It's Friday

Hello Friday 

Today I am taking some much needed down time. I have a family gathering tomorrow to discuss our family's history. My hope is to educate and share to the best of my ability. My intent as always is to make it fun and easy to follow. There is nothing I hate more then going to a family history event and have to sit and read through tons of information. I am truly a person that loves posters and visual ads. I will remember and enjoy it so much more. 

Today I will be creating poster boards and organizing my information so that I can answer questions easily and share without chaos. (This is my mediation this morning) 

Have a blessed day

Nancy 

Looking Into CBD Oil

I'm looking into new ideas for both retail and massage this fall. I'm considering adding CBD oil/Massage cream as an add-on come this fall along with a product line of Biofreeze and other lotions. 

CBD

Fighting Pain, Resolving Stress

Here's some reasons to use CBD

• Hemp-derived, non-psychoactive CBD has been found to benefit individuals who suffer from chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, neuropathy and more. it helps to relieve aches and pains and release the tension that often causes pain to linger and grow
• CBD helps support sustained pain relief, relaxation and relaxing sleep. 
• Pain medications may not be taken for prolonged periods due to the damage they can inflict on the stomach, liver, and kidneys. 
• Some use CBD as an adjunct to their pain medications and some have been able to eliminate many of their medicines completely. 

I'm interested in your thoughts on using CBD oil on your painful spots during a massage. Would you use it?

  

Nancy

Hello Sunday

Hello Sunday☕️🇺🇸

Somedays I wish I could say what's on that Coffee Cup. haha

We had a great day yesterday. We spent the afternoon with our oldest daughter, Vienna, and her son, Sawyer at the Cozy Corners Campground. 

My husband and I 

She has a camper there. Well...Small home if you ask me. Very nice. And quiet. WOW.  This Albertville mom has never stayed at such a quiet park. We stopped to view the camp grounds as we are contemplating what we will be doing next in our life. There's a lot of pros and cons. I can hear my dad already - He'd say, "I don't know why you would purchase a camper when you can just come home and enjoy the peace and quiet."

 'Home' is an hour and a half away from us. We set time with our grandkids as a high priority and this would be right in their hometown of Richmond. 

 Me and my grandson.

Again we have a lot to consider.

Wishing you the very best this Sunday. 

Nancy

Hello Saturday ☕️

Hello Saturday☕️

This great coffee cup was found in my home town. Glenwood, MN is the home of MN Olive Oil Company. What a great place. My middle daughter, Sierra, and I were in town looking for something to do and came across this store. I think she felt like she died and went to heaven. Not only did they have oils - over 51 flavors, they had a ton of spices.

 Starting this last spring, Sierra started her own muffin business. Feiler Family Muffins. She’s been selling muffins this summer at the Farmers Market in Alexandria. 

When she announced that she was going to make and sell muffins while we were all in quarantine, we all said, Sure you are. Like no you aren’t. You don’t even know how to bake, we replied. She proved us all wrong. Her muffins are the best. She even has her husband now helping her. We call him the Muffin Man, of course. 

The Muffin Man

 Sierra - Feiler Family Muffins

When she realized the oilerie had spices she was so excited and filled a basket full of possible muffin ideas. She also grabbed a bunch of Balsamic Vinegars. I can’t wait to try all of them. I grabbed a basket and filled it with oils to use in Bundt cakes #bundtingthroughlife and on fruit. 

With that - Happy Saturday☕️

Nancy

3 Things to Fight Concussion Symptoms

This last week I've been battling fatigue, brain fog and have been on an emotional roller coaster. These things are all symptoms of a concussion. I'm grateful that their playmates dizziness and nausea have not played with them. These on going symptoms cause me to become less engaged with family and friends and less motivated to do anything. All kidding aside what is one to do when you battle this every day. I honestly could lay in bed all day and not move until it passes but this just causes my pets and spouse to become unruly. SO it's time to go back to the important things I was taught when this happens. Three things I do to fight my symptoms. 

1. Sleep

Sleeps the most important item to get. The more sleep I get the clearer my head feels. I sleep with a weighted blanket to calm the physical anxiety that also comes from these symptoms. 

2. Daily organization

Do to my short term memory being effected, I have a written out daily schedule. Not a list of To-Do's but a list of items to do to make sure my brain doesn't wonder off and forget. Things like have a cup of coffee in the morning, mediated once I get my cup, make breakfast, make my bed, shower, dress. Yes - It comes back to very basic things but because of the way my brain is currently it needs direction. I've learned that when I feel out of sorts that it's time to go back to the basics. After a few days of the basics that fog seems to clear and I can go on my own without the list for a few days. 

3. Grounding

I can't say enough about it. Get outside and lay on the ground for 20 minutes or go for a walk barefoot in the grass. You need to get that healing energy of the planet back in you. 

Thank you for joining me today.

Nancy

Would You Rather...

Today on Social Media, I am posting this question

Would You Rather

A. Finish your massage session Face Up?

or 

B. Finish your massage session Face Down?

Leave a comment below and let me know which one you prefer and why. 

Have a great day

Nancy

Hello Sunday ☕️🇺🇸

Aww ... Sunday ☕️ We meet again. 

Yesterday I spent the day gathering my quilt tops. I have 5 in all, in varying sizes. Four of them needed to be measured in order to purchase the right amount of fabric for the back. I have had the fabric for the back of the fifth one for two years now. I took the time yesterday to cut and sew it together to fit the quilt top. My plan is that on Monday I will be heading to my hometowne of Glenwood. I'll stop in Alexandria at Dawn’s Quilt Shop and drop what I can off and purchase material for the back of those quilts. So you might be asking what are you going to do with those quilts. At this time I don't know. We have so many due to my mom and my mother-in-law’s quilts as well. I had some brief moments of thoughts about selling them. I struggle with the thoughts of parting with them after all of the time, effort, sweat and blood (sometimes) put into a quilt. 

Honestly, when the weather gets so hot like this the last thing I want to do is meal prep for the week or even eat. I need to wait until we have cooler weather to bake cookies for the grandchildren and bundt cakes again. I tried to use my husband’s fancy grill but some times that becomes more of a hassle then a fun experiment. 

Lastly early yesterday morning I spotted one monarch caterpillar. My first one this season. We’ve had lots of monarch butterflies so I was hopeful to see some caterpillars. We’ve also had lots of Hornets of different types. I had to put our grape jelly, that is out for the birds, away.🙄 Yikes.

Have a blessed Sunday 

Nancy

Hello Saturday ☕️🇺🇸

Welcome ☕️ 

Grab a cup. How was your week? 

This week I turned 52. With my concussion I feel 82. I have always been an out doorsey person so this has put a huge damper on that. Bright lights (sun) hurt on my eyes and head. Any up and down motion (gardening) means trouble is coming. It all sounds crazy. My husband bought us Cold Stone Ice cream cake for my special day. Oh MY🥰 love it! 

Somehow this week I found myself going to work at 9am and leaving at 9pm most days. I met a lot of great new people. This was way too much though. Yesterday I was in bed most of the day dealing with the brain fog and fatigue that comes with to much activity. I saw my husband in passing. This could be good - could be bad. 🤷🏼‍♀️So one of my personal goals this weekend is to rein in the schedule a bit. 

 I connected with a fellow massage therapist this last week. We traded massage sessions. I haven’t had one since January. A bad decision on my part but I am back on track. Besides the benefits of the massage, it gave me an opportunity to try out my own table, headrest, blanket and 🎶 music. I shared earlier this week reasons why my table is the best. The feel of it is amazing. I also tried out that cooling weighted blanket. What the heck!! Some clients had me wondering about it. That’s 😉 amazing. I will be using that more often. 

I’m hoping since it’s “suppose” to be hot out today that I’m able to get some quilting done. I haven’t been able to get back to this summers fair project that a I shared so it would nice to show some progress. I also pulled out some of my finish quilt tops in hopes of dropping them off at my favorite quilt shop,-‘Dawn’s Quilt Shop’ in Alexandria. This is an example of some practice squares I made and then decided I didn't care for the colors as much as I thought. 

Well - I wish you a great day. Remember to FOLLOW me to receive $10. off your next massage session. 

Nancy

A Day of Rest

What IF?

Today I am Resting. 

Continued Growth To the Best of My Ability

Aww - Welcome

I just want to take a moment this to say Thank you to everyone out there who's following my business blog and my business. Since I have reopened back on June 1st business is better then I could have ever imagined.

I realize my blogs are ... well... let's just say there is room for lots of growth. I know it. My hope is to someday be a great story teller or writer. So here we are in the beginnings of that journey. Hang in there with me. On boring days just pass on those posts. HAHA

In the last month and a half, I have seen a larger number of people coming in for stress. Stress that has gotten out of hand. Stress that has now become such physical pain and they need to feel a painful massage in order to feel better two days after a massage. They aren't coming to relax during the massage or even take a break from the pain they feel every moment of their day. They are on my table, wide awake to feel every painful section of their body, in hopes to feel better later. I personally could not imagine being in so much pain that your brain receives this message all day long. I listen to the stories while doing their intake. I can see that they are at whits end by their body language and facial expressions. My heart goes out to these individuals.

When we reopened I came back with a new intention: I want to help as many people as I can to the best of my ability. This is my montra. I spent our quarantine time learning new skills and practicing them. I have incorporated many new things. Sometimes I fall short of full filling those clients' desperate need for help. This breaks my heart. I spend probably too much time wrestling with this on my head. My commitment is to perform to the best of my ability. So ... I go back to learning. I go back to reaching out to others to find better ways to work that will help you. There is always more that can be done to improve.

Bottom line - I have loved hearing from you - the client. Communicating more helps me - help you. Every bit on input (the good, bad and ugly) or knowledge shared improves 'The Massage Room'.

Thank you -

Nancy

5 Things That Make My Table the Best Experience

There is nothing worse than getting on a massage table that is hard, cold and narrow. Let’s not forget a squeaky table. I consider myself massage table snob. I think it comes from my massage school days. My school was located in Minneapolis off of Lowry street. We had to ‘practice’ on strange people we didn't know. The building was an old house. The rooms were very small and minimal. The tables were scary. There was no cover over the table. What impacted me the most was the strict rule that each client could only have two sheets. These were thin sheets and no blankets. Back in 2001, people paid $25. for this experience. YIKES! 

1. The Table 

Today I’m going to share with you what makes my table so wonderful. My table is a Golden Ratio brand. Back in 2001 Golden Ratio was the top brand of massage tables. It is specially designed for the massage experience. It's wider and has 4 inches of foam. That's 4 compared to your 2 to 3 inches now days. This foam is covered in real leather. They don't cover them like this anymore to my knowledge. This table is designed to hold 500 lbs and not squeak about it. 

2. The Table Cover

 I cover my table with a lambs wool covering. This covering wraps over the sides of the table and is 1 1/2 thick and plush. It's design is to keep clients cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

 I love the way it adds an extra layer of comfort. 

3. The Earthing Sheet

The next layer is the Earthing Grounding Sheet. This sheet brings to you the energy of the planet. I supplied a link so that you can check out the research and thoughts on the Earthing idea. 

I personally love it and feel that it's a huge plus. 

4. The Headrests

I have two different types of headrests. Both are very soft. One is made of memory foam and is much thicker. While the other one is your typically size headrest. 

5. Cooling Weighted Blanket

Lastly - I have been using a weighted blanket on different clients from time to time. It's a cooling blanket for our hot days. Weighted blankets also help with many health issues. The weighted blanket has gotten a lot of mixed reviews. I personally love it. I have one that I use at home. It has helped me with my concussion issues such as anxiety and fatigue. 

Wishing you the very best today. 

Nancy

When To Use Ice and Heat

You can reduce pain and swelling simply with the right treatment. Let’s go over when to use ice and heat.

When Should I Use Ice?

Ice or cold will not help you heal, but it will reduce inflammation and pain. Use ice immediately after your injury, or any re-injury to the area that causes a flare-up of pain and swelling. Use ice for at least the first 48 hours.  You will need to use ice for a longer period than the first 48 hours if your inflammation is more severe, especially in cases of tendonitis.

You can use ice and compression any time to help with the pain and swelling. For sprains, strains, and tears, ice will not help you heal. It won't harm you though, so use it for the pain. For repetitive strain injuries like tendonitis (or almost any diagnosis ending in 'itis'), cold can help you recover from your condition.

It's very important to recognize that pain and swelling are not the problem, but only the sign of the problem. When your body experiences an acute injury, which is caused by a traumatic and sudden injury, it swells instantly and is very painful.  Inflammation is part of our body's natural process to heal itself and to stop the internal bleeding. Pain is there to stop you from doing things that can make the injury worse. Pain is there to be your guide. The only reason we feel pain is so that we react to help protect our injury.

When Should I Use Heat?

Use heat to relax the muscles. Heat can be very effective for relaxing muscles. Even if the muscles in the area of injury are not hurt themselves, tense muscles can put strain on other tissue in the area, making things worse, so relaxing those muscles can help take the strain off your injury. After a serious injury, do not use heat in the first 48 hours - use ice. If you mildly re-injure the area after it has started to heal, do not use heat until the new re-injury has stabilized. Wait 4 to 48 hours depending on the severity of the re-injury. If you have a lot of swelling and pain, don't use heat. 

How to Use Heat Effectively

• You should only apply heat once the pain and swelling has ceased
• Do not apply heat after an activity or if you have an acute injury
• Be careful when applying heat to chronic injuries that are caused by overuse
• You can use heat on a chronic injury that is not swollen or in pain.

Use heat only when your pain and swelling is under control. Always start at the lowest level and only increase the heat if there is no additional pain. When you are at rest and your injury is protected, you can use heat to loosen the muscles around the area and help the tissue relax. Tight muscles can be holding open small tears in your tissue, preventing them from healing. Use heat only for short durations of 30 minutes or less so you don't overheat the tissue. Give the area of your injury a chance to return to normal temperature before applying heat again.  Don't use ice to bring the tissue temperature back down. Let the body return to temperature naturally. Heat can help some injuries to heal. 

Hello Sunday 🍮

Hello Sunday 🍮🇺🇸

I bless you with being everything that God has designed you to be, because as you experience the joy of fulfilling your purpose, you will benefit, others will benefit, and the world will be blessed. Arthur Burk, Blessing Your Spirit

Today I am under the weather and spending my bed in bed until my concussion symptoms move on. 

It’s been a tough weekend. 😩

Nancy 

Hello Saturday 🍮

 

Hello Saturday 🍮

This beautiful flower pictured here is from one of our flowerbeds. The first week of July under our belt. Wow. 😲 Our lawn is very dry - which oddly I celebrate because lawn mowing has slowed down. 

Business continues to go well. I’ve been hard at work adding more informational pages to McShane.massagetherapy.com. You can find all the promotions and interesting bits on the McShane Massage business page on a Google. Simply Google McShane Massage. Posts and pictures from office are added daily on Google. 

This week I got back to some quilting. My youngest sister and I quilt in memory of our mother. One of the things she did every summer was take part in the local fair. She would enter many projects. One of which was always a quilted item. After Christmas I started working on my quilt to enter in her memory. 

My mother’s sewing machine that I use with her photo.

Over quarantine I worked on it and got as far as I could while quilting stores were closed. I recently got the fabric I needed to start sewing the blocks together. Yay. My fair quilt is coming together. Since this years local fairs have been all cancelled, I’m hoping to use it for next year’s fair. 

Wishing you the very best today.🍮

Nancy 

How to Keep Being a Rockstar Massage Client

Pro Tips for Receiving Bodywork and Spiritual Healing

These are general rules of thumb for all massage and alternative healthcare clients. 

SCOOCH UP

Do you have a love- hate relationship with the face cradle and what it does to your sinuses, cheeks, and sometimes chin?

TIP

Scooch up your body on the table so your forehead is closer

to the top of the cradle. Most clients are positioned too far down the table

so their face isn’t positioned properly in the cradle.

STRAIGHTEN UP

The majority of clients end up in some sort of diagonal position on the table after flipping over during a session, which means we have to move you around to get your body straight again 

TIP

After you turn, move both arms and legs out to the sides of the table. If you’re crooked, one side of the table will be a lot closer to one hand, or foot, than the other. Accordingly modify your body position. This tip is really about helping us, too, so thank you in advance!

WIPE UP

Have you ever felt like you were unexpectedly plunged into a pseudo-ice- skating move when you got off the table and onto feet with a little too much lotion on them? I call this the lotion luge.

TIP

Wipe those lotion-y feet on the sheet (but not the blanket!) before you get off the table.

DRESS DOWN

Do you hate having to put uncomfortable or restricting clothes back on after your session?

CHILL OUT

Do you want to use your session time as a peaceful mental reboot, but have

a difficult time clearing your mind of your to-do list, work projects, Facebook posts, and family dilemmas?

TIP

Create a personalized strategy for letting go of these random thoughts. Clients often think of a mantra, visualize a peaceful setting, or focus on the music. Find a strategy that works for you so you’re taking advantage of every possible benefit your massage and bodywork session has to offer. 

TIP

If you’re not able to wear a comfortable outfit to the appointment—say you’re coming from work—bring one with you to change into afterward. You’ll be like Clark Kent, only instead of coming out of a phone booth as Superman, you’ll be coming out of your massage session super comfortable.

How to Be a Pro Massage Client

How to Become a Favorite Client

These are general rules of thumb for all massage and alternative healthcare clients. 

SHOW UP

More specifically, show up on time with a pretty solid idea of what you need and want that day. It’s really wonderful for the two of us to collaborate on an informed plan for your session so it’s uniquely tailored to your needs that day. Even if you just do a quick check-in in the car on the way to your session to tune in to your body’s needs, that’s a win!

BE EFFICIENT

Massage therapists have a lot to do in a short amount of time between clients, so here are a few tips to help you help us make that the most efficient time possible.

Do: Have Your Payment Ready

If you can write as much of your check as you can in advance or have your credit card ready to swipe (if you haven’t prepaid), you’ll score a ridiculous number of bonus client points (these points may or may not be redeemable

for fantastic prizes). Not only does this save time but, trust me, it’s nicer for you to not have to think at all—let alone to have to remember your name and my name to write your check—when you’re in the postmassage zone.

Don’t: Check Your Phone

We recognize that the world continued to spin while we were working together. Chances are pretty high that you received a voicemail or text message or two during the session. But the time allotted for you to get dressed and let your therapist back in the room for your after-session check-in really isn’t the best time to check your phone. Turn your phone off or to silent mode during your session, please! While we like the Star Wars theme song, we don’t necessarily want to hear it as a ringtone halfway through a session (and we’re guessing you probably don’t either)

SCHEDULE ONLINE

Please use the online scheduling program. It’s easier for everyone and is such a time- saver over playing phone-and-text tag. You’re also able to set up multiple appointments in advance so you can lock in the appointment days and times you want.

SPEAK UP

At the core of everything, our passion is to help you feel better by giving bodywork that is both effective and feels incredible. While we think we might know what that means, each client is beautifully different and so the only person who really knows what’s best for you is you. We rely on your honest feedback to make the experience the best it can be.

• What You Don’t Like

We don’t like to hear after the fact that our client was cold, didn’t like the music, felt the pressure was too light, etc. Please tell us what’s not working while we still have the chance to fix it! 

The things- you-can-tell-us-about list includes (but is not limited to):

 a no-go body part you don’t want worked,music, pressure, scents, technique, and temperature.

• What You Do Like

Please feel free to tell us what did work for you. We really like that, too, and it’s actually very helpful to know what you thought was effective and/or just felt great to you; we’ll make sure to keep using those techniques in your future sessions.

BE LESS HELPFUL

It’s counterintuitive, we know, but sometimes being helpful isn’t all that helpful. Please let us move your body parts—like your head, arms, and legs—without assisting (or resisting). It’s actually easier for us to give effective bodywork if you can completely relax.

It’s OK, though, to lift your knees a little (but not a lot; I once took a knee to the chin from an overly helpful client) to help us out when we’re adding or removing the bolster.

Get 100% Out of Your Massage Experience?

Take this short quiz to see if you’re a pro when it comes to receiving both Massage and Healing Touch services... or whether your client skills could use a little improvement. Then, read on this week to become a favorite client and learn tips so you can get the most from your next massage session.

_____________________________________________________________

1. Do you take a moment to do a body-mind check-in before you arrive at your session so you know what you need and want that day?

A. Absolutely; I know exactly what I need! (2 points)

B. I don’t give it a thought until I walk in the door and my therapist asks me where I’d like to focus. (1 point)

2.  Is your next appointment already scheduled?

A. Of course. I have more than one future session on the calendar! (Congratulations! You’ve earned bonus points for this answer: 4 points)

B. Yes, my next session is on the books. (2 points)

C. Nope. Thanks for the reminder! I’ve been meaning to do that ... (0 points)

      3.    Is your payment ready in advance: check written, credit card easily accessible, or prepaid?

A. Yes. (2 points)

B. No, I don’t think about how I’m going to pay until after the session. (1 point) 

       4.    Have you recently updated your health history form with any changes to your wellness, medication, or emergency contact information?

A. Yes, I conveyed some recent changes about a health condition that was diagnosed, knowing that it may affect how the massage therapist approaches my condition. (2 points)

B. No need; everything’s the same! (2 points)

C. No. I completely forgot to update my massage therapist about recent health changes. (0 points)

     5.    Do you speak up about your preferences so your therapist can meet your needs (about the depth of touch, pressure, the temperature of the room, music playing, etc.)?

A. Yes, I feel comfortable asking my therapist for what I need. (2 points)

B. No, I want to, but I never know quite what to say. (1 point)

How Did You Do?

(0–8 points) So close! You’re just a few small tweaks away from acing your massage and bodywork experience. Use the tips from tomorrow’s blog post to enhance your client skills.

(9–12 points) Congratulations! You’re maximizing your massage and bodywork experience. Catch my blog post on Friday to learn how to ensure you become one of your massage therapist’s favorite clients.

** Receive 10. Off Your next Massage appointment by becoming a FOLLOWER of From The Massage a Room Blog and find out this week how to become a favorite client. To make sure you never miss a blog post or upcoming event sign up to receive email updates to the right of this post. 

I look forward to seeing you.🍮

Nancy