How to Get Kids Involved in a Healthy Lifestyle

In today’s world, it’s easy for kids to stay sedentary and content with whatever lifestyle you can provide them. And given the choice between exercise and healthy eating versus devices and junk food, most of us can predict which one kids favour.

So, when you’re biting the bullet and diving into healthy living, or if you’re simply trying to get kids out of the house and into their health, how do you motivate and entice them to get involved?

Make moving fun

“Do you want to go for a 5km run?” vs “Want to kick a football in the park?”
Some kids might love the idea of just running, but a lot of kids need a fun environment for exercise to hide in. Playing a sport or an outdoor family game is a great way for everyone to get up and moving, and you get to spend quality time with each other – win-win!

Remove temptation

Sometimes it can seem like kids have superhuman hearing or a sixth sense for when there’s junk food around in the house, no matter how high you hide it, or how deep you bury it. Once they know it’s there, it’s game on. The same also might be said for your level of temptation. The best way to attack a risk head on is to eliminate it. Get rid of any unhealthy snacks and food in the house, and replace it with fruits, nuts, or other healthy alternatives. There will be some inevitable resistance, but they’ll eat it when they’re hungry enough and will learn to love it.

Set limits on screen time

Small doses of screen time for kids can be a good source of entertainment, education, and even rest for parents. But it can be easy for one hour to turn into four, and next thing you know, the whole day has been spent sedentary in front of a screen. Set reasonable limits for your kids (and yourself) and make sure you’re firm with them. There are plenty of great activities that don’t require screens, and you’ll spend more time as a family unit doing those things.

Healthy doesn’t mean bland

When kids (and even adults) are presented with the idea of healthy food, images of boiled veg and plain proteins flood the senses and the moaning and groaning starts. Fortunately, the internet has opened a world of healthy recipes packed with flavour that you can promise your kids won’t taste like cardboard. Sacrificing calories doesn’t mean sacrificing flavour. Show them what delicious and healthy food can look like. If that doesn’t work, don’t mention the word ‘healthy’ at all and they’ll leap at whatever they’re served.

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Gratefulness in the New Year

Bringing in the New Year can also bring mixed feelings with it.

For some, it’s a time of celebration and anticipation for what the year may bring. For others, it can be a time of reflection on both the ups and downs of what the past year has yielded.

Despite what kind of year you may have had, a positive way to kick things off in the New Year is to find things to be grateful for – and there’s always something!
So, grab a pen and paper, put on your thinking cap, and start finding those positives – small or large.

Here are a few examples you can use to get started.

Something that has positively impacted your life

What positively impacts your life might look different from person to person. It might be that you got a new pet you’ve spent time with, celebrated a new promotion, or started a new sport. Reflect on what has brought positivity to your life – experience, person, or thing – and make sure you keep it going for the New Year.

A challenge you overcame

Life is full of challenges, but it’s also full of strong and resilient people. What’s something you struggled with or a situation you faced that you’re grateful you overcame? You might have mastered a new skill, solved a significant problem, or did something to challenge yourself and succeeded. Bask in that success and be grateful for it.

Connections you made and/or kept

People can have such a great influence on our social, personal, and professional lives. The connections we make – good and bad – all have an impact on our lives and building and maintaining great relationships is always something to be grateful for. The people around us help to shape us, so celebrate those people and their part in your life.

Little things that made you smile

There are lots of a little moments that can happen within an entire year, and when we’re lucky enough, those little things can make us smile. Did you do a good deed that made someone’s day? Did you find the world’s cutest animal and get to pet it? Did you discover the best cuisine you never knew existed? If it made you smile, it’s worth your gratitude.

Things you may have taken for granted

Throughout life’s fast-paced nature, there are a lot of things you may go about your life taking for granted. That might be having somewhere warm to sleep, having a job you love, or simply having the ability to eat three square meals. When you’re struggling for things to be grateful for, strip it back to bare basics to truly take stock of what’s around you.

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How Your Food Might Be Causing Inflammation

Inflammation can be synonymous with frustration. 

It might cause swelling, aching, and joint and muscle aggravation that prevent you from doing regular activities and have you wondering where it’s coming from and why. 

But when inflammation is persistent and doesn’t have an apparent cause, you may need to start paying attention to the food you’re eating. There are good reasons medical professionals don’t recommend high consumptions of certain foods and it’s not all about whether your pants stop fitting! 

Here’s a list of common foods that can cause inflammation in the body. 

Sugar 

Put… the doughnut… down.
It might come as no surprise that garden variety sugars such as sucrose (processed sugar) and high fructose corn syrup (found in a scary number of food items such as soft drinks, chocolate, and sauces) can cause an inflammatory response in our muscles and organs. When we eat sugar, it also goes to our blood stream where the body produces insulin to convert it to energy – too much sugar means your body stores it in your fat cells and leads to those cells enlarging. 

Processed meats 

They may be delicious and convenient, but processed meats such as ham, bacon, cured meats, and sausages all share one inflammatory thing in more abundance than your average meat – advanced glycation end products (AGEs). 

With a controlled and small amount of consumption, your body can naturally deal with and dispose of AGEs. But, when you’re wolfing them down at a higher-than-average pace, they start to build up and your body can’t keep up. When they accumulate at higher levels, they can lead to damaging inflammation and disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney failure, and Alzheimer’s just to name a few. 

Artificial trans fats 

Trans fats can be naturally occurring in some foods, but it’s when those fats are meddled with to make them artificially formed, the trouble can begin. Artificial trans fats are made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, causing it to solidify at room temperature. You’ll find them in common foodstuffs such as margarine, fried foods, baked good such as cakes and pies, and doughs that require refrigeration. 

Trans fats affect your good cholesterol (HDL) by lowering the amount in your body whilst actively raising your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) leading to inflammation in the body that over time can cause serious illness. 

Refined carbohydrates 

Refined carbs have found their way into most household pantries as staple items such as bread, white rice, pastries, pastas, and breakfast cereals. Although they’re not considered potential inflammatory foods in moderation, they’re fast making up a large percentage of the average diet. They’re similar to sugar in that they enter the blood stream and give a quick insulin spike but are stored in fat cells if the body can’t keep up with consumption. 

Is it time to revisit your diet? 

Massage for Inflammation Relief

We hope you found these food-related inflammation sources useful! Although we are focused on massage for pain relief as a business, we understand the importance of overall health for your general wellness! If you’re interested, book a massage today with any of our highly trained therapists at Ogden Massage for Pain Relief!

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Why Dancing is Great for Your Body

For as long as humans have been walking, we’ve been dancing. 

Dance is viewed in many different ways across cultures. It can be part of religious expression, spiritual connection, celebration, self-expression, and performed competitively across nations as we watch in awe and admiration. 

What if a boogie is good for your body? 

It doesn’t have to be strictly a boogie or strictly a ballroom, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that dancing has some great benefits for your body from your muscles to your mental health. 

Dancing helps improve your posture 

Unless you’re into dancing with only one part of your body (which is fine if that’s your thing!), it typically involves the coordination and use of multiple muscles to balance, including your core. Good core strength helps promote good posture and stability, which is great news for your body. 

A lot of dances also require a good deal of flexibility (although you might leave the flips and splits to a few classes in). Flexibility calls for good joint health, and the two feed on each other as you glide your way across the dancefloor. 

Dancing is great cardio 

Both fast and slow-paced dances have the ability to get the heart pumping, which is the goal of a good cardio workout. When your heart gets pumping, your blood gets pumping and carrying oxygen around the body to help lower your blood pressure, strengthen your heart muscle, regulate your blood sugar, improve your mental health and sleep, and helps to maintain or lose weight as you increase in fitness. 

Some people also might find a dance less intimidating than going for a run! 

Dancing is great for your mental health 

Dancing can help improve your mental health in both a psychological and physical way. Through the cardiovascular benefits, it helps to release endorphins (feel-good hormones) which can improve your mood and help fight against anxiety, depression, and memory loss.
Dancing can also give you a confidence boost as you learn a new move or dance style and add to your self-esteem. 

Dancing is a great social connection point for you as you meet new people, learn new things together, and provide a sense of community and belonging which can help combat loneliness and isolation. 

Dancing helps tone your muscles 

A great deal of dances will have you moving most of your major muscle groups from your glutes and legs to your arms and abdomen. The more you use those muscles with regular dancing, the more toned they will become from getting a routine and rhythmic whole-body workout. 

There are a lot of great reasons to make dancing a regular part of your week! 

Massage for Pain Relief

Regular exercise like dancing is fantastic for your overall health. Although we are focused on massage for pain relief as a business, we understand the importance of overall health for your general wellness! If you’re interested, book a massage today with any of our highly trained therapists at Ogden Massage for Pain Relief! 

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The Most Common Skincare Myths

In the last few decades, achieving and maintaining healthy and age-defying skin is being chased by more and more people looking for the holy grail of skincare routines among common skincare myths. 

The market is flooded with products claiming to ‘erase wrinkles’, give you ‘glowing skin’, and shave years off your appearance with various oils, antioxidants, and other secret ingredients that take more time to pronounce than they do to apply. 

Amongst the bustling skincare market are a few myths that have stuck around despite being debunked and have the potential to do more harm to your skin than good. 

Here are some of the most common skincare myths. 

The harder you scrub, the better your skin 

Your skin isn’t into the rough treatment and your skincare routine should involve just the opposite. While exfoliation is great for removing dead skin cells, exfoliating with too much rigour can also irritate the skin and remove healthy layers along with the dead ones. 

Oily skin doesn’t need moisturizer 

Don’t confuse oily skin with well moisturized and hydrated skin. While you might be hesitant to put more moisture onto what you think is already moist skin, but water-based moisturizers don’t add extra oil to the skin and cause irritation. They actually help your skin retain its natural water. 

You can reduce the size of your pores 

There are some products on the market that may shrink your pores temporarily (not without potential side effects), but permanently changing the size of your pores isn’t possible yet. The size of your pores is entirely determined by your genetics, and several things contribute to enlarged pores such as UV damage, hormones, ageing, and the level of oils in your skin at any given time. You can hide them, but you can’t change them. 

Sunscreen is for summer 

UV skin damage can cause a world of hurt for your skin and your health, and yet, most people tend to only reach for the sunscreen on hot and sunny days. Overexposure to UV rays can kill skin cells both on the outer layers and deeper layers of the skin, result in premature aging, and cause other skin irritations that lead to skin cancer. Those UV rays are lurking all year round regardless of the season, making sunscreen your skin’s best friend for every day use. 

Hot water helps open pores to clear them out 

As much as we all love a hot shower, hot water isn’t great for our skin and it doesn’t open our pores to deep clean the impurities. Instead, it can strip away all your skin’s natural oils and defences which leave it open to inflammation, pimples, and redness due to the irritation. Your skin is much happier in lukewarm water where you can gently clean impurities instead of trying to melt them off. 

Massage for Pain Relief

We hope you found these skin care myths useful! Although we are focused on massage for pain relief as a business, we understand the importance of overall health for your general wellness! If you’re interested, book a massage today with any of our highly trained therapists at Ogden Massage for Pain Relief! 

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Referred Pain

What is referred pain in a massage and what does it mean?

Referred Pain can be a very odd sensation – feeling pain in a completely different area to where your massage therapist is working on. 

The feeling of pain radiating through a region of the body instead of a local site is often known as ‘referred pain’, and it can tell your therapist a lot about what’s going on in the body during a massage. 

What are trigger points? 

If you’ve ever had trigger point therapy in a massage, you’ll know the exact moment your therapist finds the right trigger point – it’s usually when you get ready to spring off the table and out the window. 

Trigger points are also commonly referred to as ‘knots’. 

Trigger points are essentially areas in the muscle/body that have become hypertensive and stiffen to restrict movement and attempt to act as a defence against injury and overuse.
When this happens, the constriction on the muscle, blood, and oxygen to the area can send pain signals through the body’s network of nerves and present as referred pain in a different area. 

For example, someone experiencing chronic headaches may actually be referred pain from a trigger point in the shoulders or neck. 

Common trigger point symptoms 

Some of these trigger point symptoms may sound familiar: 

  • You feel a persistent dull aching sensation 
  • There is no clear triggering event for the pain 
  • You can feel the pain radiating and/or moving across a region of your body 
  • You have specific places on your body that are very sensitive to pressure 
  • The pain may subside or feel better with movement and exercise 
  • You may find some relief from the pain by applying heat 

Trigger point massage for referred pain 

Ever noticed that massage therapists have a unique talent in finding that exact spot where all your referred pain seems to stem from? Massage therapy for trigger points works by tracing your referred pain back to the source, then applying compression over a short period of time to release the muscle spasm/contraction of that trigger point. 

Typically, your therapist will hold that compression point (while you’re probably gripping onto the table for dear life) until they feel a change in the tissue. That change is generally the result of the build-up of toxins and tension being released from the area. 

Some causes of activating trigger points and referred pain 

Prevention is always the best cure, and there are a lot of avoidable everyday habits that could be causing referred pain such as: 

  • Lifting your shoulders due to anxiety or stress 
  • Constantly hunching forward and/or looking down at your device for long periods  
  • Awkward lifting 
  • Repetitive movements without breaks or stretching 
  • Poor sitting and standing posture 

Massage for Pain Relief

In addition to proper posture and exercise, regular massage can be a fantastic option to help your muscle repair process. Book today with any of our highly trained therapists at Ogden Massage for Pain Relief! 

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Strengthen your back through your core

How to Strengthen Your Back Through Your Core

It’s a pain shared by 7.5% of the global population (approx. 577 million). Lower back pain (LBP). 

There are a lot of factors that play into an increasing amount of people suffering from LBP such as an aging population, lifestyle changes with each decade, different workplace environments, and increasing BMIs. 

But one LBP preventative that has stood the test of time is through core strengthening.

How the core affects the lower back 

Your core is made up of a large group of muscles that include your abs, obliques (the side of your torso), the muscles that run between your spine, your pelvic floor, hip flexors, and glutes. The core covers a lot more muscles than most people are aware of. 

All these muscle groups wrap around your abdomen and help support your entire body, so if they’re weak, your body relies more heavily on other ligaments and joints to stay supported. This imbalance can usually be linked to LBP and other muscle pains in general. 

Exercises to strengthen your back and core

Planks & side planks
If you’ve ever taken part in personal training or group training before, planks are usually a staple part of a circuit workout.
By supporting your body horizontally from your elbows and toes whilst tucking your pelvis in, your front core muscles (and hip stability during a side plank) activate and strengthen to support your back. 

Abdominal crunches
When people think of ab exercises, they typically think of crunches – and for good reason. Abdominal crunches engage your front abdomen and actively work to strengthen those muscles responsible for a stable core so your body isn’t relying too heavily on other areas that could cause lower back pain. 

Passive core strengthening
You don’t have to be dressed in your workout best to improve your core strength. There are plenty of daily opportunities outside of exercise regimes to practice good core strengthening such as focusing on the way you bend, lift, and sit during a day.

Office work – If your job is desk-bound, set a timer to take regular breaks where you can walk, move, and stretch to avoid muscle atrophy. 

Posture – Be mindful of your posture when you’re standing, sitting, and moving. Engage your core muscles wherever you can to take some of the load off your back, hips, and legs. 

Lifting – Always remember to lift at the knees instead of the waist where you can and take a few seconds to adjust your posture, engage your core, and plan out your movement so you get the best out of your body without causing back pain. 

Massage for Muscle Repair

In addition to proper exercise, regular massage can be a fantastic option to help your muscle repair process. Book today with any of our highly trained therapists at Ogden Massage for Pain Relief! 


Source cited: https://www.apsoc.org.au/PDF/GYAP/2021_GY_About_Back_Pain/FS_1_Global_Year_2021_Global_Burden_of_LBP_Fact_Sheet.pdf 

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Foods That Help Muscle Repair

We make food choices every day that can give us both mental and physical fulfilment whether it be for weight loss, muscle repair & gain, or even that cheat meal we look forward to when we need a little something more. 

Just as we fuel our bodies for the energy and sustenance that we need to kick goals, there are certain types of food that can help fuel muscle recovery and reduce inflammation caused by injury, a physical job, or when you’ve been working hard at the gym. 

Manuka honey 

Delicious, nutritious, and provided by one of nature’s hardest workers. Different to regular honey varieties, manuka honey is mostly produced from the nectar of the manuka bush. Manuka honey is rich in anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals that assist with muscle recovery and reducing inflammation caused by exercise. It’s also delicious and can be prepared in lots of different ways!

Seeds and nuts 

Different seeds and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, chia seeds and linseed are all filled with omega-3 fatty acids and proteins that help you rebuild muscle lost due to injury and reduce inflammation to speed up your recovery time. They’re great as a snack, garnish, or part of a good fat and protein-rich meal. 

Fiber from fruits & vegetables 

If we’re tired, sore, or injured, we tend to move around less and become more immobile which can result in unwanted weight gain and muscle atrophy that will slow down your recovery. Foods full of good fibre generally come from the fruit and vegetable category which help keep you fuller for longer and keep the weight off while you’re recovering. The natural vitamin C, zinc and magnesium that comes from these foods are also essential to muscle recovery, making them an easy choice! 

Greek yoghurt 

Greek yoghurt is a great source of protein, calcium, magnesium and potassium which all contribute to healthy muscle growth and repair. It is also packed with beneficial probiotics which improve gut health and have been shown in studies to assist in minimizing muscle damage. 

Lean meats 

Lean meats such as fish, chicken, turkey and sirloin are rich in essential protein that your body uses to build new muscle cells. Injuries and weight-based exercises can damage tissue your body will then rebuild. The protein found in lean meats helps to fuel your muscle rebuilding while you’re recovering. 

All the above foods work best when they’re part of a regular, healthy diet designed to give your body what it needs to thrive! 

Massage for Muscle Repair

In addition to proper diet, regular massage can be a fantastic option to help your muscle repair process. Book today with any of our highly trained therapists at Ogden Massage for Pain Relief! 

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How the Weather Can Change Your Mood

Are you someone who dreads the icy winds of winter and relishes in the sunshine? Or maybe someone who adores the cold and hides away from the heat? Can the weather change your mood? 

Whichever season you may prefer, the weather can affect your mood more than you realize, making you more or less likely to do things like help others, be social, or even get a date! 

What happens to your mood in the heat?

Warmer, sunny days are often associated with positive experiences such as socializing, weather-dependent outings like a visit to the beach, and the ability to get more things done outdoors giving a sense of achievement and fulfilment. 

But, studies show that rising temperatures and hotter days can actually cause some people to become more aggressive. These studies have found that incidents of aggression such as violent crimes, riots, and even road rage increases during hotter days, and even more so on humid days. 

What happens to your mood in the cold?

SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is a very real thing experienced by hundreds of thousands of people. SAD is a disorder linked with changes in seasons that causes people to experience symptoms of depression in the colder months leading to a decline in mood, motivation, energy levels and general wellbeing. It is thought to happen when there is less of the hormone melatonin (absorbed by sunlight on the skin) and less vitamin D which produces the ‘happy hormone’, serotonin. 

SAD can cause people to: 

  • Lose interest in their usual activities 
  • Sleep more due to a lack of energy 
  • Feel slow, sluggish and agitated 
  • Impede on concentration levels 
  • Experience depressive thoughts 

Although not everyone’s mood in the cold is caused by SAD, there are other factors linked to less positive moods during the cold such as reduced motivation to get outside, socialize, exercise and seek out positive experiences.

A happy medium 

Mild winters and summers that offer some reprieve from extreme heat tend to be the preference for most people. Temperate conditions generally offer more opportunities to get outdoors, explore, engage in physical activity and make the most of the daylight. 

Whatever your weather personality, it’s a great idea to keep mindful and aware of your shifting moods that may be linked to the seasons and get a jump on how you let it affect you.

Change your mood 

A regular massage can also do wonders for your mood, of course. Book one today with any of our highly trained therapists!

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