Lifestyle Choices

You may well be aware of the benefits of massage. Massage increases circulation, promotes sleep, reduces stress levels, increases muscle tone, promotes elimination of toxins and waste, supports weight loss, increases skin pliability and enhances well-being - to name but a few. Imagine if you could do this every day. Well, you can, and it only takes a few minutes every morning to do it.

How would you feel if we told you we both have a full body massage every day? Well, it’s true, and we have been having these massages every day for the past 14 years - not once have we missed a day! It is the ultimate skin treatment. We love it and cannot imagine life without it. Having a daily full body rub or massage is a great insurance policy for your overall health. The important thing to remember is to ensure the products you massage your body with are natural and full of essential vitamins and minerals. Also, it is important to make sure this is a good body rub, not some airy-fairy tickle! You want your body to wake up, feel alive and be ready to get into your day. You may have guessed by now that your daily body massage is performed by YOU!

A little note: how do you feel when you stand naked in front of a mirror? Are you horrified, pleased, shocked or rapt? If for some reason you cannot stand in front of the mirror every morning and say: ‘Wow - I look and feel great: then you definitely need to take on the daily body massage routine!

We are often quick to criticise our body, be disappointed in it and abuse it - literally! Now is the beginning of the rest of your life and it is time to acknowledge the amazing machine you have before you. Your body is a temple, an incredible vehicle that transports you through life, no matter how it looks. We can guarantee there are people out there who would love to have your problem areas compared to theirs.

Just remember it’s okay to want to change your body, but aim for better health rather than weight loss or shape change. If the focus is on feeling better, there are fewer chances of disappointment when certain weight or size measurements are not achieved. Give yourself time

to change if that is what you would like to happen. Do not expect miracle creams or surgery to ‘fix’ you! A daily body massage will have you honouring your body and nurturing it before you know it. Maybe then you will see transformations unfold before your eyes! The focus is better health, not your size.

The daily body massage happens after your morning shower and or before you get dressed. Ideally you may have done your morning exercise programme and are now ready to get right into your day. It’s a great idea to do some sort of body scrub in the shower, too. You will need: essential oils, a massage base oil, a small glass or ceramic bowl and your naked body!

Once you get out of the shower and pat yourself dry, choose three pure essential oils to support you throughout the day. You may have a long full-on day ahead so it would be important to choose oils that were going to be uplifting and enduring like Rosemary, Lemon, Peppermint, Myrrh, Lime or Basil. Or you could be feeling a little run-down or tired so go for healing, stimulating oils like Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Pine, Ginger, Cypress or Orange. If your skin is dry and looking like it could do with some good nutrition, then go for the skin-active oils like Frankincense, Rose, Palmarosa, Rosewood, Geranium or Bergamot.

There are many choices available to you, what is important is that you choose high-quality products and three oils that you like. The most wonderful thing about choosing your three essential oils is the fact that you are asking yourself every morning, ‘How do I feel? What do I want more of?’ Choose the blend that suits you most and go for it:

Energetic Black Pepper, Lemon, Rosemary Confident Lime, Jasmine, Sandalwood Uplifted Bergamot, Peppermint, Rosewood Endurance Myrrh, Orange, Geranium Sexy and feminine Ylang Ylang, Orange, Patchouli

Immune booster Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender Refreshed Grapefruit, Pine, Cypress Creative Pine, Rosewood, Clary Sage Celebratory Orange, Clary Sage, Frankincense

Normally we are so busy getting everyone else ready or thinking about what we have to do for the day ahead that we forget the most important thing of all - ourselves. Acknowledging the body first thing every morning is a powerful way to set yourself up for a great day.

Lip tip

To obtain high-quality essential oils and massage base oils you can try your pharmacy or health-food store. Make sure they are committed to stocking the best products, not cheaper alternatives.

Good Mood Oils

Essential oils have the ability to work on an emotional level, too. If you are not sure which oils to choose for your daily body rub then try one of these recipes to boost your mood. By doing this you not only help yourself, but also the people around you will benefit! Choose one drop of each oil and add to your 6 ml of massage base oil. Rub over the whole body and take three deep breaths at the end holding both hands over the face.

Pre-menstrual Clary Sage, Geranium, Orange Tired Rosemary, Lemon, Basil Emotionally vulnerable Rose, Geranium, Chamomile Angry Bergamot, Cypress, Chamomile Anxious Neroli, Lavender, Frankincense

Depressed Clary Sage, Lime, Geranium Negative Juniper, Lime, Grapefruit Fat and frumpy Rose, Neroli, Jasmine Stressed Chamomile, Geranium, Rosewood

Massage base oils like Sweet Almond, Macadamia or Jojoba are excellent lubricants extracted from seeds, beans, kernels etc. of plants. Look for ‘cold-pressed’ oils, as they contain high levels of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

To make the right prescriptive aromatherapy blend you will need approximately 6-20 ml of your base oil. This will depend on your size and how much hair you have! For an average woman 6 ml of massage base oil is plenty. If you are a 180-cm tall man covered in hair, then you’ll probably need about 20 ml of base oil. Once you have done this for a few days you will easily know how many ml your body requires. The key is to make the body feel as though it is glowing, not greasy. You should be able to get dressed immediately after doing your body rub. A light covering is all you need.

Whatever the number of ml your body requires, you halve it to work out the number of drops of essential oils. For example, if you only need 6 ml, then you halve it and the number of drops you need is three. If you require 20 ml of base oil, then halve it to get 10 - and that is the number of drops you need to make a therapeutic prescriptive blend. To make it even easier, take just over a teaspoon of base oil and place three drops (one of each oil) into it. Now you are ready to rub to your heart’s content!

It doesn’t really matter how you rub your body as long as you go from head to toe or toe to head and do all over (apart from the private parts!) and really wake your body up. We tend to start at the toes and work our way up each leg, into the tummy region in a clockwise direction to support digestive functions, up over the chest and shoulders, across the lower back, buttocks and tops of thighs. Here is a good place to give an extra special rub to increase circulation and help remove any cellulite that tends to build in this region. Work as far as you can up the back and across the shoulder blades, then work down each arm. Finish the oil, using upwards strokes into the neck, then complete the process by compressing and inhaling onto the face.

This is one of the most lovely things you can do for yourself and it really is simple, effective and not at all time-consuming. If ever we hear people say they haven’t got time for their morning body rub then they either don’t see themselves as a priority or they don’t consider spending two minutes every morning an investment in their health and well-being.

Often we will be doing our morning body rubs with two children copying our every move and wanting their own blends. For children, place only one drop of essential oil into the blend. It is such a healthy, fun way to start your day and what great role modelling for your children when they see and hear the importance you place on your body’s welfare.

We challenge you to take this morning ritual on and see how you are feeling after three weeks. Everyone we have met who has taken this on solidly for the full 21 days has become a committed devotee for life. Your skin will feel fantastic, there will be no more dry skin on your body, but more than that, you will feel better on the inside. You will feel special, nurtured and energised.

Body Brushing

Body brushing is an excellent way to exfoliate, cleanse and stimulate the skin. It boosts circulation and stimulates lymph glands, which are responsible for the elimination of toxins. It also aids the absorption of products used on the skin.

Body brushing can be done dry or wet. Our preference is wet. Take a natural body bristle brush into the shower or bath. Once the skin is completely wet, move back from the water or stand and give your body an all-over body brush. Light, vigorous stroking is ideal. Do not rub too hard or too long or you will damage the skin. Avoid the face for this treatment. If you prefer dry body brushing, use long strokes and brush towards the heart to aid circulation.

Add a few drops of essential oils to the bristles on the wet brush. Try one of the following oils to help treat your skin. Body brush at least once a week, but no more than three times a week. As an alternative to the brush you can use natural sea salt. Add a bit of water to make a slight paste and rub all over the body. Add essential oils to the salt paste for an extra boost.

• Essential oils for body brushing
• Rosemary for stimulation
• Grapefruit for detoxifying
• Lavender for healing
• Sandalwood for moisturising
• Tea Tree for cleansing
• Ylang Ylang for sensuality

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