Friday, December 31, 2010

Self Care in 2011

As we wrap up this year, I'm thinking about how to take better care of myself in 2011. I must admit, for all of the work I'm doing in the world of natural care, I haven't been taking the best care of myself.

SO, for 2011 here are my determinations:

1. Eat well. Minimal sugar, meat, processed food & alcohol.
2. Get more sleep.
3. Continue regular, intense workouts.
4. Stretch, return to yoga.
5. Continue service in the community, like working at the marathon this past year. After all, the benefit all comes back to me!

I'm writing this publicly to keep myself honest. I'll keep you updated on my progress. What will you do for yourself in 2011?

Happy New Year!!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Don't Skip the Arms!

Before I studied and started practicing massage therapy, I often had my therapist skip my arms when I received a massage.  "What's the point?" I thought.  "Spend extra time on my feet, my back."  But the more I work with my hands and arms, the more I realize just how much they do.  Think of it: What do you use to wake up, brush your teeth, turn on the shower, make breakfast, put on your clothes, pack your bag, lock the door and head off to work?  Yes, hands, arms.  And that's not to mention your workouts, throwing a ball with friends, building snow castles, waving until your friends are out of sight...  So, be good to your hands and arms.  Have your therapist spend a little extra time on them.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Ikea Hands


As a massage therapist, I rely on my hands. As such, I pride myself in strong, adept manual dexterity. So, would assembling 2 large, complex cabinets from Ikea be the perfect project for me? Oh, no. Not at all. Although I have become fluent in Ikea instructionspeak, putting together one of those (ingenius) contraptions requires so much twisting and turning of screwdriver and other tools; my hands are a wreck today. They are actually swollen from the seven non-stop hours I spent putting together my office furniture. Granted, my office will look amazing, but I'm going to have to rest my hands before my next client. Time to dunk them in a bucket of ice.