Wednesday 1 February 2017

grumpy mum

We got Mcafee today and I have just discovered that it lists my little old website as being risky!!! it has no adware, spyware or anything else they think it does. I have contacted the lovely people at Toolkit websites who administer the site and have asked mcafee to re evaluate it.  I am sad that people are not visiting because of this and missing out on the great things that we do. I was going to discuss meditation, but am not feeling very zen right now.

Amazing how we are so affected by things that happen, my heart is racing and my mouth is dry, clearly ready to 'fight or flight'. I have taken a few deep breathes thought about what has happened and how I respond. I have done what I can to rectify the situation and need to let go of the feelings that are welling up within me.
I need to acknowledge that it doesn't matter how affronted I am the website has been wrongly assigned as a potential risk for an unknown amount of time and that is what it is. I cannot go back in time and change it.
I need to accept that any anger by me now is only going to upset me, not resolve the problem.

Wednesday 25 January 2017

Goodness doesn't time fly when you are running a home and a business.
All change here at Christmas when my husband took on the task of caring for our children. With college looming and our eldest requiring full time support someone had to step up and he has done.
I will be concentrating on building the company up and getting into more offices with more therapists and leaving myself time to concentrate on my clients with additional needs. I am keen to look for useful information and ways of supporting clients and hopefully will be able to get more posts out.

Tuesday 23 February 2016

Work related stress

Thank goodness for the internet! I have spent time looking into work related stress and how to   prevent as much as possible and I am, pleased, to say that there has been a lot of other work and useful information has been collated and can be found at;

www.hse.gov.uk/stress

www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/directory/s/stress-workplace

I have previously worked in stressful professions and 
now can utilise my experiences in coping user pressure 
to help my clients. The balance between responsibility and 
perceived abilities needs to be monitored and training and 
support are vital for companies. 




Massage in the office or factory can be seen as a reward
for hard work, but I prefer companies to view them as a
way of showing that you support and understand
their needs and are prepared to support them.



Image result for worker on hamster mill











Step off and take a breath.

Monday 15 February 2016

Wednesday 10 February 2016

massage with an injury - yes or no??

In line with current thinking on exercise and injury I am often  being asked about the effectiveness of massage on an injured area. There are a number of things that would mean a massage would need to be adapted and a very few reasons for not having one at all, and it is always worth asking a therapist before booking if any condition may alter your treatment.

It is now viewed that moderate exercise is beneficial to recovery and gentle massage too can assist in healing. A therapist registered with an organisation such as the Federation of Holistic Therapists will have undergone training in Anatomy and Physiology to a good standard for the treatment offered. Don't expect someone trained soley in Indian head massage to be able to give you advice on exercises for Iliotibial Band Syndrome, but someone trained in deep tissue can support a recovery program.

Massage following an operation can ease your body back into the world of movement and many find Manual Lymphatic Drainage really helpful in keeping swelling down whilst they are unable to get up and about. (swollen ankles etc. occur when the Lymph doesn't flow back up to the nodes for a number of reasons including lack of movement because unlike the blood there is no pump to move it round the body and it is pushed around by muscles contracting)

If you have an injury or recent operation you most likely can get a massage and you are highly likely to find it beneficial. Those suffering with long term pain have found massage and aromatherapy a way to cope with the chronic pain and function easier on a daily basis.

Going into offices and not having a full 15 minute consultation before an on site massage my therapists use careful questioning and close observation to gauge what the needs of their client are in regards to recent or long standing injuries and will give the most appropriate support.

Massage is a complementary therapy. I work alongside doctors and other medical staff with them taking the role of lead professional. Massage is not an alternative, if my kids fall and break a limb I would take them to the hospital to get it set and not rub the area with essential oils.

In answer to the question, "yes" most of the time, but we will know when you should avoid a massage.

Tuesday 2 February 2016

new massage couch as good as my on site chair

The end of last week I took possession of my new Affinity athlete massage couch to use with my 'at home' clients.


Image result for affinity athlete

This is considerably heavier than my last portable couch, but is so very much superior. The more sports people I massaged the more I was becoming aware that my couch was too narrow at the shoulders, too wide at the hips, to hard and most importantly far too unstable for me and clients to continue to enjoy massaging (enjoy for me more than some of my runners!!)

I bought an average couch for mobile work and it did OK for a year, but as a professional therapist the equipment you use has to be the best you can afford and be the right tools for the job.

When I started going into offices to massage I looked long and hard to find a chair that would be perfect and meet all my needs. The main thing is that people can feel comfortable once seated and the chair remains firm during shiatsu and massage.




A great piece of kit and going strong after 2 years. The best thing is the speed at which I can alter the height for clients and spend more time massaging.

Monday 25 January 2016

Eating your vitamins and minerals

Image result for fruit and veg

Eating your vitamins and minerals

The best way to get a good amount of vitamins into your body is to eat fresh food. At this time of year it is so tempting to reach for high fat and sugar processed foods to feel full and comforted, but with a high prevalence of virus' flying around we need to arm ourselves against poor health. I make a massive bowl of fruit salad at the start of the week and by Wednesday need to re do because the family have snacked on it and taken tubs to school and work. Roast veggies with lashings of olive oil and garlic with whatever herbs take your fancy to present a bright and appealing accompaniment to meats or rice. it can be a bit of a drag to cook from fresh, but unless you have someone on the autistic spectrum at home (like us!!) trying dishes is fun.
Our youngest is the only family member using packaged vitamins and that's because of his eating issues due to having Aspergers syndrome. We have never 'pandered' to his needs and keep trying different foods with him, but when he refuses to eat a main meal for three or four days and I refuse to give him biscuits etc we rely on him getting the minimum from his supplements, until I serve a meal he will eat.
When I go into an office I love to support the company in providing basic advice on eating well to live happier healthier lives.