Healthy Therapists – Healthy Clients
One thing that I’ve always stressed in my classes is the importance of massage therapists taking good care of themselves. The healthier we are, the more we can help our clients. It’s a simple fact.
The cool thing is that some of the best ways to keep ourselves healthy – physically and mentally – are free. Physical exercise, walking, breathing exercises, and just getting out in nature can be enough to add many more healthy years to your life. I’ll provide some recent research on this below.
Health Focus in Ray of Light Training Classes
In the Ray of Light Training classes, we focus on therapist health and well-being in several ways:
– In the Direct-Indirect Technique (DIT) classes, we stress good body dynamics to protect your hands, shoulders, back, neck, everything – while you’re working.
– With the Muscle Balancing and Joint Stabilization class, you learn how to find and strengthen weak areas, in yourself and in your clients. This helps to prevent injury and to recover from previous injuries.
– In the Cranial-Sacral Therapy class, you use extremely gentle techniques that are easy on both you and the client. This makes it easier to work on many different types of clients, including some that cannot or won’t get massages.
– With the Muscle Anatomy and Assessment Skills class, you get a full refresh on all the main muscles and other structures you deal with. And you learn how to quickly assess what’s going on with your client, so you can tailor the session to their needs. You’ll get assessed yourself in the class, too.
We’ve got five CE classes coming up during Winter and Spring. To get more information about these classes and to register, click here to see the class schedule and reserve your spot. You can also call me at 800-584-1562.
The February DIT class in Fayetteville and the early March DIT class in Jonesboro are both almost full. Three other classes are available. Each of these trainings offers 18-CEUs approved by the Arkansas Department of Health and the National Certification Board (NCBTMB):
– Muscle Balancing and Joint Stabilization in Hot Springs – mid March
– Cranial-Sacral Therapy in Fayetteville – early April
– Muscle Anatomy and Assessment Skills in Little Rock – later April
It’s good to register early to save your spot in the class and to save on the cost of your CEUs.
What You Can Do Now to Stay Healthy
In the meantime, there’s plenty you can do to stay healthy from day to day. Lots of good research studies demonstrate what you can do to have a better quality of life.
One measure that is used in studies is “all-cause mortality”. This is where the researchers follow a large group of people over a long time, taking note of their activities and cause of death, if they die. By this measure, there are some interesting findings.
In one study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in September, they found that people who walked at least 7,000 steps per day regularly had a 50-70% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who didn’t walk as much.
That’s 50-70% lower risk of dying from ANY cause just by walking that much every day. By contrast, another study shows that blood pressure medications only reduce risk of mortality by 13%.
An interesting finding was that walking more than 10,000 steps per day didn’t give added benefits. In other words, moderation is best! It doesn’t help to overdo it.
Another study showed that people who exercise for 30 minutes or more three times per week had a 46% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who didn’t exercise.
Again, moderation is rewarded. Other studies have shown that intensive exercise for 10 or more times per week actually increased mortality rates.
Another recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 110,000 lives per year could be saved if people over 40 did even 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day.
In other words, it doesn’t take much of a time commitment to increase the quality of your health and your life. Everyone can find 10 minutes a day to do some exercise. It really doesn’t matter what kind of exercise, as long as you enjoy it.
One last piece of research shows that just by getting outside in nature, like walking in the woods or “forest bathing”, you can greatly enhance your health.
The review of several studies found that walking in the woods effectively reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and physiological and psychological stress, as well as improved blood markers of cardiovascular health and metabolism.
The bottom line is: Get outside as often as you can, do some moderate to vigorous exercise for 10 minutes a day or 30 minutes three times a week, and walk wherever and whenever you can.
Stay healthy for your own benefit, as well as for your family, and for your clients. As I often say in class, these bodies were meant to move. So, get out and move. Or exercise inside if it’s too cold outside.
Stay well and stay warm,
John
John Joseph Ray
Ray of Light Training
John is a Board Approved Continuing Education Provider through the NCBTMB
Member of the Fascia Research Society