Magnesium

Sleep is often underrated, yet most of us who don’t sleep well, crave sleep! Why is that? If you aren’t making sleep a priority then you may be damaging your health more than you know.

 

A good quality night’s sleep will determine the quality of not only your health but your career and relationships. Poor quality sleep may also cause:

 

  • Difficulty losing weight

  • Overeating

  • Plateau or decline in athletic performance

  • Lack of concentration

  • Lack of motivation

  • Low mood and energy levels

  • Increase risk to heart disease, stroke, Type 2 Diabetes

  • Decreased immune system

 

It may be frustrating to some when they don’t even know the reason behind their poor quality sleep. Here’s a few tips on how to get the most out of your important down-time:

 

  1. ENVIRONMENT & TEMPERATURE:

    • Creating a cool, dark, quiet space to sleep is extremely important

    • COOL: the National Sleep Foundation recommends 15-20 degrees Celcius (60-67F) for optimal sleep.Keep your room temperature cool and adjust blankets around it for comfort.

    • DARK: even small amounts of light effects our brains ability to stay asleep. This means any light from your windows or even your electronics can have a profound impact on your sleep. Buying a good quality eye mask (ask me about purchasing these) is important and blackout curtains for your room is recommended.

    • QUIET: in areas where you cannot seem to have complete silence, it is highly recommended to invest in some good quality ear plugs or a white noise app on your phone.

  1. MONITOR YOUR SLEEP:

    • It may be surprising to most people about the quality of sleep they are actually getting. It is important to know how much sleep you are getting on average and be aware of your quality of sleep.

    • A simple sleep app will help you be aware of your sleep patterns

  1. EXERCISE:

    • Your activity levels and quality of movement during the day will determine your quality of sleep at night.

    • Try to keep your exercise to early morning or early afternoon to allow for good quality of sleep.

    • Try not to substitute sleep for exercise – if you want to exercise you are better off going to bed earlier and waking earlier than stressing your body out late at night

  1. SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE:

    • Natural light exposure, particularly in the morning has great brain benefits – it will also regulate your sleep-wake cycle

    • Try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Your body loves to have a regular rhythm.

    • GET ENOUGH SLEEP! The recommendation for sleep duration sits between 7 and 9. Everyone’s sleep needs differ and it may also differ at different points of their life. Use the monitoring of your own sleep cycle to adjust and determine the amount of sleep that is optimal for you.

    • Napping can be beneficial at times, however, try to limit your naps to under 30-60 minutes. Napping for too long will effect your sleep.

  1. STIMULUS:

    • Try to avoid screens at night, if you must use screens limit your blue light exposure

    • “Blue light is a colour in the “visible light spectrum” that can be seen by the human eye.Blue light has a wavelength of between approximately 380nm and 500nm; making it one of the shortest, highest-energy wavelengths” – Blue Light Exposed

    • Turn off your electronics, dim your screens if possible (if you really want to reduce blue light set night shift on your phone – check Neurohacker Collective’s post on how to do so), invest in anti-blue light glasses if avoiding screen time is not possible

    • Avoid caffeine (4-6 hours) and alcohol (2 hours) before bed. Often people who can have a coffee and fall straight asleep say “coffee doesn’t affect me”. I challenge you to monitor your sleep with and without coffee after 12pm. Let me know how you go!

  1. ROUTINE:

    • Just as it is important to got to bed and wake up at the same time each day for your quality sleep, it is equally important to have a settling routine before bed.

    • Plan your next day, read a book or have a bath before bed.

    • Avoid social media, this may cause more stress for your sleep!

If you have:

  • ongoing persistent pain

  • a decline or plateau in your cognitive function

  • a decline or plateau in athletic performance

 

Then commit to introducing ONE of these tips into your life. Begin with SMALL changes and implement these tips for a few months to get your sleep back on track. Slowly introduce changes each week but don’t overload yourself. It’s hard for us to know how good we can really feel when we have never felt it. Commit to 30 days of improving your sleep and notice the change in your business, your relationships and your workouts!

Is Poor Sleep Impacting Your Success?

Sleep is often underrated, yet most of us who don’t sleep well, crave sleep! Why is that? If you aren’t making sleep a priority then you may be damaging your health more than you know.

 

A good quality night’s sleep will determine the quality of not only your health but your career and relationships. Poor quality sleep may also cause:

 

  • Difficulty losing weight

  • Overeating

  • Plateau or decline in athletic performance

  • Lack of concentration

  • Lack of motivation

  • Low mood and energy levels

  • Increase risk to heart disease, stroke, Type 2 Diabetes

  • Decreased immune system

 

It may be frustrating to some when they don’t even know the reason behind their poor quality sleep. Here’s a few tips on how to get the most out of your important down-time:

 

  1. ENVIRONMENT & TEMPERATURE:

    • Creating a cool, dark, quiet space to sleep is extremely important

    • COOL: the National Sleep Foundation recommends 15-20 degrees Celcius (60-67F) for optimal sleep.Keep your room temperature cool and adjust blankets around it for comfort.

    • DARK: even small amounts of light effects our brains ability to stay asleep. This means any light from your windows or even your electronics can have a profound impact on your sleep. Buying a good quality eye mask (ask me about purchasing these) is important and blackout curtains for your room is recommended.

    • QUIET: in areas where you cannot seem to have complete silence, it is highly recommended to invest in some good quality ear plugs or a white noise app on your phone.

  1. MONITOR YOUR SLEEP:

    • It may be surprising to most people about the quality of sleep they are actually getting. It is important to know how much sleep you are getting on average and be aware of your quality of sleep.

    • A simple sleep app will help you be aware of your sleep patterns

  1. EXERCISE:

    • Your activity levels and quality of movement during the day will determine your quality of sleep at night.

    • Try to keep your exercise to early morning or early afternoon to allow for good quality of sleep.

    • Try not to substitute sleep for exercise – if you want to exercise you are better off going to bed earlier and waking earlier than stressing your body out late at night

  1. SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE:

    • Natural light exposure, particularly in the morning has great brain benefits – it will also regulate your sleep-wake cycle

    • Try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Your body loves to have a regular rhythm.

    • GET ENOUGH SLEEP! The recommendation for sleep duration sits between 7 and 9. Everyone’s sleep needs differ and it may also differ at different points of their life. Use the monitoring of your own sleep cycle to adjust and determine the amount of sleep that is optimal for you.

    • Napping can be beneficial at times, however, try to limit your naps to under 30-60 minutes. Napping for too long will effect your sleep.

  1. STIMULUS:

    • Try to avoid screens at night, if you must use screens limit your blue light exposure

    • “Blue light is a colour in the “visible light spectrum” that can be seen by the human eye.Blue light has a wavelength of between approximately 380nm and 500nm; making it one of the shortest, highest-energy wavelengths” – Blue Light Exposed

    • Turn off your electronics, dim your screens if possible (if you really want to reduce blue light set night shift on your phone – check Neurohacker Collective’s post on how to do so), invest in anti-blue light glasses if avoiding screen time is not possible

    • Avoid caffeine (4-6 hours) and alcohol (2 hours) before bed. Often people who can have a coffee and fall straight asleep say “coffee doesn’t affect me”. I challenge you to monitor your sleep with and without coffee after 12pm. Let me know how you go!

  1. ROUTINE:

    • Just as it is important to got to bed and wake up at the same time each day for your quality sleep, it is equally important to have a settling routine before bed.

    • Plan your next day, read a book or have a bath before bed.

    • Avoid social media, this may cause more stress for your sleep!

If you have:

  • ongoing persistent pain

  • a decline or plateau in your cognitive function

  • a decline or plateau in athletic performance

 

Then commit to introducing ONE of these tips into your life. Begin with SMALL changes and implement these tips for a few months to get your sleep back on track. Slowly introduce changes each week but don’t overload yourself. It’s hard for us to know how good we can really feel when we have never felt it. Commit to 30 days of improving your sleep and notice the change in your business, your relationships and your workouts!

Massage, SI & Your Lymph

Lymph…..It’s a colorless liquid that is the sewage system of your body. It’s primary job is to get rid of cellular waste helping the body heal.

If you have chronic, ongoing pain, you have a lymph issue…

One thing that Lorena and I have in common is we share the passion of helping our clients restore the body back to balance so it can heal itself. We look closely at, and help, the lymphatic system as it is our “sewage system” getting rid of cellular waste. If we get ‘kinks’ in lymphatic sewage pipeline – this waste builds up causing inflammation and pain.

Better lymph flow = better chance of your body healing itself

So, we can do this in different ways. I can help you with Structural Integration (SI) and Lorena with Remedial Massage, including lymphatic drainage. Structural Integration aids with aligning your fascial tissues that wraps pretty much everywhere including nerves, blood vessles, muscles, organs, fat cells and particularly the lymphatic system.
 
As some of you have experienced SI makes you feel “lighter”, “taller”, “softer” and sometimes it can make you feel completely exhausted. This is sometimes your sewage system flowing as it should, eliminating cellular waste that you’ve been holding onto for a long while. But the most important thing SI does, is it gets you breathing more deeply into your diaphragm!
 
Once we are aligned and breathing deeply – we may feel great, but there’s one other thing…in order for the lymph to flow and prevent more of these ‘kinks’ it needs movement! It’s like a pump, and without pressure it doesn’t work as effectively as it should.
 
Here, adding in Lymphatic Massage from Lorena allows for more movement of your lymphatics helping you stay aligned, balanced and restored.
 

I was in pain for a number of years and whilst SI helped me immensely, I still needed that de-stress time and flow that Lorena’s massages provided me with. Combination of both SI & Remedial Massage is a match made in heaven.

It’s not ALL just about preventing that potential hip replacement in the future – it’s about you feeling your absolute BEST in the present moment. I hope we can help get you closer to this feeling.

Have any questions? Get in contact with us!

Sophia x

What No One Tells You About Your Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain is very rarely a shoulder problem. Persistent shoulder pain or injuries could be a sign of a postural imbalance throughout your rib cage, pelvis or even feet!Your body does not work particular parts in isolation. When we have a restriction in the ankle joint we may see issues such as pain higher up the body. Similarly if there is restrictions of movement in the neck, we may see issues in the lower back.

A healthy fascial system distributes load throughout the entirety of the system. Prolonged exposure to stress from your job, type of exercise, poor posture, relationships or lifestyle choices will cause tension in your body. This tension over time may cause your body to distribute load inefficiently.

A perfect example is sleepy glutes that are a result from prolonged sitting. When you sit on your glutes they become inactive (and usually) and when you stand up and take these sleepy glutes into walking or exercise (particularly lifting weights) your body will start moving differently to compensate that you have no glutes! Your glutes are extremely important for hip stabilisation, without them you become tighter in other places to stabilise effectively. Often times people who move less throughout the day go to the gym and suddenly overload their fascist system and make matters even worse. This build up of stiffness, soreness and lack of natural glute activation can quickly lead to injury.


extreme soreness has become a celebrated experience in our culture, but pain is often an indication that you’ve gone too far, too fast Katy Bowman
When we experience trauma or injury to an area, the body is extremely good at doing whatever it can to keep functioning the best way it knows how. The areas of trauma or injury often become tight and restricted but the rest of your body will compensate. Add in stressors such as your job, relationships and types of exercise, pain can often surface in different areas of your body with no explanation.

Shoulder injuries are often a results of poor postural patterns taken into repetitive movement. Some times we can create change and provide relief by focusing on the shoulder through massage or physio, however, if you are getting treatment for your shoulder injury and your therapist has not looked more globally – you may not see long term results.


Structural Bodywork at Muscle Sense aims at treating your whole body, not just symptoms. Do you want to get back to pain free movements that you love? If your niggling shoulder isn’t getting any better, it might be time to take some time to commit to some different treatment. 

Structural Integration 12-Series

Our therapist Sophia has completed her 31-Day intense training and is now a FULLY qualified Structural Integration Practitioner!

Natalie & Sophia at Anatomy Trains Headquarters in Fremantle, WA.

Natalie & Sophia are the FIRST Structural Integration Practitioners in South Australia!

So what does this mean?

Sophia will now be offering what is known as the Structural Integration 12-Series.

What is STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION?

Structural Integration (SI) is a type of bodywork that aims to improve human biomechanical functioning as a whole rather than treatment of a particular symptom. SI was developed in the mid to late 20th century by the late Ida Rolf. Ida’s ideology was driven by the, belief that due to gravity’s unrelenting force, the human structures (aka fascia) must adapt accordingly throughout the lifecycle. Through Anatomy Trains, Thomas Myers has developed this ideology and created a 12-session protocol (known as a 12 series) of deep, slow fascial & myofascial manipulation.

What is a 12 SERIES?

The 12 Series involves 12 treatments up to 90 minutes involving deep, slow fascial manipulation with movement re-education. Our lifestyle choices from what we eat to how we do or don’t move, determines our postural habits. Sit down all day? Your tissues of your fascial system will adapt to a seated position. Spend most of your day standing? You’ll adapt to a lengthened standing position.

How can SI help you?

Sometimes we can get stuck in our regular postural positions. When we try something new, in a different position, the body is unable to cope and injuries may occur including pain, muscle tears and/or herniated discs. At times these little injuries can lead to chronic pain and become normalized with the explanation I’m just getting old. Our lifestyle, posture, emotions and character as an individual, shape our posture and some postures don’t serve us well.

The SI 12-Series aims to balance the body from the ground up starting with Session 1 that allows lift through the Superficial Front Line. The 2nd and 3rd Sessions balance the Superficial Back Line and the Lateral Lines. Session 4 enters into the lower Deep Front Line. Session 6-8 balance the breath all the way to the neck. From there we continue on to balance the other fascial lines around the breath and the Deep Front Line. The whole entirety of the fascial system is the balanced with session 9, 10 and 12 have a strong integration focus where we integrate the bodywork from previous sessions. SI is refined, intentional touch that may assist the body to move more freely and adapt to different positions.

The 12-Series is an exploration of movement and exploration of self. I want you to experience your body differently and by feeling a sense of openness you may have not felt in a long time!


 

What is Fascia?

Fascia is a complex network of connective tissues that covers every structure in the human body, from muscles and bones to organs and nerves. It plays a crucial role in providing support and stability, allowing us to move freely, and transmitting force throughout the body. However, despite its importance, fascia has often been overlooked by traditional medicine and is only recently beginning to receive the recognition it deserves.


What is Fascia Made Of?

Fascia is composed of collagen fibers, elastin fibers, and a hydrated gel-like substance that helps provide support and flexibility. The fibers are arranged in a web-like structure, with multiple layers working together to create a 3-dimensional network that surrounds and supports every structure in the body.


What Does Fascia Do?
Fascia has several key functions, including:

  1. Providing support and stability: Fascia helps to maintain the shape and stability of structures throughout the body, preventing them from collapsing or shifting out of place.

  2. Allowing movement: Fascia also provides a gliding surface for muscles, allowing them to move smoothly and freely without getting caught on other structures.

  3. Transmitting force: Finally, fascia is also responsible for transmitting force throughout the body, allowing us to move with strength and power.

Why is Fascia Important?

Fascia is important because it helps to maintain the health and function of all the structures in the body. When fascia is healthy, it provides support, stability, and ease of movement, allowing us to perform all of our daily activities without pain or restriction.
 

However, when fascia becomes stiff or restricted, it can lead to pain, decreased range of motion, and poor posture. This is often the result of trauma, injury, or repetitive stress, and can lead to a wide range of conditions, including back pain, neck pain, and headaches.

How to Care for Your Fascia

To keep your fascia healthy and functioning properly, it is important to engage in regular self-care practices, such as:

  1. Movement: Regular exercise and movement, especially low-impact activities like yoga or swimming, can help keep your fascia healthy by improving circulation and flexibility.

  2. Bodywork: bodywork such as myofascial bodywork, physio, massage or chiro can also be helpful in promoting circulation, reducing tension, and restoring mobility to the fascia.

  3. Breathwork: breathing intentionally and regularly, deeply and expansively can be very helpful to keep your fascia open

In conclusion, fascia is a vital component of the human body that plays a crucial role in our health and wellbeing. By understanding its importance and incorporating self-care practices into our daily routines, we can ensure that our fascia stays healthy and functioning properly, allowing us to live a pain-free and active life.

 

As Tom Myers, founder of Anatomy Trains, puts it:

“Are there really 600 muscles? OR only 1 muscle in 600 fascial pockets”

 
This drawing explanation is a great way to look at it:
Treating the Fascia:
When it comes to treatment of the fascia there is ongoing research around what we are actually doing to the fascia to “release” it. “Myofascial release” (myo – muscle, fascial – fascia) is a commonly used term for treatment of the fascia. According to Tom Myers, what appears to be happening is when a trained bodyworker is treating the fascia they are hydrating the fascial tissues. Imagine wetting & ringing out a dry sponge. The sponge goes from dry, brittle & stuck to moist, fluffy & moveable. This often happens in the treatment room with clients who receive fascial treatment; they look & feel taller & more open in their body.
 
It is important to note that treatment of the fascia (Rolfing, Myofascial Release, Structural Integration) is not the same as massage: Deep Tissue or Trigger Point therapy. Whilst the fascia is being touched & moved in massage, if there is no direct intentional connection with the fascia it may remain stuck.
 

Further studies are pointing to fascia being the missing link between a lot of ailments, health conditions, injuries, ongoing chronic pain & getting well. I have been treating the fascial system for over 4 years now and have seen some amazing results from people who have had ongoing issues that wouldn’t go away with physiotherapy, chiropractic or massage. Often times fascial treatment improves the outcomes from these other modalities.

 
A fascial system approach is an all over, holistic body approach. The results are much more long-lasting!
 
Find a Structural Integration Practitioner – Australia – here
 

Find a Structural Integration Practitioner – Worldwide – here

 

Remedial Massage vs Structural Integration, how are they different?

Should you book a Structural Integration or a Remedial session? And what are the differences?

Remedial Massage and Structural Integration are two popular techniques used for addressing pain, tension, and restricted movement in the body. Both techniques aim to improve physical function, reduce pain and discomfort, and enhance overall health and wellbeing. However, there are some key differences between Remedial Massage and Structural Integration that are worth considering when choosing a treatment approach.

 

Remedial Massage is a therapeutic massage technique that focuses on treating specific areas of the body that are experiencing pain or tension. Remedial Massage therapists use a range of techniques, including deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, and myofascial release, to target specific areas of the body and relieve pain and discomfort. Remedial Massage is typically performed on a massage table and is designed to be a more superficial, focused treatment approach.

 

Structural Integration, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive treatment approach that aims to improve the overall alignment and balance of the body. Structural Integration practitioners use techniques such as myofascial release and movement re-education to address the underlying patterns of tension and restrictions in the body. The focus of Structural Integration is on improving the body’s overall posture and alignment, which can lead to reduced pain and improved physical function. Structural Integration typically involves a series of 12 sessions, with each session building upon the previous one to create lasting changes in the body.

 

In conclusion, both Remedial Massage and Structural Integration are effective techniques for addressing pain, tension, and restricted movement in the body. The choice between the two will depend on the individual’s specific needs and goals. If you are looking for a more focused, targeted treatment approach, Remedial Massage may be the best option for you. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a more comprehensive and longer lasting treatment approach that addresses the underlying patterns of tension in the body, Structural Integration may be a better fit. Regardless of the technique you choose, working with a skilled and experienced practitioner is the key to achieving the best possible results.

If you have a shoulder problem, you have a hip problem!

It’s a common misconception that shoulder pain only originates from problems in the shoulder itself. However, many cases of shoulder pain are actually the result of issues in other areas of the body, such as the hips. This connection is due to the interconnected nature of the fascial system, where tightness and imbalances in one area can impact other areas of the body.

 

Here’s how a hip problem can lead to shoulder pain:

 

1. Altered mechanics: If the hips are tight or not functioning properly, this can result in changes to the way we move and put stress on other parts of the body, including the shoulders. For example, tight hips can cause individuals to compensate by using their shoulders more, leading to strain and pain in the shoulder area.

 

2. Referred pain: The hips and shoulders are connected through the nervous system & fascial system, meaning that pain or discomfort in one area can be referred to another. For example, a problem in the hips such as a hip flexor strain can result in referred pain in the shoulder.

 

3. Imbalance: Tightness or imbalances in the hips can also result in imbalances in the shoulder, leading to pain and discomfort.

 
 
 

To address the connection between shoulder pain and hip problems, it’s important to take a holistic approach to treatment that considers the entire body, not just the shoulder. This may include therapy techniques such as myofascial release, breathwork, movement, and exercises to improve hip mobility and stability. Additionally, incorporating self-care practices such as regular exercise and proper posture (movement) can help to prevent and alleviate shoulder pain caused by hip problems.

 

In conclusion, if you’re experiencing shoulder pain, it’s important to consider the possibility that a hip problem may be the root cause. By working with a healthcare professional and taking a holistic approach to treatment, you can address the underlying problem and achieve long-term relief from shoulder pain.

Fascia and Emotional Tension: An Intricate Connection

Ever felt your shoulders creeping up to your ears when you’re under a deadline, or how your body feels heavy after a particularly sad film? 

This isn’t just in your head—it’s your body responding with the help of something called fascia. Picture fascia as a connective weave that weaves in and out of every muscle, ligament and tendon, and supports around every organ. 

Now, our bodies are pretty smart. They remember things, not just in your brain, but all over. When something tough happens, our bodies respond like we’re about to face a grizzly bear, and release a bunch of chemicals (aka hormones). If we don’t shake it off, these can stick around in your fascia, giving you aches and pains that don’t seem to have a cause. 

But don’t worry, there’s good news too. You can help your body let go of these ’emotional hangovers’ through things like myofascial release (a fancy name for a type of movement that targets your fascia), yoga, dancing, or even just taking a moment to breathe deeply. It’s about more than just physical relief – it’s about freeing yourself from the emotional baggage you didn’t even know you were carrying. 

Let’s explore these techniques together in our upcoming blog posts. Stick with us on this journey, as we unveil the secrets of fascia and emotions.

 

Unraveling the Mystery of Fascia: Our Body’s Emotional Archive

In this blog post, I want to explore the depths of fascia and its profound role as our body’s “emotional archive”. Prepare to delve into the science behind fascia’s remarkable ability to store emotional responses and the profound impact it has on our overall well-being.

Fascia, a connective tissue that surrounds and interconnects every muscle, organ, and system in our body, holds more than just a physical function. It is a complex network that plays a crucial role in our emotional experiences and memories.

 

Over the last 7 years of treating fascia in my busy clinic, I have personally seen the impact unresolved emotions have on creating chronic tension in people’s fascial system. And in my own personal experience, I was not able to get true, lasting relief from tension in my body until I was able to physically move and shift the emotions through my body.

 

Our emotional responses are imprinted within the fascial network, creating a living record of our experiences. The body has intricate mechanisms by which fascia communicates with our nervous system, influencing our emotions, stress responses, and even our posture.

 

Research from Bordoni, B., & Marelli, F. in 2017 – Emotions in Motion: Myofascial Interoception explains that fascia is a network of connective tissue that surrounds the body’s structures. It has a profound influence on emotions and can adapt to the body’s needs. This means that emotions can affect the body’s response and posture. The fascia contains receptors that are linked to emotional states. Disorders in the fascia can impact a person’s emotional well-being. This research shows the importance of addressing both physical and emotional needs for overall well-being. The fascia plays a broader role as our body’s emotional archive.

 

I believe there’s a better way to approach mental and emotional health…that is through the body, particularly the fascia. Processing and regulating emotions starts with balancing, opening and freeing the fascia.

 

Want to learn more about ways to regulate your emotions through the body? Join us for our next cohort here!