MAKING IT COUNT - HEALTH & WELLNESS SMART!

The 7 Pillars of Self Care : Health literacy   – understanding how your health can impact your wellbeing and how your actions can make a difference. Self-awareness   – understanding your current physical and mental health as well as how you can improve in these areas. Physical activity   – understanding how physical activity, in all of its forms, have benefits to our physical and mental health and making efforts to increase your own activity level in ways you enjoy. Healthy eating   – understanding the role of a healthy diet in improving your physical and mental health and including foods that promote good health. Risk avoidance or mitigation   – understanding the impact of unhealthy behaviours and trying to reduce their impact by quitting tobacco, limiting alcohol, getting vaccinated, practicing safe sex, using sunscreens, etc. Good hygiene   – understanding the risks of poor hygiene and working to avoid those risks by washing hands regularly...

International Self-Care on July 24th , by Keith Jenkins " In the United States, 80 percent of illness is thought to be preventable, including eight of the nine leading causes of death ( PreventDisease.com ). How we eat, how much we exercise, our addictions, our stress levels, our environment, how we relate to others – we know that these and many other factors influence how we feel. The challenge is not in knowing how we ‘ought’ to do things but in making the transition from knowledge to practice. " (1) This month we will highlight a topic on Self-Care every week.  On International Self-Care Day we will meet for tai-chi, hand reflexology and breathing  exercises at the Tecolote Park and at the Mission Hills Park .  To close out the day, you are invited to an evening coffee/tea klatch. Stay tuned for an update this coming Monday, July 9th that will share location and times for the event on July 24th I hope you had a wonderful Independence holiday and welco...

OPEN INDEPENDENCE DAY!  Special holiday hours are in effect with late evening start times available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Bodywork sessions may be booked to start up till 11:45pm. Book on-line at  http://yupzup.com/booknow  or text (619)-204-5967.  Access to and from the wellness center by means of the I-5 Sea World Drive and Clairemont freeway exits will be excellent with limited traffic concerns throughout the holiday.  Be advised that mobile massage is not available in Downtown San Diego, Mission Beach, La Jolla Shores, Pacific Beach and the oceanfront side of Ocean Beach during Independence Day.

Reflexology Added To Menu by Keith Jenkins Reflexology massage now offered at Yup Zup Muscle Therapy & Bodywork . This treatment shares an invigorating yet relaxing foot, hand and neck massage that includes a 34 point foot and 10 point hand reflexology routine. The session opens with a hot towel foot wrap, followed by a stimulating Himalayan salt foot scrub, and then a 34 point foot treatment to reflexively work the body's major organs, back, legs, feet, arms, hands and neck. A short, 10 point hand massage and soothing neck rub gracefully closes out the session. Reflexology is an ancient healing art that has been known to humankind for many years. It was first practiced in the Egyptian, Indian and Chinese cultures. It is generally defined as the manual manipulation of the feet in order to stimulate through subtle energy reflexes, the various parts of the body to promote health and well-being. It works through homeostatis, but its not a curative technique. The th...

Pregnancy Massage: Touch for the Mom-To-Be by Associate Bodywork & Massage Professionals Pregnancy is nine transformative months full of excitement, planning, and peering at the awesome unfolding of life. But this transformation also brings inevitable side effects. But you don't have to suffer in silence. The gentle, noninvasive approach of pregnancy massage can ease your discomfort, help you prepare for labor, give you the emotional support of a caring practitioner, and bring back a sense of body-mind integration, putting you into a state of relaxation and calm acceptance of your continually evolving physical form. According to Lynne Daize, with the National Association of Pregnancy Massage Therapy, training for this specialty includes learning specific techniques for each trimester, as well as those required for labor and postpartum massage. A certified pregnancy massage therapist is well-acquainted with the physical and hormonal effects of pregnancy and has the skil...

7 Exercises To Maximize Hand, Wrist, And  Forearm Strength     by Dr. Levi Harrison It is extremely important not to neglect working your forearms during your exercise routines.The hands, wrists, and forearms should be prioritized while warming up and while working out. Below, I will review and demonstrate several stretches and essential exercises that will allow you to build strong and symmetric forearms. The Benefits of Forearm and Wrist Exercises 1) Flex and extend all fingers, while making a complete fist for 30 seconds. Next, open and close your fingers do 2 sets of each for a total of a minute. 2) Flex your wrist and hold in maximum flex for 30 seconds with the elbow straight but not locked. 3) Extend your wrist with the elbow straight for 30 seconds. Do 2 sets for a total of 2 minutes. These initial three stretching exercises will prepare you for the more complex and more intense weight-bearing exercises to optimize muscular de...

Check Out Chair Massage: You Deserve a Break in Your Busy Day  by Cathy Ulrich Ever been curious about the chair massage area at the mall? Or wondered why your company offers massages in the conference room on certain days? Does it seem strange people want to get massages in an odd-looking chair during a busy workday? Well, maybe they're on to something. In fact, a small investment in a chair massage session can lead to a significant pay-off. Chair massage--also called seated or on-site massage--provides a host of benefits, including reducing stress, improving mental clarity, and enhancing work performance. And the time investment is minimal: short five-, ten- or fifteen-minute sessions can often do the trick. In a study done at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, researchers found that when participants got a fifteen-minute chair massage just twice a week, their anxiety levels were lower, their brain waves proved they were more relaxed and...