I need to kick myself into gear. I have been so complacent for awhile, resting comfortably (and a little flabbily) on my plateau that I need to shake out of it if I am ever going to reach my goal. I have tried large bribes to reach the end result (and you'll have noticed, I still haven't made it to one of the lunches in Seattle) and I've tried small changes (how many times has my ticker been reset? I've lost count).So yet again, I'm going to try bribing myself on a smaller scale. I love getting massages and I live very close to a massage training school which has its own (surprisingly nice) affordable day spa. So even though it feels really indulgent and a little spoiled, from here on out I will be getting a massage every time I hit a milestone. My chosen milestones are the 5s and 0s - when I make it back to 170, 165, 160, etc., massage time for me - in the hopes that smaller and more frequent rewards will really keep me motivated. At the moment, I have 2.5 pounds to go before the first of my reward massages.
Thanks for the idea, Jules. You'll get the credit if this is the road to fitness, I'll take the blame if it's just the road to dissipation. Either way though, I should end up skinny and relaxed! :)
Lisa
11 comments:
Besides relaxation, the massages provide a valuable service for getting the lymph system in gear which washes all that fat out of the body! It connects all the parts of your body (who feels like a just a head?) as well as gives you a feeling of taking care of yourself.
Massage isn't an indulgence, it is a way to maintain health. I haven't really been sick for years, and I go to massages usually twice a month.
Of course, with Fibromyalgia, this is part of the way I want to stay alive (ouchie) - by going to massages and keeping things loosened up. However, with companies like Massage Envy springing up (memberships give you the equivalent of a 40/hour massage) there's no excuse too big!
Elicia,
You are the second person in the last three days to mention massage envy to me but I googled them and there were some things that came up that concerned me. I do love the school near me which offers comparable rates - $30/hr for a student, $40/hr for a graduate - so I think I'll stick with them, but I have long been a believer in massage therapy.
Now I just need to get a doctor to prescribe it so that I can use my 125 deferral to pay for it tax free. Hmmm...
Oh? What concerned you?
The schools are great and those people need people to practice on!
Massage Envy apparently has a reputation for treating their employees badly, for delivering an adequate but not high-quality experience, almost all of their people are newly licensed, forced into working at ME in order to get the experience to leave and work elsewhere, and all for a relative pittance. I'm a big believer in not only treating your employees well, but in taking your business elsewhere if you disagree with a company's practices or business model.
The school-run clinic I go to has a stable staff and most of the graduates stick around in the clinic at least part time for years afterwards. As for the students, I have NEVER gotten a bad massage from a student there and I've been going for years now. They're pretty impressive. And to top it off, I don't get locked into a long-term service contract for a massage like I would at Massage Envy.
Wow, it sounds so bad when you say it :-) only joking.
I guess I've been treated SO well there, and even though there is high turnover, as a client, I've never been disappointed. Its true, it can be an entry level way to get into the massage world. There is high turnover in fast food, at Starbucks, etc., many of the people in the massage world are more independent (or students) and transitory as a group so I didn't think of how they were treated as being an issue. My ME may be different that some.
The contract actually has been good for me to get 'locked' into because then I MAKE time for myself to go. The savings is so good, and being able to see different therapists for different things has been great. Plus, I get in same day most of the time.
I have read those things about ME as well on the internet, and talked to practitioners about it too. I love the business model (making massage affordable) and had long wished that storefront massages would become socially acceptable. (you know the rep massage parlors had)
Elicia,
It's all just a matter of personal preference and I'm certainly not trying to malign anyone's choice to use ME. For me, the reasons I gave are just a tipping point not to switch since I already have a place I like and that I'm happy with.
But then again, who doesn't love a good massage? :)
Oh, I got that, I enjoyed the exchange :-)
What a great idea!
I'm a little too embarrassed to bare my eczema skin to get a massage, but I'd love to try one someday.
Jen, the practitioners see a lot of eczema, so you shouldn't let that stop you!!!
Jen:
I wouldn't worry about your skin. It's usually pretty dark, most of the time you're covered with a sheet when they're working on other parts of you, and the masseurs have seen a lot worse than eczema I'm sure. You should go at least once - if you really don't like it, you never have to go again - but you may try it and feel comfortable doing it again.
Go for it Jen!!!!
You can also ask for a female practitioner if you prefer too!
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