Tennis Ball and Eraser Self Massage

What do tennis balls and erasers have in common?  They are the cheapest self-help tools you will ever find! 

Tennis balls are amazing little trigger point destroyers.  Simply rolling out a tender spot with a tennis ball for a few minutes can bring lasting relief for many aches and pains. 

You can place one into a long sock, creating a handle to hold the ball behind your back with.  Then just lean against a wall with the ball positioned between you and the wall, and put your body weight into the ball.  Then roll it side to side, or do tiny squats up and down to massage the ball over tight shoulders, back, gluteals, or neck.

Sit on a firm chair with the ball under your leg to massage hamstrings.  Place it on an ottoman or coffee table and roll out tight calves.  Stand on it and roll around to help ease tension in your feet.

Roll one on your forearm to relax the muscles there, and even gently roll on your temples to ease away stress and headache.

Erasers are another amazing little tool that I often use myself, and recommend that clients use for self-massage.  Pink Pearl erasers with the beveled edge are the best, as they are a good texture, and the point really gets into tight spots!  I have tried using cheaper varieties, but if the rubber is too soft they fold under pressure.  Spend the big bucks and get a decent one!

Erasers work amazing to massage the muscles at the base of the skull.  Simply place the eraser along the ridge of your skull at about a 45-degree angle, then relax your head back onto it, while holding the eraser in place with your hand.  The weight of your head will help the eraser get into the muscle attachments.  You can either hold it there for a few minutes, or do little friction movements back and forth to massage the area.  Work along the base of the skull, and don’t forget to work both sides!

Erasers also work great in the forearm, bottom of the feet, and muscles in the hands.  They have a feel much like using your thumb, but don’t tire out as quickly as your thumb does!

The jaw is another great place to work with an eraser.  Just place the tip right on the muscles that you can feel contracting when you clench your teeth, and massage with gentle little movements up and down, back and forth.

Both tennis balls and erasers are very portable, so you can take them with you anywhere, and they can even go with you on an airplane, as airport security won’t seize them on you, although they might wonder why you have a ball in your purse or back pack!

Roasted Veggies Recipe

Roasting your vegetables in the winter is a great way to get in your vitamins and minerals while still enjoying a hearty, warm, comforting meal.  You can roast almost any veggie, but here is my favorite combo!

2 sweet potatoes

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 carrots

2 beets

½ winter squash

2 potatoes

2 turnips

Chop all into similar size pieces.  I usually cube everything into 1 to 2 inch chunks.  Toss all in a large bowl with 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes.  Stir half way through.  Cooking time will vary depending on how big your cubes are, so check it regularly, and cook longer if needed.

Do You Massage Feet Too?

I see a lot of clients who come in regularly to keep work or recreational repetitive stresses from flaring into issues.  This usually means that we work on the same areas each week, either neck and shoulder focus, or low back, or forearms and hands.  Every once in a while one of these clients will ask if I can do anything else.

The answer is yes!  One of my regular clients, whom I have been seeing for some time now, usually has a 45 minute treatment focused to upper back, neck and sometimes forearms and hamstrings.  The other day she came to see me and asked if I ever work on feet, to which I replied absolutely!

We proceeded to do an entire 45 minute session to feet and calves.  I did a little reflexology work, and some massage.  She totally loved the session, actually had the same treatment the following week!  The reflexology still helped loosen and relax her upper body, and well as areas that we never get to work on, plus she had the relaxing effects of TLC on her tootsies!

Another client who normally comes for deep tissue work asked if I could do relaxation massage one day, as she was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.  We spent the entire hour doing a session that you might get in a spa setting.  I even used an oil blend perfect for relaxation.  We spent the last 20 minutes working scalp and face, and the results were fantastic.  She left feeling calm, and very relaxed.

So if you are ever feeling like a slightly different treatment is what you need, please ask!  I have many tools under my belt as a registered massage therapist, from active assisted stretching, to craniosacral therapy.  Even though I joke about giving a crummy relaxation massage, I am actually a pretty good at it!  

Baby Step Your Way to Health

Sometimes the road to health can seem overwhelming.  You see these fit people and think they are freaks of nature, or just lucky somehow to be gifted with time to exercise or eat right.

Well I am here to tell you that the road is a little bumpy, but you too can one day be one of those people that others look to and wonder how you find the time.

The secret to success is to simply move in that direction, one little step at a time.  This can be as simple as eating one less spoonful of cereal, taking one more flight of stairs, or adding one more leaf of lettuce to your salad.

Each step you take towards health means one step farther away from your previous unhealthy habits.  For every celery stalk you eat, you will have less room in your tummy to fill with cookies.  For every after dinner walk around the block you take, you will have less time to get hooked on yet another TV sitcom.

There are so many opportunities in a day to do something healthier than you did the day before; you just have to make the choice.  Every time you reach for your morning bowl of cereal, ask yourself, “is this the best choice for my health?”  Maybe you should read the label and measure what an actual portion size is.  Maybe you should try the cereal with just a little more fiber and a little less sugar today.  Maybe you should have a green smoothie today and not have cereal at all! 

These are all options that most likely won’t make you late for work, but they do make you step out of routine just a tiny bit.  This is where most people get caught in habits.  It isn’t that there isn’t time, it is that you have to think – it isn’t automatic.  We are all running our lives on autopilot so much now that I think routine itself is becoming a bad habit!

Shake it up a bit!  Make a commitment to adding one tiny new healthy habit every week.

Eventually these little tiny things add up to major lifestyle changes, until suddenly you are leaner, have more energy, and therefore more time to do the things you love, and become a role model for those around you.

Forearm Stretch

Many of you work at computers all day long, only to go home and work on them all night too.  Excessive keyboarding can cause discomfort in the hands and forearms.  Many of the muscles that control finger movements are located in your forearms, so stretching out the forearms is a great thing to do during your busy work day.

Start by extending your right arm out in front of you with palm facing down.  Using your other hand, hold your right hand just below the wrist and gently pull it down so that your hand is pointing down toward the floor.  You should feel a gentle stretch only.  Hold for 20 seconds (or longer if you like)

Next turn your outstretched arm with palm facing up, and this time, using your other hand, hold across your right fingers, pulling them down so they point to the floor.  Again, keep the stretch gentle and comfortable, holding for 20 seconds.