Education

I think we can all attest to the discomfort of sore muscles after strenuous exercise. Although the pains we go through to get into shape are worth the battle, it would be nice to not have to hold our breath every time we need time we need to lift our leg above 90 degrees after all those squats, or to wince in pain when closing the car door after all those chin ups!

There is a solution to delayed onset muscle soreness- book in for an infrared sauna session followed by a massage and your muscle pain will be a thing of the past.

Infrared heat therapy has been used by physiotherapists and doctors of Chinese medicine for many years to improve circulation and relaxation in the muscles and tissues. The increased blood flow helps to purge the muscles of lactic acid which causes aches and pains in the muscle tissue. It also helps to relax the muscles, prepping them for massage therapy. Your massage therapist can then begin to work out trigger points and any remaining tightness in your muscles.

I’ve been surprised of late to find that as I continue to focus on my core muscles and proper  alignment during exercise, that formerly weak muscles are becoming short and tight in response to this change in form. This has caused aches and pains to arise where I’m not accustomed.  So even when I think I’ve gotten into better shape- there’s still plenty of maintenance to be done in order to keep my muscles healthy and to prevent injury.

So now I know I have a choice- to wince and hold my breath until the soreness subsides, or I can book in for a treatment and carry on… hmmm… that’s not such a hard decision!

Here’s a rather amusing article by Tim Dowling for the Guardian regarding his experience using an infrared sauna. Fortunately for Spruce Body Lab patrons, our sauna is a private retreat in which to relax and sweat it all out!

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

It seems that it takes a lot of work to maintain optimal muscle health. I know that personally, my muscles get sore when I’m not exercising enough, and then they get sore when I exercise a lot. It’s hard to find that perfect pain-free balance. One thing I know for sure is that I feel better when I exercise, but massage therapy is what really helps my muscle tension and soreness.

Did you know that muscle soreness post work out is not actually caused by lactic acid build-up? Lactic acid is produced during exercise and creates that burning sensation when your muscles are beginning to feel fatigued. The pain you feel after exercise is referred to as delayed-onset muscle soreness or DOMS. Scientists don’t know the exact cause for DOMS, but the research points to muscle cell damage which causes an inflammatory  repair response in the body leading to pain and swelling for 24-72 hours after exercise.

Massage therapy post work out can help to repair damaged muscles and speed up recovery time. Additionally, by keeping muscles loosened and increasing circulation to the muscles fibers, injury prevention becomes a key benefit to athletes.

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to be in need of sports massage. As maintaining optimal health becomes a priority, the amount of time spent on exercise as well as the intensity of the work out will ultimately increase over time. Massage therapy can help keep you in the game, whether it means improving recovery time or preventing injury. And anyone who’s suffered from a strained. pulled or sprained muscle would appreciate the ability to avoid such an inconvenient and uncomfortable set-back.

Do you have a story of how sports massage has helped you? Share it here…

related links:

http://www.sprucebodylab.com/services/lastone.php

http://www.sprucebodylab.com/services/infrared.php

We’re being teased by spring here in Vancouver. One day, it’s beautiful and sunny and you feel like you’re on top of the world. The next, it feels cold and grey and like winter is never coming to an end.

Personally, I’ve found my energy levels to be waning over the past few months. The time change seems to have had a bigger impact on me, and waking up early just hasn’t been in the cards.

I need at least 7 hours of sleep to be rested, and for the most part I sleep well, but I know that I’m lucky for it. Many people have trouble getting the rest that they need, whether it’s due to a lack of sleep because of a busy lifestyle, insomnia or the quality of their sleep is poor. Sleep plays a big part in managing stress and preventing disease.

Here are some tips to help improve the quality of your sleep and increase your energy levels.

• Having a relaxing salt bath with a few drops of lavender oil in the evening before bed time. Epsom salts help to produce serotonin levels which improves sleep function while lavender helps to induce sleep and relax the nervous system. The key is to not make your bath too hot, otherwise it becomes stimulating rather than relaxing.
• Give yourself a foot massage. I can attest to the benefits of this! By giving yourself a foot massage, you’re triggering reflex points that relate to the entire body. This can help you to have a much deeper sleep.
• Get plenty of exercise. Although exercise requires energy, it ultimately improves your energy levels and reduces stress and tension in the body.
• Infrared Sauna. A 25 minute session in the infrared sauna helps to deeply relax your muscles and tissues by dramatically increasing circulation and excretion of toxins. While you’ll initially feel quite relaxed post sauna session- you’ll get a burst of energy within a few hours. The infrared sauna has been shown to speed up metabolic rates within the session.
• Massage Therapy and Acupuncture. By releasing built up tension and pain in the muscles, massage therapy and acupuncture can relieve strains that can be draining you of your energy. We all know how much pain and discomfort can take the wind out of our sales. Regular treatments to maintain optimal health is a great way to restore energy or simply prevent burnout and fatigue.
• Thinking too much? Try journaling. If you’ve got a lot on your mind and you can’t stop the chatter in your head, get it out on paper. I think a good rule is to make yourself write three full pages of whatever is on your mind. If you commit to the full three pages, you may find yourself wanting for things to write about, but I find this commitment ensures that you get everything out, and often that last page can lead to some insight that was being suffocated by other thoughts that were simply repeating themselves in your head.
• Supplements. Are you getting your all the nutrients you need from your diet? Most likely, you aren’t. It can be extremely challenging to make sure that we’re getting optimal amounts of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids every day from our diet. These elements are key to feeling energized and boosting your bodies immunity and ability to heal from free-radical assaults. A favorite of mine is the GliSODin Advanced Daily Formula which contains superoxide dismutase. It’s a big word- for a very big and powerful anti-oxidant enzyme. This ingredient is like a terminator for free radicals in our system- it just keeps going and going!

Those are just some tidbits for things that I like to do to help with energy and sleep. Do you have any tips to share about improving your energy or quality of sleep?

My goal for the New Year has been to keep up with regular health treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic.  It’s January 26th and I’m happy to say that I’ve had two acupuncture treatments so far this month!

I have to admit, that I usually only do things for my health when I am in desperate need- so massage therapy was the one thing I kept up with last year. Whenever I had aches and pains or was feeling like I needed some healing touch, it was the first thing I would turn to.

With acupuncture, I tried it, but because the needles are addressing unseen and unfelt organs, and the treatment involved less sensory stimulation, I don’t think that I appreciated it in the same way that I did massage therapy. That was until my first treatment this year…

Since I got back from my Holidays, my partner and I have made a concentrated effort to eat really healthily- salads for lunch with shredded beets, carrots and ground flax seed, lots of lean proteins and vegetables with dinner. I have also been going to yoga regularly. These steps had me feeling like I was right on top of my health.  Then I had my acupuncture treatment and a whole lot of ‘shifting’ occurred.   I won’t get into detail, but I apparently needed some balancing out internally and the acupuncture facilitated that.

This experience really gave me a strong appreciation for the understated nature of acupuncture. It made me realize how I take my body for granted and assume that everything is functioning optimally, unless I feel something drastic. I now have a whole new respect for the needle and this will be a habit that I keep up.

If you’re curious about acupuncture- make sure to come to our Whole Health Event February 4th. Our doctor of Chinese Medicine, Mahsa Ahmadi, will be discussing the benefits of regular acupuncture.