http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_Rwbp8S1k

It's a shoveling kind of day. Please take care of yourselves and take your time clearing it. Keep hydrated and don't over do it!!! Here is a quick video to refresh your memory on how to clear snow the right way! Happy Snow Day!!!

Proper Desk Posture

 Your muscles will thank you for proper desk posture. Give yourself a quick self assessment and adjust where you need it. Need more information regarding your desk posture. Please feel free to email me your questions at bturnerpp@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to answer them.

Hot Stone Massage the best way to achieve total relaxation!

Book today 905 912 6494

Healthy Immune System

Keep your Immune System Healthy!

Did you know that regular therapeutic massage can provide excellent advantages beyond relaxation? People who experience high levels of stress tend to get sick more often than others. When stress is combined with a lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and lack of outdoor activity our body's ability to naturally protect itself against bacteria and infection is greatly reduced. 

A number of studies have indicated that massage increases the immune system's level of the body's natural "killer cells" the T cells, which improve the body's overall immune function. Regular massage therapy treatments help boost your immune system. When your immune system is stronger, your body is more prepared to defend itself against those cold and flu viruses going around your workplace, school or even your home during the cooler months. So keep yourself healthy during the long indoor season by scheduling regular massage appointments.

~ 905 912 6494 to book your appointment today! 

Pillow Talk

Pillow Talk

More often than not I am asked what kind of pillow I sleep on.  I am always surprised when this question is asked and equally surprised to hear that most people aren’t getting a good night sleep because of their pillows. So I am going to provide you with some information so you can learn about your pillow and why you should maybe go out and get a new one.

At the end of the day it is a very comforting feeling to know that you have just the right pillow to rest your tired, achy body on. In addition to providing comfort, the right pillow for you can also provide the necessary support for the neck and spine.  The right pillow can help alleviate/ prevent many common forms of back pain and neck pain.

Your pillow has two main functions:

1.       Support: From a physical perspective, pillows prop up the head, neck and shoulders - keeping them in alignment, relieving pressure and counterbalancing the points in the body.

2.       Comfort: From a more subjective perspective, pillows create a feeling of comfort, which aids in getting a good night’s sleep and feeling well rested.

The traditional pillow is a pillow that rests on top of your mattress; it is used to provide support for the head, neck, and upper spine while the body is lying in bed in a resting position. For optimum support, it is best to select a pillow that has the following characteristics:

1.       Pillow is designed to keep the spine in natural alignment

The human neck curves slightly forward (to sustain the weight of the head when upright), and it’s important to maintain this curve when in a resting position. If the height of the pillow is too high when sleeping sideways or on the back, the neck is bent abnormally forward or to the side, causing muscle strain on the back of the neck and shoulders. This type of position may also cause narrowing of the air pipe, resulting in obstructed breathing, and sometimes snoring, which can hinder sleep and/or relations with your mate! Equally, if the height of the pillow is too low, the neck muscles can also be strained. Based on the body’s measurements and personal preference, the pillow should maintain a height of 4 to 6 inches from the mattress, properly supporting the head and neck (and shoulders when lying on back).

2.       Pillow feels comfortable

A large part of what makes a good pillow is your personal preference. If the pillow feels comfortable, it’s likely to help you relax, get a good night’s sleep, and feel well rested in the morning. The pillow's surface can also be a source of comfort - some people prefer a pillowcase with a cool, smooth feeling (such as cotton, silk, sateen, or natural fibre material like Bamboo or Aloe Vera (my personal favorite)) and some prefer warmth (such as flannel).

 3.     Pillow is adjustable

To help the pillow conform to various sleep positions, it is best if the pillow can be adjusted to fit your unique shape and curves and your sleeping position. A pillow should mold to one’s individual shape and alleviate any pressure points.

 My preferred pillow is a water pillow. I like it as it always forms to my neck and head with every toss and turn throughout the night. It did take me a few weeks to get used to it, as I was a two pillow stacker sleeper. Today I cannot get comfortable on any other kind of pillow. So it is a personal preference. So when purchasing your new pillow, just keep in mind the key points and you should be sleeping like a baby! In keeping with alignment, I also have another pillow that I keep between my knees to keep the pressure off my hips and aligned with my spine.

~Wishing you all a good night sleep! 

Bobbi Jo Turner, RMT

Baseball Season is upon us!

Baseball can be an exciting and rewarding activity, but playing it can place demands on your body. The unilateral nature of various actions in baseball can lead to unusual wear and tear on your body. Overuse injuries, particularly affecting the shoulder, elbow and knee, are common areas.  Proper stretching can  help you prevent these injuries, as well as improve your athletic performance and help to rehabilitate existing injuries.   Players should stretch both before and after the game and within comfortable limits. 

Roll-Over Stretch

Lie flat on your back with your arms outspread at your shoulders, forming a right angle to your body, and your knees bent. Let your knees fall to one side, with the bottom leg contacting the ground. Then roll your knees back in the other direction, letting your back and hips rotate with your knees.

Rotator Stretch

To help stretch your rotator muscles. Stand erect, with one hand behind the middle of your back, palm outward, and your elbow pointing out at your side. Reach in front of yourself with your other hand and take hold of your elbow, gently pulling it forward. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, then reverse the position and stretch on the other side. 

Pectoral Deltoid Stretch

 A simple routine for stretching pectoral and deltoid muscles. Start with your hands clasped behind your back and slowly raise them behind you as high as possible. Hold the position for at least 30 seconds. Repeat 3x

Shoulder Shrugs and Arm Swings

Shoulder shrugs and swings are ways to warm up for throwing, catching and hitting.  Rotate your shoulders in a circular, rolling motion, working both forward and backward. Perform giant arms swings, swinging in a windmill motion in a large circle that begins as high as you can reach over your head and descending down as far as you can reach at your side. (please give yourself ample room for this warm up to avoid injury to yourself or a fellow teammate!)

Lunges

These classic stretching exercises are designed to target the hamstring, Achilles' tendon and groin muscles. Extend one leg straight out behind you as far as it will go with the heel of your foot flat on the ground, while keeping the other knee in front of you, bent at a right angle to the ground. You should keep both feet pointed in the same direction, and keep your back leg perfectly straight. You should feel the stretching in your groin and thigh muscles. Hold the lunge for 30 seconds, then reverse the position. For side lunges, stretch one leg straight out to the side, keeping the other knee bent at a right angle. Repeat the lunge by stretching the other leg out to the side, with the opposing knee bent. Repeat 3x

Chair Back Stretch

You will need a chair for this ballet-influenced stretch, which targets your back, gluteus maximus, calves and shoulders. Put one foot up on a chair back, and pull your head toward your knee, holding the position for at least 30 seconds. Lower your leg and lift the other one to the chair back, repeating the process. Repeat 3x

Always stretch warmed up muscles before and after a game! And please remember if you injure yourself in game to use the RICE Method. R= REST, I= ICE, C= COMPRESS, and E= ELEVATE . Always ice after a fresh injury to help reduce the pain and inflammation. 10 minutes on 10 minutes off for 30 minutes.

And remember to book your appointment with your RMT for maintenance, and optimum performance! 

Let's Play Ball!!!!

Joint Health

Today I want to talk about our joint health. We spend lots of money on supplements to help us with our nutritional values because the majority of the time, everything we tend to eat is fast and over processed. Which doesn't help us meet our nutritional values.
 Taking care of our bones and joints is really simple with a good bone stock. It is really simple to make and provides us with lots of goodness. Bone stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily, not just calcium, but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, and trace minerals. And it contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendon-stuff like chondrotin sulphates and glucosamine, remember those supplements I was just talking about! Bone stock supplies amino acids that help the body detoxify and it supplies nutrients to help with joint discomfort. I am not saying get rid of your supplements, just giving you a little bit more information on how you can take control of your nutrition values and taking care of your body.
Making a good stock from bones like a whole chicken, beef bones, or a combination of both provides us with good for you nutrition and a simple way to add flavour to other meals. And it costs way less then the canned broth we buy in the grocery store. Store bought broth isn't as flavourful or nutrient packed as making a homemade stock. To make bone stock you will need the following:

A large stock pot
two pounds of chicken bones/parts or beef bones
one large onion skinned only
three cloves of garlic
15 peppercorns
2 carrots
1 celery
1 whole peeled potato
salt to season( not a lot)

put all the ingredients into the pot fill with water to about two inches from the top and bring to simmer and simmer for 4-6 hours depending on the bones you are using. (4hrs for chicken only and 6hrs for beef) the longer you simmer the more of the bones nutrients melt into your stock and pack it with all that goodness for our bone and joint health. If you are using beef bones you will have to skim off the marrow bubbles that form at the top of the pot. After the simmering time, strain the stock into a clean pot and let cool in the fridge. Skim off the hardened fat and split stock into reusable freezer containers and ice cube trays for seasoning and making a pot of soup every week until you have to make a fresh pot of stock again!

To your bone health! Cheers :)

Benefits of Massage for the Gardener

Benefits of Massage for the Gardener

Daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing merrily from the trees across the street, the sun is shinning and our days are getting warmer. Spring brings the beginning of gardening season here in the southern part of Ontario and, with this joyful and exciting time of year, the possibility for our overdoing it in enthusiastic bouts of muscular exertion. Muscles that haven’t been worked in a while are now potentially being engaged to pry and uproot over-wintering ground covers, to add soil amendments, and to thoroughly dig and overturn dormant garden beds for planting. Intensively using muscles that haven’t been consistently worked in a while can mean that some of us will be dealing with movement restricting sore muscles, stiffness and lower back pain.

Fortunately, there is therapeutic relief available from massage therapy that is tailored specifically for gardeners. Scientific research shows that massage relieves pain and stiffness, speeds recovery time and improves joint flexibility, to name just a few of its many benefits. Massage is quite effective prior to or after a gardening session. If done just before a strenuous day of garden work, one can minimize soreness by increasing circulation to the muscles and loosening the joints. Massage is used to reduce the chance of injury –especially from those at-risk hypertonic (over strong) areas that may be prone to strain.