Information Every Dieter Needs To Know: Halloween is when the annual holiday weight gain starts.

While the month of December is typically blamed for the season’s holiday weight gain, I’m warning those of you who want to either lose weight or at least not gain weight, to be aware that from Halloween on, if you aren’t making the right choices, the pounds will start to accumulate.

The amount of eats and treats people consume is alarming. One of the main problems is the smaller ‘snack sizes’ that the candy manufacturers have made available. Eating several ‘mini’ chocolate bars is something people see as ‘ok’ because of their smaller size. In other words, it becomes a lot easier to convince yourself to indulge in these gut-swelling goodies and then you end up eating even more than you would if you only had fill-sized candy bars!

Here is one of the most important tips I tell people who want to adopt a more wholistic over-all Wellness: “It is very SIMPLE to lose weight, stay in shape, minimize stress, etc., … But it is not EASY! That means once you have the correct information and know what you need to do to reach your wellness goals, you must continually make the right choices - Even though your moods and circumstance might entice you to do other-wise.”
(This is so important, I encourage you to write my quote down and put it where you will see it every day!)

To Help:
Here are three figure-saving tips I have used with great success with my fitness clients to help them keep the pounds off while still allowing for the occasional Halloween treat during pumpkin season:

1) Workout with Pumpkins: I’ll be posting some photos of these, but it’s easy to get some amazingly fun and effective seasonal fat-loss workouts involving only your body weight and you guessed it… a pumpkin! These high-intensity, metabolism-boosting workouts can take as little as twenty minutes to complete and will have you burning tons of calories during the workouts AND even more calories while you’re resting... because you’ve speeded up your metabolism.

2) Make Healthier Halloween Recipes: Use your favorite recipe or cookbook and find great tasting ways to incorporate or replace another ingredient with pumpkin. It’s easy to add canned pumpkin to soups, breads, dips for parties, and of course pies! Pumpkins are loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

It is imperative to be able to think outside the box by substituting healthier ingredients where possible for a more figure-friendly Halloween without overly sacrificing the taste you crave. (1 cup of cooked (baked or boiled) Pumpkin will be only 49 Calories  but will provide 2 grams of Protein, 12 grams of Carbohydrate, 3 grams of Dietary Fiber and 37mg of Calcium 37 mg.)

3) Use Common Sense:
- Only buy enough candy so that you expect to run out before the evening is over. It’s crucial to weight loss success to not have “trigger” foods lying around – the temptation is often too great.

- Allow yourself just one piece of candy in the morning and then one at night. If you do eat the candy, skip any desserts that you would normally eat after dinner. Also, be sure to increase your exercise activity. If you can fit in thirty minutes more than you usually do on most days you will help prevent the pound-creepage. This will counteract the increase in fat and sugar calories you are consuming.

- Studies show if you have candy sitting in a bowl next to you. You will eat more of it than if you have to get up and walk to get it. So, …keep it far away on someone else’s desk at work.

One of my beliefs is that we must break out of the frustrating emotional eating patterns that sabotage our fat loss efforts during the holidays. Our brains are hard-wired from when we were children to crave the sugar-laded treats that typify the holidays, starting with Halloween all the way through Christmas and New Year’s season. I’m not saying don’t eat any candy or deserts or have your favorite eggnog, but the key is to adopt a healthy lifestyle for long-term success.

Are you’re stuck with not knowing what to do and how to make the right wellness choices regarding any aspect from food to exercise to stress? I can help you.

If you have any secrets that help you get through the holiday season, please leave a comment here on how you plan to get through un-scathed. We all will learn from each other!

P.S. Boo!

I was preparing a presentation entitled 7 Best Tips To Stay Fit At Your Desk.

I will be giving this talk/workshop tomorrow at one of San Francisco's most famous landmarks, the TransAmerica Pyramid Building and it should be a lot of fun!
(If you're working in the building - be sure to come at 11:15!)

I know not all of you can attend, but I realized Everyone could benefit from this information!

I'm getting paid to give this presentation, but since you are reading this blog - you can get the exact same Special Report as my gift.

So, here it is - all you have to do is click this link to download the report for free.
Click Here to Get Your Stay Fit At Work Report

It is simple but effective tips to apply every day.

Now that you have read this report, if you like the information, I would appreciate a comment below and let me know how and what you plan to do differently to stay fit at your desk.

A lot of folks don't know what to do to feel their best ... Do you?

Sometimes it helps to have a trained expert look and listen to you to help you determine the best path to take to help you reach your goals. Consider this free service as your own personal GTS! (Instead of "Global Tracking System" it is "Goal Touchdown System".)

The next time you come to Diamond Massage & Wellness Center for a session, just ask for the (free) Wellness Consultation. You answer the first question which is "What are your goals for the session" and then your therapist will design a comprehensive Wellness Plan to help you reach those goals based on what he or she has found while working with you.

So, for example, if you are coming in to see us for a relaxation massage because you are just too gosh-darned stressed and feel frazzled and tired all the time, your therapist will let you know what you can do to alleviate the symptoms. They will explain some at-home tips, advise how often you should receive massage and for what type and length of session, and they'll provide possibly stretches or other suggestions to receiving your best results.

(Of course they are not doctors so it won't be a prescription, just a recommendation based on their expertise. (Level I therapists are not trained to provide this service and of course if you have an orthopedic condition, you may want to consider seeing me personally for a more comprehensive program.)

So, we invite you to take advantage of this free service we now provide. Before your appointment, just ask for it. (It will just take a few minutes before and after your appointment.)

Call today to set up your next visit with us to reach your wellness goals. 415-921-1290

Do you take care of your body like an Olympic Athlete does?
Maybe not, but could you?
Sure!
You don't need to spend all day in the gym, but you could benefit from incorporating this athlete 'training secret' into your life.

Aside from hard work, dedication and lots of time devoted to perfecting their sport- professional and Olympic athletes understand the importance of taking care of themselves, specifically with massage therapy.  Professional athletes see massage as a regular part of their training regimen and recovery strategy. Massage is incorporated to undo and repair the damage done by pushing their bodies hard, and massage is also used to prevent 'new damage' from occurring.

During the Olympics, the majority of athletes noted they received massage therapy once or twice each week, if not daily.  Off season, most of these athletes also receive a massage at least once each month for maintenance. And then you had people like Michael Phelps who demanded a massage twice a day while he was competing! We aren't suggesting you book a massage that often- but at least once or twice a month minimum will help you reach your best physically, in addition to helping you better handle your mental and emotional stress.

Here are some quotes taken from various sources during the Beijing Olympic Games referring to massage therapy:

Michael Phelps,  Swimmer -  "I have been getting two massages a day and ice baths to help my body recover."

Lolo Jones, Track & Field- "A businessman needs a laptop. Athletes need massages and the right diet."

David Zabriskie, Cyclist - "The biggest thing I do for my back is massage because is was a 60 percent compression fracture and the muscles shortened and everything has to readjust."

Stephanie Brown Trafton, Discus Thrower  -  "I made sure that I had good rest and had massage and ice bath treatments…"

Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor - Beach Volleyball- "Managing the pain with massages and a special tape that is said to increase blood flow, Walsh showed no signs of wear."

Dara Torres, Swimmer-   "…Torres books a massage three times a week…"

Roland Schoeman, Swimmer-  "I am very fortunate to be able to go in and see a massage therapist a couple times a week."

Liu Xiang, Track & Field- "Team doctors found an inflamed hamstring was the cause of the pain and recommended massage therapy and stretching to relax the muscle."

Rebecca Adlington, Swimmer-  "It’s just been about recovering, massage and trying to swim the last race off..."

John Dane III, Sailing- "He also put together a team consisting of a strength coach, a trainer, a massage therapist and three sailing coaches."

Shalane Flanagan- Track & Field- "She self-prescribed a lot of rest, massage, mental preparation and hydration."

David Davies - Gymnastics- "As part of my recovery process since the 1500m final, I’ve had plenty of physio, massages, sleep and grub…"

Sushil Kumar- Wrestler - "…the recovery comes from massages between bouts and after them, to relax the muscles and body."

Yin Jian-  Sailing- "…she had spent every night after racing at the Games on the treatment table undergoing acupuncture and massage for muscle strains. "

Bryan Clay - Decathlete- "A midnight meal of Kobe beef, following a massage and an ice bath Thursday night, helped refresh his body for what turned out to be the most crucial part of the competition on Friday morning."

Jared Tallent- Race Walker- " He had taken until Thursday to recover, spending some time in ice-baths and on the massage table…"

Bob Bowman (Michael Phelps’ trainer) about Michael -" He always has a massage."

Abby Wambach- Soccer -"She undergoes daily massage therapy in an attempt to improve circulation and strengthen her leg muscles while she waits for her fractured shin bone to calcify."

Call us if you have any questions on either regular massage or sport massage at 415-921-1290.

--> If you are athletic, you can benefit from these three types of sport massage: #1. Pre-Event - to prepare your body for the event, #2. Post-Event - to repair the damage done during your event, and #3. Maintenance Massage - to take care of problems, injuries, and myofascial or joint restrictions during your off-time.

Whether you are an Olympic or not, we are available if you need us! http://www.DiamondWellness.com

A lot of people use the term ‘Carpal Tunnel” generically to refer to pain in their wrist-area. But, what the heck is carpal tunnel and do you really have it?

The term actually refers to the space (tunnel) where your tendons and nerves pass through in your wrist, not a dysfunction or disorder. So if you don’t have a carpal tunnel, you’re really in trouble! Add the words Disorder or Dysfunction after Carpal Tunnel to describe the painful condition, Luckily, very few people actually really do have a carpal tunnel dysfunction, most of us have what is called Repetitive Stress Dysfunction or Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI).


What Causes Repetitive Stress Injury?

Problems occur when the carpal space is narrow and the nerves get pinched. Once they are pinched, they swell creating less space, which of course creates more pain and numbness and can possibly lead to weakness and permanent nerve damage. It is a serious condition! I hope you don’t have it.

An RSI is caused when you continuously repeat the exact same movement again and again to the point of it being more than your body can handle. It is an irritation in the muscle, tendon and bursa. Of course some people may tolerate a lot more strain on their body than others by the very nature of how their body is built.

Some common examples of repetitive stress disorders are:

•  Tendonitis
•  Bursitis
•  Tennis Elbow
•  Golf Elbow
•  Trigger Finger
•  Blackberry Thumb

If your continued movement is causing your body strain and stress, your muscles will begin to rebel and try to protect the area through spasming.  First, muscles tighten around the strained area (actually a tiny injury) causing constriction on the nerves, restricting blood to circulate effectively and cause irritation. Your movement patterns begin to be altered due to your pain, and other muscles start to kick in to compensate for your injured area. In addition, scar tissue begins to build up in an attempt to stabilize the in jury, but scar tissue is more rigid then healthy muscle and connective tissue, therefore there is even more restriction in your movement.

Once this irritation starts it just continues again and again, creating the “Pain-Spasm-Pain Cycle” which is extremely difficult to stop.

The two most common types of repetitive stress injury:

1. tendonitis - Tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon
2. bursitis.   - Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa.

How Common Is Repetitive Stress Injury? 
    * The exact number of people with repetitive stress injury is not known.
    * It can occur in both men and women.
    * It usually affects people over the age of 30. However, it can also affect younger people.
    * It is more common in people who have jobs or responsibilities that require repetitive actions or who play a lot of sports.

What Can You Do To Help A Repetitive Stress Injury?

There are three important things you can do to get rid of your RSI.

1. Rest
2. Rest
3. Rest

Seriously, that really is he most important step to take because if you don’t rest the area, it will never have a chance to heal.

4 Other Steps To Take To Repair RSI:

1. Ice – 20 minutes out of every hour to reduce inflammation
2. Oral Anti inflammatory medications such as Ibuprofen, if your stomach can tolerate it.
3. Change or modify your activity to not cause any more strain on your joints.
4.  Myofascial and massage therapy to reduce scar tissue and help realign the fibers of your muscles and connective tissue.

If your condition is very serious you should of course seek medical care.

We Can Help You 3 Ways:

1. In your initial healing phase, we can help you get rid of your pain and help speed the healing of your injury through massage and myofascial therapy, again to help get rid of scar tissue and create a better alignment of muscle and connective tissue fibers.
   
2. Once you are past the acute phase, I can give you some exercises to develop strength and flexibility where needed along with neuromuscular re-education to actually re-train your boy movements to be not only more bio-mechanically correct, but also so you can learn how to move more efficiently (so you won’t get so fatigued at the end of the day)
3. If needed, I can also help you by performing an ergonomic assessment of your work or sport to see how you can improve your environment.
   

Please respond to this blog and let us know if this information helped!

---------------------------------------------------------
Grab Your ".Me" Domain - instead of .com
---------------------------------------------------------

A few days ago, a rare opportunity came up to secure
a new ending that has just come up for domain names.

Instead of .com, .net, .org etc, a highly coveted extension
has just become available.

The country of Montenegro (ME)
agreed to offer their domain name ending in .me to the world.

Anyone can register a .me site and this one has been
highly anticipated due to the desirable domain names
that can be created from it.


The "catches" to this are that it is only available
from Godaddy.com. They cost $20 per year with a 2 year
minimum. (I don't make any money from godaddy if you do this)

There are still some good variations available so you can do one for your business like I did:
www.MassageFor.Me
and
www.TherapyFor.Me

and then just for fun
www.YourGonnaLove.Me!

Haha. (All the best are already taken like Hug.Me, Google.Me, I even looked at DiamondsFor.Me thinking I could keep it for my last name, or maybe DeBeers would offer me $$$ for it, but, alas, it was already gone!

I also got a few I hope, someday will be bought from 'The big guys" like DisneylandFor.Me
since my family just came back from Disneyland last week.

I don't have a particular use in mind but with Godaddy.com you can put up a free "This Domain For sale" page. Its not uncommon to get offers of hundreds or even thousands of dollars for an appealing
domain name. (DISCLAIMER: I'm not a lawyer, financial adviser or business consultant... SO Don't hold it against me if it doesn't happen - that's why it's a gamble. you could lose your $40...or make a lot more!)

$2,750,000 was paid for CreditCards.com in 2004 to someone who had it and obviously the credit card company wanted it! hmm... CreditCardsFor.Me? (already gone!)

TIP: Use your noodle to think up creative ones. You can put "please" or
"now" in front.

So if coach.me was taken, try pleasecoach.me

If you get 5 or more, it's considered bulk, so you'll get free 'Privacy" which means noone will be able to see who registered the name. If you get fewer and don't want to pay for privacy- just know that it can be looked up so be aware if you are using your personal info as the registrar. 

It's easy. Go to www.GoDaddy.com and click on the red link that shows ".Me"
Simply put in your choice and it will tell you if it is taken or available. Do as many as you
can think of, then go to proceed to check out. Godaddy has fabulous phone support if you get stuck or need help once you buy the names. (Note: You don't need hosting or email or anything else, unless you want it!)

Call me crazy! I don't go to Vegas, so this is my $40 gamble! Leave a post below and let me know which ones you were able to secure!

Sometimes we get "stuck" or "forget" to take care of ourselves.

Think back real quick: What was the main reason you first came to see us at Diamond Massage & Wellness Center?

Was it because you had pain somewhere? Were (are?) you under stress and just needed to relax? Did you decide to finally decide to get in better shape and lose some weight through our fitness & nutrition program?

So, tell me,  ...Did you accomplish your original goal? Or have you slipped a little (or a lot?)

No Worry! We have a gift for you, to help you reach your goals. A personalized Wellness Evaluation for 10 of you.

BUT: there are two requirements:
#1. You must have come in for an appointment within 2008.
#2.  Be one of the first 10 people to schedule with me.

This isn't some boring "doctor office" thing ~ Nooo, you and I will sit down and look at:
    a.    What fitness and wellness goals do YOU want to reach?
    b.    Do you need to 'fix' your posture?
    c.    Are you getting "blackberry thumbs"?
    d.    Do you have a recurring chronic pain?
    e.    How stressed are you really?
    f.    Are you at risk for a heart attack?
    g.    Is your strength and flexibility level good for your age and needs?
    h.    Do you fit in regular exercise?
    i.    And, really now...are you skipping meals or is the muffin you had for breakfast the right thing to eat?

If you want to know how you you stack up (and compare yourself to other people your age) ~  call us 415-921-1290 right away so you can be among the 10 people who will get this Wellness Evaluation for free. ($125 value)

I'm happy to offer this to you so you can be your best! Call now to reserve your eval before all 10 are gone.

(Diamond Club Members are always entitled to this service for free as part of your membership!)
Must be redeemed before August 31,2008, no purchase needed!

It was a sad evening last night at our house ... we have two very friendly goldfish that we've had for TWO years now. (My sister just commented last week at Jaycob's 5th birthday party how she couldn't believe we still had these two fish she got from China town for a few bucks!)

I've never had fish before these two and to be honest- didn't really have much interest in them...after all they just swam around, you couldn't pet them or cuddle with them on the couch, so what did they contribute? But I found out these guys, it turned out really were fun to watch.

They would hang out together in the same part of the tank all the time, or one would bump into the other and then run away and they would play 'chase". We had fun watching them and over time I grew to appreciate the simplicity of having fish. (no need to walk them or give them baths!)

But last night one of them (Grace says they have names, but I don't know them...) was just sort of floating on the surface and struggling to breathe. All of a sudden, I went into my "Mom" mode and had to care for my baby (without a name...)

I grabbed our How To Care for Your Goldfish book, but it wasn't much help, so went to good 'ole Google. Yikes, did he (she?) have ICK? Flukes? Velvet??? Never even heard of these conditions! I spent a lot of time reading about what to do and tried a few things, but in the end, the poor little guy/girl was not doing well at all!

What would you have done? (Don't you dare say flush or fry!)

I finally went to bed around midnight and had to wake up at 7:15 this morning to get the kids off to school and me to the gym. In the morning my fishy-child was doing even worse (and I'm sad to say (s)he died this afternoon)

But, even though I was really tired I dragged myself to the gym to get a workout before work. When I coach clients on fitness my philosophy has always been: "even if you don't feel like it, put on your workout clothes and tell yourself you'll do at least 10 minutes. After that, if you're still too tired, you can stop, BUT, if you want to keep going, of course keep going!"

It works! I got through 45 minutes. It may not have been my most stellar performance, but at least I got my butt in gear! 

Now, I want to hear what you do when you're tired but know that you have to get your exercise.  How do you make yourself workout even though you're pooped? Or do you pass on it?

Please take a moment to leave a comment here so we all can share in the helpful tips you have! I look forward to your comments.

Thanks and Stay Well!

Do You Know About Our "We Give Back" Free Massage Program? It is simple!

Each month we sponsor a special group of people and we buy them a FREE MASSAGE, worth up to $50!
This is our way of saying 'Thanks' to the people of San Francisco for helping our business succeed since 1997.
(It is only one of our ways of giving back to the community - see Community Service for more)

--> There are no 'strings'! ... Just a good-'ole free gift! However, since we have already given away over 25 free gifts, we are now offering a 1/2 price massage.

So if you are one of the lucky ones to be a member of this sponsored group - call 415-921-1290 today to reserve your appointment! Click here for all the details for Artists, Musicians and Film Makers (but remember it's half price now)

If you are not a member of Artists, Musicians, and Film Makers group,
 Go here to see if you are in the next group!

To reserve your 1/2 price gift massage (value of $45-$50)- Call today 415-921-1290 before they are gone. Feel free to email a link to this page or tell your friends who qualify, so they can take advantage of our offer!

(If you book an appointment for this, please come back here and comment on how it went for you.~ Thanks!

 As most mothers do- when my two kids asked, I said "All I want as a gift is for you two to not fight or whine and be good listeners" .... I don't think that is too much to ask do you? (If you Don't have kids- you don't know if it is or not, if you Do have kids, you know I am asking the impossible!)

In honor of mother's day, I posted this video of me asking my two kids, Jaycob, age 4 and Grace age 7 what "Massage" is. It is the first in a series called "Wellness Words of Wisdom by Jaycob & Grace".

I think it is pretty funny, but I'm a little biased. I would love to hear if this made you laugh too.
You can post your comments on YouTube or here on this blog.

Click here to view this video on YouTube

Happy Mom's Day to all you moms out there!

This planet would certainly be much more of a mess without your love and care! Go out and have as much fun with your kids as you can no matter if they're young children or adults!