have you made an appointment for a massage today?

Feet Hurt?

If you've ever suffered or are suffering from plantar fasciitis you know how uncomfortable it can be. For me, my feet would hurt the worst when I would get out of bed in the mornings. Often it would feel as though when I step down, they were going to break in half.

Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the band of tissues that attach from the heel to the toes. The causes of this particular condition can range from standing or running on hard surfaces for long periods of time, shoes that are too old, or being overweight.

So what can you do to alleviate the pain?

Massage. Massage can definitely help with your aching feet.

Make sure you see a qualified, licensed therapist. They will work the calf, Achilles, the heel and the arch of your foot in order to loosen those areas and start alleviating the pain. They can probably also give you some good stretching exercises for the feet that can help as well, such as rolling your foot over a frozen soda bottle or tennis ball.

Another option you might not have thought about and could consider is starting a yoga practice. Yoga is a great way to work the feet and perhaps combining with yoga with massage will help you rid this issue for good.

It has been said if you can ease the pain in your feet, you can also alleviate many of the other aches and pains you may be having in the rest of your body, such as backaches.

Keeping Winter Illness Away

Winter certainly is in full swing for the large majority of the country. We've been somewhat lucky in my neck of the woods with a just a few what I consider to be really cold days, in the 30's. For the most part though, the sun is out and it warms up in to the 60's. I know, like I said, we've been lucky.

With winter barking at our doors, you may be wondering just what you can do to keep those winter illnesses away. Well, I'm so glad you asked!

I recently came across an interesting article from CNNHealth. The article talks about women specifically asking the question why it is there are some women that never seem to get sick. They can be in large groups of people or in crowded planes with all that recirculated air and yet not catch a cold or somehow avoid the stomach bug that goes around the office or their home. So how do they do it? What's the secret?

There are several tips they elude to in the article including things like positive thinking to help fight off illness, using ginger for gastrointestinal problems, and garlic to boost immunity and reduce inflammation among others. Can you guess what the number 1 tip was?

If you guessed massage, you'd be right!

Why massage and how can it help you? Studies have shown that massage can reduce your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, and reduce stress levels all of which will help strengthen and build your immunity. Of course when you a strong immune system, you're less likely to contract those cold or flu bugs that are roaming around.

So why not give it a try? After all, what have you got to lose? Massage has soooooo many benefits, this is just another one to add to that very long list. Oh yeah, and if you're so inclined, throw a little yoga in there as well.