Self care is about taking an active role in preserving one’s own well-being and happiness. It includes actions that help to promote health, prevent disease, and better cope with stress, injury and illness.
Self care includes being intentional and thoughtful about certain areas of your life. When you think about self care, you are becoming mindful of your lifestyle habits and how you can become proactive in managing your life stressors better and balance all areas of your life.
Our lives are full of stressors — physical, mental and emotional. These stressors are all around us. Our resilience and how we deal with the stressors are key indicators that affect our health and happiness.
10 Key Areas of Self Care
Use the Wheel of Life tool to help you reflect and get perspective on how you are currently showing up and acting in various areas of your life. The Wheel of Life is divided into the 10 dimensions that influence our unique ability to thrive. Below describes those dimensions of self-care, as well as a Wheel of Life worksheet for you to download.
Getting Started: Download the Wheel of Life Worksheet
Step 1
Assess Your 10 Dimensions
For each category description, rate your level of satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10.
1 represents low satisfaction (opportunity) and 10 represents high satisfaction (abundance).
Do you sense that your work is aligned with your personal strengths and talents? Are you planted, engaged, properly challenged and growing in your career field, and working towards feeling success and achievement? Do you enjoy your work environment and colleagues or would you rather be working at a different job or in a different field?
FINANCES
Money is merely a tool that helps us achieve our dreams and live the life we desire. This category encourages you to think about if your income supports your basic needs and the lifestyle you desire. Reflect on your relationship and habits with money and how your finances impact your relationships, security and retirement.
SLEEP QUALITY: REST & RECOVERY
Reflect on the routines around your sleep habits. Do you have a regular consistent bedtime and wake- up time? Do you properly wind down before bed, get seven-to-nine quality hours of sleep without disruption? Do you get up easily in the morning
and feel like you have enough energy throughout the day?
FAITH & SPIRITUALITY
Positive psychology research shows us those that have a sense of being connected to something bigger than themselves are happier. You don’t have to be religious to experience spirituality, this is about expanding on your sense of purpose and meaning in life. Your faith and spiritual beliefs can directly influence your relationships, emotional and mental resilience.
HOME ENVIRONMENT & HOME RELATIONSHIPS
Reflect on your living environment, family time, and family relationships. Do you enjoy your home environment and are you able to relax, enjoy hobbies at home such as watching sports, reading, writing, gardening, playing a musical instrument, etc? Are your home-life demands and relationships stressed with too many agendas and to-do lists? Is your home messy, cluttered, or unorganized?
SIGNIFICANT OTHER & INTIMACYÂ
This category has you reflecting on your role in a potentially important and special relationship in your life. Reflect on your connection, engagement with each other, romantic activities, sex, and the support systems you have for each other. If you are not in a special relationship, rate how satisfied you are in that fact. Happy and satisfied or lonely
and frustrated?
MENTAL & EMOTIONAL HEALTHÂ
Are you coping effectively and adapting to life stressors, uncertainty, and adversity in a constructive way? Can you manage your emotions and stay cool, calm and steady so you’re able to communicate effectively, empathize with others, and defuse conflict? Or do you catch yourself worrying, becoming fearful of all the things that can go wrong, and swimming in negative emotions such as anger, judgment, sadness, jealousy, frustration, anxiety, loneliness and resentment?
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING & FITNESS
Are you walking or getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week? Or at least 75 minutes of high intensity? Are you including resistance training and preserving muscle mass as you age? Reflect on your physical health and weekly exercise routine.
HOME COOKING & MEAL PREPPING
Reflect on how you plan and prepare your meals each week. Do you grab pre-packed processed foods and frequent drive-thrus? Or do you consciously go to the grocery store, choose your ingredients and prepare your meals at home? Our relationship with these habits reflect our nutritional beliefs and relationship with food that will impact our energy levels and health. Plus, home cooking and sharing a meal around a table with others can enhance connection, communication and build relationships.
SOCIAL LIFE, FRIENDS & FUN
Are you having enough fun in your life? This category is about the laughter, fun and enjoyment you have in your life. Reflect on your hobbies and recreational patterns and how you live life sharing that fun with others.
Step 2
Diagram on Wheel of Life
Step 3
Identify Opportunities
On the contrary, flat tires, dented rims, bent spokes will all affect how we roll in life. Those areas will exhibit the imbalances in your life that are pulling you back and affecting how you thrive. These become your areas of opportunity…
Your opportunities are the areas where you need to incorporate more self-care and become more aware of your daily contributions and routines in those areas. What habits do you have in those areas? Think about small modifications you can start implementing in that area, become mindful and set priorities based on your life vision.
Thriving Magazine • Women’s Health Issue
For many families, women are the gatekeepers of health and wellness. But so often, women neglect their own health to take care of others. We want to help change that. This edition of Thriving Magazine is all about women’s health and wellness, and how taking care of yourself and understanding the importance of balance influences everything you do.
Articles are written by our experts in Lifestyle Medicine, physical therapy, fitness training, chiropractic care, nutrition, massage, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and energy healing.
More Articles to Help You Thrive
The Secret to a Healthier Future is Hidden in Your Daily Routine
How do you adjust and prioritize your health when there is a change in seasons? How do you get yourself and your family into a structured back-to-school routine? Maybe you have a groove with meal prepping or meal planning and your exercise workouts, but during a transition season you need to focus on your daily habits.
Forty and Beyond: Getting Back in the Game
Women are unique in the way that we age, because we face distinct health and wellness changes, especially in our forties and beyond. While some factors may be out of our control, our lifestyle choices are within our control and can greatly impact our health as we age.
A New Perspective On Low Back Pain
More often than not, with low back pain, the low back is not the first place to look. In human movement, the hips and the low back work together. Strengthening your hips through their functional range of motion will make your every-day movements easier and less painful.
Feeling Stuck? Get Your Energy Flowing
Whether we are aware of it or not, we live in an energetic universe and everything is energy. And you have the power to master your energy and create the change you need.
The Need for Chiropractic Care For Kids & Babies
A child's spine can become quite misaligned without any awareness on their part of pain or discomfort. Stress and misalignment of the spine can have serious impacts on your child's overall health, behavior and development.
How Chiropractors and Physical Therapists Work Together for the Good of Your Health
While they have distinct areas of expertise, the collaboration between chiropractors and physical therapists can greatly benefit patients. Keep reading to learn how these two professions can work hand-in-hand for the good of the patient.
Why Weather Conditions Increase Pain and How You Can Help Alleviate It
Have you ever noticed that your pain levels seem to fluctuate with changes in the weather? Many individuals report experiencing increased discomfort in their joints, muscles, and other areas of the body during certain weather conditions. Let's delve into how weather patterns can potentially worsen pain, particularly in back and shoulder pain. ...
60 Days to a Healthier You: Start the New Year With a Clean Slate
The last quarter of the year is an optimal time to pause, reflect on events and assess what goals remain before the end of the year. We all have personal milestones to achieve and although it can bring up anxiety and frustrations, this self-assessment is an important aspect of living a life to its fullest. Only by being aware, true and honest ...
60 Days to a Healthier You: Physical & Mental Stretching is Good for You
Maintaining flexibility isn't just for athletes. Tight muscles can also lead to numbness and nerve pain caused by muscle tissue compressing nerve pathways. And mentally stretching gives you the time to pause and meditate as your focus goes only to intentional breathing and elongating shortened muscles.
60 Days to a Healthier You: A Change of Season is the Perfect Time to Connect to Your Inner Self
Science has shown there are many factors that contribute to lowering our biological age. Diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels all play an important role in keeping your body young. And learning to manage your energy is vital in keeping you healthy and slowing the aging process.
60 Days to a Healthier You: Let’s Get Nutritional Habits in Place Today and Kickstart the New Year
Why do we need to wait until January 1st to get it all together? Let’s start making small changes today in order to get us on track for the start of the new year. When it comes to food and fueling our bodies, we do our best when we have good habits in place. Having a goal to “eat healthy” isn’t enough; we have to have a plan in place to make ...
How Can a Chiropractor Help You Manage Migraine Headaches?
Migraine headaches can be debilitating, affecting millions of people worldwide. While there are various treatment options available, chiropractic care has gained recognition as a holistic approach to managing migraines. In this post, we will explore how chiropractic care can help alleviate the frequency, intensity, and duration of migraine ...
How Can a Chiropractor Help Athletes Minimize the Risk of Sports Injuries?
As an athlete, maintaining peak performance and preventing injuries is crucial. While many athletes focus on training, conditioning, and nutrition, one often overlooked aspect of athletic care is chiropractic treatment.
The Untapped Power of Physical Therapy: More Than Just a Recovery Tool
We've all heard the adage, "prevention is better than cure." Yet, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, we often sideline this sage advice, pushing our bodies to the limit until they cry out for attention. Enter the world of physical therapy — a realm where movement is medicine and where our bodies are guided to heal, strengthen, and ...
How Can Office Workers (aka Desk Sitters) Minimize Back Pain at Work?
In today's world, many of us spend a significant portion of our day working at a desk or in front of a computer. However, long hours of sedentary work can take a toll on our bodies, leading to discomfort, pain, and decreased productivity. This is where workplace ergonomics and chiropractic care come into play. So, why are workplace ergonomics ...
Finding Peace and Balance Through Aromatherapy
Did you know that the amygdala in your brain is responsible for a lot of the emotions and physiological responses you experience? Good or bad, that little gland can be a great tool to maintain balance and create long-lasting memories, or it can remind you of traumatic events in an infinite loop. A scent you have been exposed to that you love ...
Getting Back to School and On Track For Success
The new school year is approaching fast, and it’s time to start getting back into routines to set yourself and your family up for success. This includes establishing routines and habits that keep everyone healthy and performing at their best.
Setting Yourself Up For Success
Are we getting the most out of what we do because we understanding the implications our actions have on our future health and happiness? This is our life, folks, the only one we get, and we have to be responsible to ourselves.
Late Summer is a Time of Transition
It is a time of transition and opportunity to establish the mindset for the rest of the year. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this is a special and separate “season” when the summer Fire element transitions into the Earth element before transforming into the Metal element in the fall.
Health Should be a Man’s Number One Priority
Men have many roles: loving partner, superman father, bulldog at work, groundskeeper and maintenance man at home, expert golf player, volunteer at church, sports coach, financial planner, friend, neighbor, and the list continues. Somehow, with all of these responsibilities, the title of “health protector” often gets lost in the shuffle. And ...
Why Every Many Should Awaken to the Energy and Learn to Use It
When you awaken to the fact that you are the energy, you learn to use the mind to serve that energy. The result is you awaken parts of your consciousness that have not previously been awake. You start living in your body more and in your head less.
Level Up Your Grilling with Marinades
Nutritionist Michelle has some easty, healthy and tasty marinade recipes for proteins and veggies to help level up your grilling game!
Rediscovering Balance and Peace: A Man’s Guide to Self-care
As a massage therapist, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of self-care in men's lives. Let's embrace self-care as a masculine act and create a new narrative of holistic well-being, one that honors our true selves and allows us to thrive in all aspects of life. Remember, you deserve it.
Six Plays for Men to Stay at the Top of Their Game
The power of positive thinking is, well, powerful. When you shift your mindset, you create momentum that helps you reprogram your daily habits and cultivate more positive emotions in your life.
Four Exercises Men Should be Doing… Differently
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Why Breathing Into a Balloon Will Improve Your Golf Game
Jason Day’s back pain made the news during the 2019 Masters. While his back pain is nothing new, his trainer started incorporating some new and different exercises that required the use of a balloon into his program. What? A balloon? How crazy is that?
Ways to Integrate Self Care Across Your ENTIRE Self With Thrivestyle Medicine
Self care incorporates the six pillars of Thrivestyle Medicine: Mindset, Sleep, Stress Resilience, Community, Exercise, and Nutrition. See how our behaviors in each of these pillars impacts our health and well-being, and get strategies on how to develop more resilience to live happier and healthier lives!
Time-Saving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Recipes
In the mix of a chaotic week, home-cooked meals can easily be put on the back burner. We're here to help you maximize your time with three easy meals that you can prepare in 15 minutes or less: Veggie Egg Muffins, Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup and Honey-Glazed Salmon and Veggies. YUMMY!
How to Eat for Your Menstrual Cycle
Nourishing or eating according to your menstrual cycle means working with your hormones instead of against them. Depending on which phase of your cycle you’re in, your nutrient needs fluctuate with your hormones. You can modify your eating habits around these changes to work smarter, and bless your body instead of stressing it out. This will ...
Tilt, Shift, and Hike Your Pelvis Into Better Health
Pelvic dysfunction can be scary, unfamiliar and can seem easier to ignore than to address. Bladder leakage, painful intercourse, and hip, pelvis or back pain are just some of the symptoms that can affect someone's ability to thrive and live confidently Julie has three easy exercises to help improve your pelvic health.
Managing High Blood Pressure with Chinese Medicine
Pressure changes in the vascular system can be an indication that your body isn’t properly regulating stress factors. As women, we can find ourselves needing to handle a multitude of tasks (often simultaneously), which can wreak havoc on our nervous systems over time.
Conquer Your Fear of Change
Everything in our Universe is energy, including you. And quantum science has found that the Universe is constantly expanding. This means that YOU (energetically) are constantly expanding and changing. But, the thing is, most of us have not been taught to tune onto the energetic part of us. Our mind holds on to the story of how things are and ...
Holistic and Innovative Solutions to Create Thriving Wellness and Resiliency for Women
For many families, women are the gatekeepers of health and wellness. But so often, women neglect their own health to take care of others. We want to help change that. Thrive Proactive Health wants to help you find ways to restore, revive and optimize your self care and wellness no matter where you are on your health journey.
Awaken to the Energy and Learn to Use It
Anything you want in life, you have to work hard for, right? Although this may be true for strengthening your heart or increasing your muscle strength, it is not the truth for anything else you want to accomplish in life.
Having INSiGHT Into Your Central Nervous System is Critical for an Informed Wellness Plan
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9 Things Your Physical Therapist Wants You To Know About Aging Well
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Tips for Keeping Your Nutrition on Track During the Holidays
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Top 10 “Scents of Christmas” Essential Oils for Your Health and Wellness
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Cardio, Crunches or Curls?
On the path to overall physical fitness, should you focus on cardio, crunches, or curls? At Thrive, we are often asked what is the best, quickest, easiest, etc. way to get fit? The short answer is… It's complicated.
Surround Yourself With the People and Places That Fill You Up
This holiday season, let’s remember that much of the feeding and fueling of our bodies and souls is done through gratitude and thanksgiving, and that enjoying love, laughter, and connection is just as important as the food on our plate.
Need Stress Relief? Need Pain Reduction? For These and More, Massage Therapy is the Answer
Happy November, Thrivers! You are 30 days into your 90-day New Year plan, and now’s a great time for a check in. It’s a good practice to ask yourself a few questions when doing an inventory of the past month.
What Are You Thankful For Today?
The holiday season is here. However, it can be a time of high stress, busy schedules, trying to live up to unrealistic expectations, and balancing people’s different personalities and perspectives.
Self Compassion in a Time of Healing
Physical and mental rest need to be the priority for us all. We have collectively been in a state of survival mode during these uncertain times, but now is the time for us to move beyond this fear mentality and a state of heightened nervous system
90 Days to a Healthier You: Don’t Wait Until New Year’s to Make a Thrivestyle Change
The problem with most New Year resolutions is they are vague, provide you with no structure, and are not measurable in any way so you know if you are actually improving. And why wait until January? Dante has provided an excellent tool to help you get started on a more thriving lifestyle.
90 Days to a Healthier You: Do You Exercise the Body You See or the One You Use?
Until recently, it was uncommon for someone to express that they wanted their body to move better and have an improved level of function, rather than changing their body composition and how it looked. So ask yourself, do you only approach fitness with an understanding of how it can make you look or what it can help you do?
Hit or Myth The Truth About Healthy Aging
Most of us want to do the right things to live a healthy life and keep enjoying the things we love, but often we are confused about what things are the right things. In this article, Dante is busting through some of our more prevalent health myths and offering research-based areas to focus on.
What is The Best Recovery Posture During High-Intensity Interval Training?
Julie can remember doing two-a-day workouts with her basketball team that included relay suicide runs and sprints up a long hill. When we were waiting for our teammate to hand off or as we got to walk down the hill, coach would say, “Put your hands on your head” to help us recover faster and get our breathing to slow down. Personally, she ...
Help Protect Your Body With Dry Brushing
Your health is not something you can look at as a short-term objective. Starting routines and turning them into healthy habits is a great way to achieve your long-term health goals. If you are looking for something small you can add to your routine that can help your body be more resilient for the future, dry body-brushing may be just the thing.
With Every Little Decision You Make, Take Care
The health of your body is an asset worthy of daily investment. Read that sentence again (maybe twice) and internalize it! Unfortunately we often forget, or de-prioritize self-care. What does self-care look like? Of course, we know of traditional things like massage, meditation and music. But self-care is woven into literally hundreds of ...
How Old Are You… Biologically?
Science has shown there are many factors that contribute to lowering our biological age. Diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels all play an important role in keeping your body young. And learning to manage your energy is vital in keeping you healthy and slowing the aging process.
Why It’s Important to Recharge Your Body’s Batteries
When your energies are low, you can experience fatigue, low back or knee pain, lack of motivation and loss of zest for life. Vivian provides more insight into WHY it's vital to recharge your body's batteries, along with some helpful exercises.
Three Steps You Can Start Today for Healthy Aging
When we’re young we never think time will catch up to us. Then we blink and time smacks us right in the face. Michelle, our Nutritionist, offers three steps you can take to help you continue aging gracefully and feeling your best.
Is Chiropractic Care on Your Back-To-School List?
Let's talk about backpacks... Your child has been begging for the coolest new backpack, but what looks trendy today can lead to back issues later. Dr. Josh has very helpful tips and a checklist to ensure your child’s backpack is safe for their growing spines.
Vacation Ready? How to Stay on Course When Traveling
Let’s talk about travel preparation. Most of the snacks and meals in the airport are for convenience, not wellness. In fact, they are usually processed foods filled with additives, sugar, and have little nutritional value. On your next trip, come prepared and ready, and start your vacation feeling your best.
Thrivestyle Medicine Monthly Challenge
Each month, our Thrive team embarks on a challenge to improve our own health and wellness. This month’s challenge focuses on improving your habits around your vitality. We invite you to join us on our collective wellness journey.
Lights! Camera! Action! Is the “Movie” of Your Life Going the Way You Want it To?
Quantum science has shown that our lives are just like a movie. And the life that we are living is being projected out through us. In other words, your life is your creation. And YOU have the power to change it in any way you like.
Summertime Food to Help Beat the Heat
We've got your go-to list for healthy foods to help keep you refreshed, cooled down and hydrated this summer.
Chinese Medicine Tips on Keeping Cool in the Summer Heat
During the summer, external warmth can be welcome if one is cold-natured, but can be uncomfortable if there is already internal heat and/or dampness in the diagnostic picture. Learn how to cool off your internal temps.
The Importance of Staying Hydrated and Aligned
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Why the Great Outdoors is So Great for Summertime Activities
There are health benefits to being outdoors We evolved for much of human existence in nature, surrounded by water, trees, sunlight, etc. Reap the benefits of our green environment.
Finding Balance With Your Summertime Exercising
Your Thrive Restorative Fitness Team has tips to keep you feeling your best no matter what the summer has in store.
Build Your Bedtime Routine Tonight for a Better Tomorrow!
With just a few minutes of this breathing technique, the heart slows down, blood vessels relax, and the heart sends healing messages to the body. Practice these easy breathing exercises to relieve stress and feel better.
How to Improve a Man’s Health? Through His Stomach.
Dads and dudes — we want you to pay more attention to the things that are causing undue stress in your life, like nutrition deficiencies, erratic blood sugar, dehydration, skipping meals, impaired digestion, sleep deprivation, mindless screen time... One of the best ways you can help yourself is to build and fuel your bodies properly through ...
How Men Can Relieve Issues and Restore Vitality With Traditional Chinese Medicine
The stressors of modern-day life can show up in a multitude of ways, often as mental health issues and physical symptoms that include chronic pain, high blood pressure, digestive complaints, insomnia and fatigue. Learn how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help.
Want a Better Golf Game? Improve Your Rotational Mechanics.
If you’re looking to optimize your golf game, you’ll need to address some key mechanics. Golf is a mechanically complex rotational sport and people train and “stretch” for rotation in ineffective ways. Get Julie's helpful mechanical strengthening exercises and start seeing better results in your swing.
Relieve Stress and Breathe Through Your Heart
With just a few minutes of this breathing technique, the heart slows down, blood vessels relax, and the heart sends healing messages to the body. Practice these easy breathing exercises to relieve stress and feel better.
Is Your “Dad Bod” Healthy?
So fellas, have you settled into a “Dad Bod” where you’re sporting a bit of extra fat around your middle? While some women claim to find the “Dad Bod” attractive and view this physique as reflecting a man’s attention to spending time with his family versus paying attention to how he looks — this body type actually poses serious health risks.
Create an Environment of Healing by Integrating Self Care Across Your Entire Self
Every day, men are re-injuring their bodies, never giving them the opportunity to heal. We are stealing our manliness and livelihood from ourselves each day, leading to a life of disease, sexual dysfunction, infertility, feelings of inadequacy, and depression. It's time to create a healing environment for ourselves.
The Clear Message is… Dad Needs a Massage
Yes, massage is great for relaxation and stress management, but dude — there are so many more benefits, like lowering blood pressure, shortening muscle recovery time, boosting your immunity.. And more!
Build the Brakes, Not the Engine: The Importance of Deceleration Training
Training your body for deceleration could be the difference between a stumble in which you catch yourself and a fall that could have serious consequences.
Holistic Postpartum Care with Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be immensely helpful to support the wellbeing of the new mother by improving circulation of blood through the pelvis, helping heal a Cesarean incision and minimize scar tissue.
The Benefits of Postural Restoration® for Pelvic Therapy
Biomechanical dysfunctions occur in the body due to chain reactions of muscle actions and movement patterns that are out of sync and imbalanced. This is why Postural Restoration® takes a whole-body approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Healthy Hacks for Busy Moms
Mom's need to prioritize their health to better thrive! Prioritize keeping blood sugar in balance, quality sleep and movement. We have the hacks to help do all of these.
Mom on Board: The Need for Self Care
All mothers know that every stage of pregnancy and motherhood is special. However, there seems to be a trend in our society of discounting the importance of postpartum care.
Magnificent Mom, Magnificent You: Love Yourself First
We all feel that the world certainly needs more love right now, and the best way to begin generating more love is to first truly love yourself.
Thrive Staff Development Day – Spring 2022
Last month, we hosted a Team training day where our entire team got trained in some lifestyle medicine application, sleep and pain neuroscience, and stress management techniques. Throughout the day we did various personal development and team building activities and created some fun posters highlighting where our services fit in the ...
Holding Stress in Your Neck and Shoulders?
Use breath work throughout the day to help re-balance your posture and relieve stress. So many people will overposture and default to a vertical accessory breathing pattern especially when they’re under stress. This is something most people aren’t even aware of. It’s important to remember that good posture is not chest up, shoulders back, and ...
Spring Out of the Dark and Into the Light
The winter months are hard already, but when we add a pandemic on top of them, months of isolation, and then chaos in the world, well, we’re depressed. It’s hit our society hard, and it doesn’t discriminate among gender, age, or ethnicity. There is no shame in these feelings, but it is important to know that healing is available.
Are You Depressed? Or Compressed?
In Energy Medicine, we do not see depression as a diagnosis, but rather as a state of being energetically. Our energy becomes “depressed” when we repress our emotions.
Managing Stress Constructively
April is both National Stress Awareness Month and National Alcohol Addiction Awareness Month, so it is a great opportunity to reflect on our personal life stressors and how we are managing these stressors.
Building Strength and Community
With spring here and summer approaching, the opportunities to get outside and do outdoor activities are abundant. And while we still have COVID precautions to consider, it’s important to understand that social interaction is beneficial to our mental and emotional health.
Stress is Everywhere
Everywhere these days, it seems people are more and more stressed out. The intense energy of the state of the world and the drain of our long haul through COVID seems to be getting worse rather than better. People are being challenged, not only with dealing with the stress of their formative years, but with the stress of family, romantic, ...
Invest In You
Hard to believe we are already into the 3rd month of 2022. For most of us the intentions and resolutions we set at the beginning of the year are already fading and becoming memories. This is because many of us, though ambitious, set ourselves up for failure.
Prenatal Massage: It Takes A Village
When it comes to raising a family the phrase “it takes a village” is often used, but what about when you are growing the baby! Bringing a baby into the world may take a short nine-month journey compared to raising a tiny human for eighteen plus years, but that window is so important to mom and baby.
Where are you NOW?
You have a mind, but you are not the mind. Most of us spend the better part of the day in our head. Did you know that 80-90% of your thoughts from day to day are the SAME, and whatever you are focused on is getting your energy.
Acupuncture For A Better Night’s Sleep
As Lifestyle Medicine defines, sleep is an important “pillar” of good health. We can get by with one night of poor rest but if the sleep disruption continues, insomnia can quickly affect all facets of our life. Our brain and organs need to rest, detox and rejuvenate during the night; poor quality of sleep can affect us physically and mentally ...
We Are Made Of The Universe
Quantum science has shown us that we are made of the Universe. The thoughts you think, what you believe and what you focus your energy on determine the outcome of your life experience. In other words life is happening THROUGH you, not TO you.
InBody 770
If you’ve been in the back of the gym lately you may have seen our new InBody machine. Arriving just before Christmas, it is a heck of a present. For fitness and wellness folks it is akin to the holiday commercials where the person walks outside to find a brand new Mercedes with a giant bow in the driveway. And honestly about that ...
Quick Start Guide To Massage Self- Care Routine
Don’t know where to start your massage self-care routine? Whether you are a “new year resolution” kind of person or not, here are some tips to build a strong and healthy lifestyle by including a massage routine that will leave you amazed and on your way to a thriving life.
10 Steps to better health in 2022
Health is a lifelong journey not just a resolution at the start of each new year. The small habits we practice daily are at the heart of how our health is molded. When people decide to make major health and wellness changes they usually rely on willpower to get them to their destination and time and time again the willpower and motivation ...
Gratitude where there is Attitude
Pop culture puts a lot of emphasis on gratitude. But it can be really hard to be grateful when we’re full to the brim with anger, frustration, hopelessness or grief. Instead of trying to force gratitude, which often doesn’t work, this meditation allows the experience of not being grateful – of being pissed off, sad, lost, or in despair – ...
ANXIETY is Everywhere.
Anxiety is everywhere. Our fast paced, overwhelming world has created a culture where anxiety is commonplace. Most of my energy clients, even the elementary school children I work with, share struggles with anxiety. There was a time in my life as a young woman that anxiety meant frequent uncomfortable trips to the bathroom, often causing me ...
Sleep to Restore, Revive, and Optimize
The holiday season is upon us. It’s a time of family, fun, and celebration. But it can also be a time of busy schedules, stress, and lack of sleep. Let’s make this a season to thrive by taking care of ourselves so we can enjoy everything that comes this time of year.
Optimizing Mindsets
“Change your words, shift your mindset –Belief creates reality.” Our words are a vehicle for expressing and sharing our experiences with others, but you may not realize the far-reaching impacts of the words you use on a daily basis.
Food Medicine for the Season According to Traditional Chinese Medicine
Many ancient cultures lived in accordance with the change of seasons, much more so than in modern times with the comfort of indoor artificial lighting and controlled temperature. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the sources of our “post-natal” energies are dependent on the type and quality of the foods we eat (and the air we ...
Your Diet May Be Impacting Low Back Pain
Low back pain is prevalent throughout our society, with estimates that 84% of us will experience low back pain at some point in our lives. For about 20% of people back pain becomes a chronic debilitating condition. We often think about back pain being related to disc issues, muscle tension, posture, etc., but something that is overlooked is ...
Sweet Dreams… with Energy Healing
Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night unable to get back to sleep? Maybe you toss and turn and start thinking about all that is wrong in the world, or what you wish was different in your life? I remember the days when I would wake up and look at the clock. It would be 2:56 am and I would start thinking about the things in life that I ...
Healthy for the Holidays
Here come the holidays! This is my favorite time of the year. A time to come together with family and friends, good food and even better company. It can also be a time with extra running around to get everything checked off of your to do list which can leave you feeling tired and rundown. We all want to stay as healthy as possible so we can ...
Protein Pumpkin Muffins
Try out these high protein muffins to help balance your blood sugar. Low in carbs and full of protein, these muffins are a healthy way to start your day or a perfect mid morning snack. Eating the right amount of protein at each meal is an important factor in helping you balance your blood sugar to burn fat and have healthy consistent energy ...
Speaking “Thrive”
We’ve had a lot of new members working out with us recently in the Restorative Fitness Department at Thrive. I always love the opportunity to coach someone new and have found a lot recently that it’s given me the chance to talk about some key principles we use. If you’ve been in the program for any length of time, these themes should not be ...
Acupuncture for leg and foot pain
We don’t often pay much attention to our legs or feet unless there are issues there to attend to. But those of us with a chronic lower limb injury or musculoskeletal instability in the arch of the foot can attest to how unrelenting such an affliction can be. Managing ongoing foot and leg pain can be exasperating; every step is an excruciating ...
Why Youth Athletes Need Sport Psychology Services
An estimated 45+ million youth play sports in the United States. Each year, 35% of youth athletes quit, and just by the age of fifteen, 70-80% of youth athletes will no longer play. These are alarming numbers considering we often put our children in sport for fun, positive experiences, activity, and for the benefits that we know sport can ...
October is National Physical Therapy Month! Choose Thrive Physical Therapy!
You are probably familiar with physical therapy helping to address pain, mobility issues, muscle tension, or strength deficits, but there is so much more a physical therapist can offer you. If you aren’t living your best life, it may be time to schedule an appointment with one of our amazing Thrive physical therapists.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs for Digestion Problems
Many of us will struggle with some form of digestive complications at some point in our lives. Oftentimes, this can be attributed to poor dietary choices and lifestyle habits. But if these issues become chronic and/or severe, one will seek help in the form of medication or other means.Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, the ...
Energy Healing: What It Can Do For your Self Confidence
Do you wish you had more confidence in life? Do you hesitate when it comes to making decisions, not knowing what is the best decision for you at the moment? Would you like to really believe in yourself and trust that life is moving in the best direction for you? Quantum science has shown that life doesn’t happen TO us but THROUGH us. Our ...
Optimizing Running Performance and Recovery with Nutrition
You may know that to enhance running you need to complete a running training program that progresses over time. This will likely include strength and stability exercises, mobility training, and of course, running. But what can get overlooked is what you put into your body each day to fuel yourself to optimize your performance. The things we ...
Benefits of Acupuncture After A Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA)
Can acupuncture really help the recovery from an accident? As you can imagine, the realistic answer is that it depends on the severity of injuries and duration of time passed after the trauma. For moderate to severe injury, It is imperative that one is first evaluated and treated by a Western trained traumatology physician to identify the ...
What Is Nutrition?
Nutrition is obtaining the food necessary for health and growth. Sounds simple, right? Then why do so many people struggle with this concept? Why is the “standard American diet” given the acronym SAD, or why are almost 40% of American adults considered to be obese? We have more food in this country than any other country, yet most of us ...
Why So Salty?
Has anyone told you an Epsom salt soak would be great for your sprained ankle? Did you play for a coach who told you to do an Epsom salt soak? Have you ever had a massage where your massage therapist tells you to go home and soak in Epsom salt? I can’t tell you how many healthcare professionals have recommended this remedy to me! So clearly ...
7 Tips for the Person who “Hates” Running
The real thing that is limiting your potential is your mindset. I know because I was THAT person. I was diagnosed with asthma at an early age, and running has always been a struggle. While asthma is a genuine problem to have, it was the first thing that held me back from enjoying running. In January 2021, I decided to change this mindset that ...
5 Most Common Questions About Physical Therapy
Do you need a prescription/referral for physical therapy? Do you take insurance? How long will my appointment be? Who will I work with at my PT appointment? What can I expect at my first appointment?
Tools For The Job
The Fitness Industry has grown exponentially in recent years. In every way. Venues have evolved to include everything from Big Box Gyms to boutique studios, from everything-under-one-roof clubs to small, dedicated spaces marketed around a specific brand of fitness or even a single piece of equipment. The last year has also seen enormous ...
Repetitive Injuries Among Dental and Salon Industry Professionals
HUH? How do these two professions have anything to do with each other? In most general terms, they don’t. But as it turns out, when it comes to repetitive injuries sustained in the field, they have a lot in common. Employees in both industries are being seen A LOT in PT practices for injuries of the neck, back, shoulder and upper extremity as ...
Why Runners Benefit From Postural Restoration Therapy
Running is one of the most innate and natural movements humans can do, and yet those who regularly engage in it often continue to be perplexed and frustrated by the aches and injuries that can accompany it. Our ancient nomadic ancestors would regularly run down their hunting prey across vast plains for hours at a time, yet they probably ...
The Benefits of Aromatherapy In The Springtime
May 19, 2021Virginia is for lovers we say. Well, I do agree until the moment I step outside for a morning jog in early spring… For those like myself, leaving winter behind is delightful. I know holidays are great BUT the prospect of the warm weather and outdoor activities give me a sense of freedom and abundance I really crave more. Though ...
Under Pressure
April 28, 2021 Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) to Relieve Allergy Symptoms Ahh Springtime! Warm sunny days and longer nights are all fun and games until, the one thing we can’t stand pops up, those pesky seasonal allergies. Trees, grass, weeds, and beautiful spring flowers all release tiny granules (pollen) into the air to fertilize other ...
Achoo!
April 14, 2021Achoo! The Spring weather is a welcome transition from the Winter cold. Blooming trees and flowers can lift our spirits but can wreak havoc on allergy symptoms. According to Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Spring is the time corresponding to the Liver organ and when the internal energies tend to lift up and outward. If there ...
Dry Brushing What is it and Can it Help During Allergy Season?
April 9, 2021What is Dry Brushing? Dry brushing, dry body brushing, or skin brushing is the use of a natural fiber bristle brush to aid in the stimulation of the skin, lymphatic system, circulatory system, and the nervous system. Skin brushing has been used in the healing practices of cultures all around the world for hundreds of years. ...
The Benefits of Direct Access Physical Therapy
December 14, 2020 Are you or a loved one dealing with pain? Or maybe you’re a “weekend warrior” who pushed it a little too far? Or how about aches and pains from running? Maybe you’re dealing with muscle tension and loss of function from a physically demanding job? Or maybe you have persistent pain that has been around so long you can’t ...
14 Smoothie Recipes to Decrease Appetite and Balance Your Blood Sugar
May 26, 2020Unless you have been living under a rock (which, may be the case with the current #Rona running around) I am sure you are aware that health and wellness is a hot topic these days. Health choices and food research is no longer just for those who are “another year wiser” but even the younger generation is jumping into the mix. As a ...
Oriental Medicine: What is it? How can it help?
May 19, 2020 Written by: Neida Fedison, L.Ac + Dipl. Ac + DAOM Have you ever heard about Oriental Medicine? You probably have but don’t even know it. You most likely know what Acupuncture is and with some limited information obtained through family members, friends, or even movies and TV shows. Then what is Oriental Medicine? It is the ...
What is Reflexology?
[ Blog Post Date ] What is Reflexology? Reflexology is a holistic modality using hand and finger pressure on the feet, outer ears and/or hands with the intent to stimulate nerve endings, creating positive electrical and chemical changes contributing to homeostasis. Reflexology is also known as zone therapy which accepts the belief that a ...
5 Must Have Tips to Help Prioritize Sleep
February 18, 2020 Have you ever thought “what is sleep?”. Odds are, this thought has never crossed your mind. And that is okay. You are not alone; we were right there with you! But, what if we stopped and truly thought about what sleep is, how sleep affects our mental, emotional and physical state; more importantly, how proper sleep habits ...
Train Like A NFL Athlete
NFL football players are some of the highest performing athletes in the world. With this comes strict regimes to ensure their mental and physical health. Everything from their eating habits to sleeping patterns plays a role in their performance and allow them to THRIVE. While not everyone may be an athlete at this level, many of their habits ...
HOW TO COPE WITH WINTER THREATS: FIRE CUPPING, ESSENTIAL OILS AND AT HOME TIPS
January 21, 2020 Written by: Chantal Owen, CMT + CR + CCA With the cold, flu and allergy seasons upon us, we wanted to give the inside scoop on the ways Thrive can help aid your recovery and at-home tips to get through this season. Luckily so far our winter has been very mild this year yet the yoyo effect between the cold and warm days has ...
5 Exercises to Improve your Posture
Inchworms - Rounded Downward Dog Walk OutsFrom all fours, knees directly under hips and hands under shoulders Shift your weight forward so your nose is over your fingertips. Exhale and round up through your mid-back like a "cat" yoga pose Extend knees to inhibit hyperactive muscles into a slightly rounded downward dog From the downward dog ...
The Difference Between Medical Massage and Spa Massage
Have you ever wondered about the difference between a medical massage and a spa massage? We had one of our certified massage therapists, Chantal, discuss the differences to help better understand. While one might think all massages are alike that is not the case. Medical massages and spa massages have differences in their purpose, training, ...
Massage for Mammas: Me-Time is Important in All Phases of Motherhood
The prenatal and postnatal phases are both beautiful and brutal experiences when having a baby. When carrying, the lower ribs can become more flared to make room for the baby, especially during the last trimester. Once we have the baby and begin cradling during feedings, it creates more tension along the bra line area. Whether you’re nursing ...
The Life-Changing Benefits of Aromatherapy and the Raindrop Technique
Aromatherapy is a fascinating field–one that got me completely hooked and that I’ve been passionate about for years. As a French native, where aromatherapy and phytotherapy have a prominent place in health and wellness, I’ve always known the power of essential oils. However, the day that I observed Raindrop Therapy performed on a horse was ...
Injury-Prevention Tips for Runners
February 10, 2018FO Every runner wants to win the injury prevention race, whether it is the runner just starting out, the casual runner or the competitive runner. It seems that with all the advancements in training methods, shoe wear, research and even medicine we think we have found the answer. One thing has become clear to us, through all ...
5 tips for ‘Fit & Fab’ Total Body Wellness
May 27, 2017 We recently got to spend an awesome morning with the fabulous Kristen Crowley and the WGNT/WTKR News 3 morning crew. Â Kristen put together a '5 Days of Fit & Fab' Total Body Wellness series and we were honored and grateful to participate! In this series, we shared 5 quick tips to set your body up for success not only in the ...
Defying the Odds – Tools of Champions
[ Blog Post Date ] The New England Patriots defied the odds by coming back from a situation that seemed impossible!Tom Brady. Credit Getty ImagesTom Brady credited the team's Mental Toughness for their Epic Superbowl win.Mental toughness is a collection of mental performance skill sets that allow a person to persevere through ...
Your Rib Mobility is Critical for a Healthy Spine
The ribcage is a huge part of anatomy that tends to be ignored, especially when treating low back pain.Our ribcage is thought of as a steel cage that isn’t supposed to be very mobile, however, our ribcage is meant to be very mobile! Ribs attach to the front of our body on the sternum and are long levers that wrap all they way back to our ...
Grounding: The Importance of Breathing Properly
Let's look at the mechanics of breathing, as well as the mechanics of the respiratory and pelvic diaphragms, to better understand how the mechanical ventilatory pump is a powerful driver to keep the body connected to the ground during dynamic movement.The central tendon of the respiratory diaphragm descends towards the ground during ...
Grounding: Connection to Gait
Hopefully you are following our discussion about the valuable principle of grounding. What's cool is our natural gait cycle is mechanically sound to help us ground ourselves to improve our internal physiology and system function. Unfortunately, many people have lost the reciprocity to exchange a rhythm between the right and left halves of the ...
Grounding: Restoring Normal Physiological and Mechanical Function
"Grounding" is a principle we apply in our programming and is essential for restoring normal physiological and mechanical function. Various research has been published to help explain the beneficial effects of grounding on human biological performance and health (note: Earthing is a form of grounding).The inability to ground is the inability ...
What are PRI orthotics
At THRIVE, we fabricate a very unique and special foot orthotic that applies neuromuscular principles with solid principals of lower extremity biomechanics. These orthotics effectively influence the entire postural and movement system by combining the Science of Postural Restoration (PRI)Â Advanced Physical Therapy with the biomechanics of ...