I am ready to move! After being sick for a week and not having energy to do much, my body feels stuck. My back is starting to hurt. My limbs are stiff. A slow walk in the rain may be just the thing this body and soul need.

Even when I feel better, we are recommended to not give massages for a few weeks to help flatten the curve. So, it is time to learn family and self massage, and keep moving!

The morning I woke up sick, my husband followed recommendations - he stayed home and kept 6 feet from me. That lasted through breakfast. We had been sharing a bed while I was incubating, so who were we kidding that he wasn't already exposed? A few hours later he had mild symptoms.

​To slow the virus spread, we need to social distance, but as a massage therapist, I know of the need for healthy human touch. People come to me for relief from pain, but a few admittedly come because they live alone and otherwise have no touch. There is a balance. We cannot become so afraid of each other that we avoid contact - when we are healthy. We will continue to self-isolate and I will not see any clients until we are the recommended 72 hours symptom-free.

Hopefully I will soon be able to resume my massage work and provide needed relief from pain and from the increasing stress that we are all feeling. Although we are social distancing, at least we have the technology to remain in touch. May we let this time teach us that we really DO need human contact and not let us become more distanced.

I am always amazed at the miracle of touch. I never know if what I am doing will make a difference, so it is always nice to receive feedback that I helped to reduce pain. As a massage therapist, I don't do anything "magic" - I simply help the body into the parasympathetic mode, or into a state of relaxation, and the body can begin to heal itself.

One regular client said that he considered me one of his healthcare providers - along with his doctors, physical therapists, and other providers. That was one of the best compliments I have ever received! I would love to work together with other helathcare practitioners in meeting your needs. -Heidi

"I began therapy with Heidi about two months ago, and I have seen good improvement in my flexibility and circulation. I've broken the seventy-year-old barrier and my muscles and joints have gotten stiff and sore from injury and over-use, plus the circulation isn't as efficient as it once was. Heidi has done a lot to improve my overall well-being and lift my spirits in general. She's easy to talk with, listens closely and thinks before speaking. I've worked with several massage therapists for health reasons over the years; my profession was a very physically demanding one and I incurred much injury and tissue damage before retiring. 

Heidi continually adds to her knowledge database, uses her books and the Internet to learn about specific issues pertaining to her clients, is one of the more knowledgeable therapists I've found and is my favorite. I'm sincere when I say I am grateful to her for her innate need to understand the human body, her (ongoing) help, her ability to communicate on a deeper level and her compassion. These are the things I find important in a medical professional, and that is where she excels  Thanks, Heidi!"
-Jim M. (March 2019)

"Heidi came to my  rescue last Friday. . . . I was awakened by severe back pain. . . I received no help from my physician and was left to experience continued severe pain over the weekend. I decided to call Heidi . . . . [She] had family visiting . . . . [yet] was very empathetic and responsive to my needs. . . . She massaged my back for only about 15 minutes.I experienced almost instant pain relief.  I went home from the massage and fell asleep. The pain was gone and hasn’t returned. . . . She is a hero health care provider.
-Russ H. (June 2018) Read the complete testimonial

Below are more testimonials from clients, listed by the type of massage they received - Myofascial Release, Manual Lymph Drainage, Spinal Touch, Shiatsu, Swedish, Thai, or Cranio-Sacral.

Call me busy and multi-tasker. Or call me lazy. Either way, I admit that I have rarely included an exercise regimen in my life. I will go through spurts of time when I walk, bike, do yoga or pilates, but I rarely last beyond a week or two. It's easy to find excuses not to fit in the half hour to exercise every day.

To counter-balance my excuses I justify my lack of exercise by telling myself that I include exercise in my everyday life. I use my bike as transportation. I run up and down the stairs to get supplies from the storage room. I don't look for the closest parking stall. I garden. I clean my  house. And I add extra movement into my every day life.

Silly but simple - when I brush my teeth, I do a yoga pose. Usually tree pose. I read somewhere that balancing on one foot is good for your brain. Who knows if it's true, but I figure that while I brush my teeth I may as well ward off Alzheimer's at the same time.

To help our bodies absorb and use water more effectively, it is good to add something to your water - a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, or our favorite, some herbs. I can't remember, let alone repeat, all the chemical and physical reasons why this is a better way to drink water. You can research it.

​​We grow and dry a lot of herbs in our garden, but our favorite in drinks is peppermint and lemongrass. Sometimes we boil the water and add the herbs, then drink it hot (hot herbal teas in the cold winter months are our favorite), or pour it into pitcher  and put in the fridge for a cold refreshing drink. Often, however, I skip the boiling step and just infuse the herbs in the water, leaving them in there for days - hence why my husband calls it "weed water." 

I've been doing this for years, but recently my husband has become a "convert" to drinking "dirty water." Try it - you might like it also!

​I am often asked how soon after an injury can one receive a massage. If the injury is soft-tissue related, with a skilled massage therapist, you can receive treatment immediately. Depending on the injury, the massage may be brief and light touch. Often return visits will be beneficial and the massage may change in length and depth.

From personal experience and from observing my clients, the sooner you receive a massage, the quicker and better the healing. Often just a few minutes of treatment can yield relief. 

Never received a massage before? Visiting a new therapist and not sure what to expect? Ask questions beforehand to lesson your anxiety! 

For the past half year I have been regularly wearing Correct Toes and feel that my feet are healthier and I am more stable because of it. I came across an article that explains why my feet have been feeling so good. 

If you are interested in getting a pair of Correct Toes for yourself, contact me!

Read the article about the top 10 benefits Correct Toes toe spacers.

Head massages are my favorite! Many evenings my husband will give me a two-minute head rub and my whole body reeeelaaaaxeees! My friend shared this photo with me last year and I have been meaning to post it. I thought she was getting a head massage any way she could!

Use your muscles to transport yourself! And if you over-do it, come get a massage!

If you hadn’t heard, the United Nations recently designated June 3, 2018, as the inaugural World Bicycle Day. They declared the bicycle a simple, affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly means of transportation. It is a symbol of sustainable transportation.

Here are a few health benefits to biking:

• Improved mood and reduced stress. A small Canadian study published last year found that cycling to work can help get your day off to a better start, with those who commuted to work on their bike arriving in a better mood and with a lower level of stress than those who took the car.
• It can help keep off extra weight. UK researchers who compared the daily modes of transport of nearly 150,000 participants found that cycling was one of the most effective forms of exercise for keeping trim and losing weight and was even more effective than walking.
• A lower risk of heart disease. UK research published earlier this year found that cycling or walking to work could help cut the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) or stroke.
• Reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes. A large-scale study carried out by the University of Southern Denmark found that cycling can help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
• It is fun! And it is good for you and for our planet!