work those abs..baby
Ab Exercises
Short-term Temperature to the Body
Jul 29th
Lets talk about short-term temperature to the body and how the body response to this experience!
In the previous 14 years we have been associating heated basalt stones with a Yang and chilled marble stones with a Yin experience to the body. I am pleased to share some new insight into temperature and the body-mind-soul connection that may support some of your findings.
This innovative concept certainly substantiates what my clients and I have found to be true. Short-term heated stones moving along tissue, over muscle and limbs generate a sympathetic response in the body initially, lasting up to one minute, with a single application of heated stones. Short-term chilled stones moving along tissue, over muscle and limbs generate a sympathetic response in the body initially, by continuously bringing in fresh chilled stones to the area for a period of five to twenty minutes, depending upon the level of congestion and inflammation. You will recognize the change in the tissue as the body brings oxygenated blood to the area, and begins the healing process. Both short-term heat and short-term cold to the body are a Yang/action/warrior reaction.
The body must determine if the temperature being offered to the tissue is a real threat, or if the body can maintain homeostasis as the temperature is maintained at the extreme degree it was first initiated to the body. This moving of stones over tissue in the first few moments that the mind is determining if the temperature is supporting the body or challenging the body is also referred to as ”convection”; the temperature enters the superficial tissue with the aid of massage oil, pressure and movement. Allowing the tissue to absorb the full benefit of the temperature being offered, whether it is hot or cold stones. After the mind has determined the body is not in a real threat situation, it begins to relax into the temperature if the degree of temperature is being maintained by alternating fresh heated or chilled stones to the area being massaged. This may mean six to eight or more stones in an isolated area to achieve the long-term response you are striving to accomplish with one temperature for your client.
As the body gives into the temperature and begins to relax with what is happening conduction begins, allowing the temperature to enter the deeper layers of muscle and tissue, thus achieving a long-term or Yin/passive/nurturer response with the body, mind and soul of your client. In some ways conduction can also occur when doing Chakra and stone placement, this will be determined by the thickness or lack of layers used between the stone and the client”s bare skin. If there is only a thin layer of material separating the clients bare skin from the degree of a hot or cold stone then the first reaction will be Yang if the temperature does not cause harm to the area of the skin it is addressing. In a matter of a few moments a Yin response will begin to take place and the client will relax into the stones lying on or under their body. If you use a towel to separate the hot or cold stone from the bare skin then a Yin response will begin to take place and there is less threat in harming tissue with a none-moving stone. Here is something to think about: for the Spinal Layout I cover the heated stones with a pillowcase, then lay the chilled stones on top of that pillowcase and cover the whole layout once again with another pillowcase before lying the client on top of the Spinal Layout.
This method results in covering the heated stones with two layers of pillowcase and only one layer over the chilled stones. Remember if you are using the full potential Spinal layout stones there are seventeen stones to be used on the back. This means the potential of different combinations of heated and chilled stones along the spine are 17 to the 17th power; you could almost say it is endless possibilities for the Spinal Layout stones and alternating temperatures. When taking advantage of these layering choices you can achieve both Yin and Yang responses immediately for your client when doing stone and Chakra placement. Some of you might remember that in the past we referred to the basalt stones as Yang and marble stones as Yin due to their color and temperature being applied to the body.
In many of the Native American tribes black is the masculine and white is the feminine, throughout Asia the color black is associated with Yin, night, moon, feminine energies and the color white is associated with Yang, day, sun, masculine energies. I would like to suggest that you begin to play around with how the body responds to the temperature you are using initially, then intuitively connect to the energy of the stones color and vibration. Once you collect this data and integrate it into your awareness you will see that LaStone Therapy is constantly offering a complete balance of all life throughout the treatment, it truly is the Last One Therapy.
Pillows With Memory Foam to Eliminate Sleeping Problems
Jul 28th
If you want to get a much better night’s sleep, you might wish to purchase pillows with memory foam. The reasons for this are varied but they all return to the same basic conclusion: memory foam is a lot easier on the head and neck. This, in turn, enhances the potential to get a much better night’s sleep. It can also reduce a number of physical maladies which can prove commonplace when you are not sleeping in the proper position.
When you cannot become comfortable with your sleeping position, you generally will experience choppy and restless sleeping patterns. Surely, you have tried the old standby for alleviating these common problems: you would fold the pillow, bend the pillow, turn it upside down with the intention of freshening it. All of these steps are okay but they generally are temporary solutions to the most serious problem. Namely, you do not have access to a proper pillow that can alleviate the varied problems associated with a pillow that is not really intended for providing much support.
With pillow with memory foam, a great many of the problems associated with traditional pillows are eliminated. The reason for this is that memory foam is design to mold itself to the contour of the body mass placed on top of it. So, if you rest your head against this type of pillow, it will take on the shape of your head. This is not something that a traditional pillow can do. In fact, with a traditional pillow there will be sections of gaps and spaces which create much of the discomfort associated with standard pillows.
You can try to flip and twist traditional pillows all you want. You may even end up being successful after a few dozen tries. But, do you really want to go through such work when you could simply purchase high quality pillows with memory foam? There is very little problem making the contour of memory foam work effectively in terms of its ability to provide helpful, restful comfort. And is that not what you want in the first place?
More than likely you do but are having a tough time achieving your goals with traditional pillows. Such difficulty should not prove surprising.
Traditional pillows were designed with the intention of providing the most basic level of comfort available. They were not specially designed so that you can achieve maximum comfort combined with additional recuperative or holistic benefits. So, when you cannot get the most value out of a ‘standard’ pillow, such an outcome should be (unfortunately) expected.
In some instances, mere comfort is not all that the person sleeping needs to be concerned about. For some individuals, legitimate and serious physical issues can necessitate the acquisition of a more effective pillow. Specifically, they would need a pillow designed to alleviate physical pressure and its resultant problems. Memory foam helps the pillow deliver on such expectations. This can then help reduce the many physical problems a lack of restful sleep delivers.
Personal Fitness Trainer From Crystal Lake, IL
Jul 27th
If you live in Crystal Lake IL and you think that you have to go out of Crystal Lake just for you to find the best personal fitness trainer, then you got it all wrong. You can actually find the best and finest personal fitness trainer right there in Crystal Lake IL.
There is absolutely no need for you to go out of the area just to find a personal fitness trainer. Now, if you are thinking that the personal fitness trainers from Crystal Lake IL are not as good as the big city’s fitness trainers, think again.
Even if Crystal Lake is not as big as the other cities in the US, you can still find the best personal fitness trainers there. They are as qualified and well-trained as the other personal fitness trainer, just because they are not from the big city, that they are not as good as them.
Now, why do you need to be under the watchful eye of a personal fitness trainer? The answer as we all know it is very simple. We want to be under the supervision of someone who can help us to lose unwanted weights or even just to tone our bodies. We want someone who will be there to not only support us but to motivate us as well.
Personal fitness trainers from Crystal Lake IL will ensure that you get nothing but the best assistance that they can ever give you. Now, you can either choose to train with them in your favorite health and fitness center, or right from the very comforts of your home. If you want a more personalized service, then you can avail a one-on-one training with your fitness instructor. While, if that is something that is out of your budget, then you can always enroll yourself with one that offers multiple teaching or coaching to his/her student or customer.
One of the things that your personal fitness trainer would gladly do for you is to see that you are doing what is required for your weight loss training or regimen. They will basically note down your progress from day one until the day you finish your program. This way, you are under the watchful eye of your trainer, they will be there to motivate you and not to let you give up on yourself. They are also there, to teach you how to do things properly. A couple of suggestion here and there with regards to your accompanying diet may be given by them as well.
If you want to be with the best personal fitness trainer, then why not choose the ones from Crystal Lake IL. Not only that they are close to your area, they are also there ready to help you start and finish your journey to clean, safe and healthy living.
Staying fit doesn’t only need a lot of hard work, you also need the guidance and motivation of someone who basically knows what you are going through and what you have to go through to achieve the body size that you are dreaming of.
Algonquin, IL Personal Fitness Trainers – Work With the Best
Jul 27th
We exercise and ask for watchful eyes, not because we really can’t do it on our own, we just want someone who will be there to see us through the whole ordeal in our journey to losing weight and getting back in shape. We are in this constant search for someone or something that will motivate us and really push us to end of our limits. This is where Algonquin IL personal Trainers come in. Now, if you think that you can do better with a fitness trainer that will guide you all throughout your weight loss fitness training regimen, then read on. This article is written to help you understand the significance or importance of having a personal trainer around you during your fitness regimen training.
Yes, it is true, not all of us can afford to hire or employ a personal fitness trainer. And, we’d rather do it on our own, and yet at one point or another, we just give up easily on the task given to us. It’s either we lack the motivation, or we are just too damn lazy and often gets bored with the whole routine.
If you try to ask for the assistance of an Algonquin IL personal trainer, they will be happy to not just support you, but to give you advices that will truly motivate you to lose those unwanted pounds and fats that you somehow managed to put on over the past weeks, months or even years. We can all do small or big workouts, but, not all of us are that motivated to finish what we have started. If you are with an Algonquin IL personal trainer, then you will be amazed at how much work you will be putting on to your weight loss regimen. Not only that you will feel fulfilled empowered, and full of energy, you will be amazed at how time flies easily when you are working out with someone who pushes you to your very limits and yet manages to make you feel good about yourself as well.
So whether you are in search for the best Algonquin IL personal trainer or you simply want to be under the watchful eyes of one, you are guaranteed that with Algonquin IL personal trainers you will get not just a good body or physique, you will also get a good disposition and a new view of yourself. Motivating you to strive and work harder, not for other people, but for your own sake. Be with the best of the best, and experience what Algonquin personal trainers can really do for you.
Start you journey with positive outlook in life, while living nothing but a fit and healthy lifestyle with your Algonquin personal trainers. There is hope after all, for those who are willing to work hard and to those who are being powered not just with physical strength but with emotional strength as well. Get motivated, train and work with the best physical trainers now.
How To Prevent Overtraining To Build Maximum Muscle Mass
Jul 26th
Overtraining is one of the most common mistakes committed generally by avid exercisers and particularly by bodybuilders. Not only does overtraining result in serious injuries or extreme fatigue, but it could actually be counterproductive and reduce muscle mass instead of building it.
Effort is no doubt needed to make the most of muscle building programs. But training hard is not necessarily the same as training smart. You need to employ progressive overload techniques to achieve the target quickly and safely without the danger of regressing.
The trick to optimizing any workout for maximizing muscle mass is to increase intensity progressively and get sufficient rest between workouts to allow muscle to recover and grow, because muscle grows during rest and not during workouts.
Consequences of Overtraining on Bodybuilders
Overtraining has serious consequences on various systems of the body:
Consequences of Overtraining on Nervous System:
•Increase in base heart rate
•Increase in blood pressure
•Loss of appetite
•Insomnia
•Fatigue
•Restlessness
Consequences of Overtraining on Hormone Levels:
•Decrease in anabolic hormones like testosterone and thyroxine
•Increase in the catabolic hormone cortisol
Consequences of Overtraining on Metabolic System:
•Micro-tears in muscles
•Extremely low levels of glycogen
•Loss of contraction ability in muscles
•Low levels of creatine phosphate
•High accrual of lactic acid
•High DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness
•Harm to tendons and connective tissues
Overtraining with Cardio versus Overtraining with Bodybuilding – Which is Worse?
Although overtraining is bad in any form of exercise, overtraining with bodybuilding has much more serious consequences for the following reasons:
•Ample rest is required after every workout that damages muscle tissue. If you work out before the muscle tissue has been repaired, further damage occurs and it becomes impossible to recover.
•Bodybuilding greatly burdens the nervous system and overtraining can result in severe health risks.
•Lack of quick results in bodybuilding can force many to turn to unnecessary supplements or even steroids.
How to know if you are Overtraining?
If you suffer from two or more of the above listed symptoms, you could be overtraining. Secondly, check whether your performance has decreased during workouts. If you are unable to match your last workout, there is a strong chance that you have been overtraining.
How to Prevent Overtraining?
Correct volume and intensity of training, adequate rest and recovery, and proper nutrition is the three pronged approach to avoid overtraining.
1.Correct Volume and Intensity of Training
Start with volume and intensity that you are comfortable with. Once you are regular with your workout regimen, increase the volume and intensity by 5 percent every few workouts. This is the progressive overload technique which is the safest and most efficient technique to work out and build maximum muscle mass.
Your intention should be to improve with every workout and raising your core strength every time. Training with maximum intensity and volume from the beginning almost always proves hazardous to your muscle building goals.
2.Rest and Recovery
Use your judgment to decide how much rest you need to recover before the next workout. Never train on consecutive days. You can work different muscle groups on different days of the week to avoid overtraining. Get a good 8 hour sleep every night.
3.Nutrition
Proper nutrition helps your body recover faster from workouts as it restores depleted levels of various chemicals. Here are some nutrition tips to avoid chances of overtraining:
•Eat your breakfast early to reverse the catabolic process that sets in at night as you sleep.
•Eat every 3 hours to keep your body in an anabolic state.
•Drink protein and carb shakes before and after your workout.
•Take healthy supplements like creatine.
Toronto Weight Loss – Do This Not That And Lose Those Stubborn Pounds!
Jul 26th
Like a Toronto Weight Loss Consultant, I get asked on a regular basis, “What do I eat to burn fat?” That’s the most usual question I receive as I have helped lots of Toronto residents reduce mounds of fat, tone up, and get into stunning shape. America is facing an pandemic of huge dimension. America is one among the over-weight country on the earth. We are now living in a land of pure excess. Super-size this, extra large that, supersize that, extra order of these, etc. The simple truth is continuously. Americans eat way too much. The portions are just out of hand.
Most of my Toronto Weight Loss clients were like this, consuming way too much and consuming the wrong foods. All this must stop. Americans are fat because of the type of foods they eat as well as the amounts in addition. Americans need to start consuming the proper kind of foods, but in sensible and healthy amounts, designed to improve their metabolism and help them burn fat. That is not happening for the most part.
What worse, is that many Toronto Weight Loss Programs, Centers, and Clinics use hazardous tactics to get folks in weight loss. Several weight loss programs prescribe pre-packaged foods, slimming capsules, vitamin shots etc .. Also to top off, it costs an arm and also a leg for a solution that does not work. I truly hope you can evade going to these kind of Weight Loss Programs.
Losing fat really is not that difficult once you know the perfect approach to losing weight. And did you notice I said losing fat. It does not matter how much weight you lose, if you are losing muscle rather than fat. The main thing you want to concentrate on is fat reduction, not weight loss. They are two different things. I know one of my Toronto Weight Loss clients bragged how she shed over 30 lbs in 2 months, but she was still fat, actually fatter. Turns out she actually dropped 23 lbs. of pure muscle, and only 7 lbs. of fat. Her body fat percentage went up. This really is not surprisingly just before she started my Toronto Weight Loss Program.
Now, as your very own Toronto Weight Loss Coach, I’m recommending the following food products a person have to steer clear of, for everybody who is seriously interested in fat-loss and getting into great shape. First, you should certainly cut down your intake of all refined foods. Processed foods are foods that require the use of chemicals to either preserve them or convert them to the final food product. As an example, your tv dinners are processed foods. They may not be healthy in any respect. The majority of your processed foods are in the aisles also in the frozen food section. Avoid them much like the plague.
And second, you need to stay away from caloric beverages, along the lines of sodas and juices. This is the fast strategy to mount up calories which will only spike your levels of insulin, you fat storage hormone. Most of my Toronto Weight Loss clients needed to learn this the hard away.
Just do both of these things and you’ll see a dramatic fat loss within the next few weeks, exactly like my Toronto Weight Loss clients.
Houston Weight Loss – Good Foods, Bad Foods, And Weight Loss
Jul 26th
Being a Houston Weight Loss Expert, I get asked quite frequently, “What do I eat to lose weight?” That is the most commonly encountered question I get as I have helped lots of Houston residents burn mounds of fat, tone up, and get into exceptional shape. America is facing an crisis of enormous ratios. America is easily the most over weight country in the world. We are now living a land of pure excess. Super-size this, extra large that, supersize that, extra order of this, etc. The thing is on a regular basis. Americans consume way too much. The portions are merely uncontrollable.
A lot of my Houston Weight Loss clients were like this, consuming way too much and feeding on the wrong foods. This has to stop. Americans are fat because of the type of foods they eat as well as the amounts in addition. Americans need to start consuming the best form of foods, however in well-balanced and nourishing amounts, designed to turbocharge their metabolic rate and help them burn up fat. That is not happening for the most part.
What worse, is that many Houston Weight Loss Programs, Centers, and Clinics use detrimental tactics to get people to lose weight. A number of these weight loss programs prescribe pre-packaged foods, weightloss pills, nutritional shots and the like. And to top off, they charge an arm and a leg for a solution that does not work. I must say i hope you can avoid going to these sort of Weight Loss Programs.
Shedding weight really is not that difficult once you know the correct solution to fat-loss. And did you observe I said fat loss. It does not matter simply how much weight you lose, if you are losing muscle instead of fat. The main thing you need to focus on is fat burning, not weight loss. These are two completely different things. I recollect one of my Houston Weight Loss clients bragged how she dropped over 30 lbs in 2 months, but she was still fat, actually fatter. Turns out she actually dropped 23 lbs. of pure muscle, and only 7 lbs. of fat. Her body fat percentage went up. This really is certainly just before she started my Houston Weight Loss Program.
Now, as your individual Houston Weight Loss Coach, I will be recommending the following food products everyone ought to steer clear of, in case you are seriously interested in losing weight and getting into great shape. First, you really need to reduce your intake of all highly processed foods. Refined foods are foods that require the use of chemicals to either preserve them or convert them to the end food product. One example is, your entire tv dinners are manufactured foods. They may not be healthy in the least. The vast majority of your highly refined foods are typically in the aisles and in the frozen food section. Keep away from them like the plague.
And 2nd, you might want to avoid from caloric beverages, just like sodas and juices. It is a fast strategy to add up calories which will only spike your insulin levels, you fat storage hormone. Most of my Houston Weight Loss clients needed to learn this the hard away.
Just do these types of things and you will see a dramatic fat loss in the next couple of weeks, similar to my Houston Weight Loss clients.
How To Resemble A Female Fitness Model
Jul 25th
Women with lean and strong body types are today admired and not passed off as too masculine. Curves defined by muscle mass are here to stay. If you are a woman wanting to look like those female fitness models on magazine covers, here is how to.
Lift Those Pink Weights
Don’t be scared of heavier weights. You just cannot bulk up by doing weight training unless you are also on steroids. That’s because women simply don’t have the testosterone to become that way. You’d be lucky if you are able to add half a pound of muscle mass to your frame in one month.
Pick up those weights and work out vigorously without fear. This will get you in shape faster than any other method. Weight training will make you smaller and curvier in quick time.
Your weight may go up, but don’t worry as a pound of muscle uses much lesser space than a pound of fat.
Cardio Is Next
Women like to do cardio for hours together and not step into any other section of the gym. Ask yourself, have those hours on the treadmill really made so much of a difference? Probably not.
The truth is that you adapt quickly to cardio. Unless you make drastic changes to your cardio routines, there is not much efficiency in them to burn calories. You just go on wasting time.
So the secret of doing cardio is to do it is high intensity bursts. Get your body out of the comfort zone to melt your fat quickly. Next time you go to the gym or go for a jog, perform just a 20 minute cardio session, but not at a steady pace. Alternate a 30 second extremely intense burst with a 90 second moderate intensity interval. It’s not easy, and it’s not meant to be.
Eat Those Carbs
Carbohydrates are not evil so long as you have them in moderation. They taste good, don’t they? So have them, but control the portions. The best time to eat carbs is before and after workouts. The body needs them at that time as they go straight to the muscle tissues, not fat stores.
Don’t Fear the Fats
Women need the fat! Don’t run away from fats if you want to lose fat. It’s hard to understand but it’s true. It’s part of women’s constitution.
Instead of cutting out the fat totally from your diet, cut out the sugar. Insulin level surges are what you need to control in order to ward off hunger and fat storage. Insulin is the fat storage hormone.
The macronutrient that affects insulin levels the least is dietary fat. So don’t fear the dietary fat. Enjoy the taste that it brings to the food.
Exercise the Glutes
All women like a toned curvy backside. Exercises to achieve this include one-legged squats, lunges, hamstring curls and regular squats. Cardio will not do it for you.
So work out differently if you want to look different. Change your habits to look like one of those female fitness models.
Relax – It
Jul 25th
In its simplest form massage therapy is the manipulation of soft tissue in order to achieve physical, functional, and psychological benefits. The word itself comes from different origins – the French word massage meaning “friction of kneading”, the Latin massa meaning “mass, dough” or from the Arabic massa meaning “to touch, feel or handle”.
Massage has existed in some form or another for centuries with writings about massage being found in ancient civilizations including Greece, China, Rome, Egypt and Turkey. In the United States all different styles of massage therapy became popular in the mid 1800s. Due to medical advancements in the 1930s and 1940s massage fell out of favor, but it found a resurgence in the 1970s as athletes began using massage for rehabilitation purposes. The connection between sports and massage culminated during the 1996 Summer Olympics when massage was offered as a core medical service for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games.
In today’s fast paced world there dozens of things that add stress to our lives. Not to mention our crazy busy lifestyles that we lead; with work, family, friends, social obligations and the like crowding every single minute out of our weeks. Luckily, there are almost as many different forms of massage to help reduce that stress. Here are a few of them.
1. Swedish massage – This is the most common type massage therapy there is in the United States. This technique uses long, smooth strokes and kneading. Massage oils and lotions are also often used. This is your basic run-of-the-mill massage that is perfect for first timers.
2. Hot Stone Massage – The name kind of says it all. The therapist uses heated stones placed strategically on various points of the body to warm and loosen tight muscles. This massage form is becoming more and more popular, and is perfect for those who prefer a lighter massage because of the lack of pressure involved.
3. Aromatherapy Massage – This massage technique uses lavender and other essential oils for specific needs. It is a perfect solution for those suffering with a stress related condition as it enhances a person’s emotional well-being. With evidence of aromatherapy existing in ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece it is considered an ancient form of healing.
4. Shiatsu – This is a Japanese licensed medical therapy that is very popular the world over. It is often referred to as a finger pressure massage. The pressure is firm, but relaxing as it targets the body’s acupuncture points.
5. Deep Tissue Massage – This massage form relieves severe tension in muscle and the connective tissue, specifically focusing on the muscles below the surface of the top muscles. Individuals with consistent, chronic pain, athletes and others involved in heavy physical activity, and by those who have sustained an injury often use it.
From ancient beginnings massage really hasn’t evolved too much. It is still used to relax, rejuvenate, invigorate and heal. Try one massage technique, or all of them. The only side effect will be a happier you.
The Hot Stone Massage Experience
Jul 24th
Never get enough of your regular massage, then its time to heat it up and get a hot stone massage. A variation on the traditional Swedish massage, the hot stone massage incorporates use of water heated hot stones and room temperature cool marble stones to give an intensive yet deeply satisfying and wholly therapeutic massage.
The hot stones are usually heated in an electric water bath. The stones are basaltic in nature and have a high iron mineral content. This chemical composition enables the stones to reduce the amount of heat energy lost to the environment. The stones are egg sized except they are a generally flat. They are usually obtained from mountainous rivers and streams which over centuries used their erosive power to smoothen them. The stones used are usually obelite and gneiss hence are dark in colour.
After an initial aromatic oil application and mild hand massage all over the body, the masseuse will place the hot stones using his hands (so scolding need not be a worry for the recipient) over the body’s energy points. These chakra points, as they are also known are the areas where tension builds up over time in the course of ordinary stressful working lives. The heat expands (relaxes) the patients muscle and deep tissue, as well as the body’s blood and lymphatic system. This quickens the pace of nutrient and oxygen exchange as well as the counter traffic of waste products and toxins.
The therapist may also want to use the stones as an extension of his arms to penetrate deep tissues. This means that he will use the stones to massage your body for a more intensive experience. This is especially helpful for those who do not like the usual hand executed deep tissue massage and prefer more superficial contact while receiving their massage.
Once the stones eventually loose their heat, the therapist will replace these with cooler to the touch marble crystals that are said to rejuvenate and revitalise your energy points. In reality the crystals dissipate the heat energy faster in preparation for the next application of the hot stones. This is a fast-forward button for your body’s system as stress will be gotten rid off in half the amount of time it would take a usual massage.
The therapist will continue to interchange the hot stones with the cooler crystals until the end of the session. He may use the intervening periods to manually massage the recipient’s body for that complete relaxation effect. When the stone and crystal application is done with, the therapist will usually take the opportunity to again apply essential oils to the patient’s skin. The after effect on most first timers for a hot stone massage is usually a calmer and highly relaxed individual after all is said and done.
The hot and cold stone massage should not be administered to people who have blood clotting ailments or are pregnant. The stones should never e applied to an open wound or a region of recent fracture/ breakage. This is because the massage has been shown to be highly effective in increasing overall blood and lymphatic system circulation. IT is therefore highly recommended with people with liver or kidney ailments or those with high stress levels.