Vegetarian Nutrition

Vegetarian diets are GREAT for health! They lower body fat percentage, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, reduced inflammation in the body, and can even enhance recovery after physical activity. There are many driving forces behind why people choose a vegetarian diet, may it be due to religious, environmental, ethical, or health-based reasons. One thing in common though, is that folks following a vegetarian diet might be lacking important nutrients if they have not had exposure to a registered dietician or nutrition coach. Lacking in certain nutrients, specifically nutrients that come from animal products, can make one feel sluggish, weak, and tired.

So, what are the key nutrients that may be missing? Below are some of the most common nutrients that are lacking in vegetarian diets, but remember: It is always best to check with your primary care provider or another medical doctor as they can run blood tests to determine with accuracy which nutrients you may be deficient in.

 

Vitamin D

found in salmon and dairy milk. Vitamin D is responsible for directing all cells with a nucleus what to do (all cells other than fat cells). Deficiency can cause deficits in strength and fatty degeneration of type II muscle fibers. Vitamin D found in plants is less efficient at being absorbed and used in our body than Vitamin D found in animal products, so you may need more vitamin D from plants. You can find plant-based sources of vitamin D in tofu, soybeans, oranges, spinach, and lentils.

 

Iron

found in red meat. Some plants have compounds that inhibit the intake of iron, so people on a vegetarian diet may need more than non-vegetarians. Low iron can result in us needing to use iron in our blood, which can cause fatigue and anemia. Cooking in a black iron skillet can give us traces of iron, however, iron supplements are likely to be the best option to get the iron we need.

 

Omega-3’s

found in cold water fish, and somewhat in chia and flax seeds and walnuts. Lacking in Omega-3’s can cause brain fogginess and inflammation in our bodies. There are multiple kinds of Omega-3’s that our body needs. The Omega-3’s that our brain needs are best supplied from cold water fish instead of nuts and seeds. Therefore, supplementation is the best way to efficiently get Omega-3’s for our body.

 

Calcium

found in dairy products. We need calcium for our bone growth and strength as well as for our muscles to function efficiently. We may feel weak if we don’t have enough calcium. Plant-based sources of calcium include kale, broccoli, tofu, and fortified plant milks.

 

Vitamin B-12

found in animal protein. Without B vitamins, specifically B-12, we may feel very fatigued throughout the day. Because vitamin B-12 is only found in animal protein, the best way to get this nutrient will come from supplements or fortified plant milk.

 

Remember, these are just the most common nutrient deficiencies and not all are listed here. If you are on a vegetarian diet, it may be worth going to a registered dietician to ensure you are eating well-rounded and are getting essential nutrients for your body!

Blog post written by Kat Cantlebary for Remedial Massage Queenstown

Why We Tell You to Hydrate!

Photo by Anderson Rian on Unsplash

Why is hydration so important? We all know we need to drink water, but what are some of the exact physical benefits? And why does my massage therapist always tell me I need to drink water? Well, there are two answers to that question. One, is fascia, and the other is our circulatory system.

 

1.     Fascia is a special connective tissue in our bodies. At the basic level, it holds our muscles, organs, and skin in place (for more information, see our other blog post on fascia). More importantly, however, fascia gives us the ability to move as it is made up of 70% water, thus assists in creating flexibility and more pliability our bodies.  

 

Because of the high water content in fascia, you can think of it like a sponge. When a sponge is dried up, it becomes rough and unpliable. When we are dehydrated, our fascia can become stuck or ”glued” to itself and to the muscles it surrounds. This manifests in our body as decreased mobility, general soreness, chronic pain, and trigger points – hyperirritable spots in our fascia.

 

When a sponge is hydrated, it becomes flexible and soft. By hydrating our bodies, we keep our fascia flexible and pain free. We also allow the fascia to absorb or “sponge up” the nutrients it needs to stay flexible and healthy.

 

2.     Our muscles store toxins like lactic acid when we are emotionally or physically stressed. Massage helps to increase the circulation to our muscles and in turn, helps to flush out those toxins. However, if we are dehydrated, we have less blood volume available to flow to these muscles to flush out these toxins.

 

 

As a generally rule, we are made up of about 70% water so for the optimal functioning of all our bodies systems, it’s a good idea to keep hydrated so these systems are “well oiled.” Your body is your vehicle to experience the world - if you didn’t put oil or fuel in your car it wouldn’t run smoothy or is likely to break down. The same goes with your body, your water intake and the quality of food you consume.

Blog post written by Kat Cantlebary for Remedial Massage Queenstown

Top Tips to Keep your Fascial System Healthy


You may have heard your massage therapist or even your yoga instructor mention fascia, whilst enthusiastically explaining to you why it is so important in treating body aches, pain and dysfunction. In fact, with fascia becoming more widely talked about and understood, myofascial or fascia-release treatments are becoming more and more common in massage therapy, chiropractic and physiotherapy clinics.


Myofascial release treatment

Myofascial release treatment can be beneficial to clients wishing to create more space and balance within their body and for practitioners seeking to help restore structural integrity. Fascia is often the missing element in the movement/stability equation. 


Aside seeking treatment for pain associated to postural dysfunction from a fascial-work practitioner, it is possible to help keep your fascia as healthy as possible to prevent it from becoming problematic. See our three tips below from Dr. Jess Reynolds [massagebook.com] along with explanation, on how to keep your fascial system in tip-top condition:



1. Stay Hydrated

The fascial system is comprised of fibres, cells, and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM makes up the vast majority of fascial tissue and is composed almost entirely of water. While there are many physiological reasons why we should stay hydrated, keeping the fascial system in tip-top shape is near the top of the list. When we are dehydrated, the ECM (which should be a mucus-like substance) becomes thick, sticky, and viscous. This thick stickiness in the ECM leads to fascial adhesions (layers of fascia stuck together). Maintaining proper hydration helps prevent myofascial adhesions.


2. Move Your Body

While it is essential to stay hydrated, drinking enough fluids is only part of the equation. The other part is to make sure that fluid can get to all of the tissues. The best way to do that is to move your body. As you move your body through various novel positions, such as those performed in a yoga class, fluid begins to move through the myofascial system.

Imagine squeezing some dirty water out of a used sponge. Once the pressure is released from the sponge, it can absorb fresh, clean fluid. Our bodies work in a similar way. Stretching works the same way as squeezing the sponge does. Releasing the stretch is like releasing the sponge; it allows new fluid to enter.

One other very effective way to maintain a healthy fascia is through doing “mobility” work. Mobility work involves deeper and more focused work on problem areas, often with the assistance of a tool, ball, or roller to apply pressure directly to the fascia in order to affect positive change.


3. Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet

Diet and nutrition are loaded subjects these days, but one thing that pretty much everybody agrees on is that the “Standard American Diet” is pro-inflammatory. There are many ill effects of systemic inflammation caused by a highly inflammatory diet. When inflammation affects the fascial system, the body produces a pathological or excessive amount of collagen, a glue-like substance that binds tissues together. Excess amounts of collagen bring excess stickiness, increasing the likelihood of fascial adhesions. Similar to how dehydration can cause adhesions, system inflammation caused by a pro-inflammatory diet can also cause adhesions.

Keeping these three things in mind will significantly reduce the likelihood of developing myofascial adhesions and keep your facial system healthy.



Fascial-release treatments such as orthopaedic cupping can be added onto your massage session.

Book here to schedule your session with us. 



. . . . .

Blog post written by Sarah Pryke for Remedial Massage Queenstown. Reference and resources published by Dr.Jess Reynolds from www.massagebook.com and Fascial Release for Structural Balance by James Earls & Thomas Myers

Bad Posture = Back Problems? Maybe not...

Does bad posture cause back pain…some studies are starting to show…no, it actually doesn’t.

And here’s the Cliffs Notes version of “why”

Tissues adapt to stresses over time - In the same way your muscles get bigger the more you lift at the gym, your ligaments, joints & tendons will change and adapt to take on stress created by certain postures.

Tissue damage does not equal pain - If you were to chuck anyone over the age of 30 into an MRI you would have a VERY strong chance of finding some kind of significant damage, even in places without pain. Pain is complex & tissue damage is only one contributor to pain.

Different People are different - So, “bad” posture doesn’t always correlate with pain, because everyone has a unique structure. If you were to take 100 skeletons from 100 different people you would see big differences in the shape of the bones & spinal curves. Theses differences will to some extent tell the body the most comfortable way to sit/stand & move/ So, what’s “dysfunctional;” for one person might be nice & comfy for another person **typed as I’m hunched over a laptop comfortably on the floor**

So, because of these differences, comparing yourself and posture to some perfect model and trying to make corrections is super problematic.

Sooooo what do you do instead of posture you’re wondering, right???

Ensure you have good alignment when some sort of force is involved. During stationary standing or sitting, the stresses on your joints will be pretty small. Your body has years and years of experience to theses exact stresses thousands of times a day and is well adapted to them.

But on the flip side, during any sort of exercise, for example a heavy deadlift, the stress will be a lot greater and your body has less opportunity to quickly adapt to this. So your postural alignment matters greatly in that particular instance. Just the same as a jump/landing, sprint/quick directional change.

Next you want to change up your posture every once in a while. So don’t beat yourself up f you look like Quasimodo when you’re in from of your computer. Getting up and moving around a few times an hour will be better for you in the long run than stressing over keeping your shoulders back all the live long day.

Throw your good posture all the time thought process out the window, instead, stay comfortable, keep moving, and use alignment/form during strenuous movements. 

WHAT THE BACK!?

The back consists of the posterior aspect of the body.

It’s bony elements are mainly vertebrae, although ribs, pelvic bones and skull contribute to the back's skeletal framework too. Associated muscles and ligaments interconnect the vertebrae, ribs, pelvic and skull with each other. 

This connection reveals why we, as a massage therapist, love to work through your gluteal muscles or hip flexors (even if you don't feel any pain) and have a closer look through your chest and front neck muscles (pectoralis muscles, scaleni, SCM to name a few) if you have back pain.



The curvature of the vertebral column is concave anteriorly in the thoracic and sacral region whereas in the cervical and lumbar region it is concave posteriorly. With this equal distribution the center of gravity is aligned, which is important for the body's weight balance. If the body's weight is centered on the vertebral column it will expend the least amount of muscular energy to maintain an upright bipedal stance.

To support your spine it is very important to train your posture as often as possible. This includes all trunk muscles but also your hip muscles to maintain your correct curvature.



The major bones of the back are 33 vertebrae. Our spine consists of seven cervical, twelve thoracic, five lumbar, five sacral (which fuse into a single bone, the sacrum) and three to four coccygeal vertebrae (often fused into a single coccyx).

A typical vertebra has a vertebral body and a vertebral arch. 

 

The main purpose of the vertebral body.

  • Weight bearing: It carries the body weight. The more weight a vertebra has to carry the bigger its size which explains why a cervical vertebra is tiny and fragile in comparison to a lumbar vertebra.

The arch has a totally different task. 

  • Protection: It forms the lateral and posterior walls of the vertebral canal which starts from the very first cervical vertebra (atlas) to the last sacral vertebra. It's a protection for the structures that are in this canal which are the spinal cord and its protective membranes, blood vessels, connective tissue, fat and spinal nerves

  • Attachments: for muscles and ligaments

  • Levers: for the action of muscles

  • Sites of articulation: with adjacent vertebrae

To keep your spine fully functional it's indispensable to use it. 

If there is no stimuli or to little your body will slowly degenerate and get weaker and won't have the ability to react appropriately. It's a simple fact that if you don't use it you will lose it. 

Why should your body keep up a function and waste energy and resources?

So go for a walk, run, exercise it doesn't matter which activity you prefer but move. The importance is that you give your spine different stimuli and therefore your body needs to adjust to it.