The Massage Clinic

Here is a recent article on the merits or not of stretching for muscle health....

Is Stretching Worth the Effort? Debunking common stretching myths

“You are what you eat” is a well-known adage that is increasingly supported by evidence linking healthy diets to optimal physical and mental health (Rooney et al., 2013; Robberecht et al., 2017). An important driver of the relationship between diet and health is high fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) (Lampe, 1999; Trichopoulou et al., 2003). Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of micronutrients critical to physical and mental function (Kaplan et al., 2007). Antioxidants such as vitamin C and carotenoids are said to play a pivotal role in protecting the body against oxidative stress, which is responsible for the causation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, chronic inflammatory disease, atherosclerosis, some cancers, and some forms of depression (Byers and Perry, 1992; Irshad and Chaudhuri, 2002; Raison and Miller, 2011). Furthermore, the water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C, and B vitamins), and certain minerals (calcium, magnesium, and zinc), are important for optimal cognitive and emotional functioning (Huskisson et al., 2007; Kaplan et al., 2007).

(an exert from a course I'm doing from Canterbury Uni)

Below are all claims made about the benefits of foam rolling. The ones in red are the only ones that have been actually proven. As shown in the next picture research shows that softer is better for results - either a softer foam roller or a soft yoga ball. So if you have been one of those people who hates doing rolling on a hard foam roller but has kept doing it because everyone says it should be excruciating, it shouldn't, so maybe try something softer.

I attended (via online, due to closed borders after lockdown) a Fascia Symposium which had a number of researchers from all over the world show casing their results of recent research into fascia.
FYI - fascia is the bodies muscle sheaths, tendons, ligaments and generally all the bits that connect our whole muscular skeletal system together. So quite important really.

This process of structural limitation or distortion can be helped to reset with therapeutic massage intervention.

Merry Xmas everyone - I will be closed from midday Wed 23rd December til Sunday 10th January. Opening again on Monday 11th Jan.

Hi,
I hope everyone has survived lockdown without too much cabin fever or financial ruin.
All going well next week, I will finally be able to open again for business. Assuming we do go down to level 2.
If you would like to book in for a massage the best way is to text me or phone me to book.
Thanks, regards Megan.

Hi everyone,
Due to our nationwide 4 week lock-down The Massage Clinic will be closed. Hopefully after that I will be able to open and will see you all then. Take care Megan

Sitting, it would seem, is an independent pathology. Being sedentary for nine hours a day at the office is bad for your health whether you go home and watch television afterward or hit the gym. It is bad whether you are morbidly obese or marathon-runner thin. “Excessive sitting,” Dr. Levine says, “is a lethal activity.”

The good news is that inactivity’s peril can be countered. Working late one night at 3 a.m., Dr. Levine coined a name for the concept of reaping major benefits through thousands of minor movements each day: NEAT, which stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. In the world of NEAT, even the littlest stuff matters. McCrady-Spitzer showed me a chart that tracked my calorie-burning rate with zigzagging lines, like those of a seismograph. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to one of the spikes, which indicated that the rate had shot up. “That’s when you bent over to tie your shoes,” she said. “It took your body more energy than just sitting still.”

Is Sitting a Lethal Activity? A growing body of research suggests that watching your diet and exercising a few times a week is not enough to offset sedentary time.

The Canterbury rugby team that I massage bought the Ranfurly Shield back the other week - well done guys. They gave us a look at it - it's a heavy thing....