By Angie Parris-Raney, LMT, Chopra Center Certified

Technology has certainly put us in touch with important information on preventive measures for spreading the COVID-19 virus, such as washing our hands and avoiding contact with those who are sick. However, much of the information is ignoring an essential part to staying healthy—boosting our immune system.

 There is a part of our nervous system that hasn’t evolved far from our ancestors called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Its purpose is for primal survival, equipping our mind/body to react to danger. When we are charged to respond to a stressor or danger, we are flooded with stress hormones. Our digestion shuts down, and we increase blood and oxygen to the heart, brain, and lungs to flee. Blood pressure rises and breathing becomes shallow. This is called the sympathetic part of the ANS, commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. Feeding the fear loop stimulates the fight-or-flight response and is known to suppress the immune system. Stress over time can begin shutting down other systems of the body.

Thankfully, there is another part to the ANS called the parasympathetic system, known as the rest-and-digest response. The largest cranial nerve of the body, the vagus nerve, innervates from the brain stem to the chest and abdomen. When we stimulate the vagus nerve, we tap into the rest-and-digest response. The heart rate decreases, blood pressure normalizes, breathing is deeper, stress hormones are reduced, and happy hormone production is initiated (promoting sleep, focus, and happier emotions). There are simple methods and lifestyle choices we can make to support our own immunity. We can consciously pull ourselves out of a state of reaction, take back our own power, and ask ourselves what our mind/body needs in this moment to support rest-and-digest.

If you’d like to read “the rest of the story”, please click here BS Spring 2020

Increase Body Awareness While Increasing Your Activity

Ruth Werner

You have to give us credit: as a culture, Americans are incredibly interested in getting fit. We invest every year in new diets, exercise programs, and supplements for weight loss and improved energy. Low-range estimates suggest that Americans spend about $2.6 billion each year on gym memberships alone.

We also tend to pitch full speed into any given commitment. If we’re going to get fit, by golly, we’re going to do it now, regardless of how long it took us to get into our current state. We don’t do things by half measures, and moderation is not in our nature. So how do we keep ourselves injury-free while honoring our commitment to exercise and get healthy?

Does It Have to Be All or Nothing? We all know that starting an exercise program doesn’t actually mean we’ll finish it. When we throw ourselves into an ambitious new routine, we are likely to overdo it and get hurt. Then, we get discouraged, and may give up entirely, only to start the cycle over in another year or so.

Overdoing things in the gym or on the sports field seems to appeal to our competitive spirit–especially when we’re surrounded by others who all seem to be doing better than we are. Combine this kind of human drive with poorly trained athletic trainers who give bad advice about form, pacing, and effort, and we have a recipe for potential problems. Exercise is only effective when it occurs without injury. Any new exercise program requires some caution, even if it is comparatively easygoing. And more challenging programs are safest and most successful when new participants build up their activity levels carefully and receive excellent guidance about form.

When It Goes Wrong 

We accrue musculoskeletal and fascial injuries throughout our entire lifespans. In the best circumstances, they heal well, with a minimum of internal scar tissue, and function returns to practically normal levels. When things are ideal, that sprained ankle you got playing soccer at age 12 doesn’t affect your ability to walk in your 30s. The lumbar (To read the “rest of the story”, please click here Winter2020Newsletter)

From Arthritis to Diabetes, Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life

By Ruth Werner

For some, massage therapy is a short-term intervention to help with injury and rehabilitation. For others, massage is their salve to reduce the stresses of a hurried and chaotic life. For those living with chronic conditions, including arthritis, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and kidney failure, massage therapy is often integrated into conventional health care to provide relief. Here is just a sampling of research validating massage for these conditions:

A clinical trial found that blood pressure readings dropped after massage, and remained below baseline for 72 hours or more.

ARTHRITIS

Massage, by itself or in combination with aromatherapy, can be an effective strategy to help manage symptoms and improve function in people who have arthritis. Some studies looked at wholebody relaxation treatments, while others examined bodywork, including self-massage, targeted to the affected area. (See studies by Perlman, Nasiri, Tosun, Atkins, Peungsuwan, Zwoli´nska).

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Autoimmune diseases, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma, present challenges that massage therapy can address. Pain, fatigue, quality of life, mood, and self-efficacy (the belief that one can succeed and thrive in spite of obstacles) are all positively affected by massage for people who live with autoimmune diseases (Schroeder, Finch, Poole). In addition, these specific benefits have been found: (To Read “The Rest of the Story”, please click here… BS Summer 2019

Increase Body Awareness While Increasing Your Activity

Ruth Werner

You have to give us credit: as a culture, Americans are incredibly interested in getting fit. We invest every year in new diets, exercise programs, and supplements for weight loss and improved energy. Low-range estimates suggest that Americans spend about $2.6 billion each year on gym memberships alone.

We also tend to pitch full speed into any given commitment. If we’re going to get fit, by golly, we’re going to do it now, regardless of how long it took us to get into our current state. We don’t do things by half measures, and moderation is not in our nature. So how do we keep ourselves injury-free while honoring our commitment to exercise and get healthy?

Does It Have to Be All or Nothing?

We all know that starting an exercise program doesn’t actually mean we’ll finish it. When we throw ourselves into an ambitious new routine, we are likely to overdo it and get hurt. Then, we get discouraged, and may give up entirely, only to start the cycle over in another year or so.

Overdoing things in the gym or on the sports field seems to appeal to our competitive spirit–especially when we’re surrounded by others who all seem to be doing better than we are. Combine this kind of human drive with poorly  trained athletic trainers who give bad advice about form, pacing, and effort, and we have a recipe for potential problems.

Exercise is only effective when…(To read ‘the rest of the story’, please click here Spring 2019)

Are you a weekend warrior, self-proclaimed athlete, or someone who just generally likes to push themselves a little too hard at the gym? If that’s the case, then sports massage might be just what the body ordered.

We all know physical activity generates positive health benefits for your body,
but it can also create negative effects that arise when you push past your physical limit. That’s when you show up on our massage tables with injuries related to this overexertion.

THE ATHLETE IN ALL OF US

Olympic, collegiate, and professional athletes utilize massage therapy to mitigate and recover from sports injuries. Oftentimes, teams employ and even travel with a massage therapist. And research continues to show what athletes already know—massage has a positive effect on athletes and their performance.1

The benefits of sports massage extend beyond professional athletes to anyone who participates in regular exercise. Whether it be golf, tennis, or ballroom dancing, if you engage in physical exercise, sports massage is a good option for you. And, if you suffer from a nagging injury or orthopedic condition that keeps you from performing at your best, sports massage is especially helpful.

KINDS OF SPORTS MASSAGE

Did you know that about 65 percent of injuries—both athletic and lifestyle- related—come from overuse of the muscles? The other 35 percent are caused by true trauma.2

Sports massage is (to read “the rest of the story”, please click here BS autumn2018

We’re busier than ever with longer workdays, less leisure time, shorter lunch hours, longer commutes, and more demands than ever before. We may even be in a job that doesn’t fulfill us, yet we spend most of our time there. When the day ends, we have almost no energy left to do what we enjoy. How to find a healthy balance?

Plenty has been written about the therapeutic benefits of exercise. So, why aren’t more people reaping those benefits and moving toward health and well-being? We need to reexamine our notion of what exercise and movement are and consider what we’re moving toward or away from. Then we can begin to ask ourselves other questions: Not just are we fit, but are we physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy? Are we happy? Do we enjoy how we’re moving through life? How can we integrate more healing movement into our days?

Exercise as “Medicine”
We sometimes see more barriers than options to exercise. But what if we reoriented our point of view to notice where the opportunities lie? We can begin by simply redefining exercise (with its sometimes negative connotation of obligation) to movement. Already opportunities arise: How do we want to move in our bodies and in our lives? How can we have fun doing that? How can we move more (or maybe less, if we need to slow down)? How does it feel to be still? How can we make time to move into pleasure, to move with pleasure? Already, the notion of movement takes on a more healing expression. Rather than simply being another item on our to do list, it becomes a way for us to examine our lives, to see where we can move toward health, and use physical activity as a way to support this.

“When most people think of medicine, they …(to read “the rest of the story”, please click here Fall 2018)

The newest, in a healthy list of dynamic committees within the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, it is meant to be a social media campaign designed to promote our community and our Chamber members. This new “MOVE-ment” is focused on encouraging individuals to improve their health – in their personal lives and in the workplace – through a network of support, tips and resources.

Spend the rest of your day thinking, working and living healthy

YOU DESERVE IT!

EVERY WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY

8:00 AM

Lost Canyons Golf Club

3301 Lost Canyons Dr.

1 Hour – 2 Miles

Wear your walking shoes

How to Get Involved

(as an individual):

• Remind yourself daily that you have the right to be and are worthy of being healthy – not just Wednesdays, but all days!
• Commit to being part of the “MOVE-ment” and encourage others to join you on your journey to a healthier you. Together we can build a healthy community.
• Make healthy and nutritious food choices by staying focused on your goal
• Take a few moments each day for some quiet time to yourself – Unplug, breathe and relax. Start with just 5 minutes a day.
• Take a walk with friends, join a gym, take a yoga class, get a massage, exercise your brain, focus on nutrition, set wellness goals.
• Share your successes and applaud the successes of others on the Wellness Wednesdays Facebook page – facebook.com/wellnesswednesdays #simiwell
• Share tips that you find helpful and use the tips and tools shared by others to help you “over the hump”

(as a business):

• Adopt the mission of “Wellness Wednesdays” in your workplace and encourage your employees to get involved
• Provide a “Wellness Wednesdays Special” for your customers. Post your special on the Wellness Wednesdays Facebook page, personal and/or business Facebook page, Twitter and your personal and business websites

Mission Statement

Uniting Health and Wellness business professionals within Simi Valley to help improve the quality of life of every citizen.

Contact Info:

For more information, please contact:

Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce

40 W. Cochran Street, #100

Simi Valley, CA 93065

Phone: (805) 526-3600

www.simichamber.org

Animal Massage – Celebrate Your Furry Friends with Caring Touch By Sophie West

* Moving Through Life – Finding the Pleasure in Exercise
* Cultivating a Gardening Habit
* Vitamin D – The Sunshine Vitamin