"Massage Therapy"

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There’s something about Amy. No, shes not my latest crush. And no, shes not my best friend, collegue, or boss. She’s an angel from heaven sent down to save me. Amy is the name of my masseuse.


And once a week, she relaxes my mind, body, and weary soul!

Haha , alright maybe I sound like I am a little crazy, but heres the thing. Gone are the days when going to a spa to get a massage was considered to be an indulgence. In fact, more and more doctors today will actually recommend that people try and get a regular massage treatment as part of their weekly regime. This is emphasized even more with reference to people who are highly physically and mentally active (read: people who train hard at the gym and have high-pressure, high-stress jobs) Research shows that getting a regular form of body work (massage, physio-therapy, or maalish) comes with a number of benefits. Here are the 3 biggest reasons to get yourself a regular appointment!


Physical relief: the kneading strokes of a massage when combined with the circular movement actually serves a multitude of purposes. First, this rhythmic and strong motion works to loosed up any knotted muscles in the region (think of the jammed feeling you get in your back and shoulders after a long week of meetings, not to mention weight training!). Second, massage also helps to improve the blood circulation in the muscles of the body, this increased blood circulation allows for better transport of oxygen to all the muscles and organs enabling them to function more effectively. Third,certain massages also work to stretch the body, working to improve ligament and joint function.

Relaxation for the mind: Spending an hour in a week allowing all of the knots in those shoulder and back muscles to be slowly loosened gives you a great sense of relaxation. In fact, not only do you leave feeling like your back feels better, you literally feel like a weight has been lifted off those shoulders.

The feel-good factor: On a purely hedonistic note, getting a regular massage simply feels GREAT. Both mentally and phycially you are getting the respite you need from your weekly grind, allowing you to continue to do your best, and with a smile on your face. So lie back, and enjoy :)

"Workout Woes"

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What to do when your workout just isn't working out...

Eating right (pre and post): Its always a good idea to make sure you are fuelling your body properly before hitting the gym or doing any form of exercise. My advice? Eat something small but high on energy about an hour before you are planning to work out so that you can use the energy to really give it your 100%. If you work out in the mornings try and eat an apple/banana or a bowl of high-fibre cereal. A friendly word of caution to all the ladies looking to lose some love handles, if you try and starve your body before you work out thinking it will help you lose more weight you couldn’t be more wrong! In fact, trying to work out with little or no energy is pretty much a waste of time since you are not going to be able to pack any power into your session and end up just feeling cranky and exhausted! Also, make sure to eat a little something within an hour of your workout. It refuels your system and actually helps to increase the metabolic rate of your body.




Hydration Counts: Keep a small bottle of water handy when you are working out and make sure to keep taking small sips from it through out the session. Remember, water is made up of two parts oxygen (which is why they call it H2O) and that oxygen is what replenishes the organs and muscles to work better when under strain. So drink up folks.



Breaking the routine: One of the biggest problems people have with their work outs is this one. Of course its going to be frickin boring when you are repeating the exact same exercises, in the exact same order, for the exact same number of counts, every single time you go to the gym people. Its time to get creative.Not only does variation in your work out make it that much more fun (eg mix up mon and fri weights training with kickboxing on wed), its also more effective when working towards weight loss.


Perfect timing: each of us is built differently and so your work out regime too, should be customized to work perfectly for your personality, body type, and lifestyle. If you find yourself to be a night owl, always ready to rock and full of energy post the sunset, then evening work outs are probably great for you. On the other hand if you like to sleep early, and love to wake up at dawn, plan your work out to meet the morning sun and you will find yourself feeling great all day long. Despite what you may have heard or read, I truly believe there is no “right time” for exercise. The right time is what works for you, its as simple as that.