Most people have waxed and waned with their exercise routine throughout their life. During specific periods, gym attendance is solid, and during other times it is non-existent. That's life, and that's ok. The important thing is being smart about how much exercise you do when returning from a layoff.

You've taken an important step in returning to an exercise program now; let's remember why you need to build a baseline of strength before going all out.

The human body continually amazes me with the adaptations it makes. From how it processes the chemically enhanced foods we eat to going from couch potato to running 6 miles over a short amount of time. When returning to exercise or trying a new exercise program, there are some things to remember so you don't get injured.

A baseline of strength can be gained in a relatively short amount of time. Plan on 4 to 6 weeks of strength-building exercises to give your body a good baseline before trying more intense or longer workouts. This might...

Every massage therapist knows just how important it is to maintain a healthy diet to improve overall health. But there's more to starting a healthy diet than simply eating foods  we call "healthy."

When you’re making changes to your diet, it helps to understand why your body needs specific nutrients throughout the course of the day. 

A balanced diet is vital in improving health and leaves you feeling full longer. Eating less frequently works for massage therapists' busy days.

Massage therapists may be busy, but we can't sacrifice energy levels, so eating balanced and getting the right vitamins and minerals is in our best interest.  

Let’s Eat Smarter.

When most people think about diets, they heavily emphasize the number of calories they're consuming for the day.

However, the nutrients you're consuming are much more important than the calorie count.

That's because your body needs both macronutrients and micronutrients to function correctly. These...

Energy Boosting Infused Water Recipes

Are you looking for infused water recipes that boost your energy levels?

You'll find lots of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that can aid in giving you a much-needed energy boost.

When you feel more energized, you're much more productive. It also makes it easier to stick to a healthy lifestyle.

So, which infused water recipes should you focus on for energy-boosting benefits?

Here are some of the best-infused waters for energy.

Lemon infused water

The most straightforward energy-boosting infused water recipe is simply lemon. While you can add numerous other ingredients to boost its health benefits, lemon-infused water alone is highly
effective at boosting energy levels.

Of all the different fruits, this one is considered one of the healthiest due to its low sugar content. It will also help the body detox, flushing out harmful toxins.
All you need is a lemon and water, so why not make this your beginner-infused water recipe?

It only...

The Benefits of Infused Water

Each year, new health trends immerge onto the market. One of the latest is infused water.
We all know that drinking plenty of water is essential to our health. However, according to research, most of us don’t drink nearly enough of this crucial element daily.

Infused water can help encourage you to drink more while also delivering excellent health benefits. Here, you’ll discover what infused water is and the benefits it can provide.

What is infused water?

Infused water is water flavored naturally with fruits, herbs, and vegetables. The ingredients are added to the water, then left for a period of time to release their natural flavors and nutrients.
You’re left with a flavorful water drink that’s both healthy and delicious.

Infused Water Benefits

You’ll find infused water has a lot of awesome health benefits. You’ll not only receive the benefits of water alone, but the benefits of the fruit, herbs, and vegetables...

You CAN massage as long as you want.  With the current number of injured therapists rising, the need for awareness around body mechanics and self-care is increasingly important.   In a recent study, 83% of massage therapists reported work-related pain in the wrist or thumb at some point during their careers.

The Massage Therapy Foundation has an ongoing Ergonomics Project which was explained in a podcast I happened upon this morning. 

Here is my synopsis of the podcast. 

You, massage therapist, have control over 4 of the 5 risk factors that lead to injury.  

You have control over EVERYTHING but genetics.  If you were born with scoliosis, for example, your massage career health may require more attention than someone without a genetic health condition. 

So what can you control?  

According to Stefan Shulz from Briotix, the 5 risk factors their company uses to determine a risk profile for any profession are:

1.  Force...

When does soup hit the spot?  When it's cold outside and you can make a healthy high-fiber, vegetable soup in minutes. Try a quick, healthy breakfast idea here.  

I used this soup recipe while Triathalon training but still make it now.  I serve it to guests and everyone loves it, even the meat lovers.  This recipe is vegetarian-friendly.  

One great thing about this soup is you don't need fresh cauliflower on hand to make it.  A frozen bag of cauliflower can always be waiting in your freezer.  With just a few ingredients, which you probably already have, it can be ready in about 15 minutes. 

Recipe

Cauliflower, White Bean and Cheddar Soup

Ready in 15 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable broth (I like low sodium)
• 1 16-oz bag frozen cauliflower
• ¼ cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation 

1. ...

Welcome back to our discussion on self care for massage therapists.  After defining what self care is exactly in part one, and talking about why it's important for massage therapists and how it will make you more money, we get to move on to giving you different ideas for self care.  These examples vary widely and what works for me might not work for you.  Actually, I’ve had people say they don’t know what to do for self care.  They haven’t found “that thing” that really fills their cup.  This is why I’ve included a worksheet (you can find the link at the end of this post) to help you find YOUR PERFECT self care. 

Self-care comes in many forms but what some try to say is self-care is really glorified activities of daily living. 

Self-care vs. activities of daily living

Getting a massage for yourself vs. taking a shower

While that hot shower might relax you, it’s not quite the same as laying on the massage...

Self care is talked about everywhere. You can google self care and it’s related to everything from fitness to mental health.  There are articles on how to use self care that doesn’t take much money, and self care to avoid burnout.  But what is it exactly?  Is it simply doing something you like or is it more than that? Is self care being selfish because it takes us away from other obligations? Mothers, you know what I’m talking about. 

We can look at the term self care and define it as, any activity we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. 

In other words, self care needs to be something you actively plan rather than something that just happens, like taking a shower.  Now, I remember the days I had newborns in the house and taking a shower DID seems like self care but as massage therapists, our self care needs to run deeper than that. 

Self-care as a massage therapist isn’t...

We’ve all wanted to lose weight at some point but without the negative result of decreased energy levels. Is there a formula for losing weight AND avoiding sluggishness? Yes!
Let’s take a look at how the body uses energy (calories) and which foods give your body the greatest energy source.

Lose Weight Gain Energy

Calories as energy

According to the energy balance equation, equal amounts of calories in and calories out result in steady weight.  To lose weight then, expend more than you eat.  This is a simplified statement but after watering down all the science it holds true.         

Carbs are a food source to gain energy.  Your body gains (food) energy when you intake more energy (food) through your diet than you expend through physical activity. That’s why the main point of most diets is to limit your energy intake by counting carbs or calories.

Diets in years past were about counting calories or limiting...

The massage industry has been reported as having one of the highest rates of burn-out within the first 2 years of entering the field.  Let's look at some ways to keep yourself in tip-top shape and avoid the path to burn-out. 

Boundaries

Work up to maximum clients

There are a good number of places to work right out of school to gain experience if you choose that route BUT remember to work up to a full schedule. It’s never wise to jump into a river before knowing how fast the current is.

Massage school taught you how to massage but no school can duplicate the number of hours you will find working full time in a busy spa, chiropractor’s office, or massage chain. Too many clients too soon is a sure way to get injured. It’s similar to training for an athletic event. You want to increase the workload you ask of your body over time.

Set a boundary for the maximum number of clients you can see a day and talk with your employer about it. If they aren’t...