It’s Always Sunny in Lobsterville

Self-Care /

sun-wearing-sunglassesThis week is National Sun Safety Week and with schools letting out for the summer it can’t come at a better time.

I well remember the summer between my junior and senior year when we spent a week on St. George’s Island. Senior portraits were the week after our beach trip and I was determined to have a tan to remember. Determination quickly led that pale princess to Lobsterville. There were no toes in the water, no ass in the sand, oh no, I spent most of the week inside or on the screened porch reading Crime and Punishment and smelling like a salad. I don’t know what was worse, no water, no sand, the book, or the pervasive eau du vinegar. Ugh!

So I thought I would take a minute to share with you a few tips that I’ve learned over the years in regard to sun safety. Most of them learned the hard way…

  1. Bug spray and sunscreen don’t play nice together. The Sun Safety Alliance says bug spray reduces SPF by 1/3. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that combined they make for a very painful after sun experience.
  2. You can get sunburned in the shade. Experience, y’all. Experience… wear sunscreen even if you’re sitting in the shade, wearing a hat and covered up by a sarong. Also, on overcast days…again, experience.
  3. Spray sunscreen is the devil. I heard something about this on the news recently. They were advising against its use. I don’t know what their issue with it is, but in my experience it doesn’t just spray on nice and even. You have to rub it in just like the regular stuff if you’re going to use it or just go ahead and expect to be sporting a bizarrely shaped sunburn and (if you’re lucky) follow-on tan. Also, I suspect the propellants are dangerous to the atmosphere or our health or the wildlife.
  4. Use way more than you think you need. No really, slather that stuff on like it’s running from the faucets.
  5. Towels and clothing will steal your sunscreen. If you touch any part of your skin with any kind of fabric just go ahead and plan to reapply cause more than likely it took it off of you. Wet towels are the worst for this!
  6. If you develop a fine rash all over your exposed skin after applying sunscreen, go inside and wash it off immediately. Then schedule an appointment with your doctor or dermatologist. Do not spend the entire day outside re-applying the same sunscreen over and over. It’s just not worth it.

So there you go, just a few of my hard hitting, personal learning experiences with the sun.

And if you’re wondering how sunburns and massage relate, they don’t. If you have an appointment for a massage and also have a sunburn that is less than 48-72 hours old, just go ahead and call and reschedule. It’ll save you a trip as most good therapists will send you home anyway.

Take care of yourselves out there in the beautiful summer sun!

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Fijian Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Cracking the Walnut

2 Comments / Self-Care /

Muscles_rhomboïdesIf you’ve been to see me and spent any time at all on my table you know I’m constantly harping on how we not only need to stretch muscles, but we also need to strengthen the opposing muscles in order to address and heal the problem. In pursuit of that I have decided to begin a series of self-care articles that will hopefully be helpful to someone.

I’m beginning with Cracking the Walnut because most of us are familiar with the insidious upper back pain that manifests between the shoulder blades. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all experienced the burning, tingling, sparkling, tightness and/or tiredness between the shoulders that tends to spend weeks or months torturing us before it mysteriously retreats only to return again when we least need or expect it.

Cracking the walnut refers to an exercise I once learned from a Pilates instructor who for several months put me through the unique torture that is called a Body Reformer machine. Her version of cracking the walnut involved me lying on my belly on a big box while holding onto straps and extending my arms straight out to their respective sides as I tried desperately to continue breathing. Eventually I was able to correctly perform this exercise and am glad that I learned it because I attribute it to fixing a host of problems with my upper back and neck.

The good news today is that you don’t need a Body Reformer machine or a Pilates instructor to learn how to crack this walnut. My philosophy for these self-care articles is to give you simple things that you can do with little to no equipment or by using everyday objects and items you already own in the comfort and convenience of your own space.

You simply need to relax and find a place to be. This scapula squeeze strengthener can be done by sitting with your arms loosely held by your sides, head facing forward and aligned over the spine, shoulders down, abs contracted and maintaining a protected, stable, and flat low back. When you’re aligned, gently squeeze the shoulder blades together while keeping the elbows low and at your side. Here’s a short video that illustrates the move.

 

 

In most folks, the shoulders start to drift up, a noticeable sway develops in the low back and the chest puffs out. Don’t do this! See the ProTip below to learn how to access the correct muscles and keep your alignment impeccable.

Once you can maintain your alignment through the move, engage and hold for a count of three. Do that 10 times. Observe how you feel before and after each set.

ProTip: If you’re having trouble isolating the rhomboids and middle trapezius muscles, extend both arms straight out to the sides of your body with palms facing forward. Then visualize using your scapula to squeeze out a sponge. Experiment and really pay attention to what it feels like to move and access these muscles.

In the beginning you might get sore from only one set of 10. Remember that these muscles are very seldom engaged in our hunched over a desk, laptop, tablet, and cellphone society. In fact, they are more likely to be in a constant state of stretch which sounds great until the muscles want to go home and rest for a while.

So be kind to yourself, go slow, and work your way up to a stronger set of rhomboids, middle trapezius muscles, and less pain in the upper back.

As always, I’m here with my table if you need me, but I hope you’ll try some of these self-care techniques. Feel better!

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Master Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapist!

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2015 AMTA-AL Spring Convention Time!

AMTA /

ConventionOrBust2It’s that time of year again and I’ll be headed to Birmingham on Thursday for the 2015 AMTA-AL Spring Convention!

This year’s convention is hosting Doug Nelson of Precision Neuromuscular Therapy and I am very excited about adding some new techniques to my toolbox. I’ll also be running for 1st Vice President and Delegate again so keep a good thought for me Saturday around lunchtime. I’ll be giving my speech(es) and hopefully keeping my positions.

So…

Harvest Moon Massage Therapy will be closed beginning Thursday, April 23rd and will re-open Monday, April 27th. If you’d like to schedule an appointment while I’m away, please visit my StyleSeat online booking system or call and leave a message. I’ll get back to you on Monday.

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Master Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapist!

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What’s One More Hour?

Wellness /

SleepCurveWith Spring Forward recently behind us and the ensuing Monday morning pain of getting up an hour earlier while pretending I’m really not, I got to thinking about being robbed of one more hour of sleep.

According to the CDC insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. I Googled “American sleep deficit” and got 30,300,000 hits. That’s millions of articles about Americans and their sleepiness and that doesn’t even cover all of them. So a bunch of studies tell us that as Americans, we are chronically sleep deprived. Do I really need to convince you that we’re not getting enough sleep to begin with? You’re probably tired right now and I’ll bet you didn’t get 8 solid hours last night. I know I sure didn’t.

Lack of sleep is implicated in weight gain, stress, depression, and time change in particular is implicated in a rise of heart attacks. Scary stuff…

So with all this bad news, what can we do to log more pillow time?

  • Avoid caffeine and other chemical stimulants after 3pm to give your body time to process and eliminate it
  • Avoid large meals too close to your bedtime. Digestion is different for everyone so I can’t tell you when to stop eating, but uncomfortably large meals will affect your ability to settle into sleep and stay asleep. We’ve all had it happen.
  • Set a bedtime – Sounds like a no-brainer, but do you have a bedtime? If it sounds like this, “Well, I usually go to bed after…,” then the answer is no. If it sounds like, “I go to bed at 10:30 unless my kid is sick,” then the answer is yes.
  • Cultivate a routine – Start a bedtime routine and stick to it. Set your alarm clock to remind you when it’s time to start your bedtime routine. I do this and I hate it, but I find it necessary or I continue to watch tv, work a puzzle, play on Facebook, etc.
  • Log off – Make the first part of your bedtime routine to shut down all the screens in your area. Studies are continually released proving that the light from all our screen time is messing with our melatonin levels and ability to go to sleep. I still struggle with this as I tend to surf Facebook and Pinterest as a relaxation aid.
  • Relax – After logging off, put on your jammies, wash your face, take your medicine and get all your other prep activities finished. Now do something to relax. Drink a cup of herbal tea, read a book, meditate, pray, snuggle up, whatever it is that relaxes your body and mind.
  • Turn out the lights – Where you sleep needs to be dark. Really dark, like ‘can’t see your hand in front of your face’ dark. No street lights shining in the window, no night lights, no TV’s, no blinking battery chargers, no digital clocks or DVRs beaming the time at you all night long. Dark, dark, dark so your melatonin can do its job.
  • Give yourself permission to rest – I know it sounds all hippy dippy, but we have really let this culture of busy-ness take over. It’s okay to take a break from the break-neck speed that is our world.

I think of the whole life rhythm as a bell curve or sine wave. Before you start your bedtime routine you’re sitting somewhere near the top of the bell. The bedtime routine is designed to get you to the bottom of the curve which is sleep. A ramping down of the excitement of the day into the relaxation and bliss that is sleep.

And while most of my tips above deal with the actual bedtime routine and getting to sleep, reducing stress and promoting relaxation during any part of the day can be helpful in getting to sleep. Here’s a good news article on how recent research is proving how massage helps sleep. #SleepWeek

I hope you find something interesting and helpful in this article/rant about sleep. And if you are as outraged and upset about the continuing insanity of changing the time, disrupting our health, and raising our risk of accidents and heart attacks twice a year you can join me in using #LeaveTheClockAlone and #AbolishTimeChange. Or you can sign one of the dozens of petitions that get started this time of year to try to get rid of time change.

Be well and give yourself permission to sleep and to rest.

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Ashi-Thai Therapist!

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Mardi Gras Special!

Community /

MardiGrasCreweMany of you probably have already seen that I am on a Mardi Gras Crewe here in Decatur, AL. I’m a charter member of Crewe O’ Ye Crooked Goat, aka Pirate Crewe and you can find us over here if you’re interested in becoming part of our crewe or just like all things piratey.

Anyway, I always try to do a special around Mardi Gras because it’s fun, but this year the stakes are being raised.

Recently, the Carnegie Carnival parlayed with Decatur High School Developmental Program and began a proper recycling program for all the Mardi Gras beads that are flung about during the parades. The developmental center will wash, sort, and re-bundle all the beads collected and then put them back into circulation for next year’s celebration. All proceeds from the recycling program will benefit the developmental program. Win! Win! Win!

Last year you’ll remember we were an informal collection point for Mardi Gras beads after the parade. As of today, we are now an OFFICIAL Carnegie Carnival collection point for beads that will be recycled through the developmental program.

So, without further ado…

Bring in a fistful of Mardi Gras beads to recycle and you will receive $10 off your massage.

This offer is good one per customer and runs from February 14th – March 31st.

Want to get in on the fun? Carnegie Carnival Mardi Gras schedule is here! Hope to see you at the parade on February 14th!

Or you could just become a pirate and join our Crewe! Ask me how.

It’s so easy a PIRATE could do it!

 #MyDecaturAL

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Bamboo Fusion Therapist!

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Take Care of Yourself!

Massage /

Pinterest ButtonA while back I started a Pinterest board for self-care. It’s called Stretch & Strengthen and it’s over here. I think you might have to have an account to see it. But go ahead, Pinterest is just another form of Internet crack.

I started this board because sometimes I hurt and my next massage is either not yet scheduled or is a week or more away. And we all know how easy it is to get in with a massage therapist on short notice, so I have to take matters into my own hands and do something.

My favorite self-care tools are a tennis ball, a foam roller and a yoga mat. I think it’s best to keep it simple so a lot of the stretches and strengtheners can be done with little to no equipment.

Right now the board reads like a journey through my personal aches and pains, but recently I was able to start adding pins to it with specific client issues I was seeing. So if you’re working on something specific, let me know and I’ll see if I can add a pin for it.

I intend this Stretch and Strengthen board to be a resource for folks looking for self-care and preventive-care for aches and pains. It in no way should be interpreted as a replacement, substitute or advice for medical care.

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Ashi-Thai Therapist!

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Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

Business & Marketing for Massage /

Christmas

Whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Mele Kalikimaka, Frohliche Weihnachten, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noel, I wish you a holiday filled with joy, love and light.

Merry Christmas from Harvest Moon Massage Therapy!

Please see below for our holiday hours!

#MyDecaturAL

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Bamboo-Fusion Massage Therapist!

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December 2014 Holiday Need-to-Know

Business & Marketing for Massage /

HoopCollection

I just wanted to drop a quick note here to let everyone know the ins & outs for the end of year schedule.

Harvest Moon Massage Therapy will be closed December 24 – 26, as well as December 31st and January 1st.

Appointments will be available between Christmas and News Years on a limited basis. Please call or text me for availabilities even if there doesn’t appear to be any using the online system.

Please let me know ASAP if you need a Gift Certificate. I will not be available to deliver or meet anyone with certificates next week.

Also, if you’re looking for an interesting and fun gift for someone or yourself, I still have three adult hoops for sale.

#MyDecaturAL

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Ashi-Thai Specialist!

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You’re Invited!

Business & Marketing for Massage /

ChristmasOpenHouse2014v2

Please join us for an Open House this Saturday, December 6th from 2 – 4pm.

1900 Flint Road SE, Decatur, AL

There will be refreshments, gift certificates and a selection of retail items available.

Young Living Essential Oils, Neil Yard Organic Remedies and hand-made adult hula hoops are just a few of the items for sale.

#MyDecaturAL

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Specialist!

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2014 AMTA National Convention or the Time I Met Dr. Oz!

1 Comment / AMTA /

The 2014 AMTA National Convention in Denver was a whirlwind of friends, classes, parties, meetings, debates, dinners, and overall awesomeness (sorry, Roxanne)!

There was so much to it, I think it would just be best if I let you take your time with a picture gallery. Don’t miss the captions, they tell parts of the story too.

 

And in addition to all of that I managed to get myself on camera and they used part of my interview in both AMTA National Convention videos from this year!

Hope you enjoyed my little scrapbook of 2014 AMTA National Convention in Denver!

For more on the Denver convention and how all my Ashi instructors participated you can head on over to the Bodywork Buddy Blog.

♥

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Ashiatsu Deepfeet Bar Therapist!

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