relaxation – Wellness Focus

Massage and Diabetes

Massage continues to grow as a complementary therapy for everything from simple aches and pains to more serious illnesses. Despite stereotypical images of people experiencing a relaxing/spa type massage, nearly 75% of those who seek massage do so for a specific health complaint for which they have already consulted a physician. Diabetes is no exception.

Researchers at the CDC estimate that more than 29.1 million Americans (almost 10% of the population) have diabetes. About 27% of these are undiagnosed. While diabetes is more common in seniors (about 1 in 4 seniors are diagnosed with diabetes), the prevalence in youth is growing as well.

The good news is that diagnosis is getting more accurate and prevention and treatment options growing. So what role does massage play in those with diabetes? Turns out, there are several major benefits.

What massage can do for diabetes

Continue reading “Massage and Diabetes”

Ten Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

About one in three Americans make a New Year’s resolution. Resolutions are a great tradition, offering us an opportunity to kick bad habits, create new opportunities, soften the rough edges of our behavior, and polish up relationships. The trick, of course, is sticking with it.

Just in case you were sitting around wondering which one of the zillions of promises you’d like to make to yourself, we’ve collected 10 resolutions that are relatively easy to keep and will certainly go a long way toward a healthier and happier 2016.

1. More FTF and less TXT. It’s easy to think that a random text now and then can substitute for a real conversation if you’re working on keeping relationships with friends and relatives strong. It doesn’t. Try talking to your friends and relatives more IN PERSON, or at least hear their voices. Use tech like FaceTime and Skype more. Put DOWN the phone while you eat or talk with others. You will find the quality of your relationships improve, your fingers aren’t as sore from texting, and you’ll avoid that $300 texting-while-driving traffic ticket, too.

Continue reading “Ten Resolutions You Can Actually Keep”

Couples Massage May Save Your Relationship

Let’s face it. We live in an incredibly stressful world. This stresses pile up, too. They make us tense. Short-tempered. Tired. Achy. Stress can turn just about any teddy bear into a angry grizzly. All that stress doesn’t do any favors for a relationship, either.

That’s where massage comes in. It’s well known that massage is good for relaxation, but there are plenty more reasons you might want to consider massage. And pairing up with your significant other for the experience has added benefits.

Here are just a few:

Continue reading “Couples Massage May Save Your Relationship”

Relax in Five Minutes

While a day away at a high-end spa is a great way to relax, most of us don’t have that kind of time, or that much cash. Luckily, there are some very simple things you can do that won’t break the bank and take less than 5 minutes of your time.

Grab a good tune. Music really does soothe the savage beast–and monster headaches and stress as well. Listening to, or singing along with a favorite tune can make melt away stress. Try some “spa music” to transport yourself to immediate relaxation–especially before bedtime.
Continue reading “Relax in Five Minutes”

Make the Effects of Massage Last Longer

Massage helps you feel better. It gets the blood flowing faster and soothes sore muscles. While some people may experience mild muscle awareness as the muscle fibers and nerves readjust to the work done, which is completely natural, most people will just experience an incomparable feeling of relaxation and wellbeing. Every fiber of your body is relaxed, your aches and pains subside and your brain knows it.

Here are some tips to help make the effects of massage last longer and prolong these good feelings:

Continue reading “Make the Effects of Massage Last Longer”

Give Your Heart a Rest

Relaxation is perhaps the single most important key to health and well-being. It’s an antidote to stress, which is known to contribute to the development of disease. When we relax, our body can unwind. Unwinding makes healing more effective and strengthens our immune system. And our heart rate will slow.

A 2007 British study found that people who received an hour of massage therapy every two weeks had regular resting rates that averaged almost 8 beats per minute lower than when they went without. Dropping your heart rate will make you feel better. Blood pressure also drops. Your breathing will slow and be less labored. More blood will flow to muscles relieving muscle tension.

Continue reading “Give Your Heart a Rest”

Lavender Helps You Sleep

Lavender is a flowering plant that grows natively in the Mediterranean, but can now be found in the US, Australia and most of Europe. It’s a shub with a woody stalk and small light blue or purple flowers.

The fragrance is found in air fresheners, lotions, body washes, potpourris, perfumes and just about everything that’s scented. The essential oils in lavender are great for many things, from reducing stress and anxiety, to curbing post-op pain.

It can also help you sleep. When essential oils are inhaled, the compounds will relax you and promote calmness, which helps you sleep more easily. While it’s not a cure for insomnia, lavender can certainly help. SVMTG sells 100% pure essential oils like lavender and special aromatherapy diffusers to make sure the essence stays where you want it. Try it and rest!

Why You Need a Prenatal Massage

Being pregnant is not easy. Talk to anyone who has been through the process and they’ll fill you in that along with the joy of coaxing a new life into the world, you will likely experience backaches, stiff neck, headaches, swelling, and cramps–and all this leads to increases stress. Increased stress means you can be irritable and have trouble sleeping. So, along with the healthy glow, you’re secretly dealing with a lot of physical and emotional issues. That’s why prenatal massage is so important.

A skilled prenatal massage therapist knows how to help. From the moment you arrive, you’ll feel better. Your therapist will conduct an interview to find out how things are going and how you’re feeling, and chat about your goals for the session. Then, he or she will take extra care to ensure your safety and comfort. They’ll help you onto the table if you need help, adjust your position (frequently on your side) and then carefully place pillows and cushions to reduce strain on lower back and pelvic areas and help you relax.

Continue reading “Why You Need a Prenatal Massage”

Moody Hormones Meet Your Match: Massage Therapy

Hormonal ups and downs can wreak havoc on your life. They can affect your mood, your weight, your food cravings, even your desire for sex. For many women, hormones balance normally and it’s smooth sailing–but for others, any imbalance can be a train wreck.

Enter massage therapy. Among the many benefits of massage therapy are those related to the body’s production and regulation of neurohormones. Neurohormones are produced by the nervous system and affect an individual’s behavior and general well-being. Recent studies have solidly concluded that massage can help balance mood levels by moving your body toward homeostasis (a naturally balanced state). And the story’s even better! Research conducted at the TOUCH Research Institute at the University of Miami suggests that massage increases the availability of all neurohormones affecting brain chemistry.

Massage tends to elevate the levels of dopamine, a neurohormone released by the hypothalamus gland. Dopamine influences fine motor activity like painting, playing a musical instrument or navigating with a mouse. It affects intuition, inspiration, joy, and enthusiasm. If your dopamine fall, you will likely exhibit clumsiness, poor focus, and be easily distracted.
Continue reading “Moody Hormones Meet Your Match: Massage Therapy”

Why Couples Massage Works

Couples massage is hot. Thousands are realizing the direct, and indirect benefits of this unique massage offering. In a couple’s massage, two people are massaged in the same room, at the same time, by two different therapists. It can be a husband and wife, girlfriend and boyfriend, same-sex partners, moms and daughters or best friends. Why is couple’s massage different and why does it work?

What Happens During Couples Massage?

Couples massage is a massage that takes place in a room large enough for two massage tables. What you get in a couples massage varies greatly based on the location and focus of the therapists you select. In a spa, couple’s massage typically includes access to showers, hot tubs, lounging areas and more. In a therapeutic setting, like SVMTG, the focus is on the bodywork, so while the amenities might be less extravagant, the therapists are typically better trained. In a therapeutic couple’s massage, each therapist has an individual conversation with the massage guest to determine his or her goals for the session. At SVMTG, it’s common for one massage guest to want a focus on relaxation, and the other on tending to aches and pains from athletic activities, for example.

Continue reading “Why Couples Massage Works”

Five Ways to Keep Your Body Young

The Fountain of Youth is really all about habits. Good habits. Here are five good habits for you to acquire that will help keep your body young, fit and happy.

1 Eat more fat. The healthy kind, that is. Omega-3 fatty acids (found in salmon, walnuts, and seeds) help stabilize your mood, maintain bone strength, and help prevent visible signs of aging by reducing inflammation in the body. Eat two grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day or consider taking krill or fish oil supplements.

Continue reading “Five Ways to Keep Your Body Young”

Therapeutic Massage is Different

Recent studies have added to the body of knowledge showing definite positive physiological and clinical changes related to properly performed, targeted therapeutic massage.

The term therapeutic massage is a general, nonspecific term referring to any type of massage, from superficial to deep, that may have a healing effect. Most massage therapists train in multiple techniques and therapies, but and there is high variability in the training programs and in what therapies practitioners choose to learn.

Techniques in a therapeutic massage vary according to need and may include massage from several modalities during the session, including effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement, fascial manipulation, structural integration, active release, Swedish, sports, shiatsu,deep tissue, myofascial release, and advanced neuromuscular therapy.

Continue reading “Therapeutic Massage is Different”

Multitasking Moms – More Stressed?

Working moms are notoriously busy, and often find that the unpredictability of parenting, especially parenting small children, leads to additional stress. Stresses from maintaining a relationship with their spouse or partner also put pressure on multitasking moms.

“Researchers found that working mothers spent 10.5 more hours every week on multitasking compared with working fathers — typical chores like preparing dinner, doing laundry, maybe even doing some work brought home from the office, while also talking with their child and helping with homework.” (Michigan State University, 2011)

Continue reading “Multitasking Moms – More Stressed?”

Why Does Massage Feel So Good?

A healing massage can soothe your body, mind and soul. How? It’s all about science.

Getting a massage feels amazing. You feel better even before your therapist enters the room. You’re in our dimly lit, clean & quiet space enveloped with calming music, a warm massage table and cool, soft linens. You’ll feel relaxation begin to take over almost immediately.

As the massage session begins, you’ll be able to close your eyes and focus on your own breath, leaving behind all the worries of the day. You’ll get a sense of calm called mindfulness. Mindfulness is a state of awareness that helps regulate emotion and boosts body awareness. When you’re in a mindful state, parts of your brain become less active, causing you to be less reactive. You can disconnect from the world.

Continue reading “Why Does Massage Feel So Good?”

Six Recent Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is becoming much more common. There are more than 1200 approved massage training programs in the US and the number of people getting a massage for stress relief, relaxation or recovery is skyrocketing. Here are a few more facts about the popularity of massage therapy.

More people than ever are scheduling sessions. Almost one in five US adults visited a massage therapist in 2012 and 2013 statistics will show another jump. As massage becomes an integral part of wellness and healing for many people, more people are discovering the benefits. Continue reading “Six Recent Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Massage Therapy”