Have You Played Lately?

The question above, "Have you played lately?", is a question I often ask my Self. I have been pondering the idea of leading an active life, not a life that includes scheduled exercise. Don't get me wrong, run your marathons and triathlons, train for your tennis matches and cross fit competitions. Whatever inspires you, do that. What I'm saying is for the general population of people who aren't "athletes", what's a good way to incorporate movement into daily life, without having to drive to the gym or sign up for a fitness class. My answer is "Play". 

When we were kids, we didn't "exercise" in the sense that we had to be at a certain place at a certain time to jump and run and bike and lift weights in order to stay healthy and fit. We played.

We ran or rode our bikes to our friends house. We played games like hide and go seek, as well as pick up basketball or baseball games in the front yard. We played with the dog. We would climb the jungle gym and cross the monkey bars. My point is, we were simply being active, not consciously exercising. 

How, as adults, can we implement this idea? Gardening, walking, hiking, kayaking, playing with the dog or kids, yoga (sometimes this requires scheduling, but can be done at home in your time, too). How about games? I'm sure you can think of tons of fun things beyond my list. 

Here is an interesting Ted Talk I watched recently about "Blue Zones"....."To find the path to a long life and health, Dan Buettner and team study the world's "Blue Zones", communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting ages. In his talk, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100". 

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_...

Check it out.

Moving forward from here, let's all be more aware of how active we are or are not. Instead of coming home to the couch and TV, perhaps go for a walk or take some time to stretch out after sitting at your desk all day. Go out and work a bit in the garden.

Whatever the case, making small changes in your daily life can stand to show big improvements in the over-all health of your body, mind, and spirit. Create a new life for your Self. It's time. If you have any thoughts or ideas to add, please leave them below. I'd love to hear them. 

Much love,

Megan

More Benefits of Massage Therapy

Good afternoon!  

Apart from all the wonderful benefits massage provides, one of the things I liked about this article is that the writer talked about massage and children. I had a young girl who was 9 years old when I began work with her. She was seeing the Chiropractor and myself for treatment for her scoliosis. When she began her sessions with me, she was very sensitive and didn't know how to communicate about how she felt or how her body felt, for that matter.

As the sessions went on, our level of trust was established and not only did she open up to tell me all the details of how she physically felt, but also opened up (on occasion to me, but her parents) to discussions about deeper emotional feelings regarding school and other kids, her home life, as well as what made her happy and excited.

Working with her parents to get her the help she needed went really well and I'm happy to report a brilliant, happy, open, little girl who's now 12 years old and feeling great.    

Massage Therapy Helps with Pain, Stress and More...

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Updated September 23, 2014 3:51 PM
By RANDY DOTINGA. Special to Newsday

Erin Hurme, of Amityville Acupuncture & Wellness, massages a patient, Sept. 16, 2014. Massage therapy brings various levels of treatment beyond the common understanding of relaxation. (Credit: Johnny Milano)

Professional massages aren't just for stress relief anymore. Massage therapy's reputation has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Besides treating stress, sore muscles and sports injuries, studies have suggested that massage therapy can help with digestive disorders, fibromyalgia, headaches, nerve pain and joint pain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Here are five surprising facts about massage therapy.

1. Massage just might clear your sinuses

At least one Long Island massage therapist says she often surprises patients by telling them that massage can give them relief from congestion.

"Massage can reduce your stress and unclog your ear while you're at it," said Erin Hurme, who owns Amityville Acupuncture & Wellness. "You can work on someone's head for an hour and focus on draining the sinuses by loosening muscles by manipulating the face and the skull. That's a big one that people come in for, since it's so beneficial -- especially at this time of year, when allergies are common."

2. Massage can ease some cancer symptoms

"Massage therapy does not treat cancer in any way, shape or form," said Barrie Cassileth, founding chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. However, "it relieves symptoms associated with cancer and cancer treatment, such as stress and sore muscles," she said. "It is indeed relaxing, a very important treatment that works well not only for cancer patients but also for many in the general public who also experience, as we all do, stress and sore muscles and the need for soothing relief."

3. Safety is key during a massage

"There are many safety precautions for massage in a person with a medical condition," said Dr. Gary Deng, interim chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "For example, in cancer patients, the area where there is a cancer lesion should not be massaged. Patients at increased risk of bleeding, such as those on chemotherapy or on a blood thinner, should not get strong massage, and only light touch massage should be provided."

4. Kids can benefit from massage

Massage has many benefits in children, even infants, said Cheryl Hall, director of clinical education for the New York Institute of Technology's physical therapy program, based in Old Westbury.

For instance, it can help relieve digestive problems, colic and constipation, she said, and is especially useful in helping children relax before medical procedures like surgery.

"In the U.K., massage has been used in school-aged children and has been shown to decrease stress hormones, ease depression, improve sleeping habits and decrease fighting with others, just to name a few of the positive effects," Hall said.

Parents can massage their children in simple ways -- "many parents instinctively stroke and cuddle their infants to soothe or engage them during regular interactions," she said. Or, they can learn more sophisticated approaches.

However it's done, "strokes should not be too firm or too soft," she said, and parents should pay attention to signs that children need a break -- like yawning, hiccupping, sneezing and looking away.

5. Massage can help caregivers and families

Patients aren't the only people who can benefit from massages, Deng said.

"Taking care of chronically ill family members is a demanding job," he said. "Many caregivers experience stress and distress themselves as a result. Massage therapy will help them cope."

Also, he suggested that "family members give each other massages, which is a great bonding process."

(This article by Randy Dotinga was reposted from Newsday.com)

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