November is here and the holidays are fast approaching. In this month’s newsletter I will be telling you about a workshop I recently went to that was just amazing. I’ll also be giving you a few easy, healthy comfort food recipes. I have moved the coupons and specials to their own page, just click on the link to the right marked Coupons and Specials. I also want to link you to the office I work in on Tuesdays in Lexington. I would love to see any of you or your friends for whom Lexington might be more convenient. See the link at the left for the details.
Active Isolated Stretching Workshop
October 25th and 26th I was able to get away to Rhode Island for a workshop in Active Isolated Stretching. It was developed by kineseologist Aaron Mattes as a way to improve athletic performance and decrease recovery time from injury. It has shown itself to be a technique with myriad applications, however. The workshop was given by Marjorie Brook who trained and continues to work with Aaron Mattes. She was very informative and I am still processing all of the information given to us!!
AIS uses assisted and self stretching to correct muscle imbalance, injury, and habits of incorrect muscle usage. Let me explain what this means in practical terms. Think about how you reach for an item in your cupboard. Do you keep your shoulder relaxed and reach only with your arm or do you recruit your whole shoulder girdle? Our bodies were designed to move each area independent of the one it is jointed to. So in this case, you should be able to reach up with your arm without lifting your shoulder. When we continually use our body in a way that it was not designed to do, our movement patterns cause restriction in range of motion and recruit other muscles that weren’t designed for the job into that pattern. Eventually, this manifests as poor posture, overuse injuries, or sets the stage for acute injury. AIS seeks to retrain the muscle to remember it’s original purpose, movement and range of motion.
The process of AIS works through 2 avenues-therapist assisted stretching and self-stretching done by the client at home. The homework is very important as it reinforces and deepens the work done in the office. As you become more aware of how you are moving, your body becomes more efficient. Some of the conditions that AIS has been helpful in are frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, injury recovery, improved athletic performance, and it has even had positive effects on Fibromyalgia.
One of the most amazing parts of the workshop was actually not part of the curriculum. Marjorie Brook showed us some techniques for scar tissue release. Most of us have scars but few of us realize the impact that scar tissue has on our bodies and health. One of the students in our class had an abdominal scar from a surgery at 18 months old. This woman had had poor posture during the entire weekend with her whole body slouching to her right side complete with a head tilt to the right. Marjorie began to work on her abdominal scar (which was on the right) and after about 20 minutes, she had the woman stand up. She was standing straight with no head tilt and her abdomen had smoothed before our very eyes!! The mechanics of damage and restriction that scar tissue can cause will probably be in a future newsletter, but I mention this because it is an overlooked cause of many postural and health problems. I want you to know that there is something that can help.
I am very excited to be able to help people in such a concrete way that empowers them to be a part of their healing. AIS is one of those rare additions to massage that allows the client to do this. I will be taking the lower body training in the spring and hope to take more in depth training in scar tissue release.
If this is something that is of interest to you, please let me know. We can add it to a massage therapy session or do a session with a complete upper body AIS protocol.
Comfort Food That’s Good For You!
These 2 recipes are from one of my favorite magazines, Clean Eating. It provides healthy, delicious recipes and nutrition information and best of all, 4 weeks of menus complete with a shopping list!
Curried Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
(from Clean Eating Magazine, Winter 2008)
Ingredients
- 1medium butternut squash
- 1tbsp canola oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 cups water
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds and strings out from the center. Place the squash, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30-45 minutes or until the squash is softened. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool slightly.
- When the squash can be safely handled, scrape the flesh into a bowl. discard the peel.
- In a stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion;cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and cinnamon; cook until fragrant. Add water, reserved squash and apple; cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let soup cool 10 to 15 minutes.
- Using a blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth. For added smoothness, strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer.
Slow Cooker Chestnut Stew
(from Clean Eating Magazine, Winter 2008)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup amarnath flour or flour of your choice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp crumbled dried oregano
- 1 tbsp crumbled dried basil
- 3 lbs. lean, boneless bison or beef, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
- 2 thick carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup steamed chestnuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups water or beef or vegetable stock, low sodium (gluten-free)
Instructions
- In a container with a lid, place flour, sea salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Put the lid on the container and shake. Now add bison or beef to the flour and shake again to coat cach piece. Set aside.
- Heat 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and set over medium heat. Remove the meat cubes from the flour mixture one at a time and place them in the skillet. You may have to brown them in batches. Once the meat is nicely browned, remove from the skillet. Place the meat in the bowl of a slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, mix gently and set to high. Cooked, covered for 6 hours. Serve hot!
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Jennifer
