Aria’s Massage Journey (pt. 2 recovery)
Re·cov·er·y. An Anglo-Norman French origin word meaning to “get back.”
How old were we when we learned about Recovery in Fitness? In elementary school when we practiced touching our toes before P.E. class? During dance class to avoid injury with our turns? Or after we get into a major health injury or illness to consciously think about recovery?
From the time I was 3-years-old, I started my first ever sport- dancing hula.
By the time I was 8-years-old, I competed in my first hula competition where I also performed my first solo. I was involved in swimming, tennis, and soccer during one point or another during this time.
By the time I was 11-years-old, I was crying at the end of every hula practice as my knees were in so much pain. I stopped playing my other sports and started learning basketball.
By the time I was 13-years-old, I’d like to say that I was well versed in the world of physical therapy and began learning about things I should do to aide my recovery before and after my practices. I had knee and foot issues. I stopped playing basketball and started learning volleyball. I love being active, but I wasn't the best at sports. However, I did excel in dance. Dance, specifically hula, has always been my passion but for the first time, I truly dedicated my focus to it; I stopped playing all the other sports.
However, when I stopped competing in dance at 17-years-old, I didn’t know what my fitness routine looked like anymore. So once again, I tried A LOT of different things. Yoga, Barre, Weightlighting, Long Distance Running, etc. I was so used to 1-4 hour practices, multiple times a week that I felt like I had to keep up with a similar regiment. As much as I learned about different movements, how my body works, and how hard I can push myself, recovery was not something that I was consciously thinking about until recently.
So, here I was at 19-years-old, working 50-80hours/week at my job, going to school, training 1-4 hours a day - multiple times a day, but not feeding my body with the proper nutrition I needed, most likely not sleeping enough, and ultimately not taking care of me. Check out Aria’s Massage Journey pt. 1 to learn more about what happened in my life to change this.
Today, my health and wellness routine looks different. Throughout my journey, I’ve met with many healthcare professionals; doctors (western and naturopathic), physical therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and a craniosacaral therapist. As well as been able to speak personally with many individuals on their own journeys and they shared their knowledge and insights with me; coaches, other athletes, a personal trainer, and more. I am grateful for all the resources available to me.
One of the greatest things about being part of the Seven Senses Spa team is I get to pick the brains of well-experienced massage therapists. I have tons of questions about the human body and I’ve bombarded the therapists with questions throughout the year. As James is currently on his extended leave, I would like to share how Tricia has been particularly helpful. I am hyper-flexible and have dealt with knee, foot, and hip issues for years. I personally see Tricia when my lower body is in pain and needs work done; mostly when my right hip begins to give me some discomfort. She helps stretch my legs in ways that I cannot do myself and like all therapists, wants to help. I especially enjoy her implementation of Trigger Point Therapy where she taught me how to truly breathe through the massage to get the most benefits from the hour-session I have with her.
“A massage is only as beneficial as to how open you are to receive it.”
Tricia has helped me understand what it can feel like to be fully present and receive the work from the hands of a skillful therapist. She has alleviated pressure on my lower body, so that when I climb off the massage table, I instantly feel better than when I walked in. My body feels lighter; I feel as if I have more mobility. Her style of massage will be incredibly helpful in my recovery routine as I am currently doing a personal fitness challenge. 36 Consecutive Days of Hiking Koko Head Crater. My recovery routine, including massage, will allow me to successfully complete this challenge by taking care of my physical health.
However, my physical wellbeing is not the only thing taken care of here at Seven Senses Spa. My mental health and well-being has increased positively. Stay tuned to part 3 where I share how Kina has helped me feel as if my Mental Energy has been restored.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/recovery