About time

Hi there,

Just an update to say that from now on I will be blogging from a wordpress site.

onyxuriarte.wordpress.com

Following from there you will be notified of my posts and I would love to hear from you!

Foot care with some Shine!

With summer around the corner I look back to my post on keeping your feet fit and fabulous with massage and reflexology. To add a bit of polish to healthy foot care check out the Urban Beauty Bar and their fantastic pedi special coming up this weekend Saturday April 14th!

The Urban Beauty Bar

3777 Lakeshore Blvd W, Etobicoke, ON

Transformation of Inflammation

There's been quite a lot of talk about this year, 2012, and how it has powerful potential for bringing transformation into our lives. With this in mind I look to how I am noticing in my practice that some of my clients, who I have known for several years, are now making healthy choices to aim for a more balanced lifestyle.

One of the positive choices I am seeing is a focus on reducing inflammation in the body. Inflammation creates such a painful burden on the physical body. The negative effects created by inflammation is experienced in the body as cellular imbalances, disintegration and pain. And these physical effects on the body can ripple out to impact all levels of being.

Eliminating foods that cause inflammation is one way to curb this impact. Foods that cause inflammation promote a more acidic body environment. Balancing out the body's pH so that the body is overall in a more alkaline state is important to avoid the ravages of an acidic environment. By drinking more water and reducing/avoiding foods that cause inflammation the body can begin to balance out.

Foods that cause or worsen inflammation ( you guessed it they are the ones we tend to love):

-fried foods

-meat (not fish)

-processed, packaged foods

-white sugar

-salt ( use Celtic sea salt instead )

-synthetic sweeteners

-dairy products

-wheat products

-alcohol

Including fiber and healthy snacks between meals will also help to balance blood sugar levels and conversely help to reduce inflammation.

Foods to consume more of are dark greens like spinach and omega 3 fats found in flaxseed oil, walnuts and some fatty fish would be beneficial. Omega 3's actually help to decrease inflammation and pain in the body. Another excellent choice to decrease inflammation and pain is to eat more berries. Blueberries, raspberries, and sweet cherries along with other berries are all good inflammation fighters.

For further education and guidance seeing a naturopath doctor is a great way to help oneself set out on the path of making healthier choices in 2012.

Addressing stress levels on a more mental, emotional level is also important to keep the physical body calm. Stress management exercises like yoga, breathing, and meditation will further help to relax the body.

I believe that when choices are made to reduce physical inflammation that this has a positive domino effect in one's life that can lead towards a wholistic transformation.

Thai Yoga Massage

Thai mats are in the house!! Yes, I have purchased the mats for my new space up at Dupont/Christie and am so looking forward to mixing up my days with some Thai Yoga Massage.

If you never had a Thai massage it is a treat for sore, shorten muscles. This therapy combines yoga and acupressure techniques to stretch you out and release tension.

Lying on a mat remaining dressed in comfy clothes, the receiver is moved into different yoga positions, rocked and kneaded. Stretching helps clear muscles of metabolic wastes while the body overall is relaxed as joint and tendon tension is released. This is a great massage to specifically address lower back pain and many other physical complaints. Sessions are geared to the receiver's flexibility so one does not need to be flexible to have a treatment. It is like having a yoga workout without the work, and feeling even better afterwards as the practitioner has stretched you out a little more than one can do on their own!

Sessions are usually 90 minutes. Call 647-269-2769 for more details.

Deep tissue work

Your off the table, massage finished.

Feeling like a new person, neck lengthened, maybe a bit of soreness, but now you can move your ear to your shoulder. Overall you are rejuvenated. You've just received a massage with some deep tissue work to areas of high tension. The pain you felt down between your shoulders is gone. Trigger points- areas of muscle spasm that restrict oxygen flow to muscle tissue have been released.

With increased blood flow to an area from deep tissue work there is a quicker release of toxins from muscles which then speeds up recovery time between workouts and increases physical mobility. With the flushing of toxins from deep pressure, the muscles relax and there is a lowering of blood pressure.

Relaxed muscles lower blood pressure and this helps to create a more relaxed mind.

Therefore deep pressure work is great for stress relief. And this relief promotes the increase of serotonin in the body- the "happy hormone".

Today stress is acknowledged as a main source of many illnesses/imbalances within the body-mind. A busy work schedule, extensive traveling schedule or stressful daily lifestyle for whatever reason can be alleviated to a certain extent with a monthly or even bi- monthly massage.

And next time your leaving after a massage with deep tissue work- please do remember to drink more water and keep warm. My elbow waits for the next time!

Fabulous Feet

Anyone who comes to see me for a treatment, be it massage, craniosacral therapy or energy work has experienced the attention I pay to their feet. Our feet are easily overlooked as we go about daily activities, that for many of us would not be accomplished if not for these two wonderful appendages. Their importance can not be underestimated as they are our foundation. Absorbing the shock of our movement, they are closely involved in forming the pattern of our gait and posture which has great impact on the health of our musculoskeletal system.

When feet become overworked and muscle fatigued, and are no longer able to absorb and diffuse the daily impact they usually receive then this physical stress will refer up into the body to affect our knees, shins, hips, even spine. Self massage to your feet and foot/ankle strengthening exercises not only pampers your feet but are ways to address this, and hopefully reduce or eliminate any physical discomforts.

Many times I have spoken to my clients about the detriments of sitting for long hours while working at their desk. Unfortunately all to many people become so engrossed in their work that there are no breaks in their prolonged sedentary position. If you are a client of mine you may have heard me speak of how I see prolonged sitting eventually compromising posture and weakening pelvic floor muscles, which all then leads to a loss of core vitality and aging of the body. This month the Globe and Mail printed a piece on this:

http://sweatscience.com/can-sitting-too-long-really-hurt-your-health/

So if you find yourself sitting for an extended period of time you may want to consider what you can do to break up the time you have being sedentary.