Friday, March 31, 2017

How to Exercise, Even When You Don't Want To

Do you ever have those days (or weeks!) where you just can’t motivate yourself to get up and workout? You’re not alone; we’ve all been there. We also want to help you out, so we put together a list of some of the tricks we’ve used in the past to get our butt in gear and get that workout done. Here is the Academy Massage cheat sheet for motivating yourself to exercise, even when you really don’t want to:
  • Lay out your workout clothes the night before so there’s one less thing to do before a morning workout – bonus points if you pick your outfit for work too!
  • Plan the healthy meal you’ll nourish your body with after to give yourself the motivation to push through – one positive decision leads to another.
  • Put your workout gear on before you decide to skip the workout.  If you still don’t feel like working out after that, take a mental health day and do something else that is good for you instead; read a book, get a massage, do some mild stretching or light yoga, or take a relaxing bath (with myo bath salts).
  • Start a calendar or journal and mark down the days that you do workout.  Seeing all the checked boxes can help motivate you.  Keeping track of when you do and don’t workout can also help you find patterns or cycles that you go through with your body – especially important to note for females.
  • If you hate cardio, just remember: “the faster you run, the faster you’re done.”
  • Don’t let yourself miss two days in a row, ever.
  • If you can’t stay motivated to go to a gym on your own, hire a personal trainer so there is someone else counting on you to be there, and a financial cost to skipping the workout.
  • Join a group fitness program so you know you have a workout planned on scheduled dates and times.  It will help you build a routine, and you’re less likely to skip because it gives you a time for you to look forward to that’s just for you.
  • Do your warm up.  If you’re not motivated after that, you can quit, but you’ll probably feel silly. 
  • Break your workout into smaller sets.  Count to halfway through the set, and then back down to one.  It feels like you’re doing less because you’re counting half as high as normal, and counting back down to one pushes you to finish because you’re counting down the remaining reps – it’s all in your head!
  • Find a podcast or audiobook you like and only let yourself listen to it during a workout.  Just like bingeing Netflix episodes, you’ll want to know what happens next.
  • Think about how far you’ve come since starting and the changes you’ve seen or felt in your body. Hold on to that feeling and push to feel even better.

What tricks do you use to motivate yourself to workout?  We want to hear them!  Comment on this post below, or tag us in your posts on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram

Friday, March 17, 2017

5 Things Your Massage Therapist Wants You to Know

If you decide to come see us at 561 Academy Road, there are a few things we want you to know before your visit. This list is meant to help you get the best possible experience out of your session at Academy Massage, and enjoy the after effects of your treatment even more.

We are trained professionals

We are trained to properly drape clients in order to protect your modesty and ours. To us, your buttocks are not cute, big, small, or sexy. It’s a big muscle, and we like muscles. We can work your glutes with a big sheet covering if that makes you feel more comfortable, but it would be incomplete not to work on some of the biggest muscles in the body.

If you’re “on time,” you’re late

Please try to be early. We really like to work on you for the entire time; however, as we often have another client coming in right after you, it is difficult for us to work on you past your scheduled time. 

If you have had a change in your medical condition since you were here last, it is important you tell us

If you’ve suffered a shoulder injury, or have a touchy knee, it is important that we be aware. No one knows your body better than you, but we want to be able to navigate and make sure you’re not in any discomfort or pain. Massage should be a relaxing experience.

Tips are appreciated but not expected 

Tips are not an obligation.  We would rather you considered us in the same mindset as your dental hygienist or health care practitioners.  The massage therapy industry as a whole is shifting in this direction.  If you are happy, tell your friends. We love referrals!

The massage session is about you

Throughout your treatment, feel free to speak up if something doesn’t feel quite right; you won’t hurt our feelings! We want to make sure the style, pressure, and pace of the massage meet your needs.  If you are unhappy, please tell us why. Sometimes a client doesn’t return and we have no idea if we did something wrong, or if you are just busy.

If you have questions about massage therapy, get in touch with us today.  We love helping people take care of their mind, body, and soul, and are happy to discuss how massage therapy can be a part of that.