Wellness, Health & Spa News from Around the Web

Here’s a roundup of recent Wellness, Health and Spa news from around the web. We loved the articles on how to stay happy this winter and holiday season, the benefits of massage, and how to tell when you really need a Spa Day. You can follow us in real time on twitter, facebook, instagram, google+ or pinterest.

• Five Ways to Stay Happy This Winter
  

  • Don’t let the winter blues and stress affect you! The holiday season can be the most stressful time of year. Spaweek offers these 5 tips for staying happy during the holiday season.
    They include:
    • Take a Morning Walk;
    • Ditch The Holiday Crowds;
    • Give Back;
    • Drink Less Alcohol; and
    • Enjoy The Indoors.

• The Benefits of Massage Go Beyond Relaxation

  • We all know that massage can relax and ease sore muscles, but did you know that it can also heal? According to this article on the benefits of massage:
    
    • massage is beneficial for ailments and conditions including headaches, digestive problems, anxiety and nerve pain as well as sports injuries and stress
    • Massage reduces the level of the stress hormone cortisol
    • Massage improves mood!
      

• 4 Signs That Show You Really Need a Pamper Day

  • Spafinder offers this advice on how to tell when you really need to pamper yourself and treat yourself to a day at the spa. The signs include:
    • You’re have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning;
    • You’re finding yourself becoming lazy with your hygiene regime;
    • Your mind is longing for a few days off work or a break in the sunshine; and
    • You feel like you’re overdoing things and constantly feel tired and a little lazy.

Do those symptoms sound familiar? With all the benefits of massage and spa days, what are you waiting for? Call 905.470.8522 to book yourself a massage or spaday at eforea: spa at Hilton Toronto/Markham!

I don’t know how she does it!

The importance of “me time” and taking care of yourself is greater now more than ever! Especially for mothers! Yes that means all you stay-at-home-moms, working moms, moms of one, moms of six…all of you! No matter what your lifestyle entails, you are still a mom, which personally, we think is the most difficult job of all!

According to Daily Mail,Mothers get on average 17 minutes of “me time” per day! Yes! 17! Amongst the cooking, the cleaning, the lunch packing, the carpooling, the teaching, the nurturing, the listening, mothers manage to find a mere 17 minutes to reward themselves…leaving everyone saying…”I don’t know how she does it!”

After a study of 2000 mothers featured on Daily Mail, it was found that nearly 3 quarters of the women felt they lived their lives entirely for other people and that even in moments by themselves, they felt like they could never truly relax.

Well isn’t this just the saddest news ever?

The importance of relaxation is crucial to living a healthy and happy life, however, the women who teach us how to be happy and healthy, are the ones that are neglecting to do just that! Dr Shalini Anant, a clinical psychologist, stated “If you ignore yourself for a long time, it can actually take a toll on your mental as well as physical health”. Life is too short and precious (especially when you have children) to be careless with your health. People have this misconception that if they want to be healthy, all they have to do is exercise regularly and maintain a balanced diet. Yes, those are crucial aspects of living a healthy lifestyle, however, life is too fragile to stop just there. Stress can lead to countless short term and long term health problems, including but not limited to, depression, heart disease, sleep loss, obesity, skin conditions and autoimmune diseases. The crazy part is, this can all be avoided! Managing your stress through healthy avenues can add years to your life, something that mothers constantly forget.

Moms out there, it is imperative that you set out time each day for yourself, so you can relax and embrace the joys in life. We all have busy schedules, which is why there are many simple and easy tasks we can do each day to relax. Develop hobbies, read a book, catch up on your favourite television show, go for a hike, meditate, try yoga, pamper yourself (our favourite!)…the list is endless.

Just like the wise flight attendant always says…”Place your oxygen mask on yourself before you help others”.

It’s not selfish to take care of yourself…its necessary!

And don’t forget….