As fall approaches, we leave behind our summer activities and start up with lots of new activities. Mainly we get wrapped up in school, but often sports or new ventures begin during this time as well. While Massage Therapy is very valuable to everyone who moves in any way, there are ways you can keep yourself keep pain from your new activities (or even your old ones) on your own. Regular exercise including stretching (between your massage appointments, of course) can do wonders. If I had a nickel for every one of my clients who I've advised to stretch, I wouldn't be doing massage anymore! Here is a very basic stretch to just get you movng and loose, and possibly inspire you to stretch your views on stretching.
Enjoy!
-Karen

Ease Into Movement
Written by: Karrie Osbourn
Article Courtesy of: Massage & Bodywork Magazine

From our first venture into the school gymnasium as kids, we’ve been taught to stretch. As adults, stretching is as common a morning routine as brushing our teeth or combing our hair.
Mind-body fitness expert Anat Baniel wants us to know how to move and stretch carefully and start our day out right. Baniel, author of Move Into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality (Harmony Books, 2009), believes excessive stretching is an activity that is contrary to the health and longevity of our muscles.

“Muscles are meant to contract and relax,” she says. “Stretching them puts stress on them and rips muscle fibers, forcing them to constantly repair themselves after each time you stretch. Your body’s movement shouldn’t cause repeated damage. It should be more harmonious and flow naturally.” Baniel says her method of stretching actually increases flexibility and motion without damaging muscles. Follow these simple steps:

1. Stand up, spread your feet comfortably, gently bend down, and let your hands move toward your feet. Notice how far you go, without forcing, and come back to standing.

2. Stand, spread your legs comfortably, bend your knees a little, and put your right hand just above your right knee, on your thigh. Put your left hand just above your left knee. Then lean on your legs with the weight of your upper body resting on your hands. Begin to round your back and at the same time pull your belly in; look down at your belly. Then gently arch your back, push your belly out, lift your head, and look up. Repeat process.

3. Come back to standing, bend forward, and take your hands down toward your feet, as in Step 1. Is there some change already?

4. Now stand with feet apart, and knees bent a little; this time lean with both hands on your left leg, just above the knee as before. Gently and slowly round your back and look down, then arch your back, free the belly muscles (push them out), and look up. Go back and forth four or five times. Then stand and rest for a moment. Feel how you stand.

5. Repeat Step 4, this time leaning with both hands on your right knee.

6. Stand up with your feet spread comfortably and bend down. Can you can bend more easily and further than before? Are your toes closer to your hands? “They should be,” Baniel says, “because the variations provided by this exercise supplied your brain the information it needed to figure out how to let go of tight muscles and tendons.” Baniel’s approach to vital, creative, and energetic life is based not only on the all-important regimens of diet, exercise, and stress management, but upon providing the brain with what it requires for us to grow, evolve, and thrive as individuals.

Karrie Osborn is contributing editor for Massage & Bodywork magazine. Contact her at karrie@abmp.com.

I will have more on Prenatal Massage and its benefits at a later time, but until then, This little article speaks volumes on the subject.

Massage Shown to Reduce Prematurity, Low Birth Weight and Postpartum Depression

Courtesy of Massage Mag.com

posted:8/24/2009

New research from the Touch Research Institutes shows that pregnancy massage reduces prematurity, low birth weight and postpartum depression.Pregnant women diagnosed with major depression were given 12 weeks of twice-per-week massage therapy by their significant other or only standard treatment as a control group, according to a PubMed release.The massage-therapy-group women versus the control-group women not only had reduced depression by the end of the therapy period, but they also had reduced depression and cortisol levels during the postpartum period.Their newborns were also less likely to be born prematurely and of low birth weight, and they had lower cortisol levels and performed better on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment habituation, orientation and motor scales.The Touch Research Institutes has conducted groundbreaking research into a variety of applications of massage therapy. It is located at the University of Miami (Florida) School of Medicine.This research was published in "Infant Behaviorial Development."Previous research reported on by MASSAGE Magazine showed that pregnancy massage by fathers was found to reduce pain in their pregnant partners, alleviate prenatal depression in both parents and improve their relationships; Therapeutic Touch significantly reduced the anxiety of pregnant inpatients with chemical dependencies; and massage therapy eases anxiety and depression, as well as leg and back pain, in depressed pregnant women, and their newborns seem to benefit as well.

10 Natural Ways to Relax and Rejuvenate
Easy Ways to Manage Stress and Build Immunity

Written By: Monique N. Gilbert
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, April/May 2005.Copyright 2005. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

Protecting the immune system and managing stress are vital aspects of living longer, feeling younger, and being healthy. Here are 10 ways to reduce stress, boost your immune system, and slow down the hands of time.Physical activity.

1. Regular exercise -- whether it's walking or dancing -- strengthens your cardiovascular system, heart, muscles, and bones. It also stimulates the release of endorphins, improves mental functioning, concentration/attention, and cognitive performance, and lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, cortisol, and other stress hormones.

2. Yoga and stretching. The slow movements and controlled postures of yoga improve muscle strength, flexibility, balance, circulation, mental focus, and calmness.

3. Hand hygiene. The most effective measure in preventing the spread of germs is good hand hygiene. Washing your hands as soon as you come home, and always before you eat, greatly reduces your exposure to bacterial and viral infections. Carry alcohol-based hand wipes to control exposures away from home.

4. Laughter and humor. There is truth to the saying that laughter is the best medicine. Laughing reduces stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol and benefits the immune system.

5. High nutrient diet. Eat foods rich in antioxidants (strawberries, oranges, tomatoes), omega-3 fatty acids (walnuts, salmon, soybeans), and folate (dark green, leafy vegetables). Antioxidants neutralize molecules that can cause heart disease, cancer, and premature aging. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular-enhancing, and immune-regulating properties. Folate prevents age-related cognitive decline, ensures DNA integrity (important during pregnancy), and promotes healthy red blood cells.

6. Music. Listening to your favorite music is a great method of reducing stress and relieving anxiety.

7. Sleep. Sound sleep has a profound impact on stress levels, immune function, and disease resistance. Your body and immune system do most of their repairs during sleep, so strive to get in seven to eight hours each night.

8. Positive thinking. Optimism can counteract the negative impact stress, tension, and anxiety have on your immune system and well-being. Often it is how you perceive things that determine if you get overwhelmed, both mentally and physically.

9. Tea. Regularly drinking green and black teas throughout the day can help strengthen your immune system and your body's ability to fight off germs and infections.

10. Hydrotherapy. Relaxing in a hot bath relieves sormuscles and joints, reduces stress and tension, and promotes sleep. Add music, soft lighting, and scented oils to create a spa experience in the privacy of your own home.

Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc., is a health, nutrition and lifestyle coach, certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, and author of Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook. She has offered guidance in natural health, nutrition, fitness, and stress management since 1989. Contact her at www.moniquengilbert.com.