Author: admin

  • Do Massage Chairs Have Medical Benefits?

    Do Massage Chairs Have Medical Benefits?

    Massage chairs often seem like luxurious pieces of furniture. But research has demonstrated that these can be helpful tools in a wellness and fitness regimen for everyone, including athletes. 

    Several clinical studies have shown significant improvement in blood circulation, immunity response, muscle recovery, and managing hypertension. The health benefits of massage can be associated with enhanced mobility, muscle recovery, pain management. It’s also effective in treating neck, upper back, and lower back issues.

    The aspect of massage chair therapy that comes as a surprise to people is that medical research has demonstrated that regular use can increase problem-solving abilities. These chairs are also highly effective in lowering stress levels and anxiety. That’s why you see an increasing number of massage chairs in corporate settings, hospitals, and other places where people are usually high-strung. Having white-collar executives and healthcare personnel experience found massage therapy improved mental well being and accelerated their work performance. It was demonstrated to decrease the rate of incidence of work-related injuries.

    Massages help significantly in overcoming anxiety and depression and alleviating insomnia and sleep disorders. We know now that anxiety is a component of many other illnesses, so effective treatment automatically alleviates many other symptoms. Wellness comes from a relaxed body and a serene mind. Getting massages definitely contributes to both. 

    The Zero gravity position first started with the need to decrease the effects of take-off on astronauts as the optimal way to surmount that initial moment without straining their bodies. Furniture manufacturers embraced the same technology to relieve the constant loading off of the joints and muscles. 

    The Benefits from Owning a Massage chair

    Receiving a massage from a trained professional is a wonderful experience.  But having one on call day or night and access to someone at home and work would be an expensive proposition. Access to a massage chair solves many of these problems.  All you need to do is play some instrumental music and light a couple of scented candles near the chair. With a massage chair in your home, you can access daily massages whenever you want. 

    Here are factors to consider when deciding to purchase a massage chair

    1. Enhanced Muscle Recovery After Working Out

    With heating cycles and zero gravity settings, a deep tissue massage adds to rejuvenating the body after a workout. A quick recovery time means that you will want to resume your daily activities with the soreness eliminated and return to your sports routine.  

    2. Handle Anxiety and Stress

    Several clinical studies report that regular massage was effective in decreasing stress and anxiety. Therapeutic massage stimulates the release of ‘feel-good hormones’ such as serotonin and dopamine while decreasing cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. The combination of these reverses a volatile temperament and stabilizes mood swings. Stress and anxiety are quite abundant and will lead to actual illnesses. Massage costs much less than medication without side effects.  

    3. Constant Fatigue

    Many people report a sense of constant fatigue. Between lifestyle issues and digital devices, many things can keep us from a sense of real relaxation.  Massage is highly effective in overcoming sleep problems. , With a massage chair at home, the ability to let go and fall asleep fast is almost certain. 

    4. Alleviate Sore Muscle Pain

    Muscles become sore after exercise, playing sports, or after a long day at work. This ache is caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. Massaging the affected areas stimulates blood flow, which delivers more oxygen and helps carry away the lactic acid. A massage chair with a heating element is even more effective at alleviating sore muscle pain.

    5. A Targeted Treatment with Lower Back Pain

    75% of adults report experiencing some form of lower back pain. They get it with varying degrees of severity, but those who have a severe case need to live with it as it becomes a chronic condition. Regular massages increase mobility and aid in pain management. Studies also show a long-term increase in healing. Orthopedic doctors widely recommend massage as a part of the rehabilitation process for lower back pain. 

    6. Decreases Neck Problems

    Most massage chairs have a targeted massage for the neck and shoulders. This is quite successful in relieving the discomfort with a stiff neck and decreasing the headaches that also come from it. Massages that target this area decreasing stress and stimulating dopamine and serotonin. This also increases the pain threshold and assists the soreness in healing. 

    7. Replicates Chiropractic Adjustments for Sciatica

    Many massage chair models were developed with input from doctors and chiropractors. The result has been several impressive features and ergonomic enhancement with these chairs. An ability to twist and tilt and provide both heat and deep tissue massage helps address sciatica-related discomfort. These sessions also have a high success rate in decreasing shooting pain and keeping it at bay afterward.

    8. Improvement In Blood Circulation

    Massage plays a part in a well functioning circulatory system. The zero gravity position is a popular technique employed to decrease the heart’s loading, improve oxygen intake, and fix several circulatory issues.  Massage also decreases stress, improving circulation, as stress increases hypertension, heart rate and constricts arteries.

    9. Increased Oxygen Flow to the Arms and Legs

    While much of what we’ve discussed has concentrated on the torso region, massage chairs can increase the pumping of more blood to the extremities. Tissues that receive more oxygen can heal, renew themselves, and perform optimally.

    10. Improve the Lymphatic System

    Our lymphatic system is a key to our immunity. Vigorous movement helps to flush all the free radicals and toxins that pile up upon our lymph nodes. Massage flushes the lymphatic system keeping us well-defended from pathogens and feeling refreshed after ditching the bio-load that weighs down our systems. 

    When the day is done, unwind with a gentle massage, and slip out of the day’s anxiety and soreness.

  • Sports: A Caricature of People

    sports Caricature
    Custom Caricature for Al Kaline created by Goofyfaces Robert Bauer

     

    We love our teams.We love our sports heroes. We follow them through the ups and downs. It’s like life. We celebrate winning years and cry over loss in the troubling years. Sports inspires and motivates some people to take action in their own lives to be a better person, more active or healthier.

    Many people look at individual players as gods and they even gamble on these sports, which is not really healthy, so looking treatments for compulsive gamblers is useful as well. Unfortunately, sports athletes are real people with flaws. Over time they will disappoint and fade. That is why I like to look at players through the lens of caricature artists. 

    Caricature artists have a way of dissecting a person and pull out the imperfections in a comical or exaggerated way. If the artist really knows the athlete they will ad elements to the images about the players strengths and weaknesses. These portraits help me to understand players and their personalities. Maybe, it’s just me.

    There are many ways to remember our heroes. Caricatures are just one way.

    I know of people who have rooms dedicated to their favor team or players. They line the walls with posters, ticket stubs and memorabilia.

    Sometimes an entire nation rallies around a sports team. In Argentina, Reuters reported, a “weary nation” was able to find “rare joy” in the achievements of its World Cup team.

    The World Cup and other major sporting events, like the Olympics or LeBron James returning home all affect people lives. Sports exercises a lot of power over some people.

    Bill Simmons, one of the most influential American sportswriters, once wrote after his team lost the Super Bowl, “I have never been able to answer the question, ‘Why does this matter to me so much?’ That’s just the way it’s always been. Ever since I can remember.”

    Sports affects people emotionally. When your team wins there is a high that lasts for days. If your team loses depression can run your live for days or weeks.

    How about when you are ready to celebrate. Your team fought a hard fight and now you’re planning which celebration party to attend the following evening. And this happens….

    After that amazing play the punter received death threats. Sad. Unfortunately, that is not the first time a game took a turn for the opposing team in the last seconds. It will not be the last and there will always be idiots who put so much emotion into a game that they can’t control their temper.

    The above mentioned Bill Simmons wrote a piece on being a fan. You can find the full version here. I’ve shared some of his thoughts below.

    Fan Behavior
    Be very careful when using the word “We” with your favorite team. Use it judiciously. Just remember, you don’t wear a uniform, you don’t play any minutes, and you’re not on the team. And yes, this was an extremely tough line for me to straddle during the Patriots’ Super Bowl run.8. No hopping on and off the bandwagon during the season with the flip-flop, “I knew we were going to self-destruct! … All right, we won six straight! … I knew we wouldn’t keep playing this well. … I knew we would bounce back!” routine as the season drags along. Just for the record, this is probably my biggest fault as a sports fan — I overreact to everything. I’ve already written off the Celtics three different times this season, and I’ve given up on Antoine Walker roughly 435 times over the past six years. Can I get some medication for this?

    It’s OK to root against your team, if they’re hopelessly out of the playoff race and you want them to keep losing so A) they’ll get a better draft pick, or B) you’re hoping the coach and/or GM will get fired. Don’t feel bad about it.(Note: It’s also OK to wager against your team, if they’re hopelessly out of the playoff race. But only then. And only if you don’t make it a habit.)

    If one of your fantasy guys is lighting it up against your favorite team (scoring goals, rushing for big yards, making jumpers, etc.), you can’t pump your fist, high-five anyone or refer to the player in a “That’s one of my guys!” sense, especially if it’s a crucial game or a crucial juncture of the game.(That’s maybe the No. 1 problem for sports fans these days: When to draw the line between fantasy and real life. It’s an ongoing battle. Even if you can’t help getting secretly excited about your fantasy guys when they’re thriving against your favorite team, at least make sure you feel guilty, too. Don’t you hate that enthralled/guilty feeling? Is there anything worse? I’m babbling …) You can forgive Knicks fan for booing their brutal team this season.

    Don’t boo your team unless it’s absolutely warranted — like with the brutal Knicks situation this season, or if you’re hoping to get a coach fired or a specific player traded or something. When you think about it, what’s the purpose of booing your team? If you’re trying to inspire them, usually you end up sending them into a deeper funk — odds are, your team already knows it’s struggling. And if you’re trying to light a fire under a specific player, usually you end up making him even more nervous and tentative. So why boo in the first place? Trust me, dead silence sends a bigger message than anything. And it’s not potentially destructive.

    (There’s only one circumstance where booing doesn’t cause more harm than good: If you have a great team that seems to be going through the motions. For instance, the Lakers have a tendency to sleepwalk against inferior teams at home; As soon as the fans get a little restless, Shaq and company seem to wake up. Unfortunately for the Lakers, their fans aren’t paying attention that closely because they’re busy either trying to get on the Jumbotron, averting their eyes from Dyan Cannon, or trying to figure out things like “How many points do you get if you shoot one from half court?” or “How come that clock on the backboard keeps counting down backward from 24?”)

    After your team wins a championship, they immediately get a five-year grace period: You can’t complain about anything that happens with your team (trades, draft picks, salary-cap cuts, coaching moves) for five years. There are no exceptions. For instance, the Pats could finish 0-80 over the next five years and I wouldn’t say a peep. That’s just the way it is. You win the Super Bowl, you go on cruise control for five years. Everything else is gravy.

    You can follow specific players from other teams, but only as long as they aren’t facing your team. For instance, it’s fine to enjoy the Brett Favre Experience if you’re a Jaguars fan … just don’t get carried away and start making a scrapbook, collecting all his football cards and so on. That’s a little sketchy. And you can’t purchase his jersey under any circumstances. Patriots fans aren’t allowed to complain about their team for at least five years.

    Just because you supported a team that won a championship, it doesn’t give you the right to turn into a pompous, insufferable schmuck. Remember this.

    Good advice. It is amazing what people will do to support their team. Is it bacause they have no life. Yeah, I went there. No goals and dreams of their own. Maybe it’s an escape. Sports happens.

    Maybe you have the answer. Share you thoughts in the comments.

    Source of note:  http://www.cjr.org/full_court_press/science_sportswriting.php

  • Sports and New Construction

    Managing the construction of a new stadium is not small job.  I’ve had the opportunity to photograph multiple stadiums being built through the years. It’s an amazing operation.

    You have so many pieces to the puzzle it’s amazing. All of the independent contractors and specialists involved on the job.  You often have multiple investors in the project looking over you. Government, especially local, is often highly involved. This doesn’t make the process easy.

    The Atlanta Falcons new project is interesting.  They are spending a billion dollars for a retractable roof. Although it is not an entirely new stadium the price tag alone is a good indication of the complexity and the level of management needed to run a project like this.

    I’m interested in the best contractors for this type of job.  Are there specialists?  Or do they higher the firm with the lowest bid?