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Did you know that May was National Bike Month? Although May is coming to a close, outdoor biking season is just beginning as the weather warms up and dries out.  Rather you ride indoors or out, cycling is a great form of exercise and a lot of fun! The bike was first created in Paris, France with a gain in popularity in the early 1800's. It quickly became as American as apple pie and baseball. It's funny to think that when kids starting wanting to ride bikes, parents were concerned that it was bad for the family. They felt it allowed too much independence and separation from each other and that it seemed physically dangerous. Like many new inventions do, it became more and more accepted and then celebrated. Now it's hard to go anywhere around town or in a gym without seeing someone on a bike and for good reason! In 1903 the Tour De France race started, giving riders a treacherous track through rain, wind, cobble stone, steep climbs and dangerous descents through ...

Tammara Giving A Kid's Chair Massage Short answer, absolutely! At our massage practice we often work with children who are very active in sports and experiencing aches and pains or the parents are being proactive to prevent aches and pains by bringing them in for some body work. We ask that the parents stay in the room with us and sign a waiver for minors. It is always a blast to work with kids. Some of the younger ones squirm and giggle when first experiencing a release of tension from their tight little muscle. It can sometime feel ticklish until we figure out just the right amount of pressure that works for them. The teens and preteens usually melt into the table and tell us that they want to come everyday! Don't we all? Similar to adults, children experience tight muscles, knots, aches and pains with the only difference being that they recover quicker from pulls and strains than us older types do. Some of the Benefits  Immunity Boost: Massage is beneficial at ...

April is stress awareness month. Common Effects of Stress A lot of common symptoms that are blamed on illness, such as headaches, insomnia, and fatigue, are actually caused by stress. It is important to be aware of how stress is effecting your health, because left unchecked it can lead to worse problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes according to the Mayo Clinic. Our mood and behavior can also be negatively effected by stress. Anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation, irritability and sadness just to name a few, can make life miserable. Act Now to Manage Stress Now that you know how bad stress can be to your health and overall wellness, it's time to reap the benefits of managing your stress by setting up your strategic plan for success! Exercise regularly : 30-60 mins of physical activity everyday will help you mentally and physically handle stressful situations. It can literally change the chemistry in your brain to make you feel ...

February is the month of chocolates, flowers, fancy dinners and many other creative ways to show our special someone how much we love them.  According to many studies, nothing beats the power of touch as the ultimate way to express comfort, healing and love. Did you know that there is actually a love hormone? Studies show that Oxytocin (often referred to as the "love" hormone) is increased and the heart rate goes down when people snuggle up or bond socially. The same has been found true for any comforting touch sensation, such as a back or foot rub. The act of being touched has an incredible ability to make someone feel better. Think about that awful moment when you bump your head on a sharp corner. The first thing that everyone does is bring their hand to the area of pain. Just holding or gently rubbing a painful area can help bring a sense of calm to a brain that is is screaming, "Ouch!".   Massage therapists are taught about muscles, fascia tension, adhe...

The holidays tend to throw off our normal routines and are always filled with extra tasty food. By the first of the year we are ready to eat clean and get in shape. January ushers in a new enthusiasm for a fresh new start and often that enthusiasm leads to sore muscles from new workouts or exercises that we haven't done in a while. Many people have loosing weight and getting into shape at the top of their new year's resolution list. As the gyms fill up, the bottles of pain relievers empty. The excitement of a new fresh start can be slowed down by the pain and stiffness that settles in a few days after a good workout. Now that January is into its third week, you might be experiencing D.O.M.S. (delayed onset muscle soreness).  To help minimize muscle soreness follow these tips: Be sure to do at least a 10 minute warm up before starting your exercise routine such as a gentle walk or spin on a bike. Anything that is easy to do and slowly warms your muscles. ...

Anxiety is the worst! Everyone suffers from occasional anxiety, but anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America according to the ADDA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). The sad thing is that anxiety disorders are highly treatable, but less than 40% of sufferers seek help. Don't contribute to that statistical fact! Therapy and medications can be incredibly helpful, but don't discount the alternative treatments that are available. Most people know that massage is know to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and generally give the mind and body an overall sense of wellness, but there are also some specific foods that are surprising helpful as well. Anxiety is caused in part by an imbalance of neurotransmitters. These are chemical messengers that play a role in mood regulation. Eating anxiety fighting foods can help lower the severity of anxious feelings by balancing the chemistry in your body. Red Wine - No more than 2 glasses a day!  Dark ...

Ouch! The dynamic and forceful twists and turns of tennis unfortunately can lead to many risks of injury. Knees, lower back and shoulders are most prone to muscle strains for tennis players. Keeping an eye on proper form can greatly reduce problems in these areas. Understanding the causes of this can help develop strategies to improve functional movements that help reduce painful injuries and keep you on the court! Know the Source If you're having pain in your shoulders, the problem might actually originate with your hips. The legs pivot in the hip sockets, allowing the spine and shoulders to rotate and the arms to swing during the back-swing and the follow-through.  For a more powerful hit, tennis players often jump during the swing, which intensifies the stress on the body.  Ample ability to rotate the hips is fundamental to proper form for many tennis moves. If the hips are overly tight and not freely moving in full range of motion, other areas of the body compensat...