On The Spot Massage

Wellness @ Work – Is This the New Green?

With everything we hear about going green, have we left ourselves out of the equation?

One can't avoid hearing about America’s high number citizens who are overweight, have diabetes, or are on medication due to stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep deprivation or poor physical fitness. It's time we take charge and improve our health. And what better place to address this than the workplace as that’s where most adults spend many of our most stressful waking hours?

More workers than ever are using sick days, says the Associated Press; only 1/3 of unscheduled days off are because of illness, according to a study by CCH Inc. A survey of personnel officers at 333 U.S. companies found the overall rate of unscheduled absences for personal reasons has increased from 20 percent to 24 percent and absences due to stress
has jumped from 5 percent to 12 percent, just in the last two years. This results in a huge negative impact on companies’ productivity and the bottom line that creates even more stress for those left at work to pick up the slack for absent employees as well as downsized companies with unchanged workloads.

The good news is that Gov. Schwarzenegger has declared wellness in the workplace a priority – the perfect complement to the green improvements we now see being adopted across the U.S.

Bay Area cities are stepping up and guidelines for wellness @ work programs are being
created and implemented as we speak. Similar to being green certified, companies can become recognized and awarded "the fit business award.” San Francisco is leading the pack and has finished a round of “Shape-up San Francisco” walk challenges, nutrition, education, and snack and lunch programs in offices and schools.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Emeryville to become the Healthy City. The Emeryville Chamber of Commerce has adopted workplace wellness as one of its core program priorities. On the Spot Massage LLC is an official Emeryville Healthy City Initiative Partner and as of this edition of the Wellness Corner has started a collaboration among several Emeryville health
and wellness providers. Soon you will be hearing more about "The Emeryville Wellness Corner collaboration” of which On the Spot Massage chair massage, along with other local businesses are the first to engage in plans to bring wellness to businesses, organizations and residents in Emeryville.

We are excited to be a part of Emeryville’s transformation and hope to inspire as many
businesses as possible to participate in investing in their workplace team health and well-being. We will be looking at donating a percentage of the income generated from providing our services to businesses to a cause in Emeryville that will improve or invest in health programs for less fortunate residents.

Take care of the body it's where you live.

Feeling great in 2008

So the holidays are over and all the wrapping paper has been tossed into the recycling bin, we've eaten our fill and visited or been visited by friends and family and hopefully we have not spent our life savings this year buying gifts. It's time to bring in the new year with a stand for optimism and a new motto: "Feeling great in 2008".

Tips to get started. 

Get enough sleep

* Winter is hibernation time for most creatures and our bodies are no exception. We need enough rest; just look around our environment and you will notice plants are going dormant
and energy reserves are going underground.

*This is a good time to upgrade beds, pillows, blankets, space heaters and start a rest fitness program, as natural products as possible seem to help reduce allergy symptoms for some and that can significantly impact quality of sleep.

*Did you know that 8 hours of quality sleep between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. can help weight management, mood regulation, hormonal balance and productivity?

* Look at any habits that may interrupt good sleep, especially caffeine later in the day, including sodas, weight management formulas and some medications. I am not suggesting
that you change prescribed medications but you can consult with your doctor or medical professional about sleep issues and your prescriptions.

* Believe it or not having a snack before bed can help calm you and help get you drowsy, try
to keep your sleep fitness snack fairly nutritious, cheese and fruit, yogurt, a half a sandwich, having your blood sugar regulated before bed can help with not waking up groggy.

* Stress reduction, whether deep breathing, yoga, meditation, massage or appropriate vitamin supplementation are all positive ways to help regulate the body’s well-being and ultimately get
a good night’s rest and rejuvenation.

Check out these additional resources:

Whole Foods Markets - www.wholefoodsmarket.com to find a store near you where you can find supplements and natural potions for better sleep, you can get assistance from the Whole Body department staff.

Books. The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep, by Lawrence Epstein, MD, past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), presents a six-step plan to better sleep. In the book, Dr. Epstein offers tips for dealing with common issues such as insomnia, disrupted sleep, daytime exhaustion, restlessness, sleepwalking, and the many other chronic sleep conditions suffered by more than 70 million Americans.

Websites. http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sidebars/sb31_1.html
http://www.ayurvedamed.com/methods/51/
http://insomnia.about.com/od/quizzesfaq/qt/Video_Mood.html

FEELING GREAT IN 2008 !!

Take care of the body, it's where you live.

Welcome to the on the spot blog!

Hi everyone I am Shoshana Frumkin president and founder of On the Spot Massage LLC the California bay area chair massage company dedicated to serving your Kneads! I am also a certified nutrition educator and consultant having graduated from Bauman college and having been in the natural foods industry since the early 70's. I think we can have some fun bringing wellness to your location whether it's refreshing chair massage for your office at the marketplace or somewhere in between and shopping for healthy food, great services and other stuff to be determined by you and me.

I will be bringing you byte sized pieces of wellness and health information, the stuff that I think is basic to living a quality healthy lifestyle with links to The Shop Spot where you can enjoy the simple pleasures of services and products delivered to you so you can get on with your mission. Your input about stores you would like to see in The Shop Spot are welcomed and anticipated, I will be sourcing clean water filtration, air filters, green shopping bags, and all kinds of referrals to people, places and things that will assist you in feeling more connected to your well-being and easy healthy shopping in one location at The Shop Spot.