Did you know that we are made up of about 55% to 70% water? Babies are made up of about 78% water.
The human brain is about 80% water.
The heaviest human brain recorded weighed about 5 pounds.
It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
The Playtsma muscle is what helped to create the infamous ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ expression.
Skin is the largest organ in the body. It protects you from illnesses, helps control your body’s temperature, and helps you to feel everything from a hot kettle to a soft breeze.
It takes approximately 12 hours for food to digest entirely.
Most people don’t get enough sleep. Sleeping helps you to concentrate, keep a good attitude, deal with stresses, and handle daily activities like driving a car. So get some rest!
Bob Hope lived to be 100 years young, and is believed to have had therapeutic massage daily as part of his healthy regimen.
Go ahead and LAUGH! Laughing lowers blood pressure and lifts your spirits!
The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Gift Certificates
The Healing Place of Cottage Grove
www.thehealingplacecg.com
651-206-7141
Make your holiday shopping a breeze this year
60 minute $45.00
30 minute $25.00
www.thehealingplacecg.com
651-206-7141
Make your holiday shopping a breeze this year
60 minute $45.00
30 minute $25.00
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Self Massage techniques
Tidbit: From WebMD- a couple of self-massage techniques.
Massage to relieve tired eyes.
Close your eyes. Place your thumbs under your eyebrows starting at the inside corner of each eye socket. Press and gently move the thumbs in tiny circles, working slowly towards the outsides of your eyebrows and continuing this movement all around your eyes, ending back at the bridge of your nose.
Massage to ease headaches and tension.Start by placing your thumbs on your cheekbones close to your ears and use your fingertips to gently apply pressure and rub the temples (the soft spot between the corner of your eye and your ear). Using very firm pressure and a tiny circular motion, gradually move your fingers up along your hairline until they meet in the middle of your forehead, massaging your entire forehead and scalp as you inch along.
Massage to relieve neck tension.While sitting, mold your hands over your shoulders. Exhale, letting your head drop back as you slowly squeeze your fingers toward your palms, gliding up the muscles of your back and shoulders towards your neck.
Now, rest your elbows on your desk, allowing your head to drop forward slightly. Massage your neck from you shoulders to the base of your skull using your fingertips to make small deep circles into the muscles on either side of your spine.
Place both hands on the back of your head, interlacing the fingers. Drop your head forward and allow the weight of your elbows to pull your head gently down, stretching the muscles of your neck and those that run down your back.
Massage to loosen tight shoulders.For this one you will need a tennis ball or a solid rubber ball.
Stand 18 inches from the wall, with your feet hip distance apart. Go into a partial squat with your buttocks against the wall. Lean forward, placing the ball behind your back at the top of your shoulder. Slowly stand up- about an inch at a time-pressing against the wall and letting the ball roll slowly down the muscles along the side of your spine, stopping when you find a tender spot and waiting for the pain to subside. Reverse the process, slowly sitting down into a squat, and allowing the ball to move back up to the top of your shoulder muscle. Switch sides and repeat.
Bonus - you will be helping your shoulders and strengthening your legs at the same time.
Massage to relieve tired eyes.
Close your eyes. Place your thumbs under your eyebrows starting at the inside corner of each eye socket. Press and gently move the thumbs in tiny circles, working slowly towards the outsides of your eyebrows and continuing this movement all around your eyes, ending back at the bridge of your nose.
Massage to ease headaches and tension.Start by placing your thumbs on your cheekbones close to your ears and use your fingertips to gently apply pressure and rub the temples (the soft spot between the corner of your eye and your ear). Using very firm pressure and a tiny circular motion, gradually move your fingers up along your hairline until they meet in the middle of your forehead, massaging your entire forehead and scalp as you inch along.
Massage to relieve neck tension.While sitting, mold your hands over your shoulders. Exhale, letting your head drop back as you slowly squeeze your fingers toward your palms, gliding up the muscles of your back and shoulders towards your neck.
Now, rest your elbows on your desk, allowing your head to drop forward slightly. Massage your neck from you shoulders to the base of your skull using your fingertips to make small deep circles into the muscles on either side of your spine.
Place both hands on the back of your head, interlacing the fingers. Drop your head forward and allow the weight of your elbows to pull your head gently down, stretching the muscles of your neck and those that run down your back.
Massage to loosen tight shoulders.For this one you will need a tennis ball or a solid rubber ball.
Stand 18 inches from the wall, with your feet hip distance apart. Go into a partial squat with your buttocks against the wall. Lean forward, placing the ball behind your back at the top of your shoulder. Slowly stand up- about an inch at a time-pressing against the wall and letting the ball roll slowly down the muscles along the side of your spine, stopping when you find a tender spot and waiting for the pain to subside. Reverse the process, slowly sitting down into a squat, and allowing the ball to move back up to the top of your shoulder muscle. Switch sides and repeat.
Bonus - you will be helping your shoulders and strengthening your legs at the same time.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
About Isagenix
The Healing Place of Cottage Grove
www.thehealingplacecg.com
Isagenix is a simple to follow nutritional system. The products are all natural and organic. The flagship product is a cleansing system that removes toxins and at the same time replenishes the body with over 240 nutrients to help you achieve optimal health. By detoxing and replenishing the body with over 240 essential nutrients, the Isagenix nutritional system enables the body to be the miracle is was designed to be and heal itself. What better approach to wellness?
Detoxification is absolutely necessary! No matter where you live in the world, your body is sucking in chemicals all the time.
Sources of toxins are:
the air,
your new car (it smells good but it is really bad!)
your furniture - the fabric is usually treated with flame retardant
fruits and vegetables are sprayed with chemicals so they ripen in transit
the water you drink
the water you shower with
for more information visit my website or call 651-206-7141
www.rwesterberg.isagenix.com
www.thehealingplacecg.com
Isagenix is a simple to follow nutritional system. The products are all natural and organic. The flagship product is a cleansing system that removes toxins and at the same time replenishes the body with over 240 nutrients to help you achieve optimal health. By detoxing and replenishing the body with over 240 essential nutrients, the Isagenix nutritional system enables the body to be the miracle is was designed to be and heal itself. What better approach to wellness?
Detoxification is absolutely necessary! No matter where you live in the world, your body is sucking in chemicals all the time.
Sources of toxins are:
the air,
your new car (it smells good but it is really bad!)
your furniture - the fabric is usually treated with flame retardant
fruits and vegetables are sprayed with chemicals so they ripen in transit
the water you drink
the water you shower with
for more information visit my website or call 651-206-7141
www.rwesterberg.isagenix.com
Monday, November 10, 2008
Holiday Stress
The leaves are falling, school is well underway and the sweltering days of July have been replaced with the cool, crisp days of October. Just when things seem to have regained control again in our lives, lurking around the corner "it" comes -- holiday stress.
Yes, already families are negotiating where to spend Thanksgiving and millions of us are making the empty promise to ourselves to start early on holiday shopping. And it only gets crazier from here. Choir practice for the kids, family gatherings at every turn, office parties, treks to the mall, baking...you know where this is headed. So what can you do about it? You may not be able to control the chaos of the season, but there are some steps to make sure you survive it unscathed.
1.Take time for yourself. YES, get a massage. Soak in a mineral bath. Listen to the silence of a snowfall. Even if there seems no possible moment you can claim as your own, close your eyes, breathe deep from your belly several times, exhaling the air loudly from your mouth. Do this whenever you need a "moment."
2. Utilize catalog/online shopping. Don't fight the crowds. From the convenience of your home or during an office lunch hour, catalog and online shopping can eliminate the headache of holiday stress tenfold.
3. Eat right. Some of the best goodies come out this time of year. While you shouldn't deny yourself the opportunity to have a piece of grandma's pumpkin pie, don't overdo it. Remember to eat plenty of vegies and fruits to help stave off the winter's bombardment of colds.
4. Give yourself the advantage. Consumption of alcohol, nicotine, drugs and caffeine elicit the body's stress reaction. Remember moderation, you'll be happier and calmer in the long run.
5. Don't skimp on the exercise...but allow yourself to be excused from the routine when need be. Exercise helps melt the stress away and can provide that moment of clarity in a hectic day.
6. Don't try to be Martha Stuart. It's easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holidays with new decorating ideas, fancy dinners and the whim to make all your gifts this year. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Don't set yourself up for failure. Hire a caterer. Have friends help by having a craft day. Forgo making the gift wreath and give a gift you'll know they'll appreciate -- a massage.
7. Remember the spirit. When it's all said and done, no one will remember that the turkey was a little dry, that the sweater didn't fit, or that you were a few minutes late for rehearsal. What do they remember? The precious moments with family and friends.
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, October/November 2000. Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Yes, already families are negotiating where to spend Thanksgiving and millions of us are making the empty promise to ourselves to start early on holiday shopping. And it only gets crazier from here. Choir practice for the kids, family gatherings at every turn, office parties, treks to the mall, baking...you know where this is headed. So what can you do about it? You may not be able to control the chaos of the season, but there are some steps to make sure you survive it unscathed.
1.Take time for yourself. YES, get a massage. Soak in a mineral bath. Listen to the silence of a snowfall. Even if there seems no possible moment you can claim as your own, close your eyes, breathe deep from your belly several times, exhaling the air loudly from your mouth. Do this whenever you need a "moment."
2. Utilize catalog/online shopping. Don't fight the crowds. From the convenience of your home or during an office lunch hour, catalog and online shopping can eliminate the headache of holiday stress tenfold.
3. Eat right. Some of the best goodies come out this time of year. While you shouldn't deny yourself the opportunity to have a piece of grandma's pumpkin pie, don't overdo it. Remember to eat plenty of vegies and fruits to help stave off the winter's bombardment of colds.
4. Give yourself the advantage. Consumption of alcohol, nicotine, drugs and caffeine elicit the body's stress reaction. Remember moderation, you'll be happier and calmer in the long run.
5. Don't skimp on the exercise...but allow yourself to be excused from the routine when need be. Exercise helps melt the stress away and can provide that moment of clarity in a hectic day.
6. Don't try to be Martha Stuart. It's easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holidays with new decorating ideas, fancy dinners and the whim to make all your gifts this year. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Don't set yourself up for failure. Hire a caterer. Have friends help by having a craft day. Forgo making the gift wreath and give a gift you'll know they'll appreciate -- a massage.
7. Remember the spirit. When it's all said and done, no one will remember that the turkey was a little dry, that the sweater didn't fit, or that you were a few minutes late for rehearsal. What do they remember? The precious moments with family and friends.
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, October/November 2000. Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Knots What Are They
Can a massage actually get rid of knots (what are they anyway? do massage therapists call them that?)? what about the ones everyone has in their shoulders — does everyone have them, and can/should they be gotten rid of with enough massage?
Yes and no. So-called knots can be a variety of things. Sometimes they are an overtight muscle. Sometimes they are an adhesion within a muscle or fascia or other tissue layers. Often, however, they are what are called Trigger Points. An massage therapist is trained to treat trigger points by essentially ’squishing them out’, then applying a good stretch and heat to the muscle. Usually it takes multiple treatments to get rid of a trigger point, as they generally aren’t something you got overnight. Years of muscle strain, improper posture, overuse, and other factors cause the trigger points in the first place. Years of over-working a muscle usually take multiple treatments to get rid of.
So why did I say yes and no? Well, the thing is, once a person leaves the treatment room, they resume their normal daily life. We can educate them about proper posture, we can tell them exercises to do at home to help their body be healthier, we can mention things about proper sleeping and working habits, but we can’t force them to do anything. Posture is not something easy to correct; most people take months of work to make any really good progress. So someone with trigger points in their neck muscles, who has them fully treated by a massage therapist, may find they come back a few weeks later. It’s all how the muscles are being used.
An instructor from my school once said that he could find a trigger point on anyone pretty easily, and that he has never worked on a single person who was trigger point free. The upper body tends to have a lot of them, due to our jobs and our daily lives. Also, people tend to ‘carry their stress’ in the upper body, meaning your neck and upper back muscles will be prone to having trigger points.
Yes and no. So-called knots can be a variety of things. Sometimes they are an overtight muscle. Sometimes they are an adhesion within a muscle or fascia or other tissue layers. Often, however, they are what are called Trigger Points. An massage therapist is trained to treat trigger points by essentially ’squishing them out’, then applying a good stretch and heat to the muscle. Usually it takes multiple treatments to get rid of a trigger point, as they generally aren’t something you got overnight. Years of muscle strain, improper posture, overuse, and other factors cause the trigger points in the first place. Years of over-working a muscle usually take multiple treatments to get rid of.
So why did I say yes and no? Well, the thing is, once a person leaves the treatment room, they resume their normal daily life. We can educate them about proper posture, we can tell them exercises to do at home to help their body be healthier, we can mention things about proper sleeping and working habits, but we can’t force them to do anything. Posture is not something easy to correct; most people take months of work to make any really good progress. So someone with trigger points in their neck muscles, who has them fully treated by a massage therapist, may find they come back a few weeks later. It’s all how the muscles are being used.
An instructor from my school once said that he could find a trigger point on anyone pretty easily, and that he has never worked on a single person who was trigger point free. The upper body tends to have a lot of them, due to our jobs and our daily lives. Also, people tend to ‘carry their stress’ in the upper body, meaning your neck and upper back muscles will be prone to having trigger points.
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