Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

A hard lesson to learn: listening to your body. When it's good—it's great: there's that feeling of running faster or finding that second wind to push even harder. But when it hits you in the form of aches and clicks and pops—it's time to slow down and recover.  If you're stubborn like me, modify and decrease load/reps.  Incorporate a yoga or stretching routine as part of the recovery period.  Seek treatment in the form of a hot shower, massage, or the RICE method:

Rest  - avoid strenuous activity to the affected area

Ice - apply a cold pack to the affected for no longer than 20 minutes at a time

Compress - apply a bandage/compress to the affected area

Elevate - raise the affected area above heart level

If you should fail to respond to your body's signals, the worse case scenario can occur: injury!  This could mean downtime for weeks, months or a complete end to your favorite workout.  Seek your physician immediately to mitigate damage.

It's alright, it's okay, you can do that workout on another day

Win.

 Image source

≡

Reposted as I found this pertinent to my goals and that she's cute!

 

Price of living in Hawaii—the challenge is 6-7AM which is 4 hours from now—3AM! I've only woken up that early to do Haiku stairs and the Honolulu Marathon.  A good start of the month to get ready for December 11? Let's go!

*Sets alarm*

Challenge info

≡

Forget pace and distance—just run! Lately I've been listening to my favorites on my shuffle and leaving my phone behind, it's one less item to worry about and my hands are finally free to surf the air as I coast through Ala Moana park in the dark. I see a lot of group runners as it is nearing the Honolulu Marathon and there's also the remaining pre-marathon race events (P.F. Chang's 30K this weekend) but I didn't sign up for any of that.  Am I doomed again for the marathon? Haha, I hope not but my run endurance still needs lots of work.  I hope to add more run play days on the weekends—I'll just have to do less Insanity :(

Run, jump, play!

≡

I took my mom to Oasis Spa on Kona street who specialize in Tawainese style foot reflexology.  Heard of them through word of mouth with another related massage place: Kenkou Sokushin.  It turns out from yelp reviews, these are those same people, except that Oasis Spa actually has parking.  According to their website on foot pressure points:

Scattered within your foot lies reflex points that is associated with various parts of your body. By stimulating these pressure points, you can enhance the performance of those parts for a healthy body.  Also, by breaking up toxins built up in your foot, your blood circulation is also enhanced.  When the circulation in your foot is restored, your entire body's circulation is alsorestored.  Foot massages are also refered to as : "Reflexology" and is used by people world-wide as a simple way to stay healthy.

My mom says it helps her see clearer and I wanted to try it out for myself.  I expected it to be excruciatingly painful with their fingers of iron deconstructing my soles—it was not like the yelp reviews at all. I didn't have to wince at any of the foot procedures (though it hurt at certain reflex points). 

We first begin with our feet dipped in a bath of aromatic oils strongly of lemongrass while we sipped on robis tea.  Classical music played in the background while the aroma pervaded the room and the soothing hot water relaxes the feet.

After our feet are dried and wrapped in towels, the bonus massages are done prior to the foot portion.  I opted for the shoulder, neck, and head.  I felt the shoulder was most painful as I had a knot on my right side that would not ease off.  The neck message is soothing, especially if you're an office worker who is not practicing proper posture (slouchers!). As for the head massage, it felt weird—at times it felt like she was punching my head, probing for a place to punch a hole like a coconut. At other times, it felt like she was shaping my head like a shave ice cone—that I liked. Overall for the head portion, I felt odd and had to stifle a laugh so I guess I'm not doing that one again.

Onto the foot portion, left foot always first.  According to the mapping, both feet are nearly identical except for a portion where the left foot is the heart and the right foot is the liver.  As there were 64 points to be stimulated, an hour does not seem like much time yet I remember there being an emphasis on the big toes as it corresponds to multiple areas.  Being a runner, I like the work done on the plantar fascia which I think she told me is linked to my urinary tract.  She identified problem areas for me: my eyes are tired, my lower back is, my right shoulder which she worked on was tight, and my heart is cold.  She further explained my heart was cold in terms of my circulation being poor—my feet were cold.  She advised me to avoid cold drinks and wear socks.  She jabbed jabbed my heart which I think was the most painful of the points.  From the foot she went up my calf which was soothing and very relaxing.  I was afraid of the calf massage since I am sure I have a lot knots—I use The Stick and I cannot completely mow through the knots myself, I have to have someone else do it for me since I give up after 20 rolls.  There was some minor touches here and there but after that it was all done.  Roughly 100 minutes passed by but it felt like we just got there.

We were told to drink room temp water which will help in flushing out all the toxins.  It is now 5 hours later and let me tell you—this shit hurts! I'm so glad I didn't go running right after, that would have been a huge mistake.  Neck and shoulder ache, and my left foot overall hurts more.  Let's hope all the toxins flush away and I hope to see improvment in my circulation.

From my experience so far do not expect the following of reflexology:

• does not cure plantar fasciitis (at least not in one go).  I thought it might but I cannot concieve how this will directly achieve that as my heels were barely worked on (not part of the pressure points?)
• is not a deep tissue massage.

Would I do this again? Yes! But the wallet damage it inflicts delegates this to a monthly/bi-monthly treat.  Oh and there's Ailana Shave Ice downstair so I must go back!

Anyone goes regularly? How many swear by this massage therapy and how often do you go?