OH MY ACHING BACK!

As a Certified Raindrop Therapy Technique Practitioner I see a lot of people for massage who have lower back issues.   Much of the lower back pain originates from stress, tension, posture, or activity strain, which can be avoided by strengthening the lower back.   As a Personal Fitness Trainer I highly recommend the following lower back exercise to strengthen the lower back and significantly reduce lower back pains:

Position: Lie facedown on the floor, arms and legs outstretched a few inches above floor, your head in line with your spine. 

 

Action: Raise your left arm and your right leg off floor at the same time.  Hold for a count of 3, if you can.   Lower and repeat with alternate right arm/left leg.  Lower and repeat the series. 

 

Key to Effectiveness:  Hoover just above the floor.  Do not completely lower arms or legs until you are done.   Breathe deeply.  Make sure you are not holding your breath, especially as you hold for a count of 3.

 

With a stronger lower back you'll find that you can enjoy and sustain most all daily living activities ~ sitting, standing, gardening, sports, and physical work ~ longer and with much less lower back pain.

 

Blessed for your highest good!

><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

DON'T WANNA; YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!

Feeling demotivated?  Giving up on yourself?   How much do you mean that?

It does happen ... for any number of reasons, valid and irrational, your self talk says: "I don't wanna and you can't make me"!    IF, this is truly the case, then spare yourself the internalizing guilts, and just don't.   Refocus on what you really do want to be doing; reframe your goals, and move on to fulfill other purposes in life more meaningful to you.   No harm, no foul, in moving closer to center of who and what you are uniquely designed to be in this world.

Sometimes we are just momentarily discouraged at our own progress, or lack thereof.   If that's the case, talk it up with those around you and then LISTEN to their suggestions.  Commit to giving the feedback and suggestions at least one try-on before you discount where they take you.   You just might find yourself re-aligned to new THOUGHTS + ACTIONS = HABITS = RESULTS.

Bored or burnt out?  Time to shake things up!   I didn't come up with the list below, but I think it's a good one from the Running Fit Coaches for runners, but also walkers, duathletes, triathletes, and cross training workouts.

• Plan tomorrow's run for the lunch hour or the evening if you normally run in the morning.

• Run in the woods if you normally run on the road. Better yet, go run a trail or road late at night with a headlamp!

• Start and finish your run at a lake and dive in ... preferably naked! Yikes!

• Try some GU, new shoes, new route, new run partner or run with a group... Like at one of the weekly runs from the Running Fit stores!  (Running Fit Group Runs)

• Put a beer out a mile from home, knowing you get a beer for the cool down mile may fire you up!

• Run a race. Don't even make plans, don't train, just find one on line (runmichigan.com) and go!

• Get someone to drop you off a long way from home with no way to get back but to run!

• Drive to a spot some evening then run home. In the morning, run back and get your car.
• Grab a buddy and do a mini event: walk/run + bike + swim.   
• Send Sherry Perkins your ideas and suggestions and I'll include them in a future blog post.

Blessed for your highest good!


><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

Empowered Health & Fitness participates in Ypsi Pride ~ Ford Lake Clean Up.

Blessed for your highest good!


><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

3 STEPS TO CARDIO HEALTH

Ahhhhh SPRING!   It is almost effortlessly irresistible to get those walks in during these beautifully budding, pleasantly sunny, Spring days!  For many, these are the first steps out of winters hybernation.   Do-able?  You bet!  Take your walks through botanical gardens, nature trails, waterfronts, and parks ~  you'll be a dedicated walker in no time!

Ready to go from walking to running?  No need for speed!  Just intersperse intervals of short distance running with short distances of walking.  Walk a bit; run a bit.  Walk a bit; run a bit.  Walk a bit; run a bit.  Walk a bit; run a bit.  Do-able?  Absolutely!   Here is a great video on 3 steps to good running form to get you started off on the right foot ... so to speak ... ENJOY!:

Blessed for your highest good!


><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

WORKING IT OUT ~ THE BENEFITS OF MASSAGE

What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.

A Powerful Ally
There’s no denying the power of bodywork. Regardless of the adjectives we assign to it (pampering, rejuvenating, therapeutic) or the reasons we seek it out (a luxurious treat, stress relief, pain management), massage therapy can be a powerful ally in your healthcare regimen.

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. While eliminating anxiety and pressure altogether in this fast-paced world may be idealistic, massage can, without a doubt, help manage stress. This translates into:

• Decreased anxiety.
• Enhanced sleep quality.
• Greater energy.
• Improved concentration.
• Increased circulation.
• Reduced fatigue.

Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after receiving a massage. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical benefits.

Profound Effects
In response to massage, specific physiological and chemical changes cascade throughout the body, with profound effects. Research shows that with massage:

• Arthritis sufferers note fewer aches and less stiffness and pain.
• Asthmatic children show better pulmonary function and increased peak air flow.
• Burn injury patients report reduced pain, itching, and anxiety.
• High blood pressure patients demonstrate lower diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, and stress hormones.
• Premenstrual syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention and cramping.
• Preterm infants have improved weight gain.

Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch—which range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site massage practitioners and even spas to treat postsurgery or pain patients as part of the recovery process.

Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting massage frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

Blessed for your highest good!


><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582