It has been an incredible few months for the clinic, we have grown beyond my actual original forecast. but I never take anything for granted and of course you're only as good as your last treatment which brings with it a sense of pressure.

Some of my clients have laughed at my enthusiastic approach for what I do and the information I send them away with, I think at some point this will have to be channelled into an area of training/teaching or I think I could quite simply self-combust.

So what's new?  Well we've all been experimenting with a foam roller, it's seems to have become a stable piece of equipment in the gym, every time I pass through I see someone rolling away on it, pulling that all too familiar pained  face only a roller can bring......shows they are doing it correctly!  I've found them really effective and a lot of my clients have been impressed with the results too.  I try hard to equip each client with a maintenance 'tool kit' when they leave the clinic, something they can dip in to when they are unable to see me or to keep them ticking over between appointments.  This has worked really well for us as a practice.

Taping - My taping skills have become second to none and it would seem the fancier the better!  People love to be taped and again it's something that is really effective.  The tape and I have a love hate relationship at times particularly when it involves taping a less straight forward areas but the results are definitely worth the perseverance.  Of course the designs and colours of tape are becoming gradually more flamboyant, so much so that I will post some piccies in the next few weeks.  One of my clients was so thrilled with her taping or rather the webbing effect I'd created, she announced her husband will simply love it!  Hmmmmmm if sports massage goes tits up for me I could have created myself a new career!

Moog Wax is the new choice of wax in the clinic.....check out their website www.moogwax.co.uk  We've been using it for a couple of months now and it been a real hit with both therapist and client.....inoffensive aroma, great for working with, little residue left and a smell to suit all.  Win/win here.  They are also a lovely company to deal with and orders are received incredibly quickly.

We are all currently exploring the benefits of Magnesium Oil as a recovery aid.  I personally have found this slightly challenging as my directional spraying has been appalling and my advice to anyone who's going to give it a go is, spray it on your hands first then rub it on your skin........I speak from experience of trying to spray it on my hamstrings and misfiring it somewhere else, the 'tingling effect' which is clearly outlined on the bottle, kicked in at full force on the unfortunate place I sprayed it and therefore made for a slightly uncomfortable day at work...............just saying.  It will however, be interesting to see if it does bring any benefits, I've started to use it on my hands post work, anything to relieve these tired mitts will be a welcome relief.

So we push in to Spring with a focus on new techniques to offer clients and the steady growth of the clinic.  I could never have imagined the clinic would take off as it has, I don't want to count my chickens just yet but it certainly shows if you put the work in and are passionate about what you do, then the rewards will slowly start to trickle through, almost always when you least expect it.  I have also been really lucky to have been given some really good advice recently from a friend who is 'super' experienced in this field, I've listened, taken stock and applied my own twist on that advice and I'm incredibly grateful for it, and to them........my clinic is all the better for it.

Oh I feel a little 'Oprah' ending to the blog, I bloody love Oprah and I'm not ashamed who knows it.......brace yourselves it's a classic.......

'I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard and also allowing the energy of the Universe to lead you.'

If you've not already liked our Facebook page, then please do so as we add to it frequently.

A New Year........new beginnings?  Maybe, but I'm not a great believer of New Year, clean slate, resolutions.........I don't want to give up things, I simply won't be doing the things that I don't like and culling anything that doesn't' work....pretty black and white but why complicate matters?  I'd rather have resolutions that encourage me to do more of the things I like, the things that make me laugh and mostly the things that will leave me with good memories.

However, my blog isn't about New Year it's about rehab.  I felt the urge to write a small piece about my rehab journey.  Don't get me wrong. I'm not particularly injured compared to a lot of people but I do think the pieces of the jigsaw are similar on any rehab journey.  I thought I'd share with you a couple of things that have helped me.

1.  Write your progress down - each week keep a diary of what you have achieved in the gym.  All the exercises, the weights, the reps anything that you think might be important.  You may feel like you're not making vast improvements until you're six weeks down the line and you look back at your very first week, the progress will be surprising and motivating.

2.  Change your workout pattern - if you are a regular gym bunny and you've become injured, returning to the gym can be a little daunting particularly if you're used to seeing the same group of people there.  Changing your time slot or day allows you to be more focused on your routine and will enable you to work within your 'rehab' parameter's. 

3.  Regularity - for me I've found that stretching between gym sessions has kept me mobile, alleviated any DOMS and also kept my injury area free from stiffening between sessions.  Band stretching from a rack and foam rolling have been my saviour and I have to admit foam rolling in front of the TV is no hassle at all!

4.  Diet - review your diet, if you're less mobile you are obviously going to have to keep your diet a little more in check.  However, once you're exercise increases you're definitely going to see better results. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

5.  Trainer - Rehab is at times laborious so find someone to workout with.  I don't need someone to workout with all the time but to keep me motivated and to ensure I'm doing my exercises with good form I use a PT instructor once a month and a gym buddy who pushes me to my very limit once a month too.  I'm self-motivate and uncontrollably competitive but having these two people as a support network between the times I see my strength coach has been a perfect plan for me. 

6.  Equipment - check you've the right footwear and if you're a women a good bra (panache underwired sportsbra, on sale at Figleaves is a winner with us girls).

7.  Sports massage - I incorporated a regular sports massage within my weekly exercise rehab plan, every week has not always been a viable option but every other week has been more feasible.  My strength coach worked it in to my plan and I wish more PT trainers would see the benefits of regular sports massage not only for rehab but also for people who are regularly exercising and want to try and stay injury free.

I hope this is a little motivating.......................I've spent weeks lying on a roller, being face down on a mat, hanging from a band...................frustrating and yes laborious but I'm seeing results and that simply makes it all worth while in my eyes.

My promise to blog each month seems to have gone out of the window......however, I'm maintaining every other month so I'm happy with that.  I don't necessarily have writers block, I've always got something to say, I think it's being in the right frame of mind.  What do you blog without saying too much?  Again something I'm guilty of lately.

So what have I been up to over the past few months.................oh ha ha (the slight sound of hysteria seeps through)...well I've moved back to my old clinic finally.  I have the perfect set up of being located within my local gym (see contact details on my website!) I'm a bit like a piece of old furniture at the gym as it's been my local haunt for nearly a decade...ekkkk......it's however been shut for nearly a year to be totally refurbished, it looks amazing.  Steam and sauna room with relaxing lighting, loos that look like something from a day spa, again with very complimentary lighting, light and airy well equipped gym, oh and a separate weight lifiting 'man area', which yes I am frequenting a lot, if not a little too much......well they do have a lot of overuse injuries in there, I'm just offering my professional advice and awareness of the sports and remedial massage service they now have in the gym! 

Rehabilitation has been a hot topic for me over the past 18 months.  I can't say it's been amusing to have suffered an injury.....in fact it's been a total 'ball ache' (obviously I don't have balls, but I'm sure if I did, it's what it would feel like).  Always one to turn a negative into a positive this has been a good lesson to me on how my clients feel when they are battling with an injury.  I'm aware that often a sports and remedial therapist really is their last port of call.  I've sort treatment in an osteopath, chiro,  dry needling, sport and remedial work, physiotherapy and personal training.  So where are we now?  Well I stripped back my thought process and the need to seek more alternative treatments/surgery and looked at what my body was lacking, what it needed to make it strong again.........I sought myself a personal trainer that understood the complications, an excellent physiotherapist and of course a sports therapist.  Every single day, I perform a circuit of exercises specifically for rehabilitation and every week I see the trainer in the gym who is helping me build those areas of weakness.  Why is he so good?  Well he watches my form, stops me going at it like a woman possessed and together we've been able to build a program that works for my capabilities and rehabilitation.........oh yes and we have a triathlon to do middle of next year!!!  It's hard, really hard........I'm a girl of many words, happy to vocalise a little too much a little too often, however he silences me during a workout.......nothing does that other than a workout with Scott, I think it frightened him at first, now he realises I am actually f*&ked (sorry I couldn't find another descriptive word for it).  It's a slow and painstaking process but I'm not a quitter and even the smallest improvements are motivation in themselves.  Rome wasn't built in a day! 

I've taken on the task of treating Catworth Football Club this month.  I attend their training sessions on a Thursday evening and some pre-match sessions.  Once again this has been an eye opening experience.......I'm dubious to share what exactly has made my eyes open so wide, not sure it's appropriate for the blog.........however, moving on, the team are great and easy to work with.  Sports massage is an excellent addition to any local football club, the feedback has been really positive.  Taping has definitely been high on the agenda, it's like a new fashion accessory!

I was asked last week how on earth have I managed to start building a business?  Business plan, hard work, networking and talking to anyone, who I think might be interested in sports and remedial massage!!!  It's about not missing an opportunity.  Network, network, network and then hopefully the business will start to develop.  Nobody really sees what goes on behind the scenes, humping a bench around the counties or even the country, working for free, late nights, all to simply gain experience and get your name out there.  I'm driven, always have been always will be, learning excites me and I'm always looking for the next opportunity or path that will grow my business.  Isn't it  about venturing out of your comfort zone?  Taking a risk?  Maybe it's easier when you suddenly find yourself doing something you love?  If you stick to your gut and values, the path ahead will be the right one.  However, I would like to point out it's not all been plain sailing, I've had a few nightmares along the way but I like to look at these as learning curves, or that's just a fancy name for it!

Music has become a point of conversation in the clinic.  I had no idea I'd have so many 'muso' clients.  We've actually got to the point of some clients requesting playlists when booking an appointment........I'm unsure exactly how this has come about, possibly my own love of music is rubbing off on my clients, whatever it is, it makes for a nice conversation when
treating and I've certainly picked up some new music I'd not heard of.  However, we have had some clangers, of what we could say  'inappropriate tracks' during a treatment whilst the nano has been on shuffle selection, thankfully to the amusement of my clients!  From all the conversations I've had re music, I think it's very easy to conclude, whatever happens in life, music just seems to make it better.

So what next?  Well I've now partnered up with a physiotherapist who will be working out of the clinic when required on referral.  This is a fantastic opportunity for my clients who may need more advanced attention than that of a sports and remedial therapist, it's important to know your limitations!!!  It will obviously be great to also have someone to bounce ideas and questions off.  I will be revisiting my old haunt for more study, more tools in the belt, more techniques to enhance the clients treatment, but that's a while off, we've Halloween and Christmas to get through yet!

Good grief what a few months it's been since I last blogged, firstly I'd vowed to blog at least once a month, and that went out the window and secondly it's possibly been the most challenging few months I've experienced in a long time.  I reframed from blogging as my sense of humour had been temporarily erased.  However, in hindsight the blog would have probably been slightly entertaining!

So we've battled through, exams & assessments, the onslaught of uncontrollable nerves (which led me to experiment in visualisation techniques, calming music, stretches, smelling eucalyptus oil), the heat, (wow it's been hot) and some unexpected new and hopefully long-term friendships.......ta-dah, I'm out the other side, admittedly a little jaded, but in one piece and nothing a little dust down won't sort out.  I said goodbye to college, with a small amount of relief but mainly a sense of excitement of new beginnings.  I've met some really great people along the way and formed some lovely friendships, something that wasn't too difficult as the majority of the time we spent together, it was in a semi-clothed capacity.

In-between all the chaos, an increasingly busy clinic and a job offer, I found myself firing on pretty much all cylinders, so a typical as life is, up popped an opportunity to work with the Northern Ireland Athletics team.  True to form and thanks to my Dad always pushing his daughters to our full capacity, I applied and didn't think for one moment I'd be asked.  Two days later you guessed it, I got the position, I was absolutely thrilled.  A week later, a packed up car and a decent playlist on my nano I was off to North Wales.  Now the M6 isn't the greatest roads at the best of times, but on a Friday, NIGHTMARE.  I left home at 1:30 and arrived 6 hours later.  Fueled by Rowntrees Randoms, coffee and a slightly hoarse voice from the singing that took place during those 6 hours, I arrived in beautiful Wales, slightly wired, but relieved.  Now I've spent time walking in South Wales, the Breacons to be precise, but never experienced the North.  It was simply stunning.  I knew I'd be gutted that my stay was going to be so short.   My host for the evening was perfect, witty & entertaining making my stay incredibly comfortable, so much so it was hard not to stay for another evening and discover the amazing landscapes on the Sunday, or it was the cuppa I was presented with in bed the following morning that possibly swung it, a somewhat rarity when you become a mum and have a toddler that rises at 5 each morning!

So we all arrived ready for action early on Saturday morning.................I had the usual fight with my couch trying to persuade it out the car and then a few witty remarks about the set of wheels I slot my couch in to for ease of transportation......I however had the last laugh as I casually and with ease pulled my couch up a slop without a drop of sweat appearing on my brow!  

The venue was excellent, spacious, undercover and astro-turfed which went down very well with the athletes.  I was handed my very flattering (!), huge Ireland top and thrown in to the midst of the Irish.  I have to admit I was nervous, but the nerves were derived from the the fact I had a job behind a bar in a pub when I was young and we used to have a crowd of Irish jockeys stay, I battled with understanding a word they said, the more I tried to concentrate and watch their lips with the shear determination that I'd not have to say pardon for the third time, the less I understood, it became a standing joke with them, so I knew the pressure was on! 

What we fail to see as members of the public is the' behind the scenes' atmosphere.  The focus each athlete possess in warming up to cooling down.  The psychological stresses prior to their events.  The mindset you have to adopt when treating athletes, the importance of being positive, encouraging, quiet if necessary and in some cases supportive when their event may not have gone quite as they had planned.  Even though the team travel together, they actually don't all know each other, being away from their families and having, in some cases school disrupted,  are all 'big asks' of young adults.  I could only feel a sense of respect for each and everyone of them.  

Taping, stretching, soft tissue release and deep tissue massage were the order of the day.  There was a physiotherapist and osteopath on call for injuries or more complicated cases, it's important to know when to refer a case and not work outside your remit especially when treating elite athletes, with this support team around you your knowledge base quickly expands helping you become a more effective and experienced therapist.

I loved my time at the Celtic games,  the Irish team were fantastic to work for and as ever I learnt so much which puts me on a 'new rung of the ladder' as they say.  I left Wales with the hope of returning again in the not too distant future, hopefully to walk around the beautiful landscape rather than for work.

It's 05:30 on a Sunday morning in June and I'm off to provide massage treatment to competitors at the Blenheim triathlon.  Now I'd like to say it's a lovely warm June morning, but in true British style, the weather is ruddy freezing.......luckily I've packed fleece, fleece blanket, coat and wrap (anyone who knows me will be familiar with my love of wraps, they started off as a chic accessory in my previous life before sport massage, however they are now verging on making me look like a granny, but I can't let go of them, similar to me not being able to let go of my Filofax, but that's another story).

I arrive and park......and here it starts, the constant love hate relationship with my couch.  It slips in the boot like a well behaved child, get to my destination and I literally have to wrestle the bugger out of the boot.  Anyway, a ripped couch cover later we are out, slightly hotter than when we started and to the amusement of the young photographers beside me, we're balanced on a set of trolley wheels and we're off.

The base for today is a nice little marquee situated right next to the finish line.  A team of eight therapists ready to make competitors feel a little bit brighter.

Now this is my first triathlon, but luckily I have collared a triathlete (the lovely Rosie, if you read this 'Big' thank you) who takes me round the course and explains the 'what's and wherefores'.  Blenheim firstly is a stunning setting and (I have to openly admit for, on occasions more reasons that just the obvious) and secondly the atmosphere is quite different from a marathon, it almost feels like a nice 'family' day out.  Competitors are meandering down to the water in their wetsuit attire, families in tow, chatting and laughing, it slightly encapsulates you to the point where You want to dive in to the water and join in too (well nearly but not quite).  Young, old, in the middle of a 'mid life crisis', you name it they were all there, squeezed in to wetsuits ready for the off.  Walking up to the 'transition' area (funny how you catch on to the correct terminology very quickly), there was a whole world of bikes racked up.......hmmmmmmm I could definitely sense an air of 'mine's lighter than yours' amongst the competitors, following the current fashion of owning a white car, it would seem owning a white bike is the order of the day too!

Hot footing it back to the not so glamorous marquee, I'm set up and ready to go.  Pre-massage treatment brings a small group of friends buzzing with an air of competitiveness between them, all with their different strengths in the different disciplines.  They all work together and this triathlon was the 'men from the boys' challenge.  Post-massage surprised me the most; I was presented with happy, enthusiastic, excited competitors, quite different from the competitor who has just completed a marathon.  I was drawn in to this enthusiasm, not that it takes that much for me to be drawn in to things, the air was addictive.

I'm not going to deny the fact that massaging at events, is a long day and when you get home and sit down you realise how exhausted you actually are, but good god it's so true that time flies when you're having fun and just to meet some of the most inspiring people in a short space of time makes the whole thing totally worthwhile.  I love doing events, but then I love people and can talk the hind legs off a donkey, always have, always will.

It's now exactly a week on from Blenheim triathlon.........I'm swimming tomorrow, not quite sure how I'm going to pour my body in to the swim suit I've not put on for nearly 3 years........ohhhhh and I will be having a fitting for a bike in the next couple of weeks too............can you see a pattern emerging here?  Watch this space!

   


  

……So here we are a couple of weeks on from my first blog, I don’t feel quite  so much a virgin anymore!

 Things are progressing at a rapid rate and to be honest the past couple of weeks have been somewhat challenging, but we are out the other side and swiftly moving forward at 100mph.  

Starting a new business is always daunting and if I listened to the majority  of voices around me I wouldn’t do it, however I’ve been lucky in my life to work with some amazing and inspiring people who really are of the attitude ‘just do
it’.  I’d toyed with the idea of a property, I had a vision of what I needed having rented several rooms, one located in a gym and another in a beauty salon (much to the absolute disgust of one of my lecturer’s, who I’ve not been able to
muster up a suitable pseudonym yet, or rather one that I could possibly display on my blog, might be wise to wait till I’ve finished the course), I need flexibility and more importantly a place to dump all my stuff, Veronica the
skeleton (see piccie) was become a too comfortable feature in the house with both friends and family strangely acknowledging her near on ‘real life’ existence, not to mention the love/hate relationship I was developing with my massage couch as I manhandle it in and out of the ruddy car, up and down the stairs.  Anyway, sometimes you can
look too hard and find absolutely nothing and this is how it was starting to feel.  Until one Tuesday morning after a lovely coffee and catch up with my ever loyal friend and business mentor ‘blind boy’, there it was waving at me from
across the street.  Filled with nerves and excitement I logged on to my computer as soon as I got home to find out the necessary details and the damage it was going to do to my bank account………..
 
………here I am now the proud new owner of my first proper business premises, contract signed, deposit paid, paint brushes at the ready, keys handed over next Tuesday.  Pictures will of course follow, maybe a few before and afters may be the order of the day!

Off now to finish these ever long and painful hamstring stretches and attempt some interior design with my 4 year olds assistance.

The start of my ‘blogging journey’…………..here I am Just about to commence a totally new career as a Sports and Remedial Massage Therapist, I could blog about anatomy, rehabilitation plans, MET stretching, but is anyone really
interested in all that?  I’m not one to take myself too seriously, I’ve got to an age where that really isn’t important anymore, I just thought it might be interesting to read about the ups and downs of retraining, sitting in a class room for the first time in over 20 years and finding yourself manhandling strangers in the most peculiar positions (this does have its advantages at time I’m not ashamed to admit).  I will of course be highly professional and never disclose names of clients/friends/family, instead suitable pseudonyms will be created and the rest can be left to your imagination.  Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement to start a blog from my blogging mate Mrs Meaden at themeadenprojectwordpress.com – she has climbed the celeb status in the blogging world so I’m happy to ‘big her up’ and enhance her followers further with a quick mention.  However, I would like to add she wasn’t very complimentary or patient with my skills of setting up a blogging site, in fact she was quite damming of my efforts and used language that no
lady would normally use, sitting at my kitchen table, smelling of eau d’ horse  from the two stables she’d just mucked out, but that’s why I love her and she’s my friend!