STK Art Opeing & Free Coupons

Hello!

This Friday night, 8/31, from 6-9pm I will be handing out 10% coupons during STK art opening for Abby Manock.

Come check out the art and pick-up some coupons for yourself, friends and family!

STK website: http://www.studiostk.com/

See you there!

N.O.W. - Late night eating & weight gain

Is it true that if I eat food late at night I am more likely to gain weight from those calories than if I ate them earlier in the day?

You gain weight when you overeat too much food or calories - period. It does NOT matter when you eat those calories. What matters is how much you eat. Calories are units of energy that come from food. When you consume too many of them, they are then stored as fat. People tend to lose weight when they follow the rule of not eating late at night simply because they are restricting calories. Many times people will eat mindlessly in front of the television to relax or as a way to unwind.

Most of the time people get enough food to sustain their body's requirements through-out the day and the late night snacking ends-up being extra food that is serving more of an emotional than a physical need. The key is to start to listen to your body's needs. Are you truly physically hungry when you start to eat at night, or is there some anxiety, fear or other emotions that are calling to be "fed". Start a food journal and begin to see the patterns of your late night over eating.

In the end, be kind to yourself and create change slowly. If indeed you need a late night treat, eat 1/2 a cup instead of 1/2 a box of ice cream. Make room in your eating plan if you know you just need a treat that night by eating a smaller portion during one of your meals through-out the day. And if you can't eat your dinner until later in the evening from some reason, that is OK. As long as you don't eat more than you need, you won't get fat just because you ate past 6pm.

N.O.W - Pain during massage

Is massage supposed to be painful in order to be truly effective?

Depending on what king of bodywork you choose, there will be varying levels of pressure. In deep tissue your therapist will use a pain scale of 1-10 as an indicator of how deep they are working your tissues. The ideal during a deep tissue session is to achieve a "good hurt", which is usually around a 6-8 on the clients pain scale. The therapist is working to break-up connective and muscle tissue that are adhered from chronic over-usage and body imbalances. Deep tissue is meant to stimulate "therapeutic inflammation", which will create some normal redness and swelling in the area worked-on. This is good. The swelling is due to the attraction of water and lymph to take away waste products dislodge from the recently massaged tissues. Deep tissue or other deep bodywork modalities, if done correctly, stimulate the realignment of soft tissue to a more balanced and healthful state.

The client should always let the therapist know when they are past the "good hurt" and are just plain hurting. Bruising and other soft tissue trauma can result from a therapists heavy hand, not to mention creating anxiety in the client. You can always request softer pressure or a different massage modality so you feel comfortable and relaxed. You know your body the best. Please communicate with your therapist and always feel empowered to find another if your current one is just not working for you.

Introducing N.O.W.

Each week check out WWHP's blog for the N.O.W (News Of the week) posting, which will feature useful information regarding nutrition, bodywork, pregnancy and postpartum issues. Many are posts that will come from questions and concerns of clients, as well as advice that is just good to have.

Feel free to e-mail or blog additional questions or comments for future N.O.W postings.

Vermont Soy

Go to City Market and check-out Vermont Soy soy milk in the refrigerator section. They are a local (Hardwick, VT) company that is creating certified organic soy milk while using ingredients from local farmers. There are a plethora of benefits to consuming soy, especially whole soy foods such as Vermont Soy's product. And the benefits of eating local food are far-reaching through-out our community.

For more on:

Vermont Soy: http://www.vermontsoy.com/

Why eat local: http://www.billmckibben.com/local-economies.html

More on Insurance - Blue Cross Blue Shield

If you weren't aware of it already, as of 2005 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) "...complementary and alternative health care (CAM) services are now available to its members and their families through the health plan's BlueExtras affinity discount program...The addition of CAM services to BlueExtras will also provide BCBSVT members access to AWHN's award-winning online member education site, WholeHealthMD.com, that includes a convenient practitioner search tool. BCBSVT members may access the BCBSVT website, www.bcbsvt.com for information about the BlueExtras program and the selection of offerings available at a discount." Check out the link below for the rest of this article:

http://www.bcbsvt.com/pages/press/release27.html

My name should be listed on WholeHealthMD in the next few weeks. This program allows BCBSVT members to receive CAM complementary and alternative health care) services at a discount. Take advantage of this if you are a member!

Insurance Update

WWHP is now accepting insurance!

The steps you take to get covered by your next appointment (this applies to massage only - not nutrition or doula services)

1. Check to see if your insurance carrier covers massage/bodywork and understand the specifics of when and how they cover such appointments.


2. Get a referral from your PCP (primary care provider). This is usually required by most insurance companies. I have physician referral forms and prescription forms that I can e-mail you to make this step go smoothly

3. Make your appointment

More and more insurance companies are covering massage and bodywork, so check with yours today. Contact me with any questions and concerns. I'd be glad to help you if you feel frustrated or stuck with this process.

Best,
Ania