Chunky Butternut Squash Soup

Tis the season of soups, chili's and other warm, comfort food. Here's an easy one that is super satisfying and a bit different than your traditional pureed butternut squash soup.

• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4-6 carrots, quartered
• 6-8 celery stalks, chopped 
• 1 bunch, spinach, kale or chard, de-stem kale or chard and chop into bit sized pieces
• 1 Large Butternut Squash, baked until soft (425 for 30-45 mins.) then cubed
• 8-10 cups of vegetable broth**

Directions:

1. In large stock pot, saute onion in butter until translucent
2. Add Garlic, Carrots, Celery. Cook until carrots and celery begin to soften a bit. 
3. Add greens (spinach, kale or chard) and butternut squash. 
4. Add vegetable broth. 
5. Serve warm.

**Collect all of your vegetable scraps (onions, carrots, zucchini, garlic, etc.) in a bowl in the fridge. When you have enough scraps put into a pot of water (15-20 cups) and let cook. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves and other spices to taste. Reduce to half of original amount and Ta-daaaa....homemade veg stock for "free"!


I added some fresh basil to this tonight as well. Have fun and experiment with other spices. Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out!

Your posture and it's harmful effects on productivity

So yesterday, we mentioned that the diaphragm was your main breathing muscle. It does not act alone. There are many other muscles that assist in the breathing process. More importantly, when these muscles are compromised through stress, strain or poor posture, they can impair our ability to breathe and limit the benefits of our breath.

You know where you are tight, areas in your neck and back that your carry your stress. Have you ever thought that besides being annoying and painful this tension that you carry around could be having effects on your ability to breathe and get oxygen to your body? It's true. Lack of oxygen can produce fatigue, brain fog, and inability to remember details. It's often why when people start stretching, doing yoga, getting massage or seeing a chiropractor that they report increased energy as one of the first benefits they notice. All because they are getting more oxygen in their bodies!

Muscles in the neck help to lift the rib cage allowing for expansion that is necessary to bring oxygen into the body to feed your muscles, digestive organs and most importantly your brain. When the muscles in your neck are tight (you know that block of concrete that is sitting on your shoulder....) they can't lift the rib cage the way they are supposed to and you are not able to get the oxygen into your body that you need.

Muscles in your back allow for the ribcage to expand out and back also contributing to a full breath. It is very common to have tight muscles in the back, especially between the shoulder blades. When these muscles are tight we tend to depend on the muscles in our neck to lift the rib cage. Watch yourself breathe in the mirror...do your shoulders lift as you inhale? If your shoulders are doing most of the work, the muscles in your back are probably tight, restricting expansion through the back of the ribcage.

These tight muscles also create poor posture. Poor posture impairs your ability to breath. As muscles in the front of your neck gets tight they pull your head forward, making it difficult to pull the clavicle and ribcage up for full lung expansion.

Sitting at a computer, desk or driving for long periods of time shorten the muscles in the chest. These shortened muscles compress the ribcage and pull the shoulders in and forward. It's like having a weight on your chest all day long. You wouldn't put a bag of rocks on your chest and expect to breath, but that is exactly what poor posture can do.

Using the breathing techniques we've talked about the last couple of days can help relax tight muscles. Improving posture and your productivity. Tomorrow will be our last post on breathing (for now...) we'll talk about how to improve your breath and posture through simple self-care techniques. Until then, you know what to do...just keep breathing :)

What your breath is trying to tell you

Hopefully, you've been trying to use one of the breathing techniques that we posted on Monday. Okay, so your breathing, now what? Your breath can tell you a lot about where you are at and what you need. As you take time for focused breathing 5 minutes each day, using even breath, focused exhale breathing or restrained breath; also use this time to check in with your body to listen to the messages it is sending.

Go ahead....take 5 or 6 deep breaths in and out, in and out. What do you feel?Does your breath feel tight and constricted? Do you feel pain anywhere? Can you get a full breath in? Does your mind race to all the other things you "should" be doing? Just observe what you are feeling, don't judge it, it is information nothing more. It is not good or bad, just communication from your body about what you need.

Let's look at some areas of focus while breathing and then what you can do about the messages your body is telling you.

1. Thoracic expansion - This is the expansion you feel in your ribcage as you breath. As you inhale, focus on feeling the front, back and both sides of your rib cage expand. This can be hard, most of us want to lift our shoulders up to gain expansion. Keep the shoulders relaxed and focus on expanding the rib cage as much as you can in all directions.
2. Abdominal breathing - The diaphragm is your main breathing muscle. Imagine a drum head, separating the ribcage from your digestive organs. As you inhale and expand the rib cage, the diaphragm drops down, gently pushing on the digestive organs. (This is why it is hard to breath after a big meal!!) If you are a chest breather, meaning only your chest and shoulders move when you are breathing, lie on your back with a pillow or small book on your abdomen. As you breathe, watch the object move up as you inhale and down as you exhale. Combine abdominal breathing with thoracic expansion to get the most from your breath

Alright, so you are expanding your rib cage, your abdomen is gently moving out and in with each inhale and exhale. Now, close your eyes and scan your body.

Keep breathing as you check in with your feet, your legs, hips.

What feels tight? Does your inhale increase tension?

Do you feel the tension release on an exhale?

Move into the belly and low back?

Does it feel "stuck" anywhere?

Move into your chest and shoulders?

How about your upper back and neck?

Pay attention to those areas that feel tight or stuck. Sometimes focused breathing can bring up emotions. Sometimes we get frustrated, angry or sad and we don't know why. Focused breathing can help to clarify what it is truly bothering us.

Breathing is also a great way to relieve tension and pain. As you notice areas that are stuck, hold your attention there as you breathe. Feel tension increase slightly as you inhale and feel the tension melt as you exhale. It make take 8-10 breaths or more to feel an area relax so stick with it.

This is also a great breathing exercise to do before you go to bed. Lying in bed, connect with your breath and scan your body from any tension you are holding. Release it and your on your way to a night of deep, restful sleep.

Set time aside in your day to breathe for 5 minutes. Intentional breathing can improve energy levels, brain fog, mental fatigue, digestion and your ability to manage stress. You could take 5 minutes in your car before or after work, at the end of your lunch break, just after waking or just before bed. It doesn't matter when or where, all that matters is that you make time to do it. Breath and watch how it improves your life.

Tomorrow we'll look at the muscles involved with breathing and Friday how to improve your posture and breath through simple self-care techniques. In the meantime...just keep breathing :)

The art of breathing; techniques and benefits to improve your day

You do it all the time. In, out, in, out....without even thinking about it. A bit of attention to your breath can make a big difference in your day. Let's look at 3 breathing techniques and then talk about it's benefits.

1. Even breath - Sitting comfortably, breathe in through your nose for a count of 5 seconds, breathe out through your mouth for a count of 5 seconds. Your breath may be longer or shorter, the important part is to breathe in and out for the same amount of time.
2. Focused exhale breathing - Same as the even breath, sit comfortably, breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, this time breathe out for a count of 7. Again, your may breathe for more or less time, the important part here is to breathe out for 2-3 counts longer than your in breath.
3. Restrained breath - Sitting comfortably, breathe in for 5 counts, hold your breath for 2 counts and exhale out for 5, hold your breath for 2 and repeat. Inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Adjust your inhale, hold and exhale time so that it is comfortable for you.

Benefits of breathing:

• Increases oxygen levels in the body
• Improves brain function
• Improves your ability to focus
• Improves your ability to manage stress
• Decreases stress
• Increases energy
• Improves digestion

Challenge yourself to set aside 5 minutes a day to just breathe. You will be amazed at the results.

You don’t have to be an athlete to be active

Most people I talk to really downplay their level of activity. I LOVE that Colorado really supports such an active lifestyle, but sometimes I feel that there is a lot of stress and competition out there to define what an active lifestyle really is. You don’t have to be riding Rist Canyon every week to say that you have an active lifestyle.

Are you giving yourself enough credit for the active lifestyle that you life?

More importantly are you giving yourself the tools that you need to continue that lifestyle for years to come?

Let’s first clarify what an active lifestyle looks like. If it’s not riding your bike 120 miles a week or hiking a 14er what is it?

• Commuting by bike or by foot to and from work 3-5 times a week
• Actively playing with your kids or grandkids; getting down on the floor with them, picking them up, etc.
• Tending to your garden and lawn (can be a year round activity in Colorado!!)
• Shoveling your driveway and sidewalks (also sometimes a year round activity in Colorado!!)
• Walking for exercise or meditation on a regular basis
• Hiking local trails
• Working at a job that requires lifting, bending or any repetitive motion
• The desire to move through life pain free, feeling as young as you can as long as you can!

Okay, so now we all know that you don’t have to be an athlete to say that you are active.

Massage is one of the most important tools you can have in your bag of tricks. It is just as essential for those living an active lifestyle as it is for athletes. Regular massage can help to address areas that could potentially turn into an injury before it happens. Your therapist is able to feel for areas that are holding tension that you may not be aware of. Working through this tension before it becomes a problem can help you avoid injury, pain and fatigue.

Regular massage can also help you to recover from activity quicker, eliminating soreness that can slow you down after a day of work or play! This soreness, when left untreated can lead to more serious chronic pain. Massage is designed to increase circulation, increasing oxygen and nutrient deliver to an area of soreness. Speeding up the healing process so that you can avoid long term pain and potential injury.

It is what you do on a daily basis that leads to your overall long term health. Just like eating well, exercising, seeing your chiropractor; regular massage should be a part of your long term health plan.

5 Reasons Massage should be a necessary part of your training

As an athlete you stay well hydrated, drink electrolytes when necessary, (hopefully) stretch before and after training and events, alter your diet to give you the most beneficial calories available, buy all the right gear, have it fitted and sized to your unique needs, plan your training to give you the best advantage for each event. Did you know that massage can improve your athletic performance just as much, if not more that everything you are already doing?

Let’s look at five ways that regular massage can really boost your performance and bring you to the next level.

More Oxygen

Massage to targeted muscle groups can greatly increase circulation to the area. This increase in circulation carries with it increased oxygen and beneficial nutrients. This is what feeds your muscles so that they can perform. Increased oxygen can help you reach your peak performance quicker and maintain it longer. How’s that for a boost in performance?

Reduce waste

Increase in circulation not only improves nutrient delivery but also increases removal of metabolic waste.

Waste builds up when you move from aerobic exercise to anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise allows your body to bring in enough oxygen to support the demands of your muscle. In anaerobic exercise there is not enough oxygen to keep up with the muscle demand and you end up with a build up of lactic acid and other types of metabolic waste. This is what makes you sore after a workout or training session.

Over time, buildup of lactic acid and metabolic waste can lead to injury and chronic soreness when left untreated. Massage helps to remove this waste from the muscle tissue. This will speed up your recovery time and keep muscles healthy.

Avoid Injury

Your massage therapist is able to find areas of tension that you may not be aware of. Injuries don’t just happen; they build up over a period of time. Addressing areas of tension in their early stages can help to avoid injury as well as maintain or increase range of motion.

Recover Faster

With an increase of nutrients to the area and quicker removal of waste muscles will recover faster even as you push yourself harder. This means training more frequently for longer periods of time will less soreness and pain.

Improve Performance

Regular massage will increase circulation, improve nutrient delivery, remove waste and improve recovery time. If this wasn’t enough you can see improvement in your performance as well. Endurance, speed and strength are all common results of regular massage.


Your therapist can help you plan how to strategically incorporate massage into your training sessions. Massage is beneficial both pre-event and post-event. It’s never too late to start, but it’s important to begin receiving massage 8-12 weeks in advance to a big event to really see the results and know how your body reacts to therapeutic sports massage.

How often should I get a massage?

If you ask a massage therapist this, most of them will say “As much as you can!” This is because they know the amazing benefits of massage. Our goal today is to help you clarify and decide how often you need a massage based on your needs. Because every-body is different the answer to this question is going to be a bit different for everyone.

We look at each client we come in contact with as an individual before answering this question. Today we will look at a few important factors to take into consideration when answering this question.

Chronic Pain

Massage is very beneficial for chronic pain. By relaxing spastic muscles massage helps the structure of the body return to a neutral position. Massage addresses stress points in the body that affect structure and cause chronic pain.

In general, if you are dealing with chronic pain, shorter sessions more frequently render the best results. A 30-minute massage once a week can be more effective, and overall less expensive, than a 60 minute massage every other week. Often with chronic pain too much massage can make things worse. Shorter sessions allow the body to adapt slowly, greatly reducing the chance of a flare up.

Injury Rehab & Post-Surgery

Massage can be applied to an injury or surgery site as soon as swelling has begun to receded and any open wounds have healed. Typically about 24-48 hours after the injury occurred. You will want to wait 6-8 weeks after surgery to schedule your massage and always wait until you have clearance from your doctor post-surgery before getting bodywork.

Massage can speed up the healing process almost twice as fast as healing without massage.

Treatment varies depending on the injury. A low back injury that began two weeks ago will respond much quicker to massage than a low back injury that happened 2 years ago. Typically your therapist will want to see you for 30 minutes for 3-4 treatments and then reassess your symptoms. The goal always being getting you to preventative/maintenance care as soon as possible.

Athletic Training

Sports Massage can be tremendously beneficial both pre and post event as well as during training. If you are competing massage can give you an advantage over your competitors by helping to recover from challenging workouts quicker, improve muscle performance, increase oxygen delivery to tissue as well as prevent injury.

If being active is more of a hobby for you massage delivers all of these same benefits, but also allows you to do the things you love to do by maintaining flexibility, addressing potential areas at risk for injury and reducing soreness after activity.

Athletic Massage, or sports massage, has four major components: pre-event, post-event, restorative and rehabilitative. Pre and post event can be applied during training as well as immediately before or after an event.

During training, massage applied after 12-24 hours after your big training day will help you recover faster, building muscle and endurance more efficiently. During this period, as you are building strength and endurance, a 30 or 60 minute massage once a week is ideal.

In the off-season, a 60-minute restorative massage is generally good every 4-6 weeks. *See Injury Rehab for massage suggestions for rehabilitative massage.

Preventative Care

Preventative or maintenance care is possible the most important type of massage. People that wait until they are injured or in pain before getting a massage often spend twice as much annually as those that commit to a maintenance care plan regardless of pain or injury.

Just like working out, eating well or visiting your chiropractor it is regular care that really makes the difference. Every 4 weeks is optimal for the body. Some bodies prefer to come in every 2 weeks; some can wait 6 or 8 weeks. It is the regular care that keeps your body healthy and functioning at its optimum levels. Your therapist can help you decide what works best for you body and your wallet.

Regardless of if you are an athlete, desk jockey, busy parent or retire massage should be an essential component of your health care plan. Therapeutic massage, when applied correctly is more than just an hour of relaxation. It is necessary to move through life with ease and free from pain.

5 tips to eliminate chronic headaches

Life is demanding. Stress, emails, phone calls, text messages, kids, spouse and co-workers making demands on your time. All of a sudden you realize that you don’t remember the last time that you didn’t have a headache. Yikes!! How did it get so bad? When did it get so bad?

If you are one of the up to 80% of Americans that suffer from headaches brought on by stress you are not alone. These headaches, also called tension headaches are typically felt like a band around the forehead that travels down into the back of the next and sometimes into the shoulders. Women are twice as likely as men to experience these types of headaches.

Major contributors to tension headaches include:

~ Emotional or mental stress
~ Poor posture
~ Heavy lifting
~ Decreased caloric intake
~ Poor Posture
~ Lack of Sleep
~ Overexertion

Let’s face it, not your preference, but sometimes a Tylenol or Ibuprofen is necessary to get through your day. Chronic use of these pain killers can lead to digestive disorders, ulcers, heartburn and decreased nutritional absorption. Who wants that?!?!?

Good news is there is a lot you can do to help eliminate chronic headaches. Knowing what triggers your headaches is a good place to start. Are you especially tired when they come on? Have you been at the computer for hours? What has your food intake looked like for the day? Everyone is different and everyone is going to have different triggers. Although you (probably) can’t avoid being on the computer or change what time you have to be up for work, there is a lot you can do to make sure you are winning the battle against chronic headaches.

Water

Water helps your muscles stay supple and relaxed. When you are dehydrated your muscles look and feel a bit like beef jerky, tense and unyielding. Drinking about half your body weight in ounces every day or until your urine is clear will help muscles stay fluid and adaptable to demands.

Relaxation

No, this does not mean zoning out in front of the TV. Relaxation is about basking in nothing-ness. No TV, no computer, no emails, no phone. Take a bath, meditate, go for a walk; quite time with yourself is priceless. Make time everyday for some kind of nothing-ness. Even if it is only 10 or 15 minutes, it is quite possibly the most important thing you can do. You make time to shower; to brush your teeth, relaxation is just important. Talk to anyone that makes time for this every day and they will only speak of the tremendous benefits of their quiet time. For information on meditation click here.

Stretching

Tense muscles are sometimes quite literally screaming for attention. Taking a few minutes a couple of times a day can do wonders for avoiding headaches. Stretching can also be combined with your relaxation time. Look at that, multitasking for relaxation and health!! Stay posted for some great videos on stretching for chronic headaches!!

Eyestrain

Even a slight change in your vision can cause tremendous strain. Getting your eyes checked regularly and updating your prescription should you already wear glasses or contacts can literally get rid of a headache over night!!

One more common cause of eyestrain is being on the computer, watching TV or using the screen on your smart phone for too long. Make sure you are taking a break from any of these activities at least twice per hour. There are many “exercises” you can do to help strengthen your eyes and reduce eyestrain.

Exercise

Exercise, especially yoga and Pilates can help to improve posture, strengthen weak muscles and reduce stress. Often the last thing you want to do when you have a headache is workout. Begin with a gentle yoga class, often called yin yoga or restorative yoga. This gentle yoga practice releases endorphins in the system, naturally reducing pain and stretching muscles and connective tissue to help create longer lasting results. As you continue to feel better and better working your way to more challenging classes will help to build the long term strength you need.


There is truly nothing more important than taking care of you! You are a better friend, a better spouse, a better parent, a better everything when you are taking care of yourself first.

Give yourself some time to feel the results of your work. Water, Relaxation, Stretching, Eyestrain and Exercise may take a bit longer than a pain killer to kick in, but you will see long lasting results with nothing but positive results!

Why would someone want a deep tissue massage?

I had a client ask me this very question a couple of weeks ago. As she lie on the table, her muscles sore from running the previous day and requesting less pressure to accommodate her worked muscles.

“I just don’t get why someone would want to be in pain during their massage!” she said.

This is a misconception that I often hear about massage. Massage, including deep tissue massage, does not have to be painful to be effective. Deep Tissue Massage refers to the tissue being addressed during the massage, not to the amount of pain felt during a massage.

Swedish massage is a topical application of massage. We often refer to this as a “fluff and buff” massage. Although Swedish massage is very relaxing, addressing emotional stress and beneficial for the skin; it does not address the underlying deep tissue, or muscle, lying under the skin.

Deep tissue addresses just that, the deeper tissue lying under the skin, namely the muscle.

Pain during a massage does not necessarily mean it’s a better massage. Your body doesn’t differentiate between “good pain” and “bad pain.” When you experience pain during a massage your body reacts exactly as it would if you were to put your hand on a hot stove. Your body also releases the same stress hormones as it would if you were really hurt or injured. This makes your massage much less effective and can possibly create more problems than you walked in with.

How do you know if your massage is too much? If you are holding your breath or tensing up any area of your body in response to pressure. Curling your toes, making a fist or pressing any part of your body into the table is your body telling you that pressure is too much.

You may experience some areas of discomfort as your therapist moves through the massage. Areas where you are very aware that your therapist is working, but not so much that it is creating the pain that we talked about earlier. This is okay. We explain to clients it is that soreness that you feel after a good workout. You’re sore, but it feels good. This is the most effective pressure to work in during your massage.

It is important to communicate with your therapist during your session about pressure. Too much? Not enough? Your therapist wants to make sure you are getting the best massage possible. One way to ensure this is to communicate about pressure. You will also see better, longer lasting results from your massage when pressure is applied correctly.

Why you need to eat more to lose more

Each New Year, thousands and thousands of people get on the resolution bandwagon and vow to lose weight. Some will hit the gym, some will go to join a dieting group, some will drink more water, some will eat more veggies, and almost all of them will eat less. Almost all of them will fail to reach their goal. Will this be you? If you change one thing about your weight loss goals, you need to eat more.

Yes, I said it; you need to eat more, not less. The old calories in, calories out mindset doesn’t work anymore. New research shows that it is more about when you put the calories in and the type of calories that you consume that will determine your weight loss success.

So let’s talk about more….you’re probably imagining a larger plate with more food on it. We’d all be thin as a rail if that was the case!! No, I’m talking about eating smaller meals more frequently. Some of our clients say they feel like they are grazing all day long. I know, I know, you’ve heard this before. What you haven’t heard is the why.

When you go long period between meals, more than 4 hours; you force your body into starvation mode. Your body isn’t receiving food (a.k.a. energy) regularly, so rather than use the energy (a.k.a. food) it is given, it stores all of those calories to be used in the future. The less you consume and the more infrequently you consume foods the more your body stores the extra calories. Any calorie that can’t be used is stored as fat.

Eating infrequently also puts you on the blood sugar roller coaster. When your blood sugar is low your body sends a chemical message to your brain that you need more sugar. So what do you crave? Sugar. Remember that bread, pasta, rice and other “bad” carbohydrates are packed full of sugar. Foods that are high on the glycemic index, that is, food that quickly spike your blood sugar are also stored as fat because your body can’t use all of the energy (a.k.a. sugar) that these foods deliver. Remember, any calorie that your body can’t use right away will be stored as fat for later use.

Good news, the solution is simple. Eating smaller meals every 2-3 hours can help you lose weight quickly. When you are eating regularly your metabolism is going to get the message that it needs to be working. There is food coming in regularly, your body is not given signals to store food and therefore will increase your metabolism to burn more calories. I know it sounds backwards…eat more food to lose more weight, but I promise it happens.

When you eat more regularly you are setting yourself up to make better food choices. Waiting until you are starved is setting yourself up for failure, you are bound to make bad food choices if you wait until you are hungry to eat. Eating before you are hungry allows you to make better choices when you open up the fridge.

Take some time to plan. This isn’t a free for all. You still need to be eating real, whole food. Snacking on Cheez-Its won’t help you lose weight. Fruits, veggies, nuts and dried fruit are a great place to start looking at snacks. Keep feeding your body good nutrition and your body will continue to feed you well.