Looking back ... and forwards!

As is natural for this time of year, I've been reflecting a lot on the events of the last 12 months - and what a year it has been!  I've enjoyed seeing my beautiful children continue to blossom and grow into confident young people. I'm lucky to work full-time in the wonderful world of arts marketing, which presents me with so many fantastic experiences and the chance to meet some amazingly talented people. I've been blessed to spend some brilliant times with the incredibly grounded, supportive and loyal friends that surround me - beautiful souls, all of them. And best of all, I've managed to successfully launch Sea Breeze Therapies - a long-term dream of mine that at times seemed just that - a dream.  It's been a long time coming (7 years, in fact!) but I've been utterly overwhelmed by the support and response I've had in such a short space of time.

I've taken the time to write a little about my intentions for 2015 - sometimes it helps to get it all down on paper (well, on screen at any rate!) I think the quote above is spot on, and the reason why many New Year's resolutions fail - we need to change our way of thinking before we can make any real changes to our lives.

Wellbeing

I started off 2014 in a state of flux with my health, having been plagued for many years with widespread muscular pain, often crippling fatigue and what can only be described as 'brain fog'. Finally in May of this year I was given a diagnosis of the chronic pain condition Fibromyalgia.  I had suspected it for some time, so it was no great surprise, but it did mean that I could finally eliminate the possibility of rheumatism or arthritis and start a course of exercise that would see the weight which had piled on during my diabetes-ridden pregnancy drop off. I've lost a stone and a half since May and I feel so good for it! I feel like I'm beginning to get the measure of this condition, and really hope I can continue to feel great in the new year.

Healthy Eating

This year I began to practice mindful eating. By this I mean, being totally aware of what you are consuming and when.  I start my day with a cup of hot lemon water - it's cleansing and refreshing, gets vital fluids into your body first thing and gives your digestive system a kick-start. For breakfast I have fresh fruit, a handful of nuts and a couple of tablespoons of low-fat natural yoghurt, perhaps with a drizzle of honey.  Lunch is usually a delicious, nutritious soup - chunky veg or those with beans are great for long-lasting energy release.  I also allow myself as much fresh fruit or raw veg as I want and drink plenty of water throughout the day (2 litres is recommended).  I tend to eat 'normally' at dinner times - when you work full time and have two small children planning separate meals is not practical!  I usually cook healthy family meals from scratch - spaghetti bolognese, risottos, jacket potatoes with tuna and salad, tacos, fajitas and pesto chicken salad are all firm favourites in our house. I try to be mindful of the portion sizes I eat, and I do steer clear of puddings. I really don't miss them any more - something I never thought I'd hear myself say!  So in 2015 I plan more of the same. Ideally I'd like to lose another half stone but I'm not going to stress it - 2014 has taught me that if I am more mindful when it comes to food, excess weight will come off when combined with a sensible exercise routine.

Exercise

This is a tricky subject for me. I love exercise - I used to be a great cross-country runner and spent all my formative years working with horses, which requires a considerable amount of fitness, strength and balance.  Fibromyalgia does not allow you to exercise easily - the pain can be crippling and the fatigue means you often just want to curl up in a ball and sleep.  But perversely, exercise is the single most useful thing you can do for this condition. Each person is different, and it's finding the right balance and working within your limits that is key. I've always loved yoga and this has been my saving grace this year. I devised a yoga routine that incorporated some more traditional strength building exercises, and do this every night, whilst watching TV. It's no hardship, believe me!  I combine this with a small amount of cardio (usually a fitness DVD, although I steer clear of those 'no pain, no gain' high intensity workouts) and run once or twice a week (no more than a mile, as that's all the tolerance this condition will allow me.) Weight has come off, yes, but it's the way my body has toned up and strengthened  that I'm particularly pleased with. My goals for 2015 are to work on my upper body strength.

Family Time

As I mentioned at the top of the page, I work full time, and fit massage treatments in during my evenings. My husband also works 3 or 4 evenings a week, so our time together is really limited. We have made a pledge to have at least one night a month where we give each other our undivided attention, and either have a night out or spend time together at home.  So vital for any relationship! 

Sea Breeze

This is the part I'm really excited about!  I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head about what I want to do, but I need to take some time out to do some proper business planning first. Priorities for 2015 will include renewing my insurance cover and my membership to a professional body. Training is high on the agenda - there are so many courses I want to do - I'd like to keep adding to my skills and knowledge so that I can provide the best treatments possible. I also want to do more with my Facebook page and blog - offers and discounts, interesting articles, giveaways, competitions, reviews etc.  I'd also like to develop a new corporate ID for Sea Breeze - something that will give my business a distinctive and appealing image.  And last but not least, I hope to continue to increase my client base, and always go the extra mile for each and every one of them. I have been blessed with some wonderful clients already, who have given me fantastic reviews on my Facebook page, referred friends to me and just in general talked about how much they enjoyed their treatments. I love getting to know my clients - most of them become good friends in the process and I am utterly blessed to have their support.

Whatever your intentions for 2015 I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy new year! Be kind to yourselves, spend time with family and friends and do whatever nourishes your soul.

Happy new year everybody! xx

Massage for Sciatic Nerve Pain

A new client came to Sea Breeze this week, presenting with the classic signs of sciatic nerve pain.

If you’ve ever experienced sciatica yourself you will know exactly what I’m talking about – a pain, usually on one side of the body only, which travels from the lower back, through the buttock and down the back or the side of the leg.  Sciatica can range in intensity from weakness, numbness, tingling or a mild pain through to out and out excruciating agony. The pain is often lessened when the person bends forwards and is felt more intensely when walking, coughing or sneezing.

What Causes Sciatic Nerve Pain?

Symptoms of sciatica occur when the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed. The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the body, and starts in the lumbar (lower) region of the back, branching out from the spinal cord down the back and side of the leg.

A number of conditions can give rise to sciatica:

• A herniated (or ‘slipped’ disc) putting pressure on the nerve
• Piriformis syndrome; the piriformis is the pizza slice-shaped muscle which lies deep within the buttocks. If it becomes tight or inflamed it can irritate the nerve
• Spinal stenosis; when the spinal canal narrows, putting pressure on the nerve
• Spondylolisthesis; when a vertebrae slips out of position, putting pressure on the nerve

Other causes include infection or injury to the spine, a growth in the spine (such as a tumour) and the rare but serious condition cauda equina syndrome. Sciata is often experienced during pregnancy, due to the growing baby putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.

In most cases of sciatica the person will recover within around six weeks, but in more extreme cases surgery may become necessary.

How Can Massage Help?

I tend to approach cases of sciatic nerve pain with caution. It’s vitally important to take a full personal history from the client and assess each person on a case by case basis. Sometimes massage will be appropriate and can help, other times it could the make the situation much, much worse (for example, where a herniated disc is involved).

As part of the consultation process I start off by trying to get an accurate description of the type of pain and its pathway, any relevant medical history, the person’s lifestyle and exercise choices, how the pain first started and what steps they have already taken to relieve the pain. It’s always advisable to ask the client to approach their GP first, to ascertain any contraindications (reasons to not massage).

I find it can be helpful to use heat to warm tight muscles before working on them - this also makes the treatment much more pleasurable for the client! A range of massage techniques can be employed on the muscles of the lower back to free any tightness, especially those around the hip and spine, before moving onto the gluteals and piriformis deep within the buttock.  There is usually a 'trigger point' (tight spot of knotty muscles) in the piriformis and if the client can bear it, sustained pressure on this point can encourage blood flow and a lessening of the tension and pain. The other area I like to work on is the back of the legs, the hamstrings in particular, as this is the path that the sciatic nerve (and therefore the pain) takes.

Self-Help

Finally, I like to offer some home-care exercises that will gently stretch the piriformis, glutes and hamstrings.  There's a really great video here which provides some lovely yoga stretches - why not give them a go!

My Massage Journey

If you’ve found your way onto my blog today - thank you! And welcome!

My name’s Susie and I have just launched Sea Breeze Therapies down here in Dorset on the sunny south coast of the UK. I wish I could say I was a full-time massage therapist with a busy book of clients, but at the moment I am right at the beginning of my massage business journey. And that’s an exciting place to be!

I qualified in Holistic Massage just over seven years ago – around the same time I discovered I was pregnant with my first son.  Family life, a second child and the financial need to return to a full-time job in arts marketing meant that my massage skills were reluctantly put on the back-burner - although I made sure I kept my hand in by doing the occasional add-on massage course to keep my skills current, and by treating family and friends.

I was inspired to train in massage after receiving an incredible treatment while on honeymoon on the island of Kuredu in the Maldives. “I want to make people feel this good,” I thought to myself, as I sat back against a palm tree outside the island’s spa, sipping my complimentary ginger tea.

I’ve always had a fascination with the human body and the way it works, so when I returned to the UK I jumped on the internet, did some research and came across an ITEC course that was just about to start in my area. It was a big undertaking for somebody already working full time (and with a growing baby bump!) – lengthy modules two evenings a week not just in massage techniques, but also in Anatomy & Physiology and in different aspects of running a therapy business. After all, it’s no good being able to give a massage if you don’t know the effect it is having on your client’s body, or how to carry out a professional consultation that inspires trust in your abilities, or how to ensure your equipment is hygienic and sterile.  There was a lot of home study too – countless muscles to learn the name, location and function of, and of course, a mountain of massage case studies to carry out on eager friends and family.  It all culminated with written exams testing our theory for each element, and a practical massage exam carried out under the watchful eye of an ITEC examiner. By this stage I was so heavily pregnant I could barely reach across my client as they lay on the couch – but get this - I passed!

The holistic approach to the course was interesting – we were encouraged to look at our client as a whole, considering their lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and more alongside any physical pain they may be experiencing. There is so much in normal day-to-day life that can contribute to a person’s need for massage – stresses from work and family life, aches and pains caused by lifting children or participating in sports and exercise activities and then of course the more complex acute or chronic pain conditions. Everybody wants and needs something different from a massage treatment – and as therapists it is our job to listen, understand and try to provide the best treatment possible for that person. For a therapist it is NEVER about diagnosing conditions – that is something we leave firmly to GPs.

My long-term plan has always been to wait until my children have both started school, and then to look at gradually building up my massage business in the evenings. I’d love to be able to give up my day job and focus solely on the massage, but that just isn’t financially viable for my family right now. Baby steps are necessary.  I’m hoping to do some more training in the new year – I’ve got my eye on the 3-day Foundation course which kicks off the Jing Institute's Advanced Certificate in Clinical Massage – it contains some really great advanced techniques that I know will be invaluable to my practice. Treating pain is really interesting to me and something I’d like to be more knowledgeable about.

Since having my children I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a condition which causes widespread pain in the muscles and joints as well as fatigue. This is a new challenge that I have to learn to adapt to – I often feel pain in my hands, which is not ideal for a massage therapist! There are no real cures for fibromyalgia, so it’s mostly about coping strategies and making sure I don’t overload myself.

So there you have it – that’s my massage journey to the present day!  I’m excited about what the future holds – about being able to help people feel good inside and out. I hope you’ll stick with me as I continue the journey, and maybe come and try a massage or two!

Water - What You Need to Know!

Ever wondered why your massage therapist thrusts a glass of water at you when your treatment is finished and advises you to drink up?

It’s all for a good reason.

Massage can be very dehydrating on the body – all that kneading and work on the muscles forces fluid and metabolic waste out of the soft tissue and into the lymphatic system, where it heads towards your kidneys. (This is also why you often feel like you need the loo after a massage!) The lymphatic system acts a bit like the sewer pipes of the body – it collects and carries waste material away.

Tight or knotted muscles restrict circulation and inhibit your ability to flush out waste, so when massage has released that tension the waste that enters your circulatory system can be helped on its way to your kidneys  by ensuring you have a good drink of water. If these waste products are left to build up in your body it can cause you soreness in the days following a massage as well as other side effects including headaches or nausea.

Many people feel lightheaded and disoriented after a massage, so a glass of water is also a good way of helping them ‘come round’ gently.

  

How much water should you be drinking?

We all know water is vital to a healthy body, and most of us know that we should probably be drinking a lot more of it.  But how much, exactly? 

There’s no official scientifically-proven answer to that, but it’s generally accepted that around 2 litres a day is the desired quantity.  Any less than that and you can suffer from the effects described above, along with dry and inelastic skin, tiredness, irritability, depression or constipation.  If you’re not used to drinking this much water it can be hard at first – not least with all extra the trips to the bathroom that you find yourself making!  But if you build up your consumption over time your body and bladder do gradually adjust and you will find the benefits to your body and your skin are noticeable – drinking water really does go far beyond simply quenching our thirst.

 Too much of a good thing is bad for you

I’ve seen a few articles online recently which suggest you should be drinking as much as 4 litres a day. This is somewhat alarming, as where water is concerned it really can be a case of too much of a good thing is bad for you. Water intoxication, or hyponatremia, occurs when too much water is consumed over a short period of time, causing an imbalance of electrolytes (salts) in the blood.  This imbalance causes the brain to swell and prevents it from regulating vital functions such as breathing. It is extremely serious, and can cause death. Most cases of hyponatremia are seen when athletes over-hydrate during training or in competition, in Class A drugs users (drugs induce excessive thirst) or in the elderly, whose kidney functions may be impaired. Water intoxication is thankfully rare, but in light of some advice that is knocking around on the internet at the moment it’s definitely worth mentioning.

So the message of this blog is – go forth and drink plenty of water sensibly – it’s good for you!

The Science of Life

I'm giving a lovely treatment later this week, which not only feels fantastic, but when performed regularly can actually rejuvenate the face and diminish the appearance of wrinkles. Too good to be true, you say?  Read on ....

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic facial massage is based on the ancient therapeutic principles of Ayurveda, which has been practiced in India for thousands of years and is one of the world's oldest holistic healing systems. Translating from the Sanskrit as "life science", Ayurveda promotes the idea that good health is achieved when your mind, body and spirit are in harmony, and that any disruption of this harmony can lead to ill health. Its primary focus is on promoting good health rather than fighting disease.

What's your dosha?

Under Ayurvedic principles, we are all comprised of three vital energies called doshas, known as vata, pitta and kapha. All three doshas are present within each of us to varying degrees, and are responsible for the characteristics of our mind and body. We tend to have one or maybe two dominant ones. It is when these doshas become unbalanced due to factors such as stress, our environment, our diet etc that we become ill.

What does the treatment include?

An Ayurvedic facial treatment begins with the client filling out a simple questionnaire to determine their dominant dosha. This will in turn allow the therapist to select a carrier oil that will suit the client's dosha profile and help keep them in balance according to Ayurveda.

The treatment itself is incredibly soothing - small circular movements are made with the fingers (first anti-clockwise and then clockwise) on the marma points (energy centres) of the face, neck and scalp.

What are the benefits?

Release of tension in the facial muscles
Improved skin tone/vitality
Stimulation of lymphatic drainage and circulation
Relaxation and rejuvenation
Harmony/balance across the whole body

This treatment isn't known as a natural facelift for nothing - it really can give your skin a wonderful rejuvinating boost and help reduce the appearance of fine lines on the face. Definitely one to try!