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Posts Tagged ‘zen’

Pamper Yourself! Massage is SOO Necessary

February 11, 2010

Sometimes, I’ll be sitting in the same position at my desk for hours. Usually, I’m pounding away at the keyboard with my heart racing because of deadlines. I’ll look at the clock and realize I didn’t stop to drink water, eat a snack or go to the bathroom — and it’s noon! Ugh, there goes my diet plan of eating small meals throughout the day, and my goal of staying hydrated. On top of that, my back and shoulders are tense and achy. This is all bad!

Well, besides getting a manicure or pedicure, one of my favorite “treats” for myself is massage! Yeah, it’s $59 (plus a tip), but it’s well worth every penny, especially with my lifestyle. I have long days, teach fitness classes and workout a lot and tend to over-commit to everything. I’m beat up. I’m constantly running around trying to save the world and inspire others that I just need an hour dedicated to me.

So how else do I justify getting a massage? The health benefits! My masseuse and friend, Mandy Urena from The English Touch, in Mount Laurel, NJ, explains how massage is good for you and your body:

Massage …

Calms the nervous system and promotes a sense of relaxaion and well being.
Reduces tension and anxiety.
Improves blood circulation, which delivers oxygen and nutirients to the cells.
Stimulates the lymphatic system, which carries away the body’s waste products.
Prevents and relieves muscle cramps and spasms.
Can help with pain management in conditions such as a arthritis, sciatica and muscle spasms.

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Faith

February 7, 2010

He who has faith has … an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness and assuring trust that all will come out well — even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.
- B. C. Forbes

Photo by ChrisMoncusPhoto.

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Living the Life: Sarah Jane Martinez

February 2, 2010

From research scientist to full-time traveler, Sarah’s life is one of adventure, optimism, challenge and change. Read about my cousin …

ATG: Describe yourself – using five adjectives only.
Sarah: Petite, adventurous, minimal, healthy, inquisitive

ATG: How would others describe you?
Sarah: Tenacious, brave, open-minded, determined, persistent

ATG: What do you do “for a living?”
Sarah: I was a research scientist working in a neuroscience lab at McGill University in Montreal. We were researching protein-protein interactions in the hippocampus relating to memory and learning.

More recently, I’ve been a full time traveler for the last two years! I started off travelling alone for six months in South East Asia, then I met my partner/boyfriend Inigo Arza (he’s Spanish) in Vietnam and we have been together since. There are many soils that we have walked on: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Australia, China, Myanmar, Nepal and now back to India. Our goal is to travel west to Europe by land from India. Pakistan and Iran will be our next countries.

ATG: Describe your idea of a “perfect” day.
Sarah: A perfect day would be what we experienced in Dharamshala (home of the Dalai Lama). I woke up at 7 am and immediately did yoga asanas on the terrace. Then I made a trekker’s breakfast of oatmeal, honey, dates, bananas and flaxseeds. We started our climb at 9 am. It was a glorious sunny day, around 17 degrees Celsius under the sun. It took 2.5 hours to hike from 1750m to 2842m up a steep mountain. It was well worth the breathtaking view of the mountain range (4600m). We had a light snack of cashews, raisins and peanuts on our yak-wool blanket facing the white peaks. After lunch, we had a siesta! Then we hiked down using a different path. We were famished when we arrived to the town at 5 pm and we treated ourselves to a dinner at a local Tibetan restaurant. I had Masala tofu with spinach on rice. The night ended with a hot shower and I fell asleep reading Lord of the Rings. That was my “perfect” day.
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