Quips & Quotes

Myofascial massage is a slow stretching of the connective tissues that connect skin to muscles, envelope muscles, and reach even to the bones.

I look forward to my maintenance massage session every couple of weeks. It's truly the highlight of my week!

--Byron

I am 73 and have bad arthritis, so I cannot be doing a lot of things that are hard on the joints, such as running. Jan evaluates you before you do any training and takes everything into consideration. She comes up with a plan and it works.

--Jackie

My goals were to get motivated to start running again and work on my shoulder that was dislocated a few years ago. I've only been training with Jan a month but am already running several times a week on my own, and we're working on the shoulder with exercises I never thought of. Thank goodness she did the testing at the start of my program. It proved how high my blood pressure can get when I don't take my medicine regularly!

--Jeff

...in the year I have trained at The Balance Institute, I have not only improved my physical fitness but have lowered my blood sugars, decreased my insulin, lowered my blood pressure, decreased my depression, improved my eating, and lost a significant amount of weight. I feel much better about myself and have increasingly become committed to taking better care of myself.

--Lynne

The Balance Institute keeps you motivated to lose weight, get in shape, and feel better... The staff at The Balance Institute is fantastic. You go in and feel as if you are part of the family. I also think that it is very comfortable for middle-aged people like (my husband and me)... We were never sore no matter what we did, which was different from other exercising we had done in the past. I also have had the massages at The Balance Institute which are wonderful.

--Cas

If you are a first-time client of massage/bodywork therapy, we suggest you begin with Swedish massage to experience the relaxing and safe benefits of massage treatment.  Swedish massage can lower blood pressure, improve blood and lymph flow, improve skin tone and appearance and—in our Center—has even caused weight loss.

Everyone at The Balance Institute takes great and sincere, personal interest in their clients and their individual needs....Somehow they weave what they do at The Balance Institute into an experience that does wonders for body, mind and soul. I always walk out of there feeling 100% better than when I walked in. I can't say enough good things about it!

--Beverly

Is it healthy to be muscle-bound? Not really. Muscle-bound people tend to have thick hearts, get short of breath with endurance activities, and have problems with range of motion in their joints. Overall health is better with a healthy balance of aerobic or cardiovascular activity and moderate strength training that works all muscle parts and allows the body to be flexible.

Massage/bodywork therapies give you much needed "down-time", an opportunity to re-connect with yourself, who you are, where you've been, and where you're going.

Try massage/bodywork therapy for painful conditions such as shoulder tension, neck tension, muscle aches, joint tightness, back pain, knee pain, and foot pain.

So what if you fall off the wagon? If you forgot to brush your teeth yesterday, would you think you're a terrible person and never brush again? No! If you get off of your healthy routine, just get right back on it. Success is the culmination of repeated small successes.

Sugar is energy. Muscles use sugar for energy. When muscles aren't used, sugars back up in the bloodstream. When this happens, diabetes develops. The good news is that people can often use exercise instead of insulin to control blood sugars. Both insulin and exercise move sugars from the bloodstream into the muscles for use as energy. For those who use insulin, the dosage can often be reduced with exercise. Work with your doctor and trainer on getting the balance that is best for you.

How much exercise is enough for you to get and stay healthy? This varies by person. Start by checking with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you to exercise. Then choose an activity that you like. Move intensely enough to get winded but still be able to carry on a conversation. Do this for 20 - 30 minutes most days of the week. Or, do this for ten minutes several times a day, most days of the week. This is a good and easy start to good health.

I just wanted to feel better—my lower back pain was making me miserable, exhausted, and depressed! I've had massages before but they hurt during and after the treatment, and I didn't want to hurt anymore. I called the Balance Institute looking and hoping for a better outcome. I found it!

--Dianne

Which is better? Heavy weights or cardiovascular workouts? From my trainer's perspective, I would choose cardio. Both heavy weights and cardio workouts cut fat, lower blood pressure and improve blood work; but heavy weights usually require close attention to protein intake, supplements and lots of time in the gym. In addition, heavy weights create thick hearts that are unhealthy and pump small amounts of blood per heartbeat. Cardio workouts produce more overall benefits and can be done anywhere. They build healthy and strong hearts that expand and pump more blood with each heartbeat.

Don't think that starting full force into an exercise program is healthy. If you get sore, you might get discouraged and quit. Remember the hare and tortoise story. It's ok to be the tortoise. Persistence and consistency are the keys to success.

If you're starting a weight loss effort, do it sensibly. Increase your activity by 20% over what you're currently doing, and eat only the amount of food at each meal that you could fit in your cupped hands.