A Massage at Tahoe Blog

How important is it to you to play catch with your kids or fetch with your dog? That throwing arm, if it doesn’t have full range of motion, will impede those activities.
Many people have decreased range of motion. This commonly occurs after an injury. Physical therapy and stretching are normal routines after an injury. But soon PT appointments stop and stretching is forgotten.
I incorporate several stretches into my various modalities of massage. Shiatsu massage, which is a Japanese-based modality focusing on the body’s meridians, is filled with stretches. Stretching is also a big component of Thai massage.
If you have decreased range of motion (neck, arms, legs are the biggies, but so is the back with bending), then seek out a certified massage therapist who knows something about increasing range of motion.

Pilates seems to be all the rage this millennium. The truth is this workout that focuses on core muscles was developed in World War I by Joseph Pilates.
When the stomach and back muscles are strong, this enables the extremities to work better. A weak core can prevent people from doing the activities they love - whether it’s an evening walk, a strenuous hike, schussing down ski slopes, or picking up children to hold and love.
Pilates work can be done on a mat or through resistance devices. The reformer is the most common piece of equipment.
If you are in Lake Tahoe, look up Rhonda Beckham at www.tahoetrainer.com for Pilates training.

Keeping the body fueled while exercising is so important. Energy bars have been around for years. Some still taste like cardboard, while others are sugary concoctions.
In the October 2008 issue of Sunset magazine is a comparison of seven commercial bars and one from scratch that the publication’s food experts devised. The panel evaluated them based on price, taste, calories, protein, fat, fiber and sugar.
Some of the ingredients in the Sunset bar are rolled oats, oat bran, flax seeds, whole wheat flour, peanuts and dried cranberries.  Check out www.sunset.com for more information.

Spas in Europe are doing more with wine grapes than letting them ferment. Wine wraps and crushed Cabernet scrubs are all the rage. It’s called vinotherapy. The theory is grape skins and seeds have antioxidant powers - a fact that people who drink and sell wine have professed for years.
Now skin care experts are saying the same thing.
Looking for more information, then check out these websites: www.caudalie.com, www.termesalvarola.it and www.fourseasons.com/carmelo/spa.
If you don’t want to travel overseas, go to New York. Starting in October 2008 the Plaza Hotel will offer wine to sip and grapes for your skin.

Amy Wechsler is a doctor and skin care expert with RealAge. She recently wrote a book titled “The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Reverse Stress Aging and Reveal More Youthful, Beautiful Skin.”
Although I have not read the book, RealAge says, “(Wechsler’s) unique expertise allows her to untangle the psychological from the physical and offer practical, insightful solutions that produce amazing antiaging results.”
RealAge says Wechsler is one of only two doctors in the country currently board certified in dermatology and psychiatry.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  As a Tahoe massage therapist I get to work on the people with achy muscles from skiing, hiking, and yes, gambling…