Mark Your Calendar: It's time for a Party

The difficulties of the last month seem to be behind me! I am feeling healthy, strong and loved and supported by my community surrounding me. Thank you for your part in that. I am enjoying spring to my fullest ability. I have been spending my free time hiking and practicing my wildflower identification skills. I visited the top of Mission Peak in Fremont for sunset the other night, which was awesome.

On that note, I know that you all will be more active this time of the year, as well. I have included an article on the benefits of massage on exercise, which includes a description of what massage actually does to muscles, which clients frequently ask about.

I have many gift certificates in circulation right now. If you have given one to a friend or colleague, please encourage them to use it. But don't worry if they don't, it sometimes takes people a while to make the time for themselves, and somtimes receive them when they are over a year old...your friend will use it eventually.

I am happy to say that I am considering my massage studio "done" for all practical purposes. While I still have some projects in mind, I no longer feel constrained by the studio from moving forward in my practice. In this spirit, I would like to invite you to an afternoon vegetarian bbq and to celebrate my studio's completion with me. It will take place on May 3rd from 12-4, please come by if you would like! Click here for more info.

Contents:
Article: At the Top of Your Game
Article: Shea Butter
April Special: Free postural analysis

At the Top of Your Game
Sports Massage a Must for Athletic Performance *
By Cathy Ulrich

"It was my first marathon and I'd been fighting a 20 mile-an-hour headwind for most of the race. When I finished, my upper back and hamstrings were so tight I couldn't stretch them myself," says Colorado athlete Camie Larson. "My husband, Jamie, found me and led me to the massage line. When I got to the massage therapist, she quickly assessed my condition. She worked on my hamstrings, softening and gently stretching them until they were loose enough so I could stretch them myself the rest of the day. She also worked on my back and shoulders, which were tight from battling the headwind. I'm convinced I would have been in big trouble had I not gotten the massage."

Larson is just one example of a triathlete and runner who includes massage in her regular training routine. She commits to a massage every other week during the heaviest part of her training season and says, "If I get too busy and don't get a massage, I really notice the difference. My legs and shoulders are tighter and it's much harder to recover from training sessions."

Regular massages while training for an event help athletes avoid injury and reduce fatigue. Professional athletes have known about the benefits of regular massage for some time, but amateur athletes and even weekend warriors find that massage is important for them, too. Most trainers and coaches advise their clients to get regular massage to enhance workouts, recover from competition, and rehabilitate injuries.
Muscles and Massage

Our muscles are designed to adapt to the demand of strenuous exercise. Athletic training and competition, or even exertion from heavy physical work, tears down the muscles involved. When muscles are allowed to recover following a workout, they increase their number of fibers to respond to the demand. This adaptation process builds strength in muscles and in the structural support of the surrounding soft tissues. It also affects their ability to relax.

Regular massage reduces the risk of injury by maintaining flexibility and range of motion. By helping the body eliminate the metabolic by-products of a workout, massage shortens recovery time and reduces soreness. In addition, massage improves circulation, which enhances athletic performance by increasing the oxygen and nutrient supply to the muscles.
When to Get Massage

Depending on the athlete's specific sport and physical demands, massage can be targeted to different aspects of the athlete's needs. Massage is most effective when integrated throughout an individual's training program. This includes massage throughout the training itself, pre-event, post-event and during recovery.
Rehabilitation

Muscle strains, bruises from contact sports, and chronic soreness need special attention. Whether encountered during training or during an event, massage is a key component in assisting an athlete to return to their sport sooner. Massage therapists can work closely with doctors and athletic trainers to establish a schedule for therapy. Specific manual techniques reduce scar tissue and muscle spasm, and the enhanced circulation achieved from massage is crucial to healing.

Whether its professional marathon training or weekend warrior sports, getting a massage can ease muscle soreness, help your body recover more quickly, and get you ready to go again. And, of course, massage helps you deeply relax--an important key to overall wellness.

Shea Butter
For Your Complexion and More *
By Shelley Burns, N.D.
I am not sure if my search for the perfect massage lotion is over yet. For over a month, I tried an organic lotion that I was not happy with for deep tissue work. On a whim, I tried Shea butter and I love it so far!

Shea butter comes from the nut of the shea tree (pronounced shay) found in the tropics of Africa, primarily West Africa. It offers many benefits as a topical moisturizer for skin and hair, and improves other skin problems and appearance.

As well as providing relief from minor dermatological conditions like eczema, lesser burns, and acne, shea butter can be used as a natural sunscreen and for stretch-mark prevention during pregnancy. Other benefits include the evening out of skin tone, reducing blemishes, and restoring skin elasticity.

Shea butter easily penetrates the skin, allowing skin to breathe without clogging pores. It contains high concentrations of linoleic acid, which provide skin protection at a cellular level, as well as vitamins A, E, and F, which protect against premature wrinkles. Vitamin F in shea butter also soothes rough, dry, or chapped skin.

Healing though it may be, shea butter undergoes a rigorous path in its journey from overseas to the faces and bodies of your clients. The fruit from the shea tree is cultivated, cracked, grilled, pounded, and boiled. The shea butter is then scooped out of the nut and left to cool.

Properties of shea butter include unsaponifiables--substances that cannot decompose into acids, salts, or alcohol. For that reason, shea butter is extremely absorbable, even more so than soybean and avocado oils.

There are three types of shea butter extraction and just two of the three end products of these extractions should be used. Unrefined shea butter in its pure form is yellow. Refined shea butter is processed but still contains many of its natural components. Either is fine to use. Highly refined shea butter may well have lost its healing properties and can include such solvents as hexane, which may cause nerve damage. It is pure white and should be avoided. Another note of caution: shea butter is not recommended for people with nut and latex allergies, and some experts also discourage its use by people with chocolate allergies.

April Special: Postural Analysis
Can we improve the effectiveness of your massage?

I took a great class in postural analysis. Postural analysis is a key to determining what areas are involved in chronic injuries. As most of you know, injuries often either tresspass into new areas because of protecting and compensation or they may appear to go away, but leave chronic problems in other areas of the body. Relatively small issues in the feet, legs or pelvis can create problems higher up in the neck, shoulders and arms. Imbalance in the inner and outer sides of the legs can lead to knee, hip and back problems. You get the picture.

By looking at bony landmarks throughout the body, it is simple to "map" the areas that need lengthening in order to reduce stress on the joints. You can read more about this in my blog here and see a picture of the analysis that was done on my posture.

So the next time that you come in for a massage, consider spending an extra 15 minutes with me for a postural analysis. This is now a standard part of my intake with new clients and it has added a whole new dimension to my capabilities in handling postural issues.