Gym In Motion - Your Mobile Fitness Gym

Important Primary and Secondary Effects of Sports Massage^(1b)

Primary effects refer to the physiological and psychological condition of the athlete and include:

Improved fluid circulation (blood, lymph),
Muscular relaxation,
General relaxation,
Functional separation of muscle and connective tissue (i.e., breaking up adhesions),
Connective tissue normalization (releasing areas of tension, etc.),
Increased mental alertness and clarity, and
Deactivation of trigger points. (A trigger point is a nodule of tight muscle tissue that can refer pain locally or to other areas of the body.)

Secondary effects refer to performance-related outcomes and include:

Greater energy,
Greater flexibility and range of motion,
More fluid movement (i.e., referring to the quality of the range of motion),
Faster recovery, and
Pain reduction.

If you decide that sports massage is the right treatment for you, it is important to find a well-trained therapist. Check out if a practitioner has had training in sports massage from an accredited school. Currently, there is no national credentialing that signifies a person who has passed a test demonstrating a solid understanding of the foundations and techniques of sports massage, so you will have to ask a few questions. How many hours of training (in general) did they have? Was their school accredited by the American Massage Therapy Association? How many hours of training in sports massage did they receive? What kind of athletes have they worked with? Were the athletes training or competing at the time? Is your therapist an athlete (on any level)?

Many sports massage practitioners participate in races or competitive events, which increases their understanding not only of the uses and benefits of sports massage, but of other factors that go into being an athlete. For example, the length of time between the massage session and the athletic event directly relates to the depth of pressure a therapist should use. A knowledgeable therapist will know that a pre-event massage, which is meant to encourage general looseness, calls for less deep work than a regular “maintenance” massage. It is important that your therapist always errs on the side of caution when using deep pressure, and that they have an understanding of the psychology of an athlete and the physical demands of training.

One of the benefits of working regularly with the same sports massage therapist is that he or she can learn to feel what is “normal” for your tissue and body type and can keep a watchful eye on any changes that may signal the need to head off potential trouble spots. If an injury does occur, the therapist can join the team of health care practitioners helping you to recover. Here, the focus is on healing the injury quickly and effectively, minimizing the side effects of the injury and decreasing the chance of re-occurrence.

The use of sports massage in training routines varies depending on the athlete, the sport being trained for and the level of competition. It is important to mention that every athlete and every situation is going to be different, and that each person should research and find a plan that is most suitable for them. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how two different athletes used sports massage in conjunction with their training.

When Uta was competing in 5K to 10K races, or preparing for a marathon, she received sports massage twice a week. Usually, she scheduled her massages the day after one of her harder training sessions for the week. If that wasn’t possible, she would allow herself a treatment session on the same day as her hard workout, but she would wait at least 3 to 4 hours to let her body recover some from the training before addressing soft tissue needs. Getting regular massage during her intense training periods also helped Uta psychologically, by allowing her to give back to her body and take some time for herself.

Training for my first triathlon, I used sports massage regularly. I noticed that I could identify potential problems and head them off before they became an impediment in my training. I also felt, during the most intense training periods, that taking the time to give back to my body really helped me to feel like I was rounding out my training program. Having time to recover, making the effort to work my muscles and being in tune with my body, all played integral roles in my ability to train as hard as I did, without hurting myself.

Getting regular massages during training is a great way to generate feedback for yourself about how you are doing. The more feedback you can gather about performance and training, and how your body is responding to it all, the better informed you will be about how you can compete and recover from competition. Sports massage, therefore, can be a great tool for athletes in their training. It provides myriad benefits, including increasing performance potential, speeding recovery time, and reducing the prevalence of injuries. And let’s not forget the wonderful relaxation, stress relief, and whole body integration that everyone—not just the athlete—can obtain from massage!

Posted by: Heather L. Fenity with Uta Pippig AT 05:36 am | Permalink | Email

Friday, September 07 2012

Using Massage to Set Boundries and Handlt Tantrums on Toddlers

Toddlers are struggling to reconcile their autonomy with parental control. On this age group, children try to assert their autonomy by saying no. In fact, toddlers can say no to virtually anything. One moment they refuse to eat a bowl of cereal, but a few minutes later they turn around to demand the same bowl after you have thrown away its content.

Parents and caregiver should set boundaries and limits for toddlers. You may doubt this, but a little frustration is healthy for your children. They should know things that they can’t get and know their limits. Even so, you should respect your children’s opinions, if they say no, listen and respond to your children’s words. It will show them that they have control on their lives. By choosing battles wisely, you can avoid unnecessary power struggles. For example, they may want to wear winter hat on the beach, just let them. However, if they insists on playing near a busy street, that’s certainly non-negotiable.

Oftentimes, toddlers refuse a massage. When it happens, respect their wish as it sends a clear message that their body is completely theirs and others will respect it. Obviously, you should respond properly when they wants a massage. You may be busy at certain times, but if you can establish a predictable schedule, both of you will feel more comfortable. Accommodating your children’s needs show them that you’re being helpful in guiding them toward independence and self-reliance. Remember that childhood needs that are properly met will go away, while those that can’t be met will be carried well into adulthood.

Setting and Respecting Boundaries

Boundaries separate people; they define expectations and simplify life. Well-established boundaries can help toddlers to feels safe and know about limits in life. These are common boundaries in the family:

• Knocking before entering a bedroom

• Asking permission before playing on the lawn

• Prohibition on hitting and other violent physical contacts

• Don’t play with Mom’s cooking utensils

• Wear proper clothing when playing outside during cold days

• Hold Mom’s hand when crossing the street

Boundaries can only be effective if parents can become a reliable role model and behave properly, as the result toddlers can grow into a young child with good attitude and healthy relationships with other family members and friends.

These are a few things you should consider when attempting to establish boundaries:

Be consistent. Children, especially toddlers will be confused when they face changing limits and rules.

Adjust yourself to your children’s development. You should make sure that they are physically and emotionally capable of obeying boundaries.

Boundaries is not only about controlling your child, they help to teach self-discipline and keeping them safe.

Massaging can also help to set boundaries. You should ask for their permission before giving them a massage. You can also teach your children to massage each other and make it into something exciting. Observe your children's continuously, if they feel uncomfortable, you should take it easy and if they look bored, talk to them. Each child has unique preference, some love to have their legs massaged, while others want to have their backs rubbed.

Teaching Discipline Through Massage

If you want your child to be receptive to gentle discipline, massages can give you a good opportunity of establishing that kind of relationship. These are a few things to consider if you want your child to respond favorably to your loving guidance:

• Build trust.

• Set consistent and clear boundaries.

• Teach your child to communicate properly.

• Let your child know that you’re being sensitive to their needs.

Discipline is all about teaching to your child to stay within boundaries. Massage is a good way to teach about discipline, because your child will become familiar to trust, boundaries and nonverbal communication. In fact, infants can pick up lessons about boundaries and discipline through massage. By offering massage regularly, parents can become sensitive caretakers who are perfectly attuned to their child’s needs, which will nurture a relationship based on trust. Children who get proper responses to their needs with sensitivity and compassion will grow up with feeling of respect and they can rely on your positive authority.

Of course, you shouldn’t be a pushover, but when asserting your positive authority, you should be firm without being overbearing or controlling. By expressing positive authority properly, you can strengthen mutual respect and trust with your children in a cooperative and non-adversarial way. As you become more aware of their changing needs, sensitive and attuned, your relationship will evolve and grow as they do.

Handling Tantrums

Understanding why tantrum occurs is the first step in controlling it. Toddlers tend to have temper tantrums each time they’re overwhelmed with feelings they can’t or don’t know how to handle. Common triggers are anger, frustration, hunger and fatigue. Often temper tantrum occur in public places and it can be difficult to figure out to best handle the situation with everyone is watching. Temper tantrums are very frustrating for both of you.

After they are calm you have to talk about what had happened, by giving them a massage, it will remind them that they do have the skills to calm themselves down.

These are things to remember when temper tantrum strikes:

• Try to remain calm and objective

• Hold your child so they won’t get hurt

• If possible, bring them to a quieter place

It is important to be properly responsive to a child who is experiencing a tantrum. Many times, tantrum happens when the child can’t handle intense emotions, so the best thing you can do is to stay with them and remain loving. There is no fixed rule for this, because each child is unique, so do the relationship between child and parent. You should be intuitive, use soothing words but try to remain firm if necessary. Many parents reported that talking to their children after a tantrum episode, while giving a massage can help immensely. It can help your child to express their opinion, while at the same time, your child will become more receptive to your advices.

Posted by: Susan Knowlton AT 02:46 pm | Permalink | Email

Please Spread Our News With Others

Important Primary and Secondary Effects of Sports Massage(1b)

Important Primary and Secondary Effects of Sports Massage^(1b)