5 Massage Tips for a Beginner

Have you ever wanted to give someone a massage, but were too intimidated by the idea?

I want to help you get over that hurdle with a few simple tips to keep in mind next time you want to treat someone special to a relaxing experience.

If you want to give (or receive) a better massage, try to keep these five tips in mind.

1. Just Relax

The massage will not be as good if you’re tense and overthink. Try to focus on feeling the muscles under the skin and use loose fists with slow strokes. This is supposed to be a relaxing experience! Be sure you are using a good carrier oil such as V6. Have your essential oils set out ahead of time. Make sure the diffuser is going, the lights are dim, and soft music is playing.

2. Take a Broad Approach

By working large sections with broad strokes instead of focusing on smaller areas, you’ll create a much more comfortable massage. Think of the muscle as a whole and loosen the whole area around the knots and trigger points.

3. Warm-up The Muscles

The muscles need to be warmed up before deeper work can be done, so remember to start shallow with large, soft motions. Once the muscles feel warm they are ready for heavier pressure.

4. Use Appropriate Pressure

Communicate with your subject that they should tell you if they want lighter or deeper pressure. Thicker muscles such as the lower back usually require heavier pressure compared to thinner muscles that stretch over bone.

5. Watch Your Thumbs

You’ll likely cramp your hands if you use your thumbs too much. Keep your wrists straight and massage with a loose fist and the heel of your hand. For more advanced folks, use your forearm and support the movement with your weight to add pressure.

The Takeaway

Treating someone to a relaxing massage might be intimidating for you, but if you keep these five tips in mind I bet you’ll do a great job! Be sure to leave a comment or drop me a note about how it goes when you try it.

 

Improve Your Focus With Essential Oils, a DIY

Are you or anyone in your family having trouble focusing? It can be difficult when you’re at work or school and can’t seem to concentrate. For many of you, it even creates stress and that’s no good.

When my daughter was young, school was tough because she not only has dyslexia, but ADHD and some other issues. I always let her know she was very capable, but that most schools didn’t teach toward her learning style. It is a learning style, NOT a disability. Do you agree? 

Oh how I wish I’d known about the many benefits of pure essential oils! It would have made her life so much easier, though I know she used the experiences to shape her character and build strength. But, you know how mothers are, right? She survived, is in college, and has a 4.0. I learned lots. 

Anyway, back to oils. Coffee can give you jitters and a crash in energy later, so that’s really not a good choice. To improve your focus in a natural and healthy way, try this DIY essential oil recipe.

~1 drop Eucalyptus

~1 drop Rosemary

~1 drop Ginger

~4 drops Bergamot

Mix this mixture with hot water (not boiling-it will kill the health benefits), inhale for five or more minutes, and then splash your face with cold water. You can put a towel over your head to better direct the steam and aroma.

Some other very effective oils you can try swapping in are lemon, basil, and peppermint. Aromatherapy is very beneficial.

If that method is too much trouble, try one of these. I make them for my daughter and she loves them. 

Focus–Feet, Wrists, Brainstem 

I used a 1mL roller with a stainless ball.

2 Frankincense, Cedarwood, Vetiver

OR

3 Northern Lights Black Spruce, Copaiba 

2 Lime

Let me know how they work for you.

**Disclaimer

I’m not a doctor. I don’t diagnose, treat or prescribe treatments for any health conditions or diseases. Before choosing to use any alternative medicines, natural supplements or vitamins you should discuss them with your Primary Care Physician, especially if pregnant, nursing, trying to become pregnant or if you have any other medical condition.

Everything I write about is based on my personal experiences, that of friends, and my research. It is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice given by your doctor. You should not use this information for making self-diagnosis.

 

Toss Plastic Cutting Boards

Wooden cutting boards have always been my favorite and in fact, are much safer to use than plastic cutting boards. Are ya shocked?

It may seem like plastic is non-porous and can’t absorb liquids, but the surface becomes knife-scarred and holds on to bacteria. This rough surface is exceptionally difficult to clean, even with bleach or running through the dishwasher. Wood, by contrast, shows the ability to halt the growth of and kill bacteria applied to its surface. Both new and used wooden cutting boards maintain this ability equally well.

In a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin by Dr. Dean O. Cliver, Ph.D. of UC Davis, they tested bacteria known to produce food poisoning – Salmonella, Listeria, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. These bacteria were placed on cutting boards made from seven different species of trees and four types of plastic. All the wooden boards consistently outperformed the plastic.

Here are recipes for cleaning and conditioning wood cutting boards.

Cutting board cleaning spray recipe:

•8 oz glass spray bottle-must be glass, orange will break down plastic releasing toxins

•1/3 cup of distilled white vinegar

•3 capfuls of Thieves Household Cleaner

•10 drops Orange Essential Oil

•Fill the rest with water

•Spray liberally & wash with a warm wet cloth and air dry

Cutting board oil conditioning recipe:

• 2 oz glass pump bottle
• fill 3/4 full with quality board oil or mineral oil
• 15 drops Thieves essential oil blend
• 5 drops Orange or Lemon essential oil 
• Apply enough to thinly cover the cutting board and rub in with a clean and dry sponge in a circular motion all the wood grain. Allow to air dry for an hour before storing it away.

 

Free Christmas Carols Songbook

Rad Roadtrips is offering a terrific and free Christmas Carols Song Book.

Have fun caroling this year, or enjoy singing around the fireplace.

 

Free Jan Brett Printables

Homeschool Creations is offering free printable for Jan Brett’s book, The Mitten.

The site says the pack includes fun activities to tie in with the story ~ vocabulary words, word tracer cards, a tracer page, sequencing cards, a fun song, beginning sound cards, counting activities and more!

Just under the download link there are links for more great activities including Jan Brett activities and a link to read The Mitten online.

 

Free Christmas Printable Pack

Confessions of a Homeschooler is offering a download for free Christmas preschool printables

This pack is loaded with super cute games, crafts, printables, and more. I think you kiddos will have such fun!

 

Free Winter Activity Book

Rad Roadtrips is offering a free Winter Holiday Activity Book just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is a general winter based holiday book, so it can last longer than just the holidays.

The book features over 30 pages of activities, games, and discussion items for your kids to dive into on your upcoming road trip.

 

 

 

Solar System Download

1+1+1 is offering a Solar System pack for use with preschool and lower elementary kids.

Here is what the site says:

These Solar System printables will give your child hours of fun and exposure to early learning skills like sight words, letter sounds, counting, early reading, outer space vocabulary and more!  You can use each different printable in various ways as you choose the skills to expose your child to.

Toward the bottom of the page, on the right hand side, you will see links to more “Outer Space Fun”.

 

Thanksgiving Gratitude Book

This Reading Mama is offering the following:

My ABC’s of Thanksgiving: 21 Days of Contagious Gratitude

She has a link to a download of her ABC book. She also has a preschool version you can download as well. She includes blank templates you can adapt for your own use.

 

Teaching Character Traits

Focus on the Family has a great Christian character trait program called Character Crew. You can access it for free.

The program covers:

1. Respect
2. Citizenship
3. Hope
4. Compassion
5. Courage
6. Honesty
7. Excellence
8. Perseverance
9. Responsibility