Tips: Build mental strength

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It is some very simple things that can be done to build mental strength and find what's needed to deal with the challenges of life. A good step is to increase your energy as I described last week in Tips: Find new energy. When we feel tired and drained we lack the mental strength to deal with our challenges in an optimal way.

There are some very simple things which can be done to build and increase your mental strength.

• Strength training. When you feel strong and fit physically it'll automatically make you feel stronger mentally. Strength and being fit gives you confidence and self-esteem.
• Meditation and/or yoga. Calming yourself and finding balance will inevitably give you mental strength. When you're calm and posed chaos cease to exist in your mind and you can easier deal with the challenges you're facing.
  
• Time-out. One hour per day, one day per week, at least 4 weeks a year. This time should be shared between relaxing, recreation and socialization. Some things like recreation and socialization can be shared and done at once. It is important to give yourself time to do enjoyable things and give you a break from all worries and stresses.
• Reduce stress and prioritize your life. I've written several articles on the topic of stress which you might find useful.
• Stop worry and negative thinking. Thoughts can drain us for energy in no time, so if you feel drained and down, you need to either distract your negative thinking or replace the negative thoughts with positive affirmations instead. Circumstances can be rough and out of our control, but we are fully in control of how we react to them and make out of the situation.

Lack of mental strength is a subjective perception, often caused by feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, be it stress, worries, tiredness or emotions. By taking the steps above you go a long way to stop the energy drain and increase your mental strength to a level where you can look at your life and see what tears it down.

Keep in mind that it's natural to have highs and lows, it's merely part of life. A couple of days once in a while where you feel weak mentally is nothing to worry about and can simply be your body's way of telling you to relax and take some time to yourself. It will often take a couple of weeks of daily commitment to fully rebuild your mental strength, so don't give up before you've given it an honest try for at least a month. If it continues and the above doesn't help, it can be a sign of depression and something you must consult your GP or therapist about.

Tips: Find new energy

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Many of us, especially during the darkest days of the year, feel tired and fatigued and just can't find energy to do what we want or need to do. Fortunately, it isn't difficult to find more energy. All it takes is some lifestyle changes. Remember, focus on a few steps at a time, perhaps one from each category and slowly add to that. It will not take you long to feel the benefits, perhaps as little as a week.

Make these things habits and you'll avoid most fatigue and constant tiredness, which can lead to depression and mental health problems.

Food and drinks

• Drink plenty of water.
• Avoid fast food and sugars, it's quick empty energy which burns out in no time and leaves us feeling even more tired afterwards - not to mention, hungry again.
• Eat breakfast, even if you don't feel hungry. A solid breakfast with cereals and fibres will give you a good start and be the foundation for the rest of the day.
• Make sure your blood sugar level doesn't become too low - symptoms are often tiredness, grumpiness, lack of focus and patience. Eat a healthy snack or a small healthy meal when you begin to feel your blood sugar level going down.
• Avoid caffeine, especially the combination of caffeine and sugar. They give a quick short boost, but tend to leave you feeling more tired afterwards. Caffeine makes the heart beat faster and eventually tires you more. Don't drink caffeine after dinner as it can make it more difficult to fall asleep.

Mentally

• Take a shower, dress up and look your best. It'll boost your mental energy and give you drive to go out and do things.
• Use music for relaxation or for gaining energy. It's hard to feel down and tired when you listen to quick happy music. Studies show that runners run better and longer when they listen to music. Listening to calming and relaxing music can lower stress and make you relax, giving you an opportunity to recharge in a good way.
• Let go of anger and annoyances. It takes energy and makes your body react as if it's under stress. Also let go of worries you can't change, such as the weather, world crises, catastrophes etc. They only serve to create a negative thought-pattern in your mind which drains you from energy.
• Focus on positive things. The smile a child gave you, the sun on a frosty leaf, the sound of rain on the window, the warm sweater you're wearing. When you begin to appreciate beauty and good things, energy will be drawn to you and you'll feel lighter and more positive.
• Clean and tidy up the old piles and organize your environment. Throw out or give away all that you don't need and don't use. Get rid of broken items or deliver them for repair. It gives energy to accomplish things, so cleaning the apartment will bring in a bunch of positive energy, and you'll no longer waste energy thinking "should do".
• Do a good deed. To help others makes you feel happier, more satisfied, better self-esteem, a feeling of control with your life, good mood and mental well-being.

Sleep

• It's easy to neglect sleep when we're busy. It's a bad idea as our performance and energy levels are dependent on the quantity and quality of sleep we get. If you're busy and spending a lot of energy, make certain you get more sleep, not less.
• Many people are woken or sleep poorly because of a pet or partner. If that's the case, take the steps to change the situation. Let the pet sleep elsewhere, talk to your partner and find solutions so you have uninterrupted sleep.
• Lower the temperature. Heat makes it harder to get a good nights sleep. Instead have a cooler room and use an extra blanket if it feels too cold. It is also more refreshing and energising to wake in a cool room instead of a warm.
• Don't drink in the evening. Even if alcohol makes us feel more tired, it actually makes it harder to sleep properly and in some cases harder to fall asleep.
• Exercise makes our muscles relax better and produces a healthy tiredness by the end of the day which increases the quality of our sleep. Exercise will also increase our overall energy level as we release a lot of tensions and frustrations while exercising. The metabolism is stimulated and our body has an easier time clearing out waste products and bringing fresh oxygen to our muscles and brain.
• Don't use TV or computer just before bedtime. The light from the screens resembles sunlight and tricks our brain to think it's day. Computer and TV also activates our mind which can be stressing and again lead to poorer sleep. Make sure you do something else the last half hour before going to bed.
• Use the 15 minutes rule. If you can't fall asleep in 15 minutes, get up instead of becoming frustrated over your insomnia. Read a book, take a relaxing stroll, meditate and then go back to bed and see if that didn't help.

Sources and inspiration:
http://fpn.dk/liv/krop_valvare/article1907787.ece
http://www.webmd.com/

Crown diamond wedding

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Today it's the 65th anniversary for my grandparents wedding. Imagine to live with the same person for so long. It's amazing. They are an amazing couple and I'd like to take the time to talk a bit about them and pay them homage. For they're an example to look up to.

Their story is one of romance and wellness. I can't think of it differently. They're both born in 1920, and it's only a couple of weeks ago that they harvested the potatoes from their garden so they have potatoes for winter. There will also be strawberries in the freezer, as well as other vegetables of their own produce. It will likely be the last year my grandfather will be able to dig up the potatoes. He'll be 90 in January and his health is now truly beginning to fail him.

All their life, since they were young teenagers, they've worked and taken care of themselves. Through hardships during the war and growing up in poor farm land. My grandmother rode her bicycle more than 300 kilometres from her birth home to where they live now alone, and of the two romances she had, my grandfather was the one who followed and they got married.

Strong love that even the day today shines through. The way they smile at each other, the small pets and caresses, the teasing and comments. The love still is strong. They never gave up and always kept on fighting. They managed well and kept a good health throughout their lives.

I find it amazing that at age 89 they still live in their own house, which they built themselves back in the early 70's. They tend their garden which has supplied them with vegetables and fruits for so many years. And the only help they receive is a cleaning lady helping out once a week or so. They're strong and healthy, in body and mind. This is true wellness.

We can learn a lot from the older generation. Learn from how they deal with hardships and how they've kept healthy and strong over the many years. Through all the different crises they've experienced. We can learn from how they've kept love living and not given up when things got tough.

I admire my grandparents and I am grateful for all they've done for me, what they've taught me and for the example they set for me. They're truly special and I love them deeply.

Stress relief with Cocooning

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Cocooning can be a great stress reliever, both from current work stress as well as old emotional wounds. The best way to illustrate this is to use a couple of case studies from some clients I have recently given a cocooning to.

One came to me after work with a headache after a stressful day. She felt burnt out, tired, and lacking motivation for doing her job. As part of her salary is commission based, the current economic times are particularly stressful for her.

After she lay on the table, I put on relaxing, quiet music and began to place the hot stones under and on her. Some were placed under the neck and shoulders to warm the tense muscles causing her headache, and the rest were placed to warm her up and give her the feeling of one long hug. While she lay with the stones I massaged her feet, again focusing on the areas related to neck and shoulders, but mostly just giving her a caring and warm foot massage that would help her relax.

After half an hour's treatment with stones and foot massage, she came out of the massage room feeling revived and refreshed. And she told me how her headache had disappeared while I massaged her feet. In the days following she had much more energy than usually, so much so that people actually commented upon it.

For her the Cocooning is a perfect treatment to deal with work related stress, especially when too busy for a full massage.

Another example is an elderly lady who came to me seeking to try something new. She's a very spiritual lady and teaches yoga in spite of her age. She was curious about the stones and could feel their earth energy. She received the treatment with the stones around her as well as a gentle foot massage with essential oils. I could sense I should be gentle with her as not to overwhelm her emotions with the treatment.

Afterwards she asked to be allowed to stay alone on the table for a while longer. Half an hour later she came out of the treatment room indicating desire to speak to me. She told me how it had released some very old tensions. The treatment had been so powerful that she had cried afterwards, releasing old emotions and pains. She seemed much more serene and balanced after the treatment, and very thoughtful. She asked to come back and continue with the Cocooning, as she felt it had done her much good.

For this lady the Cocooning aided her in healing old hurts and pains, letting go of some of the past and becoming more balanced and happy.

Even if Cocooning doesn't include much physical manipulation of soft tissue, it can be an incredibly powerful treatment, both physically and mentally. Cocooning is very suitable for those who can't otherwise receive a massage, as it's very gentle and not intrusive.

Stress and tensions

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Stress has a tendency to settle in the muscles, making them tense and eventually painful. For myself, it's especially the jaw-muscles which tense up and can become so tense and sore that it can be hard to yawn. For many mothers I've treated tension is located in shoulders and back. For working people it's often neck and shoulders.

Stress is an emotional response to situations we're faced with, which often manifests itself physically. When muscles tense up, their function is impaired. Other muscles have to take over part of the work and become strained as they're forced to do work they're not meant for. Tense muscles also affects the blood flow in the area, which impairs the effectiveness of the immune system as the white blood cells can't easily go to an infected area. Tension also reduces the lymphatic process which serves to transport waste products away from the affected and neighbouring areas.

It is then no surprise that stress, and the following muscular tensions, can lead to a number of diseases and injuries. I've read statements that as high a number as 95% of all diseases and sicknesses are caused by stress. That is a lot. 95% because of stress.

Stress is also the most widespread ailment in Western society today. Not many people have time to take room for themselves to pause, stop up, relax and just let go of daily life for half an hour every day. We have many things to consider and many demands placed on our shoulders.

With the current worldwide financial crisis and all the uncertainty that brings along, it is a given that stress has increased and it's even more important we focus on reducing stress.

Massage and bodywork is useful on many levels. The physical work of the massage release the tension from the muscles, allowing them to function optimally again. On a mental level massage is highly relaxing and de-stressing as you lie passively for perhaps an hour, being forced to let go of the urge to do things. A massage gives you that break and pause you need to recharge and bring a bit of distance into the picture.

So don't forget to take those breaks and grant yourself massages regularly, even if the money are tight and you're busy. It can be the factor that makes the difference between sailing out of the crisis in good health, and sinking in the storm.

More massages, more benefit

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Body Sense recently published an article "Massage Multiplied - benefits of massage improve with frequency" (the PDF file can be downloaded here). In short it tells how frequent massages can improve your overall health and wellness, get rid of injuries and tensions faster and how it serves as preventive health care. Not to mention, it allows you to be more in tune with your body so you can spot the warning signals faster, which allows you to take precautions and avoid a wide range of problems.

The key is consistency. Just like when you commit to a diet or an exercise routine. If you only follow your diet once in a while or in bursts it won't help you lose weight. If you only work out and exercise every other week, it won't have much lasting effect on your health and physical shape. You need to commit and be consistent in order to gain the full range of benefits and see lasting changes.

The same is true for massages. Regular, consistent massages will reduce the accumulation of stress and improve overall health. Experts say that 90% of disases are stress related, and if there's something massage is very good at, it is to reduce stress.

Do yourself the favour to commit to getting regular massages, and you'll see how your wellness improves. Let massages be part of your wellness plan, just like diet and exercise are.

Renew yourself

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As a massage therapist, but this is true for all people, it's important to renew yourself and regularly learn new skills. If you don't undertake these challenges, there's a risk of your life growing stale as well as your craft. It's healthy for your mind to expand and grow your expertise. Not only your customers or workplace will benefit, but you will also.

It is also a good break from daily life and treadmill to take time out and devote it to mastering a new skill. You gain new challenges, you get away from habits and routines. Once mastering what you set out to learn, you have the benefit of accomplishment and success.

Learning new skills can be a great way to boost your energy and obtain renewed interest in your profession and work.

Today, as this post is published, I'm sitting in the Eurostar heading to England. I'll attend a 4 days intensive course in LaStone Therapy at LaStone UK in Chelmsford, Essex. The classes take place Thursday to Sunday from 8:45 to 5pm all four days.

The course I'm taking is called LaStone Original Body and teaches the techniques, information and theory needed to give good and therapeutic Hot and Cold Stone Massages. It's the first step in an exciting journey and I greatly look forward to it.

Breathing

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When you use the chest instead of with the stomach (diaphragm) to breathe, you can cause trigger points and tensions the upper chest and back. This can result in headaches, numbness and pains in chest, arm, shoulder and hand.

For instance the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by tensions and trigger points in some of the muscles which lift the chest (scalenes). The tensions can come from something as simple as a bad cold which makes you breathe differently.

Breathing with the chest is for many a habit that they don't think about. For people who suffers from asthma, illnesses which makes them cough, emotional tension and hyperventilation are all prone to trigger points in the scalenes and in the sternocleidomastoid. Sports and activities which makes you breathe quickly can cause trigger points as well, due to the effort of breathing.

The muscles primarily affected by poor breathing techniques are the sternocleidomastoid, the scalenes and serratus anterior. Trigger points found in the sternocleidomastoid is one of the main reasons for headaches, as described in my article Dealing with headaches. From the scalenes comes pain and numbness in the shoulder, arm and hand, as well as upper back and back pains. Pain from the serratus anterior is felt in the side and at the lower edge of the shoulder blade.

When you breathe correctly, the stomach is moving in and out and the chest barely rises. The lower in your stomach you draw your breath, the better. It will take conscious effort for a couple of weeks before you will begin to breathe automatically with your stomach.

Please make the effort to teach yourself to breathe with your stomach. It can prevent a range of issues, and it's good for your health, your stress and general well-being.

Wellness - it's everything

Many people focus on just one or two areas when they begin to focus on wellness. Especially food and exercise are two main targets as it's directly related to fitness and health. We have learned that in order to prevent a range of diseases and problems we need to work out and eat healthy.

Wellness is just so much more than that. It includes mental health as well. How we feel about ourselves, how our outlook on life is, how we cope with stress and our relationship to other people and our environment.

When begin to consider your wellness plan, you need to include all aspects of your life. You must look at everything there is and see what needs improvement and how you can do things differently. It's not enough to just focus on one or two areas and think that's enough to improve your wellness.

It's important that you consider both your physical, mental and emotional health when you begin to look at your wellness plan.

Physical wellness includes:

• Exercise
• Diet
• Environment
• Sleep/Relaxation
• Smoking/drinking/medication
• Health
  

Mental wellness includes:

• Stress
• Social life
• Emotions
  
• Outlook on life
• Depressions and blues
  

Areas to consider:

• Private life
• Family life
• Professional life
  

It's important that you consider all the different areas of your life and well-being when you look at your current situation and how you can obtain and maintain your wellness. For some people, it's also important to incorporate the spiritual life, to have a faith and a belief. Where you know your spot in the world and scheme of things.

Your wellness is like an orchestra, consisting of a number of instruments which create great and beautiful music when they all play in harmony. Just one instrument which is disharmonious and the entire piece of music sounds wrong and becomes a pain instead of pleasure. Make sure all your instruments are in tune and played the right way and with the right tune and force.

Wellness - starting small

It doesn't take much to begin to increase your wellness. By starting small you can engage in good habits and one small step at a time improve your wellness to a level where it just takes easy maintenance.

It's important to start small. To focus on only a couple of things at a time so it doesn't become overwhelming and you can keep your motivation up. Taking on too many things at once will only leave you stressed and not allow you to fully engage in the things you're starting. It's well to keep in mind that it can take a couple of months to build new habits and have them so settled they are on auto-pilot.

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We all have individual needs and things we need to change, so it's hard to give a general plan on how to improve your wellness. In the following list, pick out the things which apply to you and start with those. Every month, evaluate your status and once a habit is well established, add another step to your wellness program.

• Focus on healthy food:
• Eat fruit and vegetables every day, minimum 6 a day is the ideal, but start small and begin by eating a piece of fruit after each meal as dessert.
  
• Eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of 2-3 big meals. Getting a snack between the main meals will help you keep your energy constant during the day and make you less prone to snack on unhealthy foods. Good snacks are things like fruit, raw veggies, whole meat bread with a slice of cheese, non-sweet biscuits etc.
  
• Drink water. Make it a habit to drink water instead of juice, soda, coffee, tea and other things. Save the rest for special situations.
• Eat varied. It's never healthy to eat too much of one thing. Make sure you get some of everything. Meat, fish, vegetables, potatoes, rice, bread and so on. For dinner make it one third meat, one third rice/potato/pasta and one third vegetables.
  
• Eat fish every week. Fish is good and healthy.

• Get some exercise:
• Go for a walk. We need an hours exercise every day, but it doesn't need to be the gym. Walking and gardening are great forms of exercise as well.
  
• Getting a personal trainer to help you create a schedule will help you to commit and motivate you to keep it up.
• Play with your children outdoors. Play ball, climb trees, build cages, play hide and seek or catch, anything you can imagine. Kids have amazing energy and they too need to be motivated to exercise more.
• Go to the pool once a week. Swimming is a great way to exercise and allows you to use your entire body. With kids it can become a great family experience and a game instead of boring workout.

• Relaxation:
  
• Go out and get fresh air every day.
• Go to bed earlier so you get enough sleep. Most people need between 7 and 8 hours uninterrupted sleep every night. Many can do with less, but it increases stress and risks your health.
  
• Catch a nap during the day if possible and needed. Powernaps lasting 20 minutes can be a good way to make up for a bad sleep.
  
• Meditation and yoga are good ways to relax.
• Get a massage once a month. Massage is a great way to maintain your health and deal with stress. Don't let the pleasant feeling make you feel guilty and stop you from getting a massage.

• Emotional and mental:
  
• Surround yourself with beautiful things, flowers, music, art and so on. Spend time to appreciate the beauty every day.
• Laugh every day. Laughter is a great stress release and teaching yourself to see the fun in stressing situations will allow you to cope with them much easier.
• Focus on the positive. Positive thinking can change everything. Negative thinking is one of our greatest dangers.
• Be social. Make sure you hang out with friends and family every week. Our social networks influence our wellness a lot, and recent studies even show that our friends are more important to our health than our family.
• Take one step at a time. All tasks can be overcome, all challenges conquered if you take one step at a time and focus on that.
  
• Focus on the now. Much worry and stress can be released if you focus on the now. We can't change the past, and the future might not happen. The only thing we can truly do something about is the now. Keeping that in mind can make life much easier to deal with.
  

There are many more things you can do, and they can be as complicated or simple as you make it. The above is meant to give you some ideas of where you can start, small easy things that doesn't take much effort to focus on. Just pick a couple of things and focus on that. If you have more energy, then pick one thing from each category and do that for a couple of months before considering adding more.

Don't pick several things from one category as it can easily become too overwhelming. By focusing on different areas you make it easier for yourself. For example; eat fruit for dessert every day, go for a half hour walk after dinner and start to appreciate the beautiful things around you. It's three steps, each small and something everybody can manage. Taking three things from the exercise category would quickly wear you out and make the habits very hard to build.

Most importantly of all. Allow yourself to relax and have fun. This shouldn't be a chore or something you have to do grudgingly every single day. Allow yourself a day where you indulge in chocolate and don't exercise. Relax and take things easy. Building and maintaining your wellness shouldn't become another stress factor in your life, but something that's enjoyable to do. Wellness is not just physical health, but also your emotional and mental health. If you're unhappy while eating healthy and exercising, then you're only building your health and not your wellness.

And finally, reward yourself for what you achieve. Rewards can be a good motivator, and it's a good way to relax and let go for a bit before you head back to the task of building your wellness.

Getting a monthly massage can be a very good and motivating reward for keeping a healthy diet and exercising every day.

Related post: A few wellness tricks

Body awareness

It can be difficult to keep awareness of our body and notice how it feels when life is so full of inputs and information we need to digest constantly in order to stay on top of things. How can we expect ourselves to remember to notice how our body feels when the boss is bickering about a deadline, the children are screaming and demanding attention now, when the dog wants to be taken for a walk, when dishes and laundry have piled up to new heights and the life-partner once again complains about traffic and work?

It's so easy to forget how we feel and what our body is trying to tell us. It's so easy to forget that every ache and pain we feel is a warning from our muscles and system that we're doing something that's not good for it. And ache between the shoulder blades is telling us we've been sitting too long in front of the computer again, a knee pain is telling us that we've strained a thigh muscle when we exercised, a headache tries to tell us that we've sat too long in the same position, feeling tired informs us that we have another flue coming.

Our body is one of our best communicators when it comes warning us of coming illness and injury. Unfortunately, it's also what we usually ignore and think, that it can wait until later when the demands of life have lessened. But the demands don't and it becomes a habit to ignore those subtle signals from our body. We don't notice anything wrong before the day when we suddenly can't lift our arm, when it hurts our fingers and wrist to type on the computer, or when we suddenly go down with fever and are forced to stay in bed for three days.

Imagine if you could avoid these things. Imagine if you could avoid injury and illness throughout most of your life. If there was some way to stop it before it comes. It is possible. All it takes is paying close attention to yourself and your body. Of course, this won't stop all illnesses and injuries. Accidents happen and some things just seem to have their own life. But it is very possible to reduce the amount of injuries you get and stop a flue or cold before it fully manifests itself.

Preventing injuries is probably the easiest thing to do of the two and the one I as a massage therapist have solid knowledge about. You must pay attention to the muscles and joints, to your body and how it feels. When an ache starts in the neck for instance, then it's a sign that what you're doing will lead to injury if you continue it. It might take weeks or months yet before it happens, but once it does it'll be much harder to fix than the effort it takes to prevent it from happening in the first place. Not to mention, it's much more pleasant to prevent an injury than it is to fix it.

All muscular pain is a sign that the muscle is being used wrongly or too long and needs a rest and pause. It's a sign that it's become strained. The pain is a signal sent to the body to stop using that muscle and in most cases other muscles will take over the work, a work they're not fit to do and eventually, if you keep up your activity, they too will become strained and you can suddenly end up with the inability to even comb your own hair.

If you notice all the aches and signals your muscles send you, and act upon them, you can prevent most injuries. Only exception will be the sudden accident, but even here paying close attention to what your muscles and body tell you can help with the healing process and speed it up significantly.

What do you do once you notice that aching muscle warning. There are several things that can be done, and which is the best always depend on the individual situation. First is of course to stop doing what's causing the ache or pain. It can be getting up from the computer and stretch the entire body and take a 5 minutes break walking around the office. It can be slowing down and do your activity more carefully or even wait until the next day before resuming. It can be getting a massage to work out the knots and tensions which have built up over time. It can be exercising and strengthening the muscle groups involved so they're better prepared to deal with the sort of task you give them. It can also be changing working position, environment and conditions.

Clearly it's best if you can stay aware of your body and as soon as an ache emerges, counter it by stopping that activity. But it isn't possible to do that when life places its demands upon us and this is where a good massage therapist and regular massage can make a world of difference. If you manage to get a massage as soon as the aches start up again, and at the same time make sure that you work under the best conditions possible, you can prevent injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, frozen shoulder, chronic headaches and so on.

But how can we increase our body awareness and learn to feel the signals sent. We've gotten so used to ignoring the aches and pains and information given, that most of us are having a hard time fully sensing how our body truly feels.

Again, getting massages can be very useful for this. If you pay close attention to the work done and how it feels. Normally a massage therapist will get around to all parts of the body and when she works on a muscle you should be able to feel if its tense or relaxed, if it hurts when she presses on certain points, if the pain seems to radiate and if there's soreness or sudden sensations. Being aware of the massage given and focusing on the muscles being treated will help your body awareness and if you inform your massage therapist about the aches and pains, she can provide a better treatment and help normalize the muscles.

Another thing you can do is meditate. If you lie down, or even sit up but I find it most easy when I lie down, is to focus on your body one part at a time. Start at your toes and feel you toes, imagine them getting warm and heavy, feel how they relax more and more. Once you're done with the toes begin with the feet and go through your body one small section at a time. You might find it best to do one leg or arm at a time.

If you really focus on how your muscles feel, envision them before you and take your time doing this, you should become aware of where the muscles are tense and where they're relaxed, where there are pains and aches. You'll be amazed over how many muscles are actually tense that you hadn't noticed because some other place was more painful.

This is also a good exercise to help you relax your muscles and counter injuries. Don't be surprised if you fall asleep halfway through the body. The more tired you are, the more likely it is to happen, so keep an alarm nearby to pull you out after half an hour or so in case you do fall asleep and don't want to nap the afternoon away. For the same reason, it's not a good thing to do late in the evening, unless you use it as a method to fall asleep. This meditation is good for that as well.

As with all other skills, growing your body awareness takes practice and conscious effort. The more you practice and pay attention, the sooner you'll hear the warning signals and if you're careful and react to them all, you'll soon find that the aches and pains are pretty much gone and certainly not as severe as they used to be.

7 good reasons to get a massage

There are many reasons to get a massage and the list would be long. Here comes seven very good reasons, seen from a somewhat different angle than the clinical one.

1. To relax and release stress. Massage is a wonderful way to completely relax and let go of worries and troubles for a while. This in return helps you deal with the stresses of daily life and gives you energy to face the challenges you meet.
2. Improves health. It's now generally accepted that stress and lack of relaxation noticeably impairs the immune system which in return affects our health. Massages indirectly helps your immune system get back on top to fight off all the viruses and other things which constantly assail us.
3. Better quality of life. Having a good health improves the life quality for us all. There's nothing more disastrous for quality of life than having to battle illness after illness and never feel well.
4. Increased confidence. Having a good health, feeling well and in good shape. Being relaxed and at ease, all increases confidence. Not to mention, being able to accept massages helps you accept your body which in return builds your confidence.
5. Improved relationships with self and others. Having confidence, a good health and energy and being at ease, all help to build good relationships with others and ourselves as well.
6. Expansion of possibilities. With confidence, energy and strength, we're more open to the possibilities and opportunities presented for us and see them easier. And feeling secure in good relationships with ourselves and others gives us the courage to take the opportunity.
7. Live life to the fullest and find happiness. This last statement might seem a bit assuming. Fact is though that if we are confident, positive, take the opportunities presented to us and are balanced, we are more likely to live life to the fullest and as such find happiness.

It will be too much to state that massage alone can lead to all this. But it certainly can be a great tool to use in order to achieve such. Massage can be the first step on the path and have a great influence on it. Don't ever underestimate the power of touch and physical well-being as ground for emotional well-being and true happiness. We are complete beings and must take care of all aspects of us. Body, mind and heart. Neglect one and the others will suffer.

With thanks to Amy Leclercq from Lightwork Aesthetic & Bodywork Therapy, for bringing up this way of seeing massage.

Taunaki.com - your resource to wellness

Finally, we're here! Taunaki is launching and I'm all excited about it. It's an event I've worked towards for more than a year. And since September I've been working more or less full time on the project. It's been a very exciting process, very interesting and it's taught me a lot. I must admit I've greatly enjoyed the work in spite of frustrations and stress.

So, what is Taunaki?
Taunaki is your resource to Wellness. It's a website dedicated to Wellness. It's meant to be a complete guide to Wellness in all forms and shapes. There are two core products which are available at launch.

Business listings with user reviews. Think of the restaurant guides there are out there and apply that to Wellness. Users rate and write reviews about Wellness providers and other users can search and find the one they want to try out. The content is determined by the users, and for now no business can be listed without a review to back it up. The site is for the users primarily. The business can be anything related to wellness. The local spa, a massage therapist, the yoga studio, the personal trainer, a course in healthy cooking. Anyone who works with wellness. Again, it comes down to the users to decide who are listed and who're relevant.

The other part is articles. Our aim is to create a large database with articles about wellness in all forms and shapes. Educative and informative writings covering everything from describing massage styles, to why organic food is good for you, stress reduction, positive thinking, exercise routines and you name it. Anyone who's an expert in their field or knowledgeable about wellness are welcome to participate and provide articles, as long as they live up to the requirements of covering wellness and be informative in order to help the users.

We have many other things planned for Taunaki with time, such as creating a community and forums for discussions about wellness. But the core product is the reviews and articles. The rest will be icing on the cake.

You can subscribe to Taunaki News at http://news.taunaki.com which is regularly updated with news, information, background and other things. We also have a Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59668451536 which you are most welcome to join. This too is updated regularly and is your chance to become part of a community and give your input and feedback to the site.

I look forward to hearing your feedback and see you on Taunaki.

Cheers!

Wry neck (torticollis)

Wry neck, or torticollis, can happen very suddenly and without any obvious reason. The experts do not agree on what precisely causes it. Sometimes it can be caused by a trauma, a fall, a car accident or a sudden movement. In that case it's always advisable to see a doctor to rule out more serious causes like a slipped disc or other things. Medication, inflamation and other conditions can cause wry neck as well. This is why it's important to see a doctor should there be anything unusual, or if there's radiated tingling and spams in other places than the neck.

Most commonly people just wake up one day and feel their neck is stiff and it's hard to move without feeling pain. A sudden turn of the head might 'lock' it so it becomes unbearable to move at all. The muscle locks up, becomes stiff and inflexible. The head gets fixed in the odd sideways position which is so uncomfortable and can render one unable to deal with a normal day.

A theory can be that a muscle has been under strain recently and suddenly something goes wrong. A nerve sends the wrong signal and the muscle spasms and locks up, becoming stiff and very painful. The 'lock up' is a natural defence mechanism to protect the delicate and fragile joints of the neck.

There are some things though which increases the risk of getting wry neck:

• Sleeping on your stomach
• Poor working posture before the computer
• Strains to the neck which are provoked
• Holding your shoulder/head in straining positions, like holding a phone between ear and shoulder or looking over the rim of your glasses.
• Draft is said by some to be a reason, while others dispute it. I personally think the cold makes the muscles prone to tense up and possible spasm (get locked).

Wry neck is one of those things which can take weeks to recover from and in my experience quick and immediate action is the key to reduce the discomfort or even 'unlock' the spasmed muscle.

If you wake up with wry neck one morning, and there has been no trauma to your neck recently, you can do the following to reduce, if not elliminate the pain:

• Stretch exercises. The muscle is locked up, in a form of cramp, so very slow and deliberate stretching can unlock the muscle and cause the spasm to go away.
• Heat. Hot water or towels applied to the tense muscle might cause it to relax.
• Movement. Where stretching is passive, active movement of the head can slowly bring the affected muscle(s) back to normal. Carefully rotate your head and use the muscles affected, though only to the pain-threshold, not beyond it. Pain in itself causes muscles to tense, so it's important to be patient and take it one tiny step at a time.
• Painkillers can be an option as well, since less pain will help the muscle relax. This can be useful for employing movement or stretching to address the problem.

In case of continuous discomfort contact a massage therapist or physiotherapist for treatment. Massage can be very useful for wry neck and the therapist will be able to speak to you about your situation and give you advice on how to deal with it.

If the pain remains very severe after the above advice, don't hesitate to contact your own doctor as other things can be the cause of wry neck. A scan of your neck might be necessary to rule out any serious causes.

There are several things you can do in order to reduce the risk of wry neck, apart from the don't dos mentioned above:

• Examine, evaluate your posture and correct poor posture. You might need an ergo-therapist or massage therapist to help you with this.
  
• Regular stretch exercises for shoulder, neck, chest and back.
• Strength training to support correct posture.
• Exercise
• Get regular massages. The massage therapist can catch potential problems before they become serious and normalize them. She can also advice you on posture, stretching, strength training and other things you can do to avoid wry neck.

Once you know what to keep an eye on and what steps to take, it is rather easy to avoid waking up with wry neck one morning. Also, when you know what to do it's easy to quickly take action and stop the spasm from becoming a problem. The longer a muscle is locked, the longer it will take for it to unlock and become pain free again.

Relevant articles: Strength exercises, The importance of strength training, Postural distortion, Stretch exercises, Pain from computer and desk, When to get a massage, Frequency of massages.

A few wellness tricks

It doesn't take that much work to get started on actively caring for and improving your wellness. By starting small and in small steps you can get into the good habits easily without it becoming a big struggle that you need to force yourself to do every day. If you follow through with these few easy things you will experience a great improvement in your overall wellness and how you feel. All the other benefits to your general health and life quality comes in on top of it.

• Eat 6 a day.
  The official recommendation from the Danish health authorities is to eat 6 fruits and/or vegetables every single day. Translated into something which can be measured, it is 600 grams of fruits, greens and vegetables during the course of the day. This includes both fresh, raw and cooked greens.
  And example could be:
  
  • Breakfast: a banana, two slices of wholegrain bread with cheese and a glass of juice - count 2
  • Lunch: a salad with lettuce, cucumber, bean spouts, corn, tuna, salmon and wholegrain bread - count 1.
  • Dinner: Dinner with a side-dish of green beans, broccoli and carrots. If the greens take up a third of the entire meal the count will be about 1.
  • Snacks during morning and afternoon. A piece of fresh fruit - count 2
  The total count for a day would be 6 and you'll have done yourself a great favour. It's important to vary what you eat and not just eat only a few kinds of greens and fruits. Variation is very important to a healthy lifestyle and food.

• Exercise for at least half an hour every day.
  Several authorities now recommend minimum half an hours exercise every single day. It might seem like much, but you should take into consideration that the 10 min brisk walk to the train in the morning counts into that number as well, and so does doing half an hours gardening or physically demanding housework, or even playing with your children. Children should exercise at least an hour every day to keep them in shape and avoid a poor lifestyle and health. The more physical work we can include in our daily schedule, the better our bodies will feel.
  In order for a physical activity to count in as exercise it should be something that makes your heart beat faster, your breathing to be affected or makes you sweat. While an hours relaxed stroll is better than nothing, it does unfortunately not count for an hours exercise. Use your common sense and don't do yourself the disfavour of counting in things you're in doubt about. In this case it's better to do too much than too little.
  Again, variation is the key here. Combine some strength training (washing floors or digging the garden can qualify for that), with conditioning training such as walks or playing ball with the kids. Don't forget to give yourself time to rest between straining exercise. Alternate between the types so your body gets a chance to recover and rebuild. And spoil yourself with one full day a week where you can have your well-deserved rest after good work.
  

• Get enough sleep.
  Sleep is very important for our wellness. Sleep is when the body reconstitutes itself and recovers from the strains of the day. Studies show that lack of sleep leads to a poorer functioning immune system, so the impulses to just sleep all day away when sick are justified. It helps strengthen the immune system and keep diseases at bay.
  Mentally sleep is very important as well. Not only does sleep allow our brain to relax and process the inputs of the day, sorting the information and solving problems. But our mood is greatly affected by how tired we feel. Emotions become intensified and the emotional reactions are much stronger. For better or worse. Also problems seem much greater when we're tired. We don't feel we have the energy to deal with them and they become barriers instead of challenges to face.

• Think positively.
  It is amazing what difference positive thinking can do to your life and how you feel about yourself. It can be a difficult habit to get into, but it is certainly worth it. Shortly put it comes down to accepting the negative thoughts and feelings you have, acknowledging them and then put them away, all the while you force yourself to see the good in any given situation.
  When you focus on the positive in life, in yourself, in your surroundings, you will find that the negative becomes much less important and has much less impact on how you feel or act.
  For further ideas and advice on how to think positively, I recommend you read the Positivity Blog. The site is a huge resource to positive thinking and how to change your own habits and behaviours.

If you manage to undertake those four steps and incorporate them into your daily life, you will quickly see an improvement of your wellness. These are four fundamental steps to wellness and well worth taking.

Some wellness blogs and sites

Following are some of my favourite wellness related blogs and sites. I regularely check them and find much inspiration and knowledge from these sites. Both professionally and personally. Enjoy.

• Personal Development with The Positivity Blog - http://www.positivityblog.com/
  A very well written and very positive blog. There's advice on many different areas of life and how to deal with situations. It's an invaluable resource to personal improvement and positive thinking. Clearly worthwhile visiting and using. Lots of good tips and tricks, knowledge and plans on how to deal with problems and better yourself and your mentality. It all starts within.

• Helpguide.org: Mental Health, Relationships, Healthy Lifestyles, Aging - http://helpguide.org/
  A valuable official resource to mental health, life and wellness. A good place to look things up and find advice on how to deal with specific issues and learn what you can do and if you suffer a condition.

• The Happiness Project - http://www.happiness-project.com/
  An interesting blog about finding happiness in life, dealing with some of all those things we do that creates unhappiness. Interesting read to follow and some good hints and advice as well.

• TRI Research1 - http://www6.miami.edu/touch-research/research.htm
  The Touch Research Institute. Very interesting studies about touch, including massage and how they affect health and mental wellbeing. Essential read for those interested in Wellness and looking for the proof that touch does make a difference.
  

• Healing Naturally - http://www.healingmenaturally.com/
  A site dedicated to natural healing with a small community. The activity is still low, but there are some good resources and interesting discussions happening.

• MassageSpace.net | Massage Social Network Community - http://massagespace.net/
  A community dedicated to massage and massage therapists. Free to join.
  

• World Massage Forum - http://worldmassageforum.com/
  A forum dedicated to massage of all sorts for practioners and clients alike. Free to join.

• AromaTalk - http://www.aromatalk.com/aromatalk/
  A blog dedicated to aromatherapy, news, information, tips and tricks.

• Creating A Prosperous Practice - http://creatingaprosperouspractice.wordpress.com/
  
  A blog with tips and tricks to creating a prosperous massage therapy practice.

• YouTube - Burn with Kearns: Basement Tapes PT. 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnt65CBU5RE&feature=related
  Hard workout technique - if you want to get in shape and lose a bit of weight. Exercise is essential for your wellness.

• Dumbbell Exercises Complete with Animated Diagram - http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/dumbbellexercises.html
  Dumbbell exercises are also good to maintain and improve your wellness. A work out a couple of times a week can make a great difference. And yes, I do work out.

A bit of inspiration and links about wellness. I hope it's useful for you.

Massage and Wellness

Wellness and massage are undoubtedly connected, but what does wellness mean.

According to dictionary.com wellness is a noun which means:

1. the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, esp. as the result of deliberate effort.
   
2. an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.

Wellness is a state of being where you are not only without illness and disease, but actively preventing getting sick and be above the place where you constantly fight of various diseases. It is making sure that body and mind are in such a good shape that diseases are avoided. Wellness comes down to an non-western approach to health. To prevent instead of cure. To avoid things breaking instead of fixing what's broken.

Unfortunately wellness has become a fashion word which involves more or less anything that's related to pleasure and enjoyment. Due to this marketing wellness has become defined as much more than empowering your mind and body to withstand sickness and diseases. Luckily there are organisations working towards weeding out the bad seeds and make wellness a proper industry with focus on preventing illness and dis-ease.

Massage can be a big part of wellness, in the meaning of preventive healthcare. As described in previous articles, massage can not only improve your mood and make you feel good, but also improves your physical and physical health.

Read more of my other articles at: Massage and illness, Why get chair massages, Why get massages, Why massage the stomach, The importance of touch, Massage relieves burnt-out.