I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy 2008!

I'm taking a break and will be with my family in South Africa. I'll be back and ready for massage on 28th January.

A big, big THANK YOU to all my clients and I look forward to seeing you next year!

Last week I thought I'd take my own advice and go for a run on a treadmill. The temperature outside was literally sub-zero and I'm not a masochist. Off I went to my local leisure centre. I said " I'd like a session on the treadmill please". The young man behind the desk said "have you had an induction". To which I replied that I hadn't, as I was a pay as you go member and I'd been a member of many gyms over the years.

This didn't cut the mustard and he went on to explain that I had to have an employee show me how to use the treadmill before I'd be permitted past the turnstile. Off the obliging young man went to find someone who could quickly show me how to use said treadmill. Unfortunately, the only person available was in the middle of a personal training session and therefore couldn't induct me. Grrrrr! I knew I was hitting my head against a brick wall. There was no sweet talking my way in. Thanks to "health and safety" I had to turn on my heel and graciously depart.

This is the first time ever I've wanted to say the words that follow in capital letters, ie. "I've been using treadmills since BEFORE YOU WERE BORN!". Mmmmmmm how funny is that...... there's a first time for everything.

So, I went home, had a glass of wine and watched "How To Look Good Naked" instead.

'Tis the season to be jolly thanks to:

- the internet - taking the pain out of Christmas Shopping
- Gumtree and E-Bay who help my clients find me
- Healthypages which is a constant support of inspiration and advice
- discovering the best way to melt chocolate
- meeting up with good friends in London
- finding a pub in London where you can sit down and be heard - priceless!

Time Magazine has published an interesting article - which goes so far as to say that post-operative massage gives similar pain relief to morphine!

I remember being taught at massage school something called the "pain gate theory". Pain travels through the body via nerve fibres of the nervous system and it's main route to the brain is via the spinal cord. If you injure yourself or have surgery your nerve fibres will be transmitting "OW, OW, OW!!!". If stroking and gentle pressure from massage is added on top of "OW", the nerve pathways aren't sure what to transmit anymore and pleasurable sensations can literally block the pain getting through the "gate" to the brain.

I found the following quote on a Washington University website:

"Although the gate control theory has support from some experiments and does explain some observations seen in pain patients during therapy, it does not explain everything. However, think of this...what is one of the first things you do after you bump your head or pinch a finger by accident? You probably rub it and it feels better, right? Could this be explained by the gate control theory? Well, rubbing your bumped head or pinched finger would activate non-nociceptive touch signals carried into the spinal cord by large nerve fibers. According to the theory, the activity in the large nerve fibers would activate the inhibitory interneuron that would then block the projection neuron and therefore block the pain."

Permission should be sought from your GP, Consultant or Surgeon prior to receiving post-operative massage.

I found this BRILLIANT site which illustrates and explains the anatomy and physiology of the human body - Get Body Smart.

It shows how every bit and part of us affects another part. For instance, did you know that sitting down at a computer for most of the day shortens the hamstrings - which are large muscles running down the back of the upper leg. These muscles attach to the bottom of the pelvis.

So, if you have tight hamstrings, this could pull the lower pelvis out of alignment, which in turn could have an affect on all the other muscles which attach to the pelvis [there are at least 20]. For instance, part of the latissimus dorsi muscle starts at the bottom of the shoulder blade and ends up attaching to the iliac crest -this essentially means having tight hamstrings could affect your shoulders! No muscle works in isolation!

Something that really impressed me about this site is that it shows how each muscle moves a certain part of the body. At massage shcool we learnt terms like adduct, abduct, medial rotation etc. however, being a very visual learner, being able to see this without having to demonstrate it on myself, is really useful.

If you currently have tension in a particular part of your body, why not identify it on Get Body Smart and have a play around. Who knows, next time you get a massage you could say to your therapist "I'd like you to massage my upper trapezius and then my rhomboidus major" - watch the surprise on their face.

My partner Anthony just loves Christmas. I woke up this morning to him inserting choccies into our felt advent calendars. He still has his from childhood. Yes, two adults with their very own advent calendars and not a child in sight. Now as regular readers will know, I'm not all that hot on Christmas but I do get pleasure out of watching the twinkling lights and yes, they're going up tomorrow.

I found this article on MassageTherapy.com on how to "survive" Christmas. Quite bizarre isn't it, in this privileged society with rabid consumer spending and over indulgence, we deign to use the word survive. For heavens sake, talk to people in Africa or Iraq or Afghanistan about survival. Anyway, I won't go into a rant and I acknowledge that stress comes in many different guises and my last Christmas is testament to that. I've amended the terminology slightly to suit the U.K [ my amdendments are in italics]

So, here's some tips on how to take the Festive period in your stride [I'm avoiding the S word]:

1.Take time for yourself. YES, get a massage. Soak in a mineral bath. Listen to the silence of a snowfall [or in our case the dull, grey fog]. Even if there seems no possible moment you can claim as your own, close your eyes, breathe deep from your belly several times, exhaling the air loudly from your mouth. Do this whenever you need a "moment."

2. Utilise catalog/online shopping. Don't fight the crowds. From the convenience of your home or during an office lunch hour, catalog and online shopping can eliminate the headache of holiday stress tenfold.

3. Eat right. Some of the best goodies come out this time of year. While you shouldn't deny yourself the opportunity to have a piece of grandma's christmas pudding, don't overdo it. Remember to eat plenty of veggies and fruits to help stave off the winter's bombardment of colds.

4. Give yourself the advantage. Consumption of alcohol, nicotine, drugs and caffeine elicit the body's stress reaction. Remember moderation, you'll be happier and calmer in the long run.

5. Don't skimp on the exercise...but allow yourself to be excused from the routine when need be. Exercise helps melt the stress away and can provide that moment of clarity in a hectic day.

6. Don't try to be Delia Smith. It's easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holidays with new decorating ideas, fancy dinners and the whim to make all your gifts this year. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Don't set yourself up for failure. If you can afford to, and sanity is priceless after all, use Mark and Spencer or Waitrose's catering service. Have friends help by having a craft day. Forgo making gifts, or panic buying, and give a gift you'll know they'll appreciate -- a massage.

7. Remember the spirit. When it's all said and done, no one will remember that the turkey was a little dry, the roast potatoes were soggy and that the sweater didn't fit, . What do they remember? The precious moments with family and friends.