Celebrate Grad 2016 with a Massage!

With high school or college graduation fast approaching, you might be scratching your head trying to decide what would make the ideal gift for your son, daughter, niece or nephew, grandchild,  or simply that special student who has successfully "made the grade."

Academy Massage would like to suggest a gift sure to be valued and appreciated by the student who has worked long and hard to achieve this moment of educational fulfillment: An Academy Massage Gift Card.

With the stress of cramming for finals finally over, a relaxing and invigorating massage provides the perfect remedy for releasing tension and easing muscle strain brought on by poor posture from hours sitting focused at the computer, hunched over text books or writing last-minute papers, as well as likely causing many a restless or sleepless night.  At Academy Massage our registered massage specialists are trained and skilled in providing the proper technique to make each visit to our center both a satisfying and memorable experience. We offer a variety of therapies and can customize the massage to suit each individual need. As well, we offer products that also make great personal gifts to show you care, including our lotions and oils, aroma therapy, hot/cold pads and bath soaks.

Gift cards are easy to obtain and are affordable, available both in $50 and $100 denominations and can be paid online through debit, credit card or PayPal.

And to all the 2016 graduates we offer hearty congratulations!

Massage and Positive Body Image

The sad truth today is that many people possess a poor self image. Striving toward perfection seems to be the norm, inspired by the media and its fascination with celebrity and today's "in" look. Quick weight reduction techniques and radical plastic surgery seems to be favored methods for achieving one's ideal appearance goals. Yet not only are these costly procedures, often they still do not achieve one's desires and can even result in irreparable damage, both physically and psychologically. While most everyone wants to look his or her best, there is a deeper component that must be addressed.

Body image is our psychological representation of our physical self. Poor self image is one of a number of symptoms associated with mental health issues. This can lead to a variety of problems such as anxiety, depression, anorexia and bulimia. Negative thoughts can grow to a point where one chooses isolation over social interaction, resulting in a pattern of self-harming behavior - and even thoughts of suicide.

Massage has been recognized as a therapeutic tool to help people become more relaxed and feel better about themselves. Massage therapy by a skilled therapist can help one become relaxed into accepting and being aware of our body shape, releasing whatever negative feelings we may have toward it. As well, massage can build a nurturing and supportive connection with our body. Massage increases circulation, helping to improve skin condition, as well as toning and strengthening muscles. The relaxation of massage will help ease tensions from your body and gradually your self-esteem will improve, releasing a healthy new perception and appreciation of who you are.

Academy Massage invites you to visit our office and discover all that there is to feel good about - yourself.

Massage and Respiratory Issues

You likely have discovered through our monthly blog postings the many positive benefits one can receive through regular massage treatments. Massage has been proven effective in relieving both physical and emotional discomforts, ranging from soothing aching and injured muscles to alleviating stress and tension. But another benefit of therapeutic massage is how it can work to de-stress the respiratory system. This is particularly important at this time of year as many people are prone to develop springtime allergies. But other more serious existing conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema might be further aggravated by allergens, pollutants and, of course, smoking. The symptoms range from shortness of breath to chest pains and often can be disabling. Massage can help lessen the severity of these problems by deepening and stabilizing your breathing patterns. Massage therapy also helps relieve the buildup of congestion in your lungs; helps to increase your heart action, which stimulates the blood flow both to and from your heart, thereby encouraging the flushing of waste. Massage fosters the absorption of oxygen. In this regard, with regular massage treatments, people have reported a decrease in their asthma symptoms, as well as overall less difficulty breathing.

To achieve the proper benefits that massage can have on your respiratory system, the therapist will focus on the muscles around your torso, including the diaphragm (which is your primary respiratory muscle) and the intercostal muscles (between the ribs). This therapy impacts the respiratory system by increasing pulmonary functions, permitting an ease of breathing through the loosening of tight respiratory muscles. This freedom from constriction allows the lungs to expand and contract without inhibition. The ability to inhale and exhale will not be restricted, thus enabling the intake of oxygen to enter without distress and likewise permit the easier removal of carbon dioxide.

A relaxed respiratory system slows the number of breaths you take per minute. If your respiratory muscles aren't constricted, your lung capacity will increase, allowing you to inhale longer and deeper breaths rather than the shallow breaths associated with various respiratory ailments. As well, as more oxygen is introduced into the bloodstream, your body's circulation is improved. For those who complain of non-allergy shortness of breath (known as dyspnea), regular massage can help increase the intake of oxygen and help to prevent further episodes from occurring.

Today many people suffer from asthma or other respiratory ailments (which has become especially prevalent in children). Regular massage offers a therapy that lessens the dependency on inhalers and asthma medications.  Specific massage techniques increase fluid discharge by loosening the congestion of mucus and phlegm from the lungs and bronchial tubes when particular tapping or tapotement techniques are performed on the back. However, such a procedure should be recommended by a physician and performed by a trained therapist who has knowledge of your medical history.

At Academy Massage, our licensed therapists will work with you to complete a detailed evaluation that ensures the treatment prescribed is what is best suited for you.

Get Ready to Spring into Spring!

Another Winnipeg winter has come and gone and we've finally moved into our anticipated Spring season. Once again we can enjoy the outdoors and reacquaint ourselves with activities no longer restricted by snow and frigid temperatures.

With many people, physical activity slows or even becomes dormant during the winter months. Eager to get the jump into Spring, we often move too quickly into an outdoor exercise regime and, ultimately, suffer the consequences, with sprained muscles and aching joints. While it is important to make physical activity a part of our everyday routine, it is prudent to start off slow and work up toward our exercise goal gradually. Simple, non-strenuous exercises are the best bet, such as maybe getting started with a brisk walk. If a more active exercise is your preference, biking is a good way to strengthen muscle tone as is swimming and even water aerobics. Even household chores such as gardening or puttering around the yard provide physical advantages, as does simply climbing the stairs.

Exercise and physical activity benefit every area of your life. Besides improving strength and fitness, it can help manage and prevent diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and even various cancers. It has also been shown to combat stress and feelings of depression and, in fact, heighten your feeling of well-being.

Academy Massage invites you to book an appointment with one of our qualified and licensed therapists to tone up and re-invigorate your muscles so that you can start getting fit for the fun days of Spring.

Beating the Blues with Massage Therapy

Massage therapy can have a positive effect on enhancing one's mood. It can help you manage stress, anxiety and even depression. In short, massage provides many additional benefits besides aiding in the relief of sore joints and muscles relevant to back and neck pain and discomfort resulting from athletic injuries. A form of depression that affects people is seasonal affective disorder (SAD). While generally a condition most relevant to the long winter months ("the winter blues"), SAD is a type of depression that can have an effect on people in all seasons. Symptoms generally start in the fall and continue into the winter months. People who normally are physically and psychologically healthy may feel tired and lethargic and might even suffer from muscle soreness and stiffness. Other symptoms can include irritability, overeating, oversleeping, loss of libido and a weakened immune system. While it is not clear what causes SAD, it is thought that it results from a lack of sunlight, which is why people can be affected even in spring and summer if the days are gloomy and overcast. It is estimated that 2 to 3% of Canadians will experience SAD in their lifetime while another 15% will suffer from a milder form of seasonal depression that still enables them to function in their daily routine.

Massage helps to alleviate SAD symptoms in a number of ways. Psychologically, massage therapy stimulates nerve receptors in your body, releasing mood-enhancing chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. The release of these chemicals is important as they relate to one's mood, appetite, sleep and memory, along with benefiting sexual function and even social behaviour. Massage therapy can also reduce the levels of cortisol in your body, which is a hormone released in response to stress and, if not properly regulated, can result in elevated blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as suppressing the immune system. These factors can ultimately lead to depression. Massage lowers blood pressure, improves circulation, stimulates the nerve endings, removes toxins and improves energy and concentration. Massage has also been shown to heighten alpha brain activity, allowing you to function more efficiently both at work or in handling stressful situations.

  

Massage also aids in boosting your immune system, heightening the body's resistance to bugs and viruses and making it easier to ward off the many communicable diseases that exist in our daily environment, regardless of the season.

Through regular massage sessions, anyone suffering from SAD will experience less severe symptoms and regain a more positive and healthy perspective on life.

Academy Massage offers therapies that are effective in helping clients deal with both the psychological and physiological effects of SAD. Our therapists are trained to provide a relaxing treatment session in a comfortable environment that will both calm you and improve your mood as it focuses on healing the mind-body connection.

Academy Massage reminds our valued clients that now is the perfect time to get your body and your brain re-charged with a spring tune-up.