Touch Yourself!

Not like that, get your mind out of the gutter!!  This is about self massage, and getting in touch with your body.  

Let me start by explaining what led me to explore this topic in the first place. Now maybe I am in the minority on this one, but until about 4 months ago, I rarely ever looked at my body in a full length mirror dressed, let alone naked!  And I certainly never made direct eye contact with my problem areas!  I lived a delusional lifestyle where I got ready for the day in my dimly lit bathroom where the mirror starts at about nipple height.  Being an esthetician forces me to address issues on my face… But what about the rest of my body?  I was laying in bed one morning doing a back exercise from my physical therapist when I reached up and touched the backs of my thighs and literally thought to myself.  “That's not my leg.”  This soft, loose, lumpy, not to mention hairy thing that I was touching was absolutely not my leg!  I’m 34 years old for f***’s sake!  That was it, at that point I decided to commit to daily exercise, daily self massage, and putting a full length mirror in my room!  Of course I wanted to improve these areas of shock, but I also really just wanted to become more in tune with my body.  After joining ClassPass and loving it, I was actually surprised how much I loved the massage portion of my commitment.  

Self-massage has many benefits like improving circulation and immunity, while decreasing stress, tension, and soreness. There are no real rules, so just listen to your body and do what feels good!  I like to start at the top and work my way down. So begin by massaging your scalp using your fingertips. Gently massage your forehead, temples, jaw, and ears.  Move to the back of your neck, and down to your shoulders.  Use your palms to massage the chest and abdomen in a clockwise direction to promote digestion. Massage your hips and your bottom before moving on to your extremities. Here use long strokes on the muscles and circular movements on the joints, moving everything toward your heart. Don't forget your hands and feet, they work harder than any other body part!