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...

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...

How important is core strength for massage therapists?

Can it make a good massage therapist better?

Core strength has nothing to do with your skill as a massage therapist right?

BUT a stronger core will allow you to share your talents with more clients and save your back from painful workdays.

Why core strength is important

A strong core will:

1. Build your endurance so you can complete more massages in a day

2. Improve your body mechanics and stability for those deep tissue, sports massage sessions, and hard to work on clients

3. Prevent suffering from back pain while working and after long days on your feet

Exercise 1: Crunch

This exercise is a good starting block to build your ab strength with, the basic crunch.

The important thing is to use good form and do them correctly.

1. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, with your knees bent at 90 degrees. Alternatively, you can place your feet up on a bench a few inches apart with your toes turned inwards and...

This at-home workout for massage therapists strengthens the abs, chest, shoulders, and legs.

With no equipment needed, this workout is easy to perform anywhere and helps build strength to support massage therapists' body mechanics while they work.

A leading cause of overuse injury in the massage therapy field is poor body mechanics and lack of strength to support the work an individual performs.

Strength and fitness allow massage therapists to work long, pain-free careers without injury.

This video's information is for general knowledge only, and exercises should not be performed without a doctor's consent.

Circuit D should be completed without a break until the end of the third exercise and then move on to circuit E. The same applies to circuit E to F.

Massage therapists know the importance of core strength at the massage table and this ab workout hits all the abdominal muscles.

From rectus abdominis to obliques and lower abdominals, this workout will strengthen the core so massage therapists can support their work better and stay injury-free.

No more hurting low back at the end of a long massage day. No more aching mid-back or tiered shoulders and neck.

The stronger the core, the better posture is and the better a massage therapist's body mechanics will be.

This workout is for general information and suggested exercises shouldn't be performed without a doctor's consent.

Get the full workout here: https://wlabs.me/374MpRr

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Massage therapists are often taught good body mechanics in massage school but injury still seems to plague many over time.

This workout helps build strength in the core, butt, and legs to become stronger which helps the body work injury-free for many years in the massage career.

Massage therapists know the importance of body mechanics so take action, put some time into your body and get stronger with this workout!

This week's workout titled ABC Circuit is working abs, butt, and legs from your own home and you won't need any equipment.

Circuit A has three exercises and should be completed in 10 minutes. Go as fast as you can, without sacrificing proper form, through the reps, and move on to the next exercise looking forward to a 90-second break at the end of the circuit.

Circuit B has three exercises, a ten-minute time cap, and a 90-second break at the end.

Circuit C will follow the same outline. You get a break and can go back to the beginning to repeat all circuits or pick your...

This video is for general informational and educational purposes only.

It's a good idea to get a doctor's approval before beginning a new exercise program.  See our full disclaimer page here.

This week's workout titled Descent can be done at home and begins with harder exercises and gradually the exercises get easier.

The at-home exercises are demonstrated in the video but you can find the full workout with set and reps and breaks here.

https://wlabs.me/3agWOtZ

There are some low impact options shown in the video in case a jumping exercise doesn't feel good to your joints.

Level one exercises are a good place to start if some of these exercises are new for you. Level two exercises are for more advanced exercisers.

Get the free workout here!

https://wlabs.me/3ae1ReI 

Visit us on YouTube for other home workouts.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIR27ZW_2blMXNt-1AhMKug  

Enjoy!

This is an at-home workout with no equipment needed.

You will need the entire workout to show the number of repetitions for each exercise and where breaks are included.

Get the entire workout here.

https://www.facebook.com/thefitmt

Or

Here    

Visit us on YouTube for other home exercises. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIR27ZW_2blMXNt-1AhMKug 

Have fun!

Of the natural remedies for depression, exercise tops the list.  We are going to look at why exercise is so effective to combat depression.  

*Disclaimer: Depression can be a very serious condition which in some cases requires medication.  This article is for general information and of the author’s opinion, which is not discounting the importance of professional medical advice.  

Depression touches almost everyone’s life at some point. 

Whether it’s a loved one or yourself finding it hard to cope with life, depression can be debilitating.  From mild to severe, depression is commonly remedied with prescription medication.  

With medication always comes side effects.  What if there was a natural way to combat depression with no negative side effects? There is.  The answer is exercise.

How to fight depression

Aerobic exercise and depression

Aerobic exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate above...

This week's at-home workout doesn't need any equipment.  

This video demonstrates each exercise with a level 1 and level 2 option for different fitness levels from beginner to advanced.

You will need the entire workout to show the number of repetitions for each exercise and where breaks are included.

Workout found here: https://workoutlabs.com/train/workout/angela-robertson-id72845/QwEt44P/ 

Please email if you have any questions.  Enjoy!