Vote for the Best of Santa Cruz
Though it’s not November yet, the local online polls are open in Santa Cruz for you to vote for your favorites.
I am grateful to have your vote as best Massage Therapist in both the Good Times and the Santa Cruz Weekly polls.
Vote for “Miriam Janove – Santa Cruz Bodywork”
Here are the links:
Good Times:
Massage Therapist is listed near the bottom under the “Best Professionals” category.
Santa Cruz Weekly:
Massage Therapist is listed on the next to last page as #176 under “Health and Recreation” category.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012Goldies
Remember – each of these polls have certain minimum requirements for your vote to count, so take a moment to fill them out correctly and help support your favorite local businesses here in Santa Cruz.
Thanks!
Miriam
Valentine’s Gift Certificate Special
10% off
60 minutes ………. $72
90 minutes ………. $89
Please call me at (831) 325-4256 or check out my website for more info about how to take advantage of this offer at http://www.santacruzbodywork.com/gift-certificates/
There are 5 main points to address when adjusting the seat in your car for correct alignment while driving.
- Seat Height – The seat should be high enough that you can see well out of the entire windshield, but not so high that your legs bump into the steering wheel. If your car doesn’t have a seat that raises and lowers, get creative with a pillow, towel or phone book!
- Seat Tilt – The bottom part of the seat should be tilted so that you have equal support under your thigh and butt. If the seat presses into the thigh too much near the knee, your circulation will be impacted and your legs may end up swelling or achy.
- Back Angle – While essential to be alert while driving it is also important that your body can be relaxed. Aim for an angle between 100-110 degrees between your thigh and your upper body.
- Low Back Support – Our back curves naturally in an S-curve which has a forward bend in our low backs. If the seat of your car does not touch your low back when you are sitting upright, grab a small pillow or towel to fill in that space. Without support, we end up slouching and over a long drive this can reek havoc on our bodies. The pillow should be just enough to provide gentle support without exaggerating the natural curve.
- Distance from the Steering Wheel – The deciding factor here is the legs. We want to be sure that our legs are extended comfortably without reaching to touch the pedals or feeling too crunched.
For more ideas: http://video.about.com/autorepair/Car-ergonomics-long-trip-mov.–3o.htm
As a massage therapist, part of my job is to understand the way muscles and bones fit together to function without pain. When you have pain, it’s also my job to help figure out where that pain might be originating and to help dissolve the muscular tension so that the pain dissolves as well.
Since we have such complex nervous systems, pain is not always felt in the location that is causing it. When the origin and the sensation of pain are in two different places, it is called referred pain.
For example, in the image on the right, you can see that the muscular tension is in the peroneal muscles (at the X), whereas the pain (the red area in the first picture) is manifesting in the ankle. By massaging away tension in the muscles of the shin and calf, we can have incredible ankle pain-relief, without even touching the ankle!
This phenomenon occurs all over the body – neck tension causing arm pain, forearm tension causing wrist pain, low back tension causing leg pain, and the list goes on. For this reason, massage therapists and other bodyworkers do not necessarily spend the most time on the “spot” that hurts. From experience and training, we know that the painful spot is influenced by everything around it and we must relieve tightness from all the contributing areas in order to have the best and longest lasting results.
Effective February 1, 2012
60 minute massage: $80
90 minute massage: $105
Come in before February 1 to save $5 off the prices listed above!
According to neuropsychologist Jodi De Luca, smiling directly impacts our outlook. Smiling or laughing increase certain chemicals in our brains, like seratonin, norepinephrine and endorphins. These chemicals help us regulate our mood and are linked to feeling good.
But not all smiles are created equal. Professor George Bonanno, of Columbia University, shows that people who spontaneously laugh or smile with joy are triggering those beneficials chemicals in the brain and reducing heart rate and anxiety. On the other hand, a polite smile is more closely linked to social interaction and does not deliver the same chemical response.
Challenge yourself to find something to laugh about today. And mean it! It’s good for your health.
Have you been the recipient of a gift certificate?
People buy things as gifts that they would want to receive! Studies show that we are more comfortable buying gifts for others that affirm our own identities (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101222112243.htm). Here’s your chance to return the favor. Whether you give the gift of a massage session to someone who gave it to you, or give it to someone new, giving itself is a blessing.
Think for a moment about how it feels to receive a massage, and then think about how grateful your sibling, child, parent or friend would feel to receive that as a gift.
It’s a blissful way to improve their mood or help make their body move like it’s 15 years younger. I know that most of the people around me have plenty of things in their lives – they don’t need another thing to find a spot for on the shelf – they need some time away.
The great generosity of giving likely brings a smile to your face. In the International Journal of Person Centered Medicine, Dr. Post shows the link between health, happiness and helping others. Research shows that people who spend their unexpected income on others increases your happiness more than spending money on yourself.
Dejal Time Out
I recommend forcing yourself to take a break with some free software that will remind you when a certain amount of time has passed. You can program them to either interrupt you altogether or to give you the option to postpone (if that deadline is just 3 minutes away).
Here are two that I’ve found to be effective:
Dejal Time Out for Mac: http://download.cnet.com/Dejal-Time-Out/3000-2129_4-41634.html
Scirocco Take a Break: http://download.cnet.com/Scirocco-Take-a-Break/3000-2350_4-10333152.html
Some programs have exercises that can be done right at your desk, or you can take the opportunity to get up and walk to the water cooler or take a bathroom break. Getting your blood moving is good for your brain, your creativity and your productivity!
You may have noticed this new button on my website. It will link you to a calendar with my availability so that you can schedule a time to come in that’s best for you. I’m in the office Tuesday-Friday and Sunday. My Sundays fill up about 2 weeks ahead of time, but you can always try for a last minute cancellation. I do have some evening availability, though it is of course popular!
A couple of things to know about the new online calendar system:
-It will send you an email confirmation when you reserve an appointment slot that will allow you to import the appointment into your electronic calendar directly!
-It will also send you a reminder 1 day before your session.
-If you would like to change or cancel your appointment and it is at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment, you can do so via the link in the confirmation email.
-If you would like to come in at a time that is not listed in the online calendar, or if you would like your session to begin at an in-between time, text, email or call me and I can work with you to make your session most convenient to you!
In New York City, while visiting family, I attended a Lymphatic Drainage course which showed me how to “drain the brain.”
If it sounds uncomfortable or scary, set your fears aside. I use an intra-oral (read: inside the mouth) technique to encourage increased movement along the fluid pathways that are built into the nerves and blood vessels in your brain. It involves gently but firmly pressing on the roof of the mouth – not ever actually touching the brain!
Brain drain is great for head traumas including concussions, as well as sinus pressure, vertigo, inner ear problems and headaches.