Newsletter 28

Asking for What You Want

Do you remember....In the previous newsletter I encouraged you to tell people what you wanted, arguing that the more people who know about it, the more likely your wishes are to be satisfied. We had this email in from Eleanora Lawson. "My husband and I tried to convert the loft space we have on top of hour heads, for two years now. We had problems and delay along the way.
Fortunately it didn't cause too much stress but it's something that we really wanted and need done!!!!   During this two years we where able to receive permission and everything, we where just missing the right construction company to come along. And it did! Just after that e-mail where I shared with you my dream of having more living space!!! So thank you for allowing the energy to flow!" Others on the list...... 
- I want a garden and a dog


- to succeed as a massage therapist and have a popular wellness centre in the north London area


- to be able to earn and make a living out of my passion and business idea


- a baby


- the best for the people I love, and for my husband to find a more supportive team to work with and a better environment to be in


- the all word to experience the positive benefits of touch. The all word experiencing the power of nurturing touch since young age!


What's on your list?

A Tasty Experiment

Last month I participated in a collective tasty experiment. I was invited to be part of a recipe exchange concept. I received an email from a friend who, like me loves cooking and was asked to send a quick and easy recipe that didn't contain rare ingredients to the person whose name as first on the list. The recipe was preferably one you know by heart so you could type it out there and then and one you could make when you are short of time. After you send your recipe to the person in position 1, and only to that person, you move yourself into position two (the send-ee to position one) and then you email 20 friends asking them to do the same, and so on.


In theory you should receive 36 recipes in a relatively short amount of time, perhaps from someone you don't know depending on how wide the circle has gone, but I waited, and waited.........still waiting......! But hey ho, it was worth a try and I hope my recipient enjoyed my recipe -
- Take 4 x good sized pork chops (1 per person)
- 2 x 400g tins of cannellini/or butter beans
- 250g of fresh smoked bacon bits (lardons in French!)
- several sprigs of fresh thyme
- salt & pepper
- Season your pork chops with salt, pepper and some of the thyme leaves. Grill your pork chops until cooked (!) and a little crispy ( between 5-7mins each side depending on their side)
- Mean while, in a dry pan, fry off your lardons on a medium heat until just golden (no extra oil needed). Once golden add your 2 cans of cannellini beans and the rest of the fresh tyhme, stir occasionally and continue to cook whilst the pork is cooking and resting.The beans should begin to take on a creamy look/consistancy - this is when you know they're good.
- When your chops are cooked, leave them to rest for 5 mins but keep the fat and the juices collected to one side as at the last minute add the pork juices/fat to the beans and stir in for a further 1 minute. then Voila! Ready to serve it all.


For a lower fat version, you don't need to add the pork juices/fat, but this can make all the difference between good and great : )

Mechanical Massage

Also last month, loads of you loved the link to the massage tools that we included. So, for those of you who took the plunge and popped your 'tool cherry' and even those of you who'd like to be re-inspired and give your hands and thumbs a break, perhaps our Mechanical Massagearticle will be just the thing!

Scary Scapula Stuff

Did any of you see that photo of Heather Mills next to an image of her fractured scapula? She hit a plastic pole during slalom training and a massive chunk fractured off her lateral border, for which she apparently does not need any surgery. I'm curious to know how the rehabilitation for that goes.

Rhomboid Pain

Interested in rhomboid pain on the medial border of the scapula? This is the article I'm always on about Cervical Diskography: A Contribution to the Etiology and Mechanism of Neck, Shoulder and Arm Pain by Ralph B. Cloward (Submitted for publication January 20, 1959, revised May 15, 1959). Now you have the link so can download the whole article for free! Thank you Mr Cloward!

Travels in Thailand

In early May I returned from 15 days trekking, riding elephants, washing elephants, zip wiring, rafting, abseiling, snorkeling, swimming, mountain biking, riding the sky train, riding the Bangkok-Chang Mai sleeper train, long massages, slow walks, sitting in a swing seat watching the waves lap the shore whilst sipping something red with glacé cherries, the like of which have been banned in Europe for the last 10 years.


At Kanchanoburi we visited the Bridge on the River Kwai and then walked a little of the Hellfire Pass. It was incredibly hot, hardly any visitors, and under large leaved tropical trees the air still and silent at The Pass itself. Lizards fixed to rocks. The snap of occasional twig. I thought about the men who had died here in such extreme conditions, trying to hew rock in this humidity. On return to London I immediately bought a copy of The Railway Man by POW survivor Eric Lomax and read it in two sittings.In Bangkok I took Jake walking an old railway line. 'That's the slums' said our guide without looking up. Obviously off the tourist track and quite disinteresting to someone who prefers to show visitors the Royal Palaces. Under the flyover a woman had set up a 'cafe', four tables covered in vinyl tablecloths at which a few people were eating. As I stepped from one sleeper to another I felt immense appreciation for living a world away from this. 'Imagine that when you come home from school you come home to live here,' I said, 'you sleep in a home made from cardboard boxes.' People were washing themselves and hanging out washing, had pet dogs and were cooking and eating by the track. A group of elderly ladies laughed as they played cards. I smiled and said 'hello' to everyone and most smiled back, our shirts wet through with sweat. Jake was sullen, trying hard to mask his irritability. 'I bet no other mums make their kids do this,' he said with forced resignation.

Turning Things to Your Advantage

When the Waldorf Astoria Hotel started excavating part of Syon Park in order to build a new hotel there last year, the remains of an entire Roman village were unearthed, including pottery, coins and even human skeletons. Work on the hotel was halted whilst archaeologists were called in to help excavate the remains properly and transport them to the London Museum. One might think that this was something of a spanner in the works for the Waldorf construction team, but instead of looking on the negative side - delays in building and the need to reschedule - the hoteliers instead focused on how to turn this unexpected discovery to their advantage and have chosen to incorporate some of the Roman heritage into the hotel itself. There's a lesson here for us all. Instead of asking, "what's difficult and challenging about this?" why not turn things around and ask, "what's great about this? How can I turn this to my advantage?"

Forthcoming Workshops

More great days in July & August:
// July 26th, Postural Assessment


// July 27th & 28th, Common Back & Neck Conditions
// Aug 13th, How to Treat the Cervical Spine with Cameron Reid, osteopath
// Aug 21st, Client Rehab Using Foam Rollers with Jay Proven, sports massage practitioner, sports rehabilitator and Personal Trainer
// Sept 2nd, Day in the Dissection Lab

The Psychology of it all

Fab therapist and ultra runner Sarah Hutton told us about her latest conquest and in her own words “It may help therapists appreciate the (ultra)runners mentality :-)”
I ran 100 miles before my legs entirely seized up. Very disappointing but it had got to the stage where I could not walk up or down slopes - not even if I tred to walk backwards or sideways! I've been turbo training on my bike for the last 4 days as well as doing lots of stretching. I went for my first "walk/run" today, 8 days after the canal race and managed to run about 1.5miles out of the 3. At least I know which muscles need immediate attention when I go for my sports massage on Friday Last time I finished the race it took me a month to get back running so I'm quite pleased with managing a little run this morning.  My next race is either 70miles or 105miles in August, so I need to get back up and running asap!


100miles is a long way but it was also a failure since I didn't make it to the finish :-( Weird thinking of 100miles as a failure! I simply had a very bad race day despite perfect prep and taper. By the end of my race pain/discomfort levels were on a 9/10 (where 10= childbirth maybe) and I was hyperventilating and talking to myself to keep going. Talk about flogging a dead horse though! But despite that here I am looking forward to my next looooong run. Luckily I know a good sports therapist I can do swapsies with - my legs need a good flush out and my right hip a good stretch. Not sure DTM would be a help at this stage!


Hope your adductors are up to your next martial arts class! I would say don't over do it, but that might be a case of pot and kettle.
Warm wishes


Sarah

Thinking Outside the (shoe) Box

I was interested to read in an article in Metro (April 11th) that shoppers were being offered a £100 shopping voucher for turning up in their underwear at a particular shopping mal here in the UK. The article showed two almost naked svelte young women examining shoes in a shoe shop. I'm not saying that I approve of schemes to promote women roaming around in their underwear (although one assumes the offer was made to male shoppers also) yet I cannot help but think this may have attracted more (clothed) shoppers, arriving out of pure curiosity. I know that I for one am curious to know how many people turned up in their boxer shorts and lingerie to get their £100. Whether this tactic increased overall male sales we don't know. Yet it's a good example of marketers thinking outside the box. If you were thinking outside the box, what ideas would you offer to increase sales of your products and services?

Following Your Passion

Talking of shopping, did anyone see that Mary Portas, popularly described as Queen of Shops, has been appointed by the government to investigate the causes of our disappearing independent shops on the high street. Criticized by some as being anti-department store, and not the right person for such an important role, what this appointment demonstated for me, was that if you are passionate about something you cannot help being drawn towards it. An investigative number-crunching researcher could have been appointed, yet I can think of few people with more energy and enthusiasm about investigating this subject than Ms Portas. What are you passionate about? Are you doing it and if not, why not?

Things we Think You'd Like

// I make a point of keeping free newspapers and magazines and reading them whilst dog walking. I regularly find interesting articles which are thought provoking or useful. Occassionally I come across something special. I recently came across an absolute gem of free information. It was in a free magazine called Cygnus Review. I don't know how I got but inside found a great article by Carol Martin in which she lists 7 ways to attract clients. Here I came across How to be a Successful Therapist: A Guide to Starting and Running Your Own Complementary Therapy Business which lead me to find A Guide to Starting your own Complementary Therapy Practice: A Manual for the Complementary Healthcare Profession Happy reading! // Faye Dawson has 5 spaces left to work offering quick 10 minute massages over the clothes, with the client sitting on a simple fold-up stool to the public and VIP guests at Relentless NASS Festival Weekender. It’s a 3-day action sports and music festival - Friday 8th to Sunday 10th July at Bath and West Showground (it is camping!). Arena opening times are 10:00am until 3:00am (apart from Sunday, when the Arena closes at 8:00pm). For more infomation please email Fiona onfaye@4wellbeing.org.uk or call her on 07827 960 134. I hope to work with you at the festival, where we can work hard and have a lot of fun! Faye Dawson // Nash College in Croydon are looking for a physiotherapy assistant. Thought some of our readers might be interested if you can squeeze it into the newsletter. Closing date 30th June. To request an application pack please call 020 8315 4805 (4800 for main reception) or email: admin@nash.livability.org.uk // Check Out Timber Wharf Time Bank Another great website to trade your skills and time rather than your money! // Another great websiteTerra Rosa featuring this great article on fascia // Pilates instructor Sue Cubitt of Passion4Fitness sent us this great link to a website devoted to locating trigger points // This year the British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences Conference explores fatigue, a debilitatig symptom limiting performance in many athletes. The conference is on 6-8th Sept, in Essex.