Experiencing acupuncture

Some days I feel really clumsy. (Prepare for a long story)

Like yesterday, for example. I did my regular (short) set of handstand push-ups and landed a bit off, causing my left glute to crampe up. I tried to shake it off, do some short dynamic stretches but nothing seemed to help. I just had to limp my way out of the gym. Sigh.

I tried to move around at home, but nothing seemed to work. Rotating my hip caused sharp pain in my glute, and the pain kept moving around, up and down my buttock. Sometimes I thought it was the piriformis muscle, other times I thought it was something entirely different. I did a differential diagnosis on it, which was that I'd strained my piriformis muscle together with a deep hip muscle.

Luckily I'd already set up an appointment with my friend  Mikko, whom I visited earlier for thai herbal massage (read about it here). He was supposed to treat my lower back, but since I'm accident prone, he got to treat my hip instead.

I was prepared for acupuncture, but hadn't a clue what it would feel like. I'm not afraid of needles, so the thought of having a few needles stuck in my skin wasn't something I feared, although I wasn't exactly looking forward to it either... Well, anyway. Mikko was really soothing, he explained how it would feel when he inserts the needles and he kept asking me how I felt. I felt surprisingly good.

After locating the strained muscle he showed me where he'd place the needles: two needles on the foramens 1 and 2 of the sacrum, two needles on my left glute and one needle on the back of my foot. ( i.e. Gall Bladder 30, Bladder 54&29&30 and Spleen 4.) I'm surprised that placing the needles didn't hurt. I felt a small pinch when the needle went through my skin, but it didn't feel bad at all.

After a few minutes I felt a somewhat tingling sensation combined with a deep heat coming off the needles. It almost felt like electricity running through my glute and thigh, all the way down to my foot. And that was before adding the heat.

A few minutes after inserting the needles Mikko added a few chinese moxa cones (i.e. small pieces of burning coal) on the needles. Since I had five-centimeter (2-inch) needles in my sacrum and 7,5 cm (3-inch) needles in my glute muscles, the warmth was spreading quite quickly through my tissues. Oh, how good it felt. Weird, but good. The moxa cones burned for ten minutes. When the moxa cones had burned all the way, Mikko took the needles off and I got a chance to move around.

After not being able to walk stairs without limping, or even standing on one leg, anything would be an improvement. Now I can stand on one leg, even jump around a bit without pain. The strain hasn't been cured, but I'm so happy to be pain-free.

Mikko said that I shouldn't do any exercising today or tomorrow (bleh), and I should avoid going to the sauna today, since acupuncture may lower my blood pressure.

Have you ever tried acupuncture? Any experiences you'd like to share?

/Ulrika

Picture source 1 2 

Rest, recovery & relax: Enjoying a Thai herbal massage

Happy Friday, beautiful people!

I hope you've had an awesome week. As always, I've been challenging myself as much as possible - my motto is "try something new every week". I want to keep my body guessing. This week I challenged myself with a lower body plyo circuit (tougher than ever before). I'll reveal my September workout schedule in my next post.

Last week's special treat was a Thai herbal massage at my friend Mikko's physical therapy office in Malmi. Mikko opened his own physical therapy facility last week and I was his guinea pig for one hour on Wednesday. I've never tried Thai massage - especially combined with herbal medicine or heat!

Mikko promised me that the treatment would sooth me to the core. The combination of heat, massage and herbal medicine is claimed to improve circulation, relax sore muscles and ease respiration.

Since I work out like a little maniac, my lower body is constantly sore (especially my hamstrings and calves, I love plyo!) and I find massage really painful. My massage therapist has told me to visit him more frequently on several occations. For some reason, I just can't pick up the phone and make an appointment - why would I want to torture myself and pay for it? You'd think that I would have an issue with flexibility, since my muscles are always sore. I'm hypermobile (over-flexible), a lovely remain from my time as a teeny-weeny ballerina, and I still have "knots" in my muscles. Traditional massage hurts like h*ll, so I usually visit a hot stone massage therapist. The heat, organic oils and massage works best for me. I heard that Thai massage would be something like that - of course I'd give it a try!

The Thai herbal compress balls are steamed, so they're pleasantly hot. I really loved the warm feeling of the fabric against my skin, it wasn't at all burning-hot (like hot stone massage can be). I experienced a deeper heat, it felt like the warmth went straight to my muscles. The combination of the compress balls and extra-virgin coconut oil on my skin was really pleasant, the slight friction of the fabric felt almost like soft exfoliation. The coconut oil left my skin feeling extra soft. What's not to love?

Compared to hot stone massage, my skin wasn't hot afterwards - in fact, it felt pleasantly cool. My skin wasn't at all pink either, even after massaging the muscles. Maybe it's because of the herbs? I don't know, but I liked it a lot more than traditional massage. I imagine that Thai herbal massage works really well during the summer season, because it doesn't leave you feeling hot. I could easily imagine myself getting this treatment on my lunch break and returning to the office as a happy, reborn woman!

 

I got the "Rejuvenating" treatment. The Thai herbal compress balls consist of the following herbs:

Curcuma Longa (turmeric)
Curcuma Zedoaria(turmeric)
Cymbopogon Citrates(lemongrass)
Citrus Hystrix (Kaffir lime)
tamarindus indica (tamarind leaves)
pandanus odorus (pandan leaves)
nibuhria siamensia

I got the treatment for my lower body, so I didn't actually smell the herbs during the treatment. I can imagine that a back or neck massage works as an aromatherapeutic experience as well. I got a whiff of the compress ball after the treatment. I love lemongrass and it's a shame I didn't get a neck (or facial) treatment. Well, maybe it could be my "something new" for next week..? ;)

Sorry international readers, I think Mikko only does these things in his new facility in Helsinki

Mikko's contact info:

Fysioterapia Mikko Utecht

UH & FIX Malmi

Pekanraitti 14

00700 Helsinki

puh 046 810 2070

mikko.utecht@rilaks.fi

http://www.facebook.com/fysioMU

Have a relaxing weekend!

/Ulrika

The start of something new.

Hi and welcome.

I'm so happy that you've taken the time to read my first post. Yay!

In my first post I want to tackle a huge problem: stress. Spring is a stressful season for most of us - getting into shape for the summer isn't easy.

Here are my top 7 tips for de-stressing your body and improving sleep quality:
1. Turn off the TV and computer at least one hour before bedtime. Flashing lights and exciting stuff on the internet won't make you sleep better! If you must watch TV, avoid thrillers and horror bits and focus on comedies instead.
Try creating a routine - you know it's important for children, so why not for adults as well?
2. Make sure you take enough magnesium. Magnesium aids in calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles, which in turn can help you fall asleep - low magnesium levels may cause the release of certain stress hormones in the body, which increase under stress. In short, that means that magnesium deficiency can cause insomnia. Low magnesium levels can also cause muscle cramps, disrupting sleep.
3. Use adaptogens like Rose root, Indian ginseng, Liquorice root, Holy Basil, Maca root.
An adaptogen is a plant based metabolic regulator which helps the human body to "adapt" or to "adjust" to strains and changes of daily living and normalizes the functions of bodily systems. Adaptogens increase the ability of adapting to environmental factors and to avoid damage from such factors. For example, rose root has been shown to significantly regulate sleep disorders and improve sleep quality. Adaptogens help you bounce back from a terrible flu or a killer workout!
I use maca root daily, mixed in my morning smoothie.
4. Cut down on caffeine after 4 pm. Try herbal infusions like rooibos or lemon&ginger infusion. The latter one gives you a perfect sense of warmth, I absolutely love the feeling.
5. If you have trouble falling asleep, try to wind down by stretching, reading a book or writing a diary.
6. Take a look at your workout schedule. Is there too much high paced cardio, too little strength training and no time for a calming workout like yoga, pilates, chiball, asahi or stretching? Is there simply too much of everything? When do you work out, if at all? Do you spend enough time outdoors?
If you need help balancing your workouts, contact a Personal Trainer (PT).
7. The most important one: Think positive! Challenge yourself and stop complaining for a few days. Give your face a workout and smile more! I promise you, this single tip makes the biggest difference.

Which de-stressing method works best for you?

Model: Maija. Pictures taken by me.

I'll take a closer look at a balanced diet and stress in another post.

I'll be happy to answer any of your questions, so go on and post some comments :) Since this is my first post, I really hope to get some ideas and wishes. What do you wish I write about?

Thanks for reading!

/U