How to Make Massage Affordable

Can regular massage appointments be affordable?

There are little things that you can do each day to add a bit more money into your massage bank. (You do have a massage bank don't you?)  There was a post on facebook that has made its rounds through each massage therapist forum.  It has a picture of a gentleman and says, "Actually, a monthly massage would cost less than a month's worth of your daily $6 a day coffees at Starbucks."

So let's do the math.

Say you purchase one coffee a day, 5 days a week, with 4 weeks in a month.
($6 x 5) x 4 = $120
Wow!  Crazy isn't it!?! That is a 90 minute massage at Melrose Muscle Therapy, and you have money left over.

Now let's say you actually buy your coffee at Dunkin Donuts instead, so it costs a bit less.
($3 x 5) x 4 = $60
That is still a great amount.  Get a half hour massage, and put the rest back into your bank. You can alternate getting a half hour and a one hour massage each month.

 What is another way to find the cash to get a massage?

Do you buy or bring your lunch to work on a regular basis?  If you bring your lunch instead of buying it, you can save at least $8-$15 each day.  Now add that up.
($8 x 3 times a week) x 4 weeks = $96
($15 x 3 times a week) x 4 weeks = $180
Now you are getting it.  Don't you think it is time to start doing something for yourself that makes you feel better?

These are only a couple of examples of how you can find the money to get a monthly massage.  What would you change in your lifestyle in order to get a monthly massage?  Comment below to let me know.

Heart Health Challenge #1 ~ Get Moving

Throughout the month of February (Heart Health Month), Melrose Muscle Therapy will be posting various heart health challenges on their facebook page.  Here is the first one:

Get Moving!

Adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate level activity each day. Children need at least 6o minutes!

If you haven't worked out in a long time, start small and work your way up to 30 minutes each day. 


Here is some information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to find out if your daily activity is moderate:

One way of monitoring physical activity intensity is to determine whether a person's pulse or heart rate is within the target zone during physical activity.
For moderate-intensity physical activity, a person's target heart rate should be 50 to 70% of his or her maximum heart rate. This maximum rate is based on the person's age. An estimate of a person's maximum age-related heart rate can be obtained by subtracting the person's age from 220. For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 - 50 years = 170 beats per minute (bpm). The 50% and 70% levels would be:

• 50% level: 170 x 0.50 = 85 bpm, and
• 70% level: 170 x 0.70 = 119 bpm

Thus, moderate-intensity physical activity for a 50-year-old person will require that the heart rate remains between 85 and 119 bpm during physical activity.

So now that you know how to measure the intensity, let's come up with some exercises you can do.

1. walking - If you are not used to walking, get up and walk to the end of your block, turn around and go back home.  Once this becomes comfortable, go to the next block, and so on and so on.  If you are used to walking, pick up the pace and walk briskly for a while.  See how long you can go to get to 30 minutes.  If you need a break, slow down the pace again.
2. yoga - Try a beginners class at your local yoga studio.
3. hula-hoop - Use a basic hula hoop, and try hooping for 10 minutes.  too easy for you?  Get a weighted hoop.
4. jump rope -
5. play catch - remember when we were little, and we played catch for hours?  try doing it for a small amount of time.  Make sure you don't over do it as your muscles will be sore since we don't typically use our arms in this fashion in day to day life.

What are some activities you can think of that we haven't listed here?  Comment below.

20 Ways to Take a Break

We all need to take a break once in a while from all the stressors we face each day.  Here is a list of ways you can take a break and give yourself a moment to regroup.

20 ways to take a break

1. Focus on your breath
2. Color in a coloring book
3. Stretch
4. Read the comics in the paper
5. Drive to someplace new
6. Pet your dog or cat
7. Listen to some of your favorite relaxing music
8. Go to the park and swing or go down the slide
9. Think about something you are thankful for
10. Turn off the TV and sit in silence
11. Dance
12. Smell some fresh flowers
13. Write a letter to someone
14. Watch a movie short
15. Write in a journal
16. Call someone you haven't heard from in a while
17. Light a candle
18. Go for a walk
19. Grab a hula hoop and hula away
20. Take a short nap

What can you add to this list?

Living Purposefully and Responsibly

Inspiration from a fellow blogger who has been writing about living with a purpose. You can read his posts here.

The idea of living with a purpose, the way I understand it, is to have goals that you are reaching for and striving for each day. Here is my step by step plan on how to live with purpose.

1. Ask yourself what do you want.

Write down your goals. Do you want to go back to school? Do you want to de-stress your life? Do you want to eat healthier? Whatever it is that you want to attain, write it down.

2. Ask yourself what actions are needed to meet your goals.
   Break down your goals into mini attainable goals if needed. Example: If I wanted to write a novel by next year, I would try to write at least a few pages each week, or day. Each month I would a have a goal of having written at least a chapter. So I have goals set for the year, for each month, and each day. Create a schedule for yourself and try to keep to it.

3. Hold yourself accountable.

Understand that you and only you are responsible for your choices and your actions.

Let us know what you are striving for. How will you live with purpose today?

Happy New You!

Its a new year, and many people take this moment as a chance to make a new you.   They work on being a better person (either for others, or for themselves).  When you are responsible for taking care of others, you may forget to take care of yourself.  It is hard to remember that if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to help many others. 

Some New Year's Resolutions:

I will give myself more me time.
I will take the time to relax.
I will take better care of myself.
I will remove a lot of stress in my life, or learn better ways of how to deal with it.

Melrose Muscle Therapy has your Resolution Solution!  Become a happier, calmer person.

Our therapists can teach you stretches to help relieve sore muscles after your massage.  We can teach you different breathing techniques that not only help you to relax, but can assist you in taking a minute for yourself.  With as little as 30 minutes, we can help make your stress disappear - even if only for a little while.  We then give you ideas that you can take home with you, so you have a way to relieve your stress at home, in the office, with the kids...where ever it may be.

So take some time for yourself this year.  And if you break your resolution too soon, just jump right back on and try again.  Read our blog, check out our tips on facebook, sign up for our email list, and make an appointment to visit us.

May 2012 be your year to realize everything is possible!