Self Care
What are you doing with your body when you aren’t on the massage table? I find patterns in the body that tell me a story. Those stories can help tell us what to change so we can feel better.
Sleep position:
Why: This article is a great resource that talks about many issues that can be caused by sleep position. Take a look and see if you can identify with any of the symptoms it lists!
Resources:
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Therapeutica makes a good pillow for people who sleep on both their back and sides
Work position:
Why: It’s well worth a little time setting up our work areas and avoiding unnecessary pain and discomfort.
Resources: I do think fine tuning is needed for each person's workplace set up, but these are good general guidelines.
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This link from the Mayo Clinic takes you to a great diagram of how and why to position your body when at your computer. You can scroll over the circles and it will expand on each point.
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Here’s a great way to mount your monitor to adjust it to YOU.
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IKEA now makes an affordable and simple standing desk, which you can find here.
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And if you work on a laptop, click here for a couple of videos showing how to have good posture at a laptop.
- If you sit all day, good news! We know that just 10 minutes — 10 minutes! — of walking after sitting for a long period of time can restore the damage to our vascular system.
If you have to deal with books while you are working or studying, try a a cook book holder. This brings your head up from looking down at the table, allows the weight of your head to be supported by your entire torso, and opens up your chest.
Cell phone use:
Why: Even if you have great set-ups at work and have adjusted your sleep position, many of us still fall into staring down at our cell phones – a move that causes significant strain on our spines!
Resources: Check out this article, and next time you read a text on your phone, try holding your phone straight in front of you.
Muscle aches and pains:
Why: Between massages, it’s important to attend to our bodies.
Resources:
- This article shows how pain is a complex mind-body process, and why most people get it wrong when they think about how to treat injuries.
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Foam rollers are useful for therapeutic exercises, physical therapy, training and conditioning, core strength and stability, stretching, myofascial release, self massage, postural alignment and balance exercises. Here is a great article about using foam rollers effectively, and another about the best places to roll and not to roll.
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For soothing aches and pains, Doctor Hoy's all-natural pain relief gel is a favorite of mine.
- Studies have shown the best way to treat lower back pain is: ta-dah! Exercise!
- Feeling the need to stretch it out? These beautiful illustrations show you which muscle you're actually stretching so you can pick the one that's best for you.
- These simple on-the-go stretches can really help with neck pain!
Sciatica:
Check out these Ergo Triangles to help take pressure off the sciatic nerve and support healthy sitting http://www.astonkinetics.com/store/
If you have self care ideas or techniques, please let me know. You never know when I might have the opportunity to pass on your self-care wisdom. ~melissa