Reflexology v. Massage?

Not ready a full body massage but want the same relaxing experience?

Try a Reflexology Session

• Therapist uses small movements on hands and feet with thumb & fingers
  
• Pressure is applied on hands and feet
• You stay fully dressed, only feet and hands are exposed

A few benefits of Reflexology:

• Increase your energy
• Improve circulation
• Enhance your body's natural healing ability
• Reduce stress
• Boost your immune system
• Promote wellness
• Benefits your internal systems through the nervous system

Add a warm, soothing foot and/or hand paraffin bath to your session!

For information on a Reflexology Session for your Hands

For more information about Just for a while . . . It's all about You!
To schedule a session: 617.678.1075

How to Get Better Sleep

This article by Jaime Netzer sounds like the advise I share with my clients!

A good night’s rest can be more precious than gold to an overworked, over-stressed body. Experts recommend fitting in a full seven to nine hours of sleep per night, and getting better sleep can improve work performance, memory and even relationships."

But it’s not always easy to get to bed on time, or to relax once you’re there. If you’re feeling sleep-deprived, there are plenty of natural options to help soothe you into a restful slumber. The following suggestions can help you make the most of your slumber.

Before bedtime

• Make sure your bedroom is a sleep haven — keep the temperature down, the lights low, and avoid doing anything but sleeping, snuggling or other bedroom activities between the sheets. This means no TV, late-night Web surfing, or, worst of all, work.
• Lavender has been proven effective at inducing calm and relaxation. Get a lavender eye pillow or use a few drops of the essential oil to soothe your senses.
• Establish a bedtime routine. Taking a hot bath can exaggerate the natural temperature dip your body experiences as it transitions from wakefulness to sleep, bringing sleep on faster. You can make bathing at night and reading something pleasant before bed a daily practice.
• Avoid (or eliminate) caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, especially close to bedtime. Alcohol and nicotine may seem to induce shut-eye, but both cause disrupted snoozing later on in the night. Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 12 hours, keeping you awake long after you’d like.

Lying in bed unable to sleep? Try the following:

• Practice deep breathing. Focus on moving your belly up and down, not your chest. Inhale for a count of four, and exhale for a count of eight.
• Slowly tense and then relax every muscle group in your body. Start with your toes, move to your feet, then your ankles, then your calves … chances are, by the time you reach your head, you’ll already be dreaming.
• Throw a t-shirt over the alarm clock. Clock-watching won’t make you fall asleep any faster, and in fact usually exacerbates worries and stress. Try your best not to focus on the sleep you might be losing.
• After 20 minutes of trying, if you still can’t sleep, get up! Take advantage of your wakefulness to do something productive but still calming. Then, after you start to feel drowsy, lie down and try again.


From Mother Earth Living

The Eating Season is upon us!

For many of us just having shorter daylight hours is enough to head us to the cookie jar! And... holidays presented opportunities to indulge in even more poor food choices. All with the support of our friends and family who wanted us to join in the fun!

And things I suggest to all my clients when faced with these challenges:

• Breathe - several slow, deep breaths.

• Allow your shoulders to drop.

• Allow the rest of your muscles to relax

Try to do at least one 3-minute relaxation session per day. You can do it at your desk, while stopped at a traffic light, while waiting for something to cook for dinner. If a minute seems too long - Start with 30-seconds! You will find you feel so much better you will want to increase the time.

Yoga, meditation, walking - whatever you find works for you!

The added oxygen in your body will help you to think more clearly, work more efficiently and the body will heal itself quicker.

When you allow your body and mind to take a break you are less likely to eat on auto pilot.

Drink enough water

When the organs of the body do not have enough water they take it from other places in the body.

When you feel thirsty you have waited too long to add water to your system.

It is never too late to start or to start over.

Another suggestion - Schedule a massage, Reiki session or another treatment to care for yourself. Remember . . . in order to take care of others, one must take care of ones self first.

A recommendation from:
K. Weiss, The costs of asthma. Asthma and Allergy Foundation, 1998 [updated 2001]
The Condition of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001.

"Nutritional Approaches for Allergies and Asthma"

"In addition to avoiding one's specific hypersensitivity triggers such as dairy products, shellfish, or gluten, there are many proactive nutritional solutions available. All will help restore the body's natural ability to create internal balance and more normal functioning."

"The most important recommendation is to drink enough water. Most of us don't do this. Coffee, tea, juice, and soda don't count. Water is the key - eight cups per day are recommended. If you're not used to drinking water, start with four cups per day, get used to doing that, and work your way up to eight cups per day."

"Put simply, if you're not drinking enough water, your internal metabolic environment is toxic. For those with hypersensitivity problems, not drinking enough water exacerbates the problem. Drink water!"