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Happy Thankgiving from Working Well Massage!

November 23, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Thanksgiving is a holiday in which we give thanks. I’d like to thanks many people and groups this year. without all of you, Working Well Massage would not exist. I am grateful to Working Well Massage clients, massage therapists, support staff, Working Well Resources readers, fellow massage therapists throughout Facebook and POEM. I am grateful for my teachers, fellow students, in both massage school and graduate school. I am grateful for all the stressed out and sore and injured people who come to me personally or to my team of massage therapists. I am grateful to my friends and family who support me emotionally and sometime physically when I need help moving equipment or building a massage booth! I am grateful to Whole Foods Market for their continued support of our business and our massage booths in Chicago areas stores. I am grateful to the AMTA and ABMP, both organizations dedicated to improving the field of massage therapy. I am extremely grateful to the Massage Therapy Foundation, a relatively new organization that aims to “advance the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education and community service.” And I am very very grateful for the Forest Preserves and other natural areas set aside for parks, recreation and the preservation of our natural environment.

Sue Shekut, Owner of Working Well Massage

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! I wish you and your loved ones a healthy and safe holiday!

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College Students Can Get Healthier With the Healthy In College Blog

November 14, 2011 by workingwellresources

Students Studying

Image by University of Denver via Flickr

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

When I go to my graduate school classes, I often make note of what my fellow students are noshing on. For some, its fruit smoothies and edamame from a nearby sushi bar. For others, its chips and cookies from vending machines in the school. Others bring french fries and burgers. Most of us are hungry, pressed for time and needing enough nourishment to get us through our classes.

Now there is a blog, specially catering to Chicago college students, that has great tips for staying healthy. Check out Healthy in College Blog for tips on creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle while in college.

In the blog post” The College Breakfast” where the blogger gives student reasonable alternatives at fast food restaurants for breakfast. The Healthy College blogger offers alternative to Breakfast Burrito, Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich, and cereal. In”How to Stack Your Dorm Fridge: The healthiest and tastiest snacks“, the blogger provides healthier snack food options to the standard potato chips and Cheetos diets many college dorm dwellers munch on.

Like Health in Chicago, the Healthy in College blogger chooses to remain anonymous. But she  or he does say that the blog “Healthy In College is for prospective college students, current students,master students and alumni alike who are interested in obtaining and maintaining good health throughout their years in school.”

There haven’t been many posts lately, but I’m particularly found of the most recent post in June 2011, “Getting Your Just Dessert… Healthy Takes on Summertime Treats!” where the post share a recipe for “The Sheet Cake Alternative: Angel Food Berry Cake.”

Image from Healthy in College blog

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Chair Massage Wins Out over Table Massage at Lincoln Park’s Whole Foods Market

November 10, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Can a business be TOO successful? How about two businesses? Sometimes they can be! In the case of Working Well Massage and the Whole Foods Wellness Club, being too successful in some areas made it a better idea to split our two businesses and focus on what we each do best.

On Sept 5, 2011, Working Well Massage expanded our massage business to offer table massages in the new Wellness Club in Whole Foods Market in Lincoln Park. We aligned with the Wellness Club to offer discounted massages to Wellness Club members and full price massages to non-wellness club members. Both Wellness Club leadership and WWM thought that the massage business would be very successful in the Wellness Club and that we would need the consultation room to provide table massages. However, we found that table massages were not as big of a draw to the Wellness Club as nutritional consultations turned out to be.  We also found that the WWM chair massages business was so successful on the main floor that there was less of a need for massage in the WC than we thought. Both the Wellness Club nutritional offerings and the chair massage offerings on the main floor resulted in few table massage clients in the Wellness Club and a greater need for the use of the consultation room for nutritional services.

At the same time, WWM resources were being stretched thin. A massage business can only survive financially if it has clients. WWM massage clients ended up preferring the affordable, accessible, walk in appointment at the WWM chair massage station to table massages in the Wellness Club upstairs. Trying to market both massage and fitness and nutrition was taxing the resources of both WWM and the WC and confusing WWM customers.

By Oct 12 2011, both Wellness Club leadership and WWM agreed that it made more sense and was a better business decision to close the table massage business. Instead Whole Foods Market decided to focus the Wellness Club more on nutritional offerings and fitness and channel massage clients to the already established and successful WWM chair massages booth near Express on the main floor.

I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this rapid opening and shutting down of table massage services may have been to some of our clients. Working Well Massage continues to offer chair massages at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods Market. And the Wellness Club is focusing on nutrition and fitness in the balcony (mezzanine) upstairs!

Visit us in the WWM chair massage booth from Noon to 8p.m. Daily and receive your own relaxing chair massage.

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Hey Chicago, Get Healthy With the Healthy In Chicago Blog!

November 9, 2011 by workingwellresources

Downtown Chicago Building Roundup: North

Image by Gravitywave via Flickr

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

I was looking at my WorkingWellResources  blog subscribers and noticed that I’ve got a few blog stalkers.   OK, not stalkers, just fans. One of them is Healthy In Chicago, an easy to read, fun and accessible blog about healthy lifestyle choices for Chicagoans.

What I like about this blog is that it’s not about being perfectly healthy. The blogger admits that it’s about trying to do his/her best at making healthy lifestyle choices. I am certainly not perfect either. I often have to check myself to see if I am practicing what I preach. And sometimes I fall short of the optimal healthy guidelines I would like to adhere to. I am human. And so are my clients. WE strive for our ideals but don’t get overly critical of ourselves when we fall short of perfection! This attitude of acceptance and moderation helps me be less critical and judgmental of my clients and allows them to share their successes and weaknesses with me more easily. So I am happy to introduce you to another blogger that has a similar positive, but not fanatical, outlook on Wellness.

Check out the Top posts on the Healthy In Chicago blog:

Chicago, Meet HealthyinChicago on the blog here. To follow Healthy In Chicago tweets, check out @HealthyNChicago.

Who is the Author of Healthy In Chicago?

The blogger chooses to remain anonymous, but did post some fun factoids about him/herself.

From the Healthy In Chicago Website, the blog author:

  • Is someone who doesn’t always ”practice what they preach” in terms of health advice.  I am not the perfect pinnacle of health.  I truly believe in moderation and not depriving myself of things (food and drinks) I love, which doesn’t always fit within the “recommendations” of healthy living.
  • Has a sweet tooth
  • Makes attempts to make healthy choices and health goals however
  • Has a college degree in Sport Science
  • Employed with IL largest health system, and is responsible for educating the community on health topics that plague Chicagoan’s (diabetes, heart disease, asthma, obesity, etc)
  • Previous experience as a personal trainer
  • Certified Intrinsic Coach (basically a life coach, someone to motivate you to follow through with the decisions, you have made in your life…example, quitting smoking)

The blogger also states that:

“I came to a point in my life where I was looking for more active, healthier activities and resources in the city…and really couldn’t find them and neither could my friends. So, I thought…why not share the information I find with everyone so they too can have the local resources to enjoy a healthier life, when and if they want to?  And with that Healthy In Chicago was created!”

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Top Tweeters About Massage Therapy

November 6, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Many massage therapists have their own Tweet accounts and post info about massage therapy. Interestingly, I find that most massage related tweet accounts are geared toward massage therapists, not massage clients. Unless you know a specific massage therapist and follow his or her tweets, the best sources for massage info for clients and massage therapists are from the Tweeters listed below. If you know of any other great Tweeters for massage info, feel free to comment and add your favorites!

MASSAGE Magazine

MASSAGE Magazine

Massage and bodywork news, articles, videos, products, community and more. Articles are geared toward massage therapists

Tweet Addy: @massagemag
Website: http://www.MASSAGEmag.com

MASSAGE MagazineAbout @massagemag

MassageNerd.com

The BEST one stop source for videos about massage. Geared toward practicing massage therapists, but massage clients can also benefit from checking out Massage Nerd videos!
Tweet Addy: @massagenerd

MassageNerd.comAbout @massagenerd

Loris DePaoli, RMT


A Registered Massage Therapist from BC, Canada that has treated 1000 of clients  from infants to 85 yrs! Her Goal: Treat so all can enjoy quality of life.
Tweet Addy: @massageabout Coquitlam, B C., Canada

Loris DePaoli, RMTAbout @massageabout

AMTA

AMTA
News and updates from the American Massage Therapy Association
Tweet Addy: @AMTANational Evanston, IL

AMTAAbout @AMTANational

ABMP

ABMP

Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Content geared toward practicing massage therapists.

Tweet Addy: @ABMPmassage Golden, Colorado

Sue Shekut

Owner, Working Well Massage, Wellness Coach, Licensed Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, Nature Lover, Yoga Afficionado

Tweet Addy: @WorkWellMassage Chicago, IL

Website: http://www.workingwellmassage.com

Blog: http://workingwellresources.com

About @WorkWellMassage

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Be a Fitness Winner With Wii Fit’s The Biggest Loser Game

November 2, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

I broke out our Wii the other day and my boyfriend and I played some Wii tennis and bowling. While Wii Sports can be fun, they don’t provide as fun or as active of a workout as Wii’s The Biggest Loser does. For fans of the Show, you may be familiar with some of the trainers and advice. However, the game itself looks like a lot more fun than the standard Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus workouts. To check out the video of the same showing some of the exercises and visuals, go to the Amazon webpage and click on the video. The game is available from Amazon. com for about $15.00. Click here to order from Amazon.

For a sample of one of the workouts in its entirety, nutwiisystem made this excellent video.  Check it out and you will get a realistic idea of what the Biggest Loser game offers you:

Here’s what you get with the program (from the Amazon website):

Note: You will need to purchase or own a Wii Balance Board to use this game.

  •  A daily calendar for day planning and 50 healthy recipes from The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
  • A complete workout containing over 88 exercises, including upper and lower body, core, cardio and yoga.
  • Option of a 4, 8 or 12 week program with avatars of contestants from the prior seasons of The Biggest Loser.
  • Multiplayer functionality allows you to train with a friend and compete in weekly challenges.
  • The game includes four tools to reach your fitness goals:
      • Fitness Program – This is where you establish your goals, make a plan and compete for the title of The Biggest Loser. Pick from a 4, 8 or 12 week programs.
      • Health and Lifestyle Tool – Encouragement and tips from former Biggest Loser contestants and trainers, and some of the best recipes from the Biggest Loser cookbooks.
      • Exercise Routines – Select from a collection of routines that match your skill level and let you focus on every part of your body. Through it you can also create your own routine that fits your schedule and focuses on your favorite exercises.
      • Challenge Events – Take the exercises you’ve learned and put them to the test in a series of fun but competitive events against some of the former contestants that you’ve seen on The Biggest Loser show. In Single Exercises, you can find your weakest exercise and conquer it or refine your technique to get the most out of your time.

     

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An All-in-One Site for Ergononomic Info!

November 1, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Proper ergonomics for computer work. Image by Wikipedia

Want new info on making your office at home or work more ergonomics? Check out Ergonomics Info here.

The site provides tips on ergonomic consideration for desktop computer users, laptop computer users and ideal monitor, chair and desk position to help those that work more than 2 hours a day on computers. For computer ergonomic tips, click here.  The site also includes chair reviews, keyboard and mouse reviews. The site also has a great graphic that shows proper seating positioning at a computer workstation. Go to this link and then scroll to the bottom of the page to see the graphic!

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Find a Winter Farmer’s Market in the Chicago Suburbs–The Elgin Winter Market

October 30, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Farmers-Market

Farmers Markets are typically outdoors. Image via Wikipedia

Did you know that you can get local produce and food stuffs year round at the Elgin Winter Market- A huge, heated indoor Winter Market in the hub of the Chicago suburbs! The heated Historic Warehouse is Handicapped Accessible and parking is free!

The Elgin Winter Market Objective’s is to sustain local producers and their laborers year round. The Winter Market aims to decrease the number of food miles from farm to table as well as to educate consumers about buying, storing and using produce during the winter. Vendors include the farmers market, antiques, collectibles, crafts, bakery, cheeses, spices, artwork, and more.

Market Days Saturdays:

Nov. 5,12,19, 26

Dec. 3,10,17,24,31

Jan. 7,14,21,28

Feb. 4,11,18,25

March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31

Hours: 9AM-2PM

Admission: Free

Location:
ELGIN, IL MARKET
166 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL 60120
For more info go to the Local Harvest website here.

 

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Get the Skinny on a Healthy Body–Hint, it’s Not Barbie’s Body!

October 16, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

From the "Healthy is the New Skinny.com" Website

“Healthy is the new skinny!”  according to  Kate Halchishick in O magazine. In the article, plus size model and beauty Kate Halchishick allows herself to be photographed nude and then artists show what they would have to do to surgically alter her body to fit Barbie doll proportions. See full article here.

What a wonderful message for young women and even older women everywhere. I personally believe in a fitness focus over a fatness focus. By focusing on staying fit and healthy, your body will naturally become healthy and reduce fat content. But not in an extreme manner–in a realistic manner. Our bodies are all different. We start with our genetic code and then do what we can via our environment. For some people, like me, I can work out all day long and I will never become tall. Many people resort to plastic surgery to “correct” the body that their parents gave them through genetics. But this sets a disturbing trend for younger people. Bravo to Kate Halchishick for showing how absurd the body proportions of a standard Barbie Doll are to try to emulate. Check out the full article and pics on the Healthy is the New Skinny website here.

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Do Vitamins Cause Early Death? Research Does Not Support This Latest Sensational Media Assertion

October 11, 2011 by workingwellresources

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

This study about woman who take supplements dying younger a good example of why it’s important to be research literate. This study does not show a casual link to taking supplements and early death. All it shows is a correlative link between woman who take supplements and die earlier. That’s like saying ice cream causes summer because more people eat ice cream in summer.

In this study, being trumpeted all over the web today, WebMB reports that “In a new study, multivitamins, folic acid, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B6 supplements all increased an older woman’s risk of dying from any cause. The greatest risk was seen with iron supplements. Calcium supplements, however, seemed to reduce a woman’s risk of dying. The study, which appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine, was an observational trial, not a cause-and-effect trial. So it can’t say how, or even if, these supplements actually increase a woman’s chance of dying.”

The results were gathered by woman filling out surveys. No actual medical examinations were done. And self reporting is known to be fairly inaccurate. Do you recall what you ate last Wednesday for lunch? If someone asked you to fill out a survey about your eating habits, would you be able to be 100% accurate? So why would an older woman answering a survey about taking vitamins.  Many commenters have asked if the study considered whether woman taking supplements already had health issues. Science Daily does  a better job of reporting the story. Their headline reads “Certain Dietary Supplements Associated With Increased Risk of Death in Older Women, Study Suggests” while WebMD’s headlines reads “Can Supplements Increase a Woman’s Risk of Dying?”

In reviewing the actual study, it appears that what the researchers did was simply compare the woman who took vitamins and woman who did not and determined who died earlier.  No other data was taken into consideration. Like overall health of the woman. The study did not take into account any other factors that may have caused earlier death. Like genetic predisposition to disease. Link to the actual study results here. At the same time, if fat ssoluable vitamins are taken in high doses, there can be adverse health effects. But this study didn’t mention that.

Citation: J. Mursu, K. Robien, L. J. Harnack, K. Park, D. R. Jacobs. Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women: The Iowa Women’s Health Study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2011; 171 (18): 1625 DOI:

Look at How Different Media Spin These Correlative Research Results:
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