Education

Do you ever think about your posture? It probably brings to mind the echoing, nagging words of a parent or teacher telling you to stand up straight. As adults, it’s probably not something we tend to think about- but it plays an integral role in our comfort and well being. Those aches and pains that start to become more apparent with age can easily be corrected by improved posture.

Most of us spend a great deal of time in front of a computer or hunched over reading and writing throughout our work days. This repetitive misalignment leads the muscles in the front of our neck and shoulders to tighten and shorten, while the muscles in the back of our neck and shoulders become weakened and lengthened. This can lead to head aches, tension and pain in the upper neck and shoulders, and even lower back pain and digestion issues. Our body is entirely interconnected, so when one area is out of sorts, in the long term- it will affect the whole.

Not to mention that rounded shoulders are not exactly the most flattering look to be sporting. It projects an image of low confidence and a lack of self esteem.

I personally suffered from these concerns a great deal. Early in my career, I did a LOT of manicures and pedicures. I was constantly hunched over and my pectoral muscles were so tight, they were pulling my shoulders forward. The front of my neck was super tight; I was suffering a lot of pain and starting to get head aches on almost a weekly basis. Rather than relying on pain killers, I decided to invest in regular massage therapy sessions every two weeks. My headaches subsided and I was able to function and work with almost no pain or discomfort. Not to mention the relaxation and stress relief I got from the regular routine of having a massage.

The key to correcting rounded shoulders is in allowing the muscles that are shortened and tight to be relaxed and lengthened while stimulating the lengthened and weakened muscles to re-energize to provide the support that’s needed. A Registered Massage Therapist can help to retrain your muscles and correct rounded shoulders through deep tissue and myofascial techniques. Your RMT will also give you exercises and stretches to do at home in between sessions to maintain and improve your treatment results.

So don’t let the stresses of your work day work their way into your posture- book in for an RMT massage!

As much as leading a healthy lifestyle, following a professional skin care regime and avoiding prolonged sun exposure can delay the onset of the signs of aging, eventually we may need a little extra help with lines that are deepening and facial contours that are becoming less defined.

Thankfully strides in the use and application of  injectables such as hyaluronic fillers and botox over the past 10 years have provided a non-invasive and extremely flattering alternative to plastic surgery.

Now you can get it all done in one easy treatment- The Perfect Lift. Our clinical practitioner will consult with you about your concerns and design a treatment plan to give you a lift without the pain and recovery of the knife.

Hyaluronic fillers can be used to fill in loss of volume in the face (ie: cheeks, laugh lines, jawline and under the eyes) or even change the overall shape of your face and nose (non-surgical nose job, lip enhancement), while botox can relax over-used muscles that lead to deep expression lines around the eyes, forehead and mouth.

The Perfect Lift is a complete facial rejuvenation treatment and includes a take-home, clinical dosage nutricosmetic that prevents the break down of the injected hyaluronic acid filler and botox by free radicals and enzymes as well as inhibiting the break down of your skin’s structural collagen and elastin fibers.

The results of your filler treatment can last up to a year in certain areas, while regular botox treatments are required to maintain your results approximately every four months.

It’s a BIG step to make if you’ve never done this type of treatment before, which is why we offer a complimentary consultation for all of our botox and injectable treatments. Our expert medical practitioners will answer all your questions and concerns and help you make an informed  decision in the next step of skin rejuvenation.

And from what I’ve seen, people really love the results of injectables- a refreshed, relaxed and revitalized appearance. That sounds perfect to me!

This is a terrific article by Lucy Cavendish for the Guardian- “How to Look Younger… Longer.” in which she details her own experiences with the latest trends in anti-aging.

Check out filler before and after photos here.

One of the first areas of our face to show the signs of aging is our eyes. Getting up at 6am to fit in our work-out, working our 40 + hour work weeks, socializing and family responsibilities all contribute to a less than perky orbital aura. Puffiness, fines lines and dark circles around our eyes make us look older than we feel and therefore a little extra effort is required to keep our eyes looking their best.

A great analogy I was taught about the skin is to think of it like different grades or textures of paper. The skin on your body is like the thickness of cardboard- it’s more durable. The skin on your face is like writing paper- much finer than the skin on your body. Finally, the skin of your eyes and lips is like tissue paper- extremely fragile. Looking at the skin from this perspective has really helped me to appreciate how important it is to treat the skin around the eyes differently than the skin of the face and body.

Being so thin and delicate, the skin around the eyes often shows the bluish veins sitting just below. As we age we loose the cushioning volume provided by the collagen and elastin fibers in our dermis,thus dark circles become more predominant. This thinning of the dermis also lends itself to fine lines and wrinkling. Puffiness, another aging culprit, is often a hereditary condition exacerbated by diets high in sodium, lack of sleep and dehydration (I’m not too sure who wouldn’t suffer from these things!)

So with these conditions in mind, how do we address improving the appearance of our eyes?

The perfect treatment to pair with a facial is the Revitalizing Eye Rescue. This refreshing treatment for the eyes involves a gentle, brightening exfoliation to smooth and soften the skin, pressure point, lymphatic and Swedish massage techniques to help clear the stagnant lymph and deoxygenated blood responsible for dark circles and puffiness, chilled marble stones to relax and soothe tired eyes as well as a hydrating and ultra-calming oatmeal mask. This all ads up to the look and feel of rested and rejuvenated eyes.

It’s very important to follow up any professional skin care treatment with home care that will maintain your results. Here’s some tips for how to keep your peepers refreshed post-treatment.

• Use an eye cream everyday, morning and night. Some eye treatments are specifically designed to protect your skin from UV or to create an optical reflection which illuminates and refracts dark circles and sunken eyes.  Try: Total Eye Care from Dermalogica or Pep Up Pen from Colorescience.
• Always wear sunglasses. 80-90% of visible aging of the skin is due to sun damage. Sunglasses are the best way to prevent aging around your eyes- not only will you be blocking the uv rays, you can avoid expressions lines from squinting.
• Always cleanse your skin at night. Before you go to bed, make sure you’ve removed every bit of dirt, debris and make up from your skin- gently of course. This will help to minimize pores and prepare your skin to absorb antioxidants from your eye cream as it rest and regenerates overnight. Try: Pre Cleanse from Dermalogica followed by Gentle Cleanser from Pr0-Derm

Once all of these precautions are covered- inevitably there are going to be signs of aging that will need a more clinical approach. That is where cosmetic acupuncture, botox and fillers come in.

• Cosmetic Acupuncture is a holistic approach to treating the signs of aging which can be targeted specifically for the eyes.
• Botox can be used to soften expression lines by paralyzing the muscles- don’t worry- a subtle approach can prevent the frozen/ wind tunnel look.
• Hyaluronic fillers can be used to fill loss of volume  that leads to a sunken and puffy look around the eyes.

With all these tools in our kit- we’ll keep our eyes looking as bright and young as we feel.  And when the wrinkles do eventually come- it’s with a lot of grace.

Unfortunately, it would seem that even if one leads an active lifestyle there are still aches and pains that can arise. A major area of concern for both active and inactive people is knee pain which can often be traced back to the psoas muscles. These muscles are your hip flexors and they attach to your lower spine, pelvis and the femur near your sits bones.

The psoas muscles tend to be over-worked, as they are tensed whenever we’re sitting or lifting our legs. I know from personal experience, I’ve had lower back pain arise from these muscles being too tight. A recent medical study written about in this article from the Guardian, suggests that having weak hip muscles can lead to knee pain when being active or from being too sedentary- whichever may be the case. Obviously not all knee pain is related to this muscle being tight- so if you are experiencing knee pain you should consult your physician before pursuing any line of treatment.

From my own experience having massage therapy and chiropractic treatments done on the hips has helped me a great deal with the debilitating pain I was experiencing in my low back. But home care is essential too- stretching the psoas muscles- any hip openers for that matter- is integral to alleviating back pain as well as emotional stress that gets trapped in these muscles.

Another thing I’ve found to be extremely beneficial is integrating a pilates practice into my routine. Pilates focuses on engaging the deep abdominal muscles rather than relying on and overusing muscles like the psoas. The more I’ve been able to focus on isolating my abdominal muscles and letting them do the work, the more relaxed my hips and shoulders feel. Maybe the next massage I get, my muscles will feel less crunchy? One can always hope right?

Related links:

www.thespacevancouver.com (my pilates studio of choice)

Wall Centre Chiropractic

I’ve been going to see Registered Massage Therapists for the last 7 years, and from the very first treatment I knew things were happening that I didn’t quite grasp. This wasn’t the usual Swedish Relaxation technique that I had become accustomed to.

When I asked my massage therapist at the time what she was doing, she said she was releasing my fascia. My what? I didn’t truly understand what that meant or how it was benefiting me, but I liked how it felt and that was all I needed to know at the time.

Since working with Registered Massage Therapists at Spruce Body Lab, I’ve come to appreciate that each person has their style of massage and techniques of choice, but when looking at their bios, myofascial release predominates as a technique of choice. So, my curiosity has been peaked and I’ve decided once and for all to simplify this terminology into manageable terms that you and I can appreciate.

Basically, myofascial release refers to the direct or indirect manipulation of the fascia that is connected to our muscles. This fascia is made up of connective tissue, such as collagen that connects and surrounds our muscles, organs and skin. When fascia becomes rigid due to tension, the restriction leads to a lack of blood flow which in the long run can lead to pain and somatic dysfunction (altered or impaired function of the musculo-skeletal system).

By working on releasing the trigger points and tension in the fascia, other fascia is also relaxed, like a chain reaction. Thus, pain is relieved and musculo-skeletal alignment can be corrected. This not only benefits our muscles, but our skin, organs and joints- as they are all surrounded by connective tissue.

So the next time you’re on the massage table, you’ll no longer be wondering what on earth is going on and how and why it is working. There is a definite science and technique behind it- and it doesn’t have to be mystifying.

By the way- many people assume that in order for a massage to be effective, it needs to be deep and painful. In fact, this is not the case. In using indirect myofascial release, massage therapists can effectively release tension by using very slight pressure to unwind tension- working deeply without pain.