If you’ve ever worked out intensely, you know how lactic acid buildup in your muscles can make you feel — sore and stiff, just plain uncomfortable. (I’ve had to crawl up stairs after half-marathon training runs as my legs were so stiff I can barely bend at the knees). Turns out massage–commonly thought to be helpful in removing lactic acid from muscles–isn’t the greatest solution to your soreness, says a Queen’s University study.
2 Comments May 25, 2010
Listening to soothing music in a softly lit room is just as relaxing as getting a massage when it comes to easing anxiety, according to a study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety. Over three months, both were shown to cut down anxiety by about 50 percent.
Interesting, but I’m not giving up seeing my RMT, Alfred Fong. I’ve been going to him for nearly a decade and I’ve yet to find a registered massage therapist I like more. If you don’t already have your own RMT on speed-dial, it’s worth finding one; here’s why:
(1) your RMT will come to learn where you store stress, how much pressure you like, what aromatherapy oil you prefer, whether you prefer to listen to flutes, Kenny G. or ocean waves, — so you’re not starting from scratch with every appointment.
(2) find a knowledgeable one and he/she will be able to help you out when you do injure yourself. I know this firsthand — here’s my dirty little runner’s secret: I never stretch after a run. And it’s started to catch up with me; I occasionally get this numb tingling pain deep in the muscles in my derriere that, when particularly bad, spreads down the thigh making it impossible to walk. My bestie (she’s a fitness buff) identified it as piriformis syndrome (the pain comes from the sciatic nerve is being compressed). I couldn’t remember the name of it, though — all I could think of was piri piri chicken — but Alfred knew exactly what I was talking about, worked on those muscles and gave me stretches to do (still on the to-do list…). Compare this to an RMT my bestie had at a B&B who’d never even heard of this piri piri syndrome, as I like to call it.
(3) When you see the same RMT regularly, he/she will do what they can to fit you into their schedule when you’ve sneezed and pulled a muscle in your neck (yup, real story) so that you don’t have to be quite so Mr. Roboto-like for days on end.
That’s my case for finding an RMT. If you want to borrow mine, Alfred can be reached at 416-704-8685 (he works out of two locations in Toronto — a spa and a chiropractor’s office — but also makes house calls).
1 Comment March 11, 2010
Research conducted at Cornell University revealed that one’s satisfaction with “experiential” purchases, say getting a deep-tissue massage or spending a week of R&R in Saint Tropez, starts out at a high level and increases. This is attributed to our selective memories and how our experiences are entirely subjective.
Spend money on material items, though, and your purchase might make you feel good at first, but it tends to taper off, making you feel less happy in the end. Seems that we tend to second-guess our buying decisions: Could we have gotten a better price at another boutique, for example, or is this handbag as to-die-for as the one your friend just bought.
Something to keep in mind the next time you’re shopping for happiness. And say what they will — I’m still heading out now to pick up these shoes at Banana Republic.
3 Comments March 10, 2010