Welcome to Psoas Massage + Bodywork

Psoas Massage + Bodywork Newsletter

Greetings!

This newsletter is dedicated to fitting health into your busy lives. From stretching and running, to eating well, and finding the time to relax and enjoy life - we have some great ideas and suggestions for you.

In the first article, we share stories from our beloved clients to help you think ways to incorporate stretching into your everyday life. We also have some new videos to share so you can really use this information.

Manuel from MV Nutrition has some healthy snacks to share, and our dedicated running coach, Matt Forsman, helps us to beat off the "Run from Hell."

In addition, just use our name "Psoas" to get some great discounts with our partners and friends :
            -$20 off your first season of Boot Camp with PacWest
            -$10 off registration for the US Half Marathon - SF on 11/1/09
            -2 for 1 wine tasting at V Wine Cellar in Yountville

We at Psoas are so happy to be a part of your health regime. It means a lot to us.

Cheers,
Psoas

The Daily Stretch

Whether driving, sitting at our computers, running, swimming, biking or watching TV - we are constantly forward bending.One of the most important things we can do to help ease the strain of all this forward bending, and find balance in our bodies, is to stretch on a regular basis. A muscle stays healthy by being used, rested, and lengthened; it requires movement to properly function and that movement helps deliver blood, oxygen, and the required nutrients to your muscle tissue.

The top two reasons why my clients don't stretch as much as they should are discomfort or pain during stretching, and lack of time.

First, stretching shouldn't hurt. If there is discomfort, either the stretch isn't being done properly, the stretch is too deep, or the muscle may be injured. How do you know if you are stretching the right way? Any Psoas therapist can show you the best way to stretch.

Finding time to stretch might seem more difficult but if you can figure out how to incorporate simple stretches into your daily routine, you may not need to carve out special time for stretching.

One of my clients, who is a very busy executive came up with an ingenious way to incorporate her calf stretching into her day to fight foot cramps she was having at night. After learning through our bodywork sessions that stretching/lengthening her calf muscles with a gastrocnemius and soleus stretch would help her out, she now does her calf stretches while brushing her teeth in the morning and evening with her Sonicare toothbrush. The Sonicare toothbrush is on a 2 minute cycle changing every 30 seconds so that one can cover the 4 quadrants of the mouth. Perfect! She does a 30 second soleus stretch on each calf and a 30 second gastrocnemius stretch on each calf like the ones illustrated in our stretching guide:
http://www.psoasbodywork.com/stretching/39_soleus.htm
http://www.psoasbodywork.com/stretching/37_gastrocnemius.htm

Another one of my clients recently told me that one way his entire office was trying to stay healthy and less inert was to do group push-ups throughout the day. The office workers sit at computers all day but they are also rock climbers, runners, cyclists, etc... so they are all trying to stay in shape amidst a busy yet static work life. Throughout the day, one person will call out "10," and everyone jumps out of the chair to do 10 push-ups. I love the idea of being directed to move out of your chair and do push-ups at any given time during the day. Yet, while building strength is the goal and likely outcome without extra stretching, the activity won't be as beneficial. When sitting at a computer typing, the pectoralis muscles are engaged and shortened, which pulls the shoulders forward, and the rhomboid muscles in your upper back are lengthened and weakened. The best combination to help balance your body would be stretching the pecs while strengthening the rhomboid muscles in the back.

Click Here for a video on Stretching and Strengthening your Rhomboids

Healthy Snacks and Eating Tips
By: Manuel Villacorta. Owner of MV Nutrition

With our busy lifestyles in this chaotic world, nourishing ourselves may be the last thing on our ever-growing priority list. Living healthy requires careful attention to what and when to eat and MV Nutrition and Nutrition for You highly recommend putting sitting down, tasting, and enjoying meals back at the top of that list. Here are some tips to help you lead healthy lifestyles, keep energy levels high, maintain metabolism, and control hunger during your hectic schedules.

Start your day with breakfast within an hour of waking.
Eat throughout the day (every 3 - 4 hours) and don't skip or delay meals.
Eat 3 square, balanced meals per day.

Sample Breakfast:

½ cup of a high fiber cereal (5g+ of fiber per serving)
2 tbsp flax seed meal
3 ¼ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup of milk (1% or non-fat)

Sample of Healthy Snacks in-between Meals:

A small to medium-sized apple with lite string cheese
Almonds (12) with dried figs (3) or dried apricots (5)
Corn tortilla with melted low-fat cheese
Hummus (1/3 cup) and baby carrots
Ak Mak crackers (4), Jarlsberg lite cheese (2 slices)
Blueberries (3/4 cup) with yogurt (6 ounces)
Fruit salad (1 cup), yogurt (6 ounces) and almonds (6)

Discount: V Wine Cellar

We talk about health a lot here at Psoas, and even though we all know too much alcohol is no good, the peaceful feeling of sitting outside in the clean afternoon air sipping on a fresh, cold glass of a local sparkling wine was the definition of health for me on a recent trip to Wine Country. In the quaint town of Yountville, in the beautiful Napa Valley, is one of our favorite spots, the V Wine Cellar where our friend and owner Scott Lewis has the finest collection and most amazing knowledge of the wines in the area. I think it beats jumping from winery to winery because you can kick back and enjoy all the local wine while still getting the full story from Scott as he has an intimate knowledge of the area. I get so excited about it that I felt it necessary to share this gem of a spot with the Psoas Family.

For the rest of the year, Scott is offering Psoas clients a two for one special on Wine tastings. A tasting comprises of Five Wines varying from light whites to Medium Bodied whites and reds to Heavier reds, and is normally priced at $15 per tasting. So just stroll on in, and let them know you are a Psoas client from San Francisco, and ENJOY.

By Jennifer Lightstone - Red Wine Lover and Co-Owner

PacWest BootCamp - Holiday Season - $20 Off!
October 12th - December 11th

Keep fit and feel great through all the Halloween treats, Thanksgiving leftovers and endless holiday parties.
Workouts are 75min and meet 2-days a week in Downtown SF, Golden Gate Park, Presidio, Dolores Park, as well as programs in Sausalito, San Rafael, Oakland, Danville and Sunnyvale.

Voted Best BootCamp 5-years in a row by Competitor Magazine. Outdoor workouts are perfect for those who want to stay in shape and looking for a gym alternative.

Psoas clients receive special $20 off their first season! When registering online be sure to enter promo code: PSOAS.
Register today at www.pacwestathletics.com

$10 off US Half Marathon - SF

San Francisco has been voted the country's top running city. San Francisco's US Half Marathon embraces this top designation by creating a course that boasts the world's most renowned landmarks, including a roundtrip across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Join us on November 1, 2009 for the event that has been voted Best of the Bay by Competitor Magazine, since 2002.

Psoas Massage + Bodywork is the exclusive Massage team for the US Half Marathon, and will be providing post-run sports massage on after the race.

Use the code "PSOAS" to receive $10 off your entry fee.

Sign up and pay for your pre or post race massages here.

The Run From Hell

Running in hell

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays for the sole reason that the worst horror films on the planet are played for a FULL MONTH. I've talked at length to my therapist about my disturbing taste in films. No progress thus far.

What is much worse than a bad horror film (and there isn't much out there really) is a crappy run or as I like to call it, 'the run from hell'. Don't be coy. You know what I'm talking about. It's that run where you just feel like crap from start to finish. Fatigued, flat, and out of synch are all adjectives consistent with this experience.

What's frequently infuriating about running headlong into 'the run from hell' is that you just can't nail down a reason WHY it's happening! Did I sleep properly? CHECK. Did I eat properly? CHECK. Am I stressed out? NO. So, you're left with a vexing conundrum. WHY was this run so crappy?

Maybe Mercury was in retrograde. Maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe you were just dumped. Maybe you've got a bit of runner's ennui (it can happen to the best of us).

All of the above COULD be true, but chances are it was ultimately NOTHING that caused your 'run from hell' and it's best to let it go. In life, we're always told not to dwell/fixate on the negative. Ascribing all kinds of significance to a single 'run from hell' is the exact same thing. Actually, having one crappy run out of twenty is pretty good odds I'd say.

That being said, if you do find yourself having 'runs from hell' regularly, there are a few things I'd suggest you consider doing-

Do something different. Runners absolutely can be obsessive-compulsive (not that I know from personal experience or anything). You find something that works and you stick with it! This is 'generally' good, but variety is the spice of life and also for running. Run a bit faster than you normally would, run a bit farther than you normally would, or tackle a route you've never tried. I've always found a change of scenery a bit therapeutic.
Back OFF! I meet so many people who overtrain. If you're feeling flat, fatigued, and/or rundown frequently, it's possible you're doing too much. Dial things back a bit on mileage and/or intensity for a few weeks and see if that helps your cause.
Stop Running. I know it's hard for MANY to do, but seriously take a break. Maybe it's a day, a week, whatever. If your running is feeling lackluster and you can't pinpoint what the deal is, give it a rest. Sometimes this is all it takes to rediscover your passion and enthusiasm for the act.

Any or all of the above will likely get you on the road to recovery if your runs are particularly 'hellacious'.

Don't discount shorter days, longer nights, and cooler temperatures (for today at least). This can easily dampen one's enthusiasm to get out and log a few miles.

I have a program launching on Nov.14 (insert reference here-http://tinyurl.com/SB13MM) that is all about rediscovering the runner's high during the winter months. So, if you are suffering from regular 'runs from hell' (no smart remarks!), consider joining us!

If you have any questions/concerns regarding the above (or anything else vaguely running related), feel free to drop me a line at

MARATHONMATT@MARATHONMATT.COM

WWW.TWITTER.COM/262MATT
WWW.MARATHONMATT.COM

October 2009