get up from your desk every 30 minutes to stretch and walk around a little bit.  Make good posture part of your workout routine too!  Strengthening the back and lateral rotators of the shoulder can improve posture, along with stretching out the chest muscles and keeping our core good and strong.

Try to be aware of other times you hunch your shoulders, driving, playing the piano, out in the cold, etc.  So many activities in today’s society can lead us to hunched shoulders, but we can change this if we are aware and a little diligent with it!  Massage therapy can get us on the right track to proper posture.  A massage therapist can assess your posture, lengthen the shortened muscles and educate you on the appropriate strengthening exercises to help bring the shoulders back!

Please contact Forces of Nature to book your massage therapy appointment today! www.forcesofnature.ca or (416) 481-0222

Sit up straight.  Your back will thank you!

Taking pain medications can be a quick fix to get through a day or event, however, eventually you want to know what is causing the discomfort.  You could be pushing a muscle or joint beyond its range of motion, overloading a muscle or compensating for a weak muscle.  The reasons are endless really, but these are pretty common ones.

A massage therapist can work with you to try and narrow down what is causing the pain, help to eliminate it and prevent it from coming back.  Where you feel your pain is not always the source of pain, go figure!  Massage therapists are knowledgeable on many pain referral patterns and where to look for the many causes or pain and altered sensation.  The therapist can help you stretch, strengthen and develop new habits to help manage your pain.

So, instead of taking a pill and pushing through pain, learn why it is there and where it is coming from!!  Who knows? You might learn another thing or two about your body by booking a massage appointment!  Give it a try and stay healthy this year.

You can find out more information at www.forcesofnature.ca or call (416) 481-0222 to book an appointment.  We hope to see you soon!