Blog Archives

Peace and Joy!

12/23/2014

What a great time of year! I hope that your days are full of joy and peace. I thought I'd pass along this little reflection on the idea of peace.

P - Practice Kindness
E - Express Gratitude
A - Act on Your Good Intentions
C - Care for Yourself
E - Enjoy Family and Friends

Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and safe holiday.

Gail Grieger

Staying Well During the Holidays

12/15/2014

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go! If only we stuck to the river and the woods we would be so much healthier. But the truth is that during this hectic holiday season we are in constant contact with the germs and viruses that can make us sick and give us those holiday blues. Our hands are almost like magnets attracting these things. Think about it. Every time we venture out into public to do our shopping our hands touch door handles, ATM machine buttons, elevator buttons, gas pump handles, and the list can go on and on.

So what’s the solution? Exactly what your mother always told you: Always wash your hands! It sounds simple but the truth is that the germs on your hands are the biggest threat to your health. Viruses tend to spread more from hand-to-mouth contact than through airborne droplets.

During cold and flu season (now!) it is best to practice “safe-hands”. Keep sanitizer handy and wash your hands after you have been out in public. This is especially true if you are getting ready to dip your hand into a bowl of peanuts or grab a handful of your favorite fast food sandwich. If you can, wash your hands with soap and water for about 20 seconds before rinsing. (That’ about how long it takes to sing the ABC song or Happy Birthday.)

A few other tips:

Keep up your normal routine. As much as you can, maintain your eating and sleeping routine. During the holidays, most of us tend to sleep less, go to bed later, and eat and drink things that that are not a normal part of our diet. This can throw our body off its normal rhythm and compromise our immune system.

Exercise! Taking the time to get in exercise is most difficult this time of year. If you can’t do your normal workout, at least get in some physical activity. Take a walk, do a few chair or floor exercises, whatever you can, but definitely get the heart rate up in a positive way each day.

Hydrate! I am always harping on this one, but getting plenty of water each day is helpful in so many ways. It helps flush out toxins and reduces that stress on your body and immune system. Soda, alcohol and coffee don’t count in your liquids total! These do not hydrate you. And if you are flying this season, absolutely drink plenty of water while on the plane. You will need at least one glass of water for every hour on the plane – just to stay hydrated!

I hope that you and your family are enjoying this holiday season.

To your health!
Gail Grieger

The Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing

12/1/2014

I often tell my massage clients there are two important ways to improve their health. Dry skin brushing, and drinking between 8-10 glasses of water daily. These two things don together can have a dramatic impact on your overall health.

The combination of dry brushing and getting plenty of water is one of my favorite health tips. It is also one of my favorite beauty tips because it can also improve the health and beauty of your skin. This is sort of a positive one-two punch. The water hydrates and the brushing eliminates. The dry brushing is beneficial in the removal of toxin buildup and cellulite, while offering rejuvenating effects on the nervous system. Dry brushing also stimulates the lymphatic system and enhances blood circulation, which contributes to a healthier immune function. Dry brushing regularly will help prevent dry skin and is a great way to naturally exfoliate the skin, which stimulates skin renewal that is softer to the touch – and all without using any harmful or toxic chemicals.

Did you know . . . Your skin is the largest eliminative organ of your body? But is also assimilates (so what you put ON your skin absorbs INTO your skin). Dry skin brushing reduces the amount of junk that your skin absorbs, which will take some of the stress off your internal elimination organs such as your lungs and kidneys. Dry brushing allows your body to properly eliminate through the newly opened pores as it is meant to do. Because of pollution, poor diets, stress, and lotions we slather on every day, the skin pores become clogged and trap toxins beneath the layers. Millions of dead skin cells build up and trap impurities inside, unnecessarily overworking the other organs. Trapped toxins beneath the skin surface are also what contributes to cellulite. More than one pound of waste products are discharged through the skin every day. If toxins and waste begin to build up in the tissues, then the kidneys and liver cannot properly perform their job, then sooner or later disease will follow.

Some other benefits to regularly dry brushing:

Helps to remove cellulite and dead layer of skin

Promotes a healthy lymphatic system
Contributes to a healthier immune system
Tightens and softens the skin, improving appearance
Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands

As you can see, keeping your skin healthy and well-functioning can be one of the keys to your good health. Skin brushing moves blood and lymph in the body, removes dead skin cells and encourages new cell growth.

Here is the skin brushing technique:

Use a natural bristle brush (not synthetic, as it can scratch the skin).
Make sure your skin is DRY. This is the secret! You want to slough off the dead skin. If you were to stand on a black towel, you would see billons of dead skin cells that you cleansed off your body. This is also called a Naturopathic bath.
I have my clients start on their feet and work up to their heart. Lightly make circular motions. You just want the skin to turn pink and increase lymph movement and circulation. Move up to the sides, back, belly and all the reachable areas. Go gently around the sides, breast area and arm pits as you want to flush the lymph nodes here.
When you get to the limbs, always start at the farthest moving towards the heart. Do hands and arms moving inward, feet and leg moving outward.
You can dry brush before or after a shower, or before you get dressed in the morning. The time of day doesn’t matter, but try to do it at about the same time each day.

Dry brush once each day and drink plenty of water and you will be healthier! It will stimulate natural oils to the skin surface. No more alligator skin. No more need for lotion to soften the skin!

A few closing tips . . .

Helpful Tip #1: When dry skin brushing is done before a bath, be cautious of the oils or bath soap that you use in your bath. Your dead skin cells are sloughed off, so you are ready to absorb nutrients! This is one of the best times to use essential oils. Add a few drops of a pure, plant-based essential oil and it will be gently absorbed. (If you are applying essential oils directly to your skin after a shower or bath, make sure to mix them with a carrier oil-and go lightly.)

Helpful Tip #2: The absorption of oils on brushed and cleansed skin is very quick. Therefore, make sure to choose your oils wisely! For example, peppermint oil on cleansed pores can give you the chills. You can also absorb the bad ingredients more easily, so be cautious not to use a chemically-laden formula or anything with mineral oil. It is always best to stick to the healing essential oils that are made with pure and natural ingredients. (If you want to learn more about essential oils or sample the oils I keep on hand at Touch for Life, let me know.)

Helpful Tip #3: To break down cellulite, dry brush the cellulite areas for about five to ten minutes, twice per day. Only do as much as your skin will tolerate, being careful not to apply too much pressure until your skin gets used to the constant attention. This is a slow process and may take as much as four or five months to achieve significant results, but consistent daily brushing of cellulite areas will help dissolve the cellulite.

Last thought – in the cold of winter it is sometimes hard to remember to drink the 8 – 10 glasses of water. The combination of the water and the dry brushing will give you the best results, so make it a point to hydrate every day.

To your health!
Gail Grieger

PS. Don’t forget to stop by the Christmas Open House at Touch for Life this Wednesday, December 3rd, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM.

Welcome to my Blog!

Thanks for checking out my blog. I have had a life-long interest in all things related to health and wellness, which is part of the reason I became a massage therapist. I am constantly on a mission to increase my knowledge and I like to share what I learn with others. My hope is that these posts will be interesting and provide you with information and tips that can improve your health. If I can ever answer a question or if you think you might benefit from therapeutic massage, please give me a call or send me a note.

Gail Grieger, CMT, CFH

Peace and Joy!

Staying Well During the Holidays

The Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing

Welcome to my Blog!

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