Does a Body Good

As a massage therapist I am extremely picky about who works on MY aching muscles. Also, with as hard as my job is on my body, my muscles need daily attention. Who couldn't benefit from a daily massage?! At best, I get to receive bodywork once a week. Realistically, it ends up being once a month. What's a girl in pain to do?

Regular exercise is a DEFINITE necessity. If you are in a rut I suggest joining something like Sassy Fit for personal training. They come to you. That means you don't have any excuses to skip the gym. None. They also have amazing bootcamp classes Monday thru Thursday that will kick your butt and make you feel like a champ.

Even something as simple as daily walks can help keep you in shape with little impact on your body. Just make sure you are wearing proper shoes! In fact, treat yourself to a professional fitting from the pros at Super Jock n Jill. They will make sure you leave the store with a pair of shoes that are perfect for your feet and your activity.

Along with exercise, stretching and of course massage, there will be days where where you just need a little extra help. My favorite tool for self care is the foam roller which allows you to loosen any stuck fascia or trigger points with your own body weight. It couldn't be more simple to use and it is surprisingly effective in relieving painful tension. Check out these tips on using a roller:

Running Times: The (almost) Magical Foam Roller

Lulu Lemon: Find Your Trigger Point

It doesn't matter what your preferred method is for self care, only that you do take care of yourself. After all, how are you supposed to show up and be fully present in your life if you are constantly battling pain? 

Mucho Gusto, Tamaula

I travel as an expedition leader with CHOICE Humanitarian a few times a year. I find these incredible adventures and this work to be incredibly rewarding. If you are interested in joining a future expedition feel free to contact me or visit the CHOICE website for more information. This post is one I wrote for the CHOICE Mexico blog. ~ Carissa

Our recent expedition to the Guanajuato region of Mexico was, as most expeditions are, amazing! We traveled with a group of college students from an organization called Feel Good, who has recently partnered with CHOICE and our cause! Feel Good students run non-profit delis on college campuses that specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches. They learn the necessary skills it takes to run a business while raising money and donating 100% of profits to organizations like CHOICE that have a proven track record of sustainably eradicating poverty. 

This expedition was slightly different than others because we were able to stay in a village that had been working with CHOICE for number of years and is considered close to graduating. The village of Tamaula is just a couple of hours outside of Irapuato and sits high on a hill overlooking the valley. They have completed many successful projects and are currently working on a building for cheese production.

The women of Tamaula are strong and independent. They have created their own business making gourmet goat cheese and selling it to the surrounding areas. Up until now they have each worked within their own homes making cheese every day. The process starts around six in the morning and the most basic cheese (queso ranchero) can be done by lunch! Other types include decadent berry marmalade mixtures or seasoned herb & spice varieties. These flavored cheeses take up to three days to rest before they are ready to eat.

The cheese factory was just about completed as we arrived and we got to help with some of the finishing touches such as finishing the exterior plaster and painting the outside a beautiful aqua blue. Our largest project during our stay was constructing a cement cistern to capture water from the upcoming rainy season. This cheese factory will allow the women of Tamaula to work together and increase production of their delicious cheese. They already have their own logo, beautiful packaging and a high demand for their product!

Our time in Tamaula was very rewarding. It was amazing to see an empowered, thriving village as a result of successful past projects. My favorite thing about the people of Tamaula was their sense of humor and patience for one another. There was a lot of teasing and laughing despite the hard work. When you remember to laugh, life is a whole lot more enjoyable.

Swing a Bat at Cancer!

Planning to attend one of our Beloved Mariner's home games this season? Why not attend for a cause?! Join us May 19th for the most fun you've ever had at a fundraiser! Not only will you get to go to the game, but your ticket purchase will go to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) via Carissa's TEAM in training fundraiser!

We're hoping to get as many people as possible to attend. Invite your friends, invite your family and co-workers! Invite that cute guy you always see on the bus but never talk to! We don't care, just gather everyone and join us for the fun!

You can RSVP here: http://twtvite.com/batcancer and use the hashtag #BatCancer when spreading the news!

Thank you for your help!

Eco-Chic Expo Seattle

We are so excited to be part of this local event! Join us on May 1st, 2010 at the Ravenna Community Center for the 1st Eco-Chic Expo - a day full of tips, tricks and products to live a little greener. The Eco-Chic Expo, which is free to the public, will feature some of Seattle’s leading sustainable lifestyle companies in a variety of categories: design, home, food, baby, beauty, including brunch/lunch concessions and more.

Be sure to stop by our booth for chair massage and stretching tips! All chair massage proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society for Carissa's TEAM in training fundraiser! Plus, if you stop by, your next hour massage is only $60!! Want 90 minutes of pain busting therapy? As a thank you for your visit to our booth, your next 90 minute massage will be the price of one hour, just $85!

For more information and to see the other vendors please visit the Eco-Chic Blog.

Hope to see you there!

Guest Post for Girls Guide to Seattle

I was recently asked by Nadine at Girls Guide to Seattle to guest post about a CRAVE business chat I attended this past Sunday and thought I'd share it here as well:

Have you been to a CRAVE business chat yet? If you are even slightly interested in becoming an entrepreneur then you have to attend one of these monthly meetings! The women that attend vary from being in business for years to just thinking about dipping a toe in the water. Either way, you’ll benefit from the stories, information and networking.

The February chat was held at 5 Focus, a holistic fitness center that has five focuses for lifestyle changes:  fitness, food, flow, fortitude and follow through. Our speakers were Carrie from Bella Cupcake Couture and Denise from Flaunt Inc. Carrie is a new business owner specializing in gorgeous cupcake wrappers designed to give any cupcake a touch of elegance. Denise is an expert at all things QuickBooks and is able to teach any gal to be number savvy.

I was intrigued with Carrie’s story from the beginning; she received notice that she would be laid off from her long-time corporate banking position and only had seven months to decide what she wanted to do. After weighing her options she decided to follow her passion and go for it! It was inspiring to hear that paved her way to success by doing her own research and fully embracing the “fake it til you make it” motto. I myself am a self taught entrepreneur and fully relate to stories of steadfast determination no matter what brick walls you may run into.

Just mentioning business finances makes my head spin. Denise made the subject approachable and with Flaunt Inc’s tagline “smart is the new sexy” how could you not want to learn? Five key tips we left with were:

1. Keep your chart of accounts manageable and simple.
2. Be current. Set a regular routine of entering in transactions weekly if not daily.
3. Stay Balanced. Reconcile bank accounts monthly and always know where you are at financially.
4. You can use QuickBooks for so much more than tracking finances. Stored client info makes easy marketing lists for fliers or event invitations.
5. Consistency is key. Enter everything the same way every time so you have complete information saving time in the future.

The easiest way to track and become familiar with your finances is to download QuickBooks. Denise says “for the cost of a pair of shoes you can have this reliable financial program”.  She also teaches small classes so you can have precise instruction and become a QuickBooks expert yourself.

This was my first CRAVE chat and I am so delighted that I was able to attend. Rather than a formal presentation it was an open discussion where we were able to interact, ask questions and share our own stories and experiences. The discussion was not only informative but inspiring and thought provoking. I will definitely be back next month!

What Moment Are You In?

This month I am celebrating six years as a massage therapist. I can still remember my graduation from massage school like it was yesterday. I felt overwhelmed by the future. Was I really ready to have other people's well being in my hands?! What if I did something wrong? What if I actually hurt someone? What if, what if, what if? Ahh!

Through the years my most important discovery has been that when I am fully present in each moment my work is truly its most effective and rewarding (And, no, I've never hurt anyone). Now there must be something to this 'living in the moment' thing because these days you hear it every where you go. The meditation and spiritual guru's have been advocates for ages but more surprisingly, I've been hearing it all over the social media scene. From fashion bloggers to college kids, the moment is now.

So why the hype? For me there is an endless chain reaction of benefits. The most important one: it gives you a mute button for the voice in your head. The voice we all fall victim to, the catty, selfish, self destructive voice that is very good at giving you all the obstacles and reasons you will not succeed. Or is that just the voice in my head? Once your head is quiet it is unbelievable how much beauty, joy and simplicity you are able notice around you. With out the distraction of self defeating dialog your attention can focus on your current surroundings and activities. Summarized: less stress, more enjoyment!

When is the last time you gave your full attention to something without thinking about a bill that needs to be paid or if you were well received during an important meeting? Past and future distractions are just that, distractions. There is absolutely nothing you can do about either one. The only thing you can do is your best right now. Even if you have an ideal prediction of what may happen in the future it is still just a prediction. Things can change in an instant and if you are fixated on something happening a certain way in the future you are more likely to be disappointed.

I'm not saying give up on goals and dreams. Goals and dreams are very important. Take the time to dream, dream BIG! Just be in the moment while dreaming rather than drifting off to dream during a presentation and missing all the important details. You can even go as far as scheduling time to dream and make a list of ways to get there. Dream about what it feels like to accomplish that goal as if you already have. The point is, give each item on your list your full attention at the moment you are doing it. Your full attention allows you to do the best job possible and that means your dream unfolds in the brightest light possible; even if it looks completely different than you thought it would.

Staying in the moment is a continual practice. You will not quiet the narcissistic voice in your head over night. But, simply being aware that the voice is distracting you from your highest potential is enough to silence it if only for a minute or two. The more you are aware of it, the less you have to remind yourself to ignore it. Like any skill, it takes practice to get it right. Once it's quiet, or the volume is at least turned down, it is shockingly apparent how little is actually standing in the way of your best possible life.

I'm not an expert, I certainly still get lost in my head, but the majority of my moments have evolved into a quiet calm that can be carried throughout my day.