Are you caring for your self as a Massage Professional?

We give advice to our clients all the time.
How much of this advice do you follow yourself?

• Receive regular massage treatments
• Drink at least 2 litres of water a day
• Take regular aerobic exercise
• Follow a daily stretching routine
• Breathe deeply and fully, especially
when engaged in physical activity
• Pay attention to your posture and
how you use your muscles as you
work
• Eat a varied and natural diet, high in vegetables and
protein
• Relax fully in everything you do
• Pace yourself and get plenty of rest

Well? Go on. Be honest… all of this all the time? To be an effective massage therapist who will be fit to practice for many years to come, you need to do all of this regularly if you want to stay in good health. If you don’t, you will begin to suffer; stiff wrists, tight shoulders, painful hands and tired thumbs are just the beginning. Serious chronic conditions and mental and emotional fatigue will develop in a fairly short time if you do not follow a good self care routine.
We all do our best to follow at least some of the above advice, however the three pieces of advice most commonly forgotten are some of the most vital to maintaining health -breathing, relaxing and receiving regular massage treatments.
As massage therapists we work in a very physically demanding profession. On our feet all day, engaged in intense, repetitive physical activity. The teacher on the Sports Injury Massage course I attended said to us "You are massage athletes, get in shape." No messing, athletes! Phew, really? Me, an athlete? At the time I thought she was exaggerating, but now 5 years down the line I know she was right.

Running a busy massage practice is intensely physical, and the demands we place on our bodies are unique. You need to be strong enough to do what you do to minimise the risks of repetitive strain. We ask our thumbs and forearms to perform the same basic moves day in day out. Our upper arms, shoulder girdle and back are in use constantly. Hips, pelvis and spine are frequently rotated and legs are supporting for hours on end. It is vital that you are fit enough for the task at hand. Otherwise, fatigue, strain and over-use will end your career before you have a chance to really get going. Don’t forget, that even when you don’t feel anything, micro trauma is a constant reality and to minimise the risk of injury and long term damage, we need to
nourish our muscle fibres constantly.

Breath as nourishment:
Man can survive for weeks with no food, days with no water, but only minutes with no breath.
The Latin for breath is Spirit and the very act of breathing in is called inspiration. These three points should highlight just how important breathing is. Most people often hold their breath without realising, or at best only breathe using the top part of the lungs. This will lead to tension throughout your system, especially in the diaphragm, the intercostals and the scalenes muscles.

Every single muscle fibre in your body needs oxygen to function, if a muscle does not have enough fuel (oxygen, glycogen) when asked to contract repeatedly, it will tear.
Resulting in micro trauma, and scarring, eventually leading to adhesions and chronic conditions such as RSI, carpal tunnel, epicondylitis and chronic fatigue syndromes.
To minimise these risks, become aware of your breath, calm your mind and focus on your breathing - breathe deeply in and exhale fully. The natural breath cycle has a pause between inhale and exhale.
Take time to master this natural breathing rhythm, practice whenever you can, until this is your default setting. Practice as you do the washing up, as you drive and as
you stretch. I find it helpful to visualise the diaphragm contracting down on the in
breath and relaxing back up into the rib cage as I exhale.. Focus on the nourishment of the in breath and the detoxification from the out breath. Breathing deeply as you massage encourages clients to do the same, allowing their tissues to relax more readily, meaning you don’t have to work so hard to release tense tissues. Clients will
leave the treatment table feeling rejuvenated and refreshed as well as relaxed and stretched.
I know to my cost, if you hold your breath or breathe too shallowly while you massage, pain is never far behind. In fact, these days, if my wrists, hands or forearms start to hurt during a treatment, I realise that I have been holding my breath or straining my muscles, so relax and start breathing fully again, after a stretch at the end of the session I am usually absolutely fine.
Concentrating on conscious breathing as you work allows your mind to clear, your body to relax and your fingers to do the thinking. Your breath will nourish your body as it supports you. You will finish a treatment feeling more relaxed than you
were at the start.