Are you ‘the worst’ when it comes to keeping hydrated? Trust me, I am too, even now with all the knowledge I have... It’s sometimes boring and even annoying.

I truly believe that not everyone requires the same amount of fluids a day as someone else. Some basic factors to consider would be: any HEALTH CONDITIONS (especially those which affect kidney function, cardiovascular function, headaches or migraines, having diarrhea), TAKING MEDICATIONS (especially those known to dehydrate tissues / be a diuretic or those that can build up in the system and become toxic), ACTIVITY LEVEL (coach potato to weekend warrior to elite athlete and everything else in between), ENVIRONMENT (especially hot and humid weather), FOOD / DIET (from high salt content foods to foods high in fluids to begin with), PREGNANCY / BREASTFEEDING (you’re drinking for two), AGE, and on... It’s important to speak with your medical professionals and come up with a fluid intake guideline right for YOU. 

A few general rules of thumb for fluid intake would be eight 8-once glasses of water a day, or 2-3 liters of water a day, or half a gallon a day. However you want to look at it, don’t forget that you get water from foods too... Food can make up around 20% of our fluid intakes a day give or take! (#MayoClinic)

Hate plain water? Again, me too... Try alkaline water, electrolyte water, carbonated water, water with fruits or veggies in it for natural flavor, plain fresh brewed tea, etc.. The key is just to find something you like. Just keep an eye out for, and try to avoid, artificial flavors or sweeteners, added sugars, chemicals (basis of using organic when possible), or overall high levels of caffeine for your tolerance. A personal recommendation of mine is Trader Joe’s brand liter bottles of ‘Alkaline Electrolyte Water’ or Wegman’s brand ‘Unsweetened Jasmine Green Tea’ bottles (of course try and save the planet and all by using reusable bottles when you can, and recycle any products which are recyclable).

If you’re the kind of person that needs to be ‘held accountable’ you can create a fluid diary in your phone or a notepad to track how much water you’re taking in, your activities, and how you’re feeling with that level. This will give you a personal gauge for the future so you’ll know how you can feel your best given X, Y, and Z criteria... Need something more fun? There are tons of apps which can track fluid consumption. A client once told me about a free app called ‘Plant Nanny’ which lets you take care of cute little plants by inputting your water intake into the app and helping them grow!

Remember, drinking water helps your mind and body stay hydrated and healthy. From a vanity perspective, staying hydrated helps you look younger and not like a shriveled walnut (water is like skin lotion for your insides (skin, joints, organs))... 

Again, obviously check with your medical professional or dietician regarding any specific requirements you may have due to health concerns, activity levels, medications, etc.. This post is meant purely as a generalized informational piece to help kickstart your investment into your own health. If you have any questions please contact your physicians as they would (hopefully) have the most accurate and in-depth knowledge of your personal health needs...

#WATER #HYDRATE #HEALTH #HYDRATETOPRETTY #THOSECELLSARETHIRSTY #LUBRICATETHOSEBODIES

Getting a massage? 

Whether for the first time, or your gazillionth, let’s take a second to get the basics out there...

FINDING ONE:

• First of all, try to find a personally referred or well reviewed licensed massage therapist (LMT). Sometimes you just get a gift card to a local place or have a spur of the moment whim and just get whomever... and they may be great and have just had a slow booking day or had a last minute cancellation you’re able to snag... but IN GENERAL if an LMT is open (especially very open), it might mean they aren’t very good. A lot of times heavily booked LMT’s will have a will-call list for when they get an opening so they never really have an opening for long... so keep in mind that the most requested therapists are usually the best.

• Please Please Please try to use caution when using anyone with a title other than ‘licensed massage therapist’. They go to school, take a board exam, and are licensed through the state for a reason. We all know a random person that gives good shoulder rubs or has good hands, but if you’re looking for a regular service situation, make sure they are licensed.

UNDERSTANDING COSTS & LENGTHS:

• A general rule of thumb is that your massage will cost around $1 per minute. Different places charge more, or less, and can have all sorts of various add-on’s / upgrades with just as varied prices. Try to do your homework on their website or by calling ahead of time to avoid being stressed at check-out.

YOUR FIRST VISIT:

• Most places will tell you to be a certain amount of time early for your appointment... that means listen to that! Most times, whomever you are seeing has a client after you and giving you your full time even though you were late means their next person gets bumped too and it’s a domino effect. You wouldn’t want to be the person getting pushed back would you? If you know you’re going to be one time (late) or late (late-late), then please call the place to let them know. Most of the time the therapist will accommodate as much as they can, especially when it’s an honest mistake or unavoidable circumstance. If you just refuse to come at that earlier time, then request the new client paperwork via email/fax and fill it out ahead of time. The main idea is, they need documentation on you by law, so  you being ‘one of those people’ is just not gonna get you any bonus points...

• Be honest! If it’s your first time be open about it so your LMT knows and will be even more explanatory and helpful. If you’ve had massages before let your LMT know what you did and didn’t like so they do or don’t do those things while working on you. 

DURING THE MASSAGE:

• Feel free to talk the whole time or never say a word... some people treat their massage time like a therapy session, and some people just need that quiet time. It’s your decision not your LMT’s.  If for some reason they won’t shut up and you want quiet, tell them you prefer to zone out during your massages. 

• If they didn’t explicitly tell you to let them know if you need more or less pressure during the session to let them know; one shame on them, and two do so... Don’t tense and squirm in silence from too deep of pressure, and don’t complain in your head about how you can barely feel them... Every client perceives the same applied pressure differently, and every LMT needs to learn their clients’ body and responses to techniques and pressures. We may be near-gods sometimes, but we aren’t mind readers. The more experience an LMT has the less likely you’ll have a thing to change, but for the most part there’s going to be certain places or even just certain spots you like worked on but need less pressure than somewhere else... My go-to statement before a service (even when I’ve had them before) is “I’ll go with what your body / your muscles is / are letting me, if it’s too much let me know, if you feel you need more let me know.”. 

• Undress to your comfort level, but understand that the fluidity of skin-on-skin contact is much nicer than choppy contact to avoid clothing. If you are looking more to relax, those massages are generally all about fluidity and glide... if you are looking for more therapeutic or specific work maybe being completely clothed is fine. Work with the LMT to determine what’s best to meld what your comfort level is with what you are looking to achieve in the session. In my personal experience the majority of clients will completely undress or leave only underwear on. For people wishing to wear their boxers, long compression shorts, or other legwear in general during the service; I would recommend possibly rolling or hiking them up so your LMT can access more of your musculature; however, if you don’t want them to touch somewhere tell them and leave it covered. There’s no requirement you be naked. And there is NEVER a reason why any sensitive tissues (ie; breast’s, genitalia, gluteal clefts (buttcracks)) should ever be exposed or touched. EVER! You want those things touched? Great, but ask your partner not your LMT. Gluteal and piriformis work is something almost every person can benefit from (being that your gluteals do so many things like keep you or get you in almost any position) but that has nothing to do with your gluteal cleft or anus and thus no reason why your entire buttocks needs to be exposed.

AFTER THE SERVICE:

• Tipping... THIS IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE PER YOUR OWN DISCRETION! Tipping anywhere is never required. If  an LMT pressures you for tips, shame on them and you should try to find a new one. BUT, with that said, most people do like to tip their service industry, especially when they really enjoyed their service. Most LMT’s (and other fields for that matter) would prefer a cash tip for reasons of which cash is nice for. But if where you are at accepts card tips and you prefer that way, hate carrying cash, forgot to stop at the ATM, or whatever reason don’t worry about a card tip! It’s automatically taxed, and cushions the paycheck on payday. For example, I personally like a mix of both cash and card tips per workday because I get a little instant spending money or liquid assets, and a heftier payday. 

• How Much Tip? Again, this is at your discretion and personal ability. A general rule of thumb for good service anywhere is 20%. If possible, please understand the normal / actual price of what you received... a lot of places run introductory offers or specials which lower the total price for you, but in general the tip should be on what the cost of the service usually is. You’re tipping your LMT not the company.

• Try to drink extra water after your session, especially if it’s your first massage or it’s been a while since your last one. The more therapeutic the massage, the more ‘stuff’ gets pushed around and out of your muscles. You wanna flush that out, not re-deposit it in the muscles...

• Yes, you might be sore after your massage. The more intense the session, the more likely. This doesn’t mean full body aches and pains are okay or deep-boring pain... if you experience that you should call up the LMT or your doctor. I’m talking more like a post-workout or bruised-feeling soreness in areas that got worked on pretty heavily during the massage. We don’t try for that but it can happen especially if you are sensitive or are on certain medications such as blood thinners. All in all, local generalized soreness to pressure or movement for a day or so can be potential outcomes, but if it’s more than that give them a call. 

NEED MORE INFO?

If there’s a topic on getting a massage you’d like to hear an LMT’s point of view on, send an email, text, or call and I’ll address it to the best of my ability and as objectively as possible. If your question topic should be added to this content, I'll even add to this post.

Again, obviously check with your medical professional regarding any specific requirements  regarding pressures, areas of work, and even receiving massage in the first place you may have due to health concerns, activity levels, medications, etc.. This post is meant purely as a generalized informational piece to help kickstart your investment into your own health. If you have any questions please contact your physicians as they would (hopefully) have the most accurate and in-depth knowledge of your personal health needs...

Chiropractic & Massage therapies can help patients get better QUALITY of sleep.

Your daily postures & tasks will be discussed to determine how you non-sleep life carries through to your sleep life.

Pillows : 

Pillows can be very expensive. If that isn't an expense you are ready to make, try beefing up your current situation by adding folded towels (for height) or rolled towels (for neck support). The pillow or roll needs to support the neck of the person sleeping on it, & that is literally different for everyone...

Make sure there is a return option for pillow buying

Feather pillows are the worst option

The Arm-Slot / Arm-Freeing pillows designed to reduce numbness & tingling from arms up & under the pillows haven't been on the market long enough for research on their effectiveness to be conclusive, but that isn't to say they are not worth giving a try...

Try using the pillow for naps you may already take before using it for full night sleeping.

A pillow that is too high will result in a flexed or side flexed neck position which will increase your stiffness.

A pillow that is too stiff will make your neck & shoulder complaints feel worse.

Try a pillow or rolled towel under your knees if you are a back sleeper.

Sleep Position Tips :

SIDE-SLEEPERS :

Pillow should be higher in the neck portion than the head portion.

Ergonomic Position would be; arms placed at 45 degrees in front of body, thighs bent at the hips to 60 degrees, & knees bent to 90 degrees.

Your spine should be aligned / horizontal from head to tailbone, without significant dipping / hiking in any specific region.

BACK SLEEPERS : 

Pillow should allow back of head to be lower than the neck & have neck support.

Head should not be flexed or extended.

Mattress Firmness :

Find the most firm mattress with which you are still comfortable.

A good rule of thumb is to look for a medium-firm mattress. A medium-firm mattress is always the best performing choice in research studies regardless of age, weight, or height.

FYI, the life of a mattress is ~ 9.5 years...

Sleep Area :

Minimize electronics in the bedroom for both sound distractions as well as light distractions, especially blue-light.

A Room Temperature around 65 degrees is ideal for sleep.

Lavender essential oils. though be careful of which lavender as some are actually stimulants. Lavender Angustifolia has shown in studies to increase amounts of deeper sleep.