Simple Changes for Better Health

As we age, it becomes more and more apparent that we needed to take care of ourselves when we were younger.  While there are many who come to realize this early in life, some people only realize it as they get older and start to have problems with their health.  Since many of these problems were caused by lifestyle, it stands to reason then that changing this very lifestyle can have a beneficial effect on your health.

 

It is also fortunate that scientists and researchers have discovered that making lifestyle changes can be done at any age and they will still have benefit.  It has also been discovered recently that many of the diseases of aging, or the process of aging itself as a degenerative phase in life, is actually a disorder that can be prevented.  An article in 2010, based on research from scientists in London, was one of the first to state that aging is itself a disease.

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How To Turn Your Year End Health Fair Into A Success For Your Business

Nowadays, many companies have a health fair at the end of year. Many reasons exist for the popularity of the year end health fair. For many, it is a way to give their employees the opportunity to get their annual flu shot in advance of the cold winter season. For others, it is simply a way to give the employees something fun and relaxing to do at the end of the year.

Having been to many health fairs providing chair massage for employees, I can tell you that massage therapy is always the most popular offering among the members of the staff. Even when there are no lines for other providers, there is a long line for massage therapy. Thus if you will be having a health fair, the most important station for you to have is chair massage, and the more therapists the better.



The most popular offering after chair massage is, of course, the free flu shots for your staff. Flu shots have become very popular in recent years, as companies have begun to use them in an attempt to keep their employees’ sick time down. For some people, the flu shot works, while for others it does not work. Before you spend money bringing in a nurse to administer the flu shot (and paying for all the shots administered), a survey would be helpful to determine if most of your employees benefit from the flu shot, or if offering it would be a waste. Since every company and employee is different, the only way to know is to ask.

One of the most interesting offerings that I have seen at other health fairs is an iridologist. An iridologist can actually provide a personalized report for each employee based upon their very own iris. This practitioner will bring a special camera to take a photo of each person’s eye, and then they will show that person what the condition of their iris can tell them about their health. For example they can see high blood pressure, cholesterol conditions, injuries both recent and old, as well as areas of good health. A good iridologist will always talk about the positive as well as the negative, rather than just the negative.

In addition to massage therapists, flu shots, and iridologists, there are an endless number of other businesses that can be hired for your health fair. However, many of these other health care providers are not nearly as popular among staff as are massage and flu shots. But if you are trying to create a well-rounded experience for your staff, other providers may be necessary depending on the size of your company.

To that end, you can bring in a chiropractor, a physical therapist, healthy food manufacturers, and any other health care providers that regularly attend health fairs. However, unlike massage therapists and iridologists, most of these other health care providers will not actually provide your staff with samples of what they do, but will offer them a free consultation or diagnostic appointment. Since you know your staff best, only you can decide if this will work for them.

As health fairs become more and more popular, and more employers offer them to their staff as a way to show their appreciation, you as the owner of a small or large business may wish to incorporate this type of event into your company’s regular staff perks. Hopefully, this article has given you some ideas for vendors to bring to your company’s health fair. Now you can create your own unique take on the health fair experience.

Corporate Chair Massage - Rest Improves Performance and Play Is Important

Today, many employees and employers feel that they must push as hard as they can, as continuously as they can, until they collapse from sheer exhaustion. New evidence is actually contradicting this belief, making the case that rest periods, breaks, and vacations from work will actually have the opposite of expected result: greater productivity!


When looking at studies that have been performed on workers in the workplace, some interesting facts have been found. Studies have shown that worker performance actually increases when staff members are allowed to take naps or otherwise relax without an expectation of performance during the time they are given.


This increase in work performance and productivity reported by the articles in the foot of this blog are generally overall, and over the course of the year. For example, a study spoken of in the New York Times article referenced below showed that when air traffic controllers were allowed to take a 40 minute nap, their response time and vigilance were markedly improved.


A similar study in a laboratory environment found that taking a short nap of an hour to an hour and a half improved memory test results as much as a full night's sleep. These studies and many others are turning the traditional beliefs about work and rest, vacations and relaxation, upside down. However, it may take a long time before many companies start adopting policies based upon them.


There are a number of large companies that everyone can recognize who are leading the way in encouraging napping (and thus increasing their own productivity). According to an article posted on guycodeblog.mtv.com, such companies as British Airways, Time Warner, Nike, Google, Zappos, and AOL, among many others, have adopted a napping policy. Some allow employees to nap in a lounge full of nap pods, while others allow employees to nap on couches or at their posts.


As a mobile massage therapist specializing in corporate chair massage, this is very encouraging news. It means to me that employers are coming to understand the value of relaxation with regard to job performance. When you take it to another level, such as encouraging employees to get a chair massage during work time, whether on a staff appreciation day, a health fair, or simply for no occasion at all, the results may be surprising.


In previous articles, I have referenced studies demonstrating that chair massage, even brief sessions, show a marked increase in productivity and a decrease in anxiety. These increases are actually statistically significant, making them worthy of mention by the study authors. What that means is, it was not just one or two people who had an increase in their productivity, but many of the employees receiving chair massage had such an increase.


Any company who is looking at their bottom line in terms of costs for productivity in their employees will find that chair massage is actually a low cost and extremely effective way to accomplish their goals. In these studies, it is not known why chair massage has such an effect. In some staff members, it may be that they want to feel appreciated, and having chair massage at work makes them feel that their employer truly does appreciate them. Everyone wants to feel accepted, understood, and cared for, and this is one of the most cost effective and extremely appreciated ways to do that.


As therapists, it has amazed us time and time again how many of the staff members whose employers have brought in chair massage express incredible gratitude. It is also amazing to us how very much each of these individuals already accomplish in their work day. And when they receive a massage, they always return to work and work even harder. This is probably a big factor in why the productivity for the whole company goes up.


From large multinational corporations to the small business down the street, we have had clients in every type of business and from all walks of life, and they all see the same result. When they bring in chair massage, their staff members work harder. And I don't think that it is just to encourage the boss to bring in chair massage again. It seems to be a genuine appreciation, and a recognition of the acknowledgment that the boss is showing by bringing in the chair massage.

For more information, and to learn if chair massage might be right for your company, please check out our webpage at chair-massage-nj.njmassage.info. Also, take a look at the articles and studies referenced just below to get a better idea of everything that has been spoken about in this blog.

References:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00702.x/full
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/Sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?pagew anted=all&_r=0
http://guycodeblog.mtv.com/2013/02/19/napping-at-work/
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/european-technology/ban-social-media-as-a-distraction-no-it-b oosts-productivity/1610
http://www.sparringmind.com/productivity-science/

© Copyright 2013 H Miller

Corporate Chair Massage - Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Productivity In The Office

Corporate chair massage has gained in popularity in recent years, however, many employers are still unaware of the many benefits that this modality can offer to their staff members. Corporate chair massage has been shown in many studies to reduce anxiety and overall stress levels in recipients, as well as to increase alertness and speed and accuracy of math computations.

As anxiety and stress reduction are the most well known effects of chair massage, it will be the first benefit discussed here. One study published in The Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice Journal provided nurses with on site chair massages at a hospital during their shifts. Each nurse received 15 minute massages weekly. At the end of the study, the nurses reported lowered anxiety and stress levels using a self-assessment questionnaire.

Another study published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science correlates these results with a similar study. In this study, one group received chair massages while a control group of individuals received a break instead of massage therapy, and they were both tested for anxiety levels after the study. The results of this study showed a significant decrease in anxiety and stress levels for the massage group, whereas the control group did not experience a similar reduction in stress.

One of the lesser known effects of massage therapy is its ability to enhance alertness and sharpen mental faculties. One study, published in the International Journal of Neuroscience set out to determine whether massage therapy enhanced alertness and the ability to do math computations.

Two groups of adults participated in the study. The first group was given chair massage twice a week for five weeks, while the control group was allowed to relax in the massage chair for fifteen minutes at the same frequency. The two groups were given math computations to do both before and after their respective sessions. Both groups were tested for EEG patterns of mental alertness, speed and accuracy of math computations, as well as depression, anxiety, and stress levels.

The results of the study showed that the massage group had enhanced alertness and increased speed and accuracy on math computations. The control group remained the same for math computations. The massage group experienced reduced anxiety levels, reduced cortisol levels, as well as reduced job stress on self reported questionnaires while the control group did not experience these effects.

As an employer of a large or small staff of people, you may be wondering what these studies mean for you. Employers and the public at large have become aware in recent years that stress and anxiety lead to lower productivity. This applies both in home life as well as in work life.

Thus, employees with less stress have higher work output, as well as greater accuracy in their work output. As these studies have shown, even short duration chair massage sessions significantly decrease stress and anxiety levels. Employees who are less stressed are more productive, and they are also more accurate and less prone to errors in their work.

The last study that I discussed shows this even more clearly. Math computations can be a reflection of any type of work that requires thought and care, from entering data on a computer to creating spreadsheets and performing bookkeeping tasks, among other activities.

Since this study showed that accuracy and speed of math computations was increased following chair massage, these results can be extrapolated and applied to the workplace, where employees who receive regular chair massages are likely to be much more productive and accurate in addition to being less stressed. Every business should be concerned about their bottom line, and the studies and results shown here should help employers to realize that the addition of a chair massage program at work is a cost effective way to increase the capacity of their staff members, as well as boost morale and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

For more information, click here to view a chair massage blog posted on our website

You can view the details of the studies by visiting the studies page on our website. Click here to be directed to that page


© Copyright 2013 H Miller