According to a Morning Edition story by NPR's Tovia Smith, "little luxuries" like those in the spa and wellness industries are holding strong. In Little Luxuries Faring Well in a Flagging Economy, Smith covers a day spa whose sales are up 10 percent and a wellness center with packed dance classes. Apparently, people are skipping the vacations and more extravagent luxuries for massage, yoga and, yes, liquor.

It's not hard to believe - that massage therapy might be more recession-proof than not. Frustration, anger and stress seem to be the emotions of the moment with employment down, credit impossible and the stock market slipping and sliding. If it is any indicator, the Smash Shack's business is growing. (The Smash Shack is a California business for angry people who feel the need to smash things).

Before you go smashing your china against the side of your house, you should know massage - the healthier version of booze - is a great way to feel better immediately when things go awry. It affects you physically, of course, by increasing ciruclation and easing muscle tension. But it also helps on another level - a chemical level.

According to one study done by the Touch Research Institute (TRI), published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, immediately following a massage depressed moods, anxiety and the stress hormone cortisol were each reduced.

Want to keep your job? Another of the Touch Research Institute studies indicates receiving regular therapeudic touch just might improve job performance. A TRI study, reported in the International Journal of Neuroscience, done on adults who received regular massage indicates brain patterns "consistent with enhanced alertness." These adults were also able to complete math problems more quickly and anxiety and stress were down.

Dopamine, which is associated with pleasure, and seratonin, which in a round-about way, is responsible for restful sleep, are both increased with massage.

So go out and get a massage, right? Yes!

The really great news about all of this is that there are plenty of massage therapists offering "recession specials," as well. Just google massage recession specials or massage discounts and see what pops up for your area.

Packages are also always a good buy if you can make the up-front investment. Then, package purchased, all you have to do is commit to a time for your "little luxury."

Check out the following:
Tovia's article on Little Luxuries.
The Smash Shack and NPR's Story on Anger.
An Emotional Time in the Workplace.
Studies done by the Touch Research Institute.

Bodywork provides custom massage therapy and bodywork services in the Austin area.

Labels: improve job performance, massage benefits, massage is recession-proof, massage therapy, reduce anxiety, reduce cortisol, reduce stress

Your high school gym coach - if he or she was good at their job - probably said you needed to stretch to maintain good flexibility. But coach probably didn't take the time to sit your class down and answer a very basic question: what is flexibility?

Without going into too much detail, flexibility, as defined by the American Council on Exercise, is the range of motion within a joint along the various planes of motion. It is one of the main components of fitness.

There are two kinds of flexibility. Static flexibility is demonstrated by a dancer or gymnast "sitting" in the splits or a yogi holding a Downward Dog posture. The emphasis of static flexibility is not on movement, but on holding a given muscle or muscle group in a stretched position. Dynamic flexibility involves movement, speed and force. A dancer doing a high kick, battement or jete leap is an example of dynamic flexibility.

Why should you care about flexibility? I'll answer that question with a question: do you value being able to move your body when you are 30, 50 or 80?

Beyond having a healthy range of motion, maintaining a good level of flexibility will decrease the risk of injury and muscular tension and increase coordination and muscular balance and postural awareness. It also helps with recovery after a strenuous workout or daily activity.

So now that you know what flexibility is, I encourage you to learn more - learn how to stretch yourself. And if coach skips the conversation, tell your kids what flexibility is and why it is an important part of keeping well.

Bodywork offers custom massage therapy and bodywork services in the Austin area.

Labels: flexibility, kinds of stretching, stretching

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The most important thing to understand about taking care of yourself is to use the everyday resources surrounding you.

This bear recognizes the potential of a tree. He demonstrates one way to get either a back rub or some good exercise - or both!

Labels: back rub, couples massage, fitness resources, home fitness, self-massage

You've been on a new workout plan for about six weeks and you are frustrated. You feel like you made physically rewarding gains in your strength-building efforts early on, but you have noticed lately it seems harder to get results from your body.

You are beginning to think God did not create all things equal, and that your body is a defunct sludge-sack of junk - despite your sweat, sore muscles and audible grunting.

Well, here's what you need to know about your sludge-sack of junk.

In the first few weeks of an exercise program, previously inactive motor units, which are made up of a nerve plus all the muscle fibers it stimulates, are, metaphorically, forced off the couch and urged into action. People who were previously sedentary, leading inactive lifestyles lounging on the couch with their motor units, will notice large gains in strength during the first few weeks.

Also, people who only spent time doing one type of fitness activity will probably feel the effect of a new exercise program during this time. For example, those who previously only ran, but then added resistance training to their workout might feel like they have significantly increased the strength of their upper body.

The next phase is hypertrophy, which happens at different rates for men and women and which is also dependent on your exercise program. The American Council on Exercise defines hypertrophy as the "increase in the number and size of myofibrils inside muscle fibers."

Simply put, hypertrophy is happening when you start to see your muscles bulging. It is the increasing amount and size of all the stuff inside your muscles - the actin and myosin and proteins. Your trainer at the gym - the one with the big, veiny arms - probably has hypertrophy of the biceps.

Again, hypertrophy happens at different times - earlier and more easily for men, who have the benefit of testosterone among other attributes. Also, depending on the intensity of your new exercise program and your commitment to it, you may seen strength gains earlier or later in your program.

You should also note, that following a good exercise program will positively affect your connective tissues - ligaments and tendons, especially - making them stronger and thicker. Nervous system activity - those previously inactive motor units that are now working and firing - also increases as the brain increases its ability to coordinate those parts of your sludge-sack of junk.

Remember, if you are concerned about any aspect of your training, always consult your trainer immediately. Your body is worth it.

Labels: exercise program, hypertrophy, muscles, resistence training, strength building, weight lifting

Single mom or traveling executive - not all of us have time to dedicate an hour or more of our weekdays to the gym. Physical health is not something that should ever be compromised, so maximizing time at home in front of the TV, doing laundry or even checking email becomes critical when you are pressed for time.

But in addition to carefully used time, people who exercise at home need a guide. A personal trainer is one of the best ways to learn techniques that can be used at home as well as in the gym, but in the meantime, if you are looking for a friendly, at-home fitness guide, MSN's The Fit Zone has a bevy of information for you.

First, go to The Fit Zone and scroll over a part of the body you'd like to focus on - you have the option of major muscle groups including upper shoulders, chest, arms, abs, gluts and legs on the front or back of the body.

When you click on your area of focus, a more specific breakdown will appear. For example, If I want to focus on the quadriceps, I click on the front of the legs, then the highlighted area indicating the quadriceps.

After you choose a muscle, a list of exercises that target that muscle will appear. For most people, exercises like those named "ball squat" will not mean a whole lot, but if you click through a list, you will see that each exercise is linked to one of MSN The Fit Zone's well presented exercise image and written description.

To prevent injury, be sure you study each exercise carefully before performing it - especially if you are new to resistance training or stability ball work. Sometimes an exercise may have multiple descriptive pictures, so be sure to look at each image. The images will help you better understand the verbal description and ensure that you are performing exercises correctly.

Happy workout!

Labels: exercise at home, home fitness, resistance training

My work at Lauterstein-Conway Massage School is going well - we were on Fox News on Monday. Check out what two TLC massage school instructors have to say about couples massage.

Labels: couples massage, massage at home