Image courtesy of Kris Beltran.

What are your goals as a massage therapist?  Have you really stopped to think about what it is that you are trying to achieve? Whether they are personal or professional, having goals ensures that you are working towards something meaningful. Try using the S.M.A.R.T. goal model:

• S-Specific: Be as specific as possible about your goal. For example, you want a successful massage practice, but what KIND of massage will you give? In what type of setting?

• M-Measurable: Make sure your goal is measurable so that you are able to track your progress. How many clients will you see weekly? How much money would you like to earn weekly?

• A-Attainable: By setting goals that challenge you but are not too much of a stretch you make sure they are attainable. Which brings us to…

• R-Realistic: Be realistic in what you are trying to achieve. For example, if you are aiming to make $2000/weekly charging $70/hour, you’d need to give 30 massages! Is that really what you want?

• T-Timely: Be sure to set a time frame in which you want to realize each goal. By giving yourself “deadlines” you are more likely to do whatever it takes to get the job done!

Kristen McIntryre
Massage Techniques Instructor
Ashworth College

Image courtesy of Richard.

I once worked with an athlete on the U.S. ski team with Olympic aspirations. The problem was that he was “burned out” and unable to perform at his customary high performance level. This athlete had heard about my success as a helping athletes who were going through this difficult stage and contacted me. After hearing his story, I agreed to work with him. My first effort was to help him get in touch with what he was experiencing. He didn’t want to leave the team, but thought he had no other option.

I began by dealing with the issue of time management to see if he could find the extra time he needed for other desired activities. I also recommended that he take about three weeks off from his sport simply to rest his mind and body. Obviously, his coaches did not respond to this strategy with much enthusiasm. Once they realized that the alternative was to remove him from the team, they consented to giving him some time off. We used this hiatus to work on relaxation strategies and stress reduction. I also helped him rediscover why he was skiing in the first place. By the time he returned to his sport, he felt renewed and invigorated. He was back to his old self.

Many athletes who yield to the initial impulse to get away from their sport when burnout symptoms set in are left with a lifelong sense of regret and dissatisfaction. They always wonder what might have been if burnout had not robbed them of the pleasure of competition and the pursuit of victory. For those willing to seek the intervention of a skilled and understanding sport psychology consultant, the result can be quite positive. It really is possible to “have it all”—high-level achievement and a life outside one’s sport.

Take a moment to consider your own athletic experiences and the negative feelings you may have had at times about participating in your sport(s). Ask yourself if the decisions you made at the time were the right ones for you. Would you have made other choices if you knew then what you know now? Whatever your response, never forget that life is ahead of you, not behind. There’s still time to “get it right.”

Nicole Detling Miller, M.S.
Sport Psychology Instructor
Ashworth College

Thanks to nellee100 for permission to use this Photo.

Some people are motivated to exercise solely for weight loss. In my opinion, this is a mistake. Instead, we should understand that a fitness program has four main goals: lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol levels, eliminating excess body fat, and building or toning muscle tissue. In the process, weight loss may occur. However, it’s just as possible that, as lean muscle mass replaces body fat, there might actually be a net gain in body weight because muscle tissue weighs more than fat. This isn’t a sign that the fitness program has failed. Rather, it’s a successful outcome. Even with a net gain in body weight, you’ll be healthier, trimmer, younger-looking, and more upbeat than ever!

If physical exercise is so beneficial to improving health and quality of life, why don’t more people do it on a regular basis? There are as many reasons as there are inactive people. It puzzles me that someone can know all the health benefits of regular exercise and still choose a sedentary (“couch potato”) lifestyle. Excuses are as numerous as an army of ants. “It’s too hot.” “It’s too cold.” “I don’t have time.” “I don’t have the right shoes/right outfit.” The list goes on and on.

To keep myself motivated, I listen to my body tell me how good it feels to take care of my daily duties. As a result, I keep up with my children better, clean my house better, and garden more energetically. I’m just better at all of my daily activities and can do more before I feel tired. With activities built into my daily life, I no longer have excuses to avoid exercise. To use an additional example, I try to climb stairs instead of using the elevator, realizing that the little things I do will add up over time. Rather than looking for ways to fit activity into my life, I see to it that activities make up my life.

As a nutrition specialist, you will deal with this issue of excuses time and again. One thing I’ve learned is that belittling people for their inactivity or for the way they look will not motivate them to exercise. The best way to get others to adopt and stick to a fitness program is to lead by example. Show that you are in great shape and that exercise keeps you slim, healthy, and positive in your approach to life’s ups and downs. Turn yourself into a walking (or running) advertisement for the active lifestyle you advocate, and you’ll be more likely to motivate others to follow in your footsteps.

Kathy Carter, RD
Instructor
Ashworth College Nutrition, Diet, & Health Science Program