As many of you have experienced, we offer several types of massage therapy at Balanced Bodies. You want deep tissue? We’ve got a therapist for that. You want to relax? We have one for that! You want a bit of both? We have a therapist for that too. But what about an Athlete specific massage? WE do that too! It’s called sports massage.

Many people don’t know what that even is much less feel like it is a service they can ask for. Well, here at Balanced Bodies, we specialize with athletes. We work with local gyms, CrossFit boxes, Jiu Jitsu academies, martial arts centers, running clubs, golfers, veterans, weight lifters, body builders, yoga teachers & students, dancers, etc. to not only work out their tension or help them relax but also to help them better perform with Sports Massage.

A sports massage is typically similar to a traditional combination of Swedish (relaxing) and deep tissue massage with a little bit faster pace, and a lot more attention to the bio-mechanics (body movement) of the client. In a sports massage session, we work to prevent injury by finding weak muscles, overworked muscles, and imbalanced muscles to create the most aligned, balanced, and injury-free body we can. By adding stretches, muscle resistance, and myofascial release we are able to change the mechanics of the body over time so that you can compete at your maximum capacity.

People have so many notions about Yoga; that it is way too hard for them to ever do, or way too easy. All the time I hear that Yoga is really just stretching, right? I’ll let you in on one of my FAVORITE things about Yoga…it can be WHATEVER you need it to be. And whatever you don’t like about it is mostly likely what you need. Having said that, let’s dive into today’s topic, the absolute best way to tap into the Yoga you need, to answer all your Yoga questions and feel the best you’ve ever felt: Yoga private lessons.

Lunch should be simple and effective, just like a well-executed grappling technique. I use a few key ingredients that have a lot of variety and versatility. I don’t want to get bored, but I still need to receive the same cornerstone nutrients no matter the organization of the meal.

My favorite meal to make for lunch is a salad. Now I know what you’re thinking; salads are for chicks and vegans, right? Well that’s true, but as performance athletes we need them too. The salads I make are are tasty, versatile, and full of all the nutrients I need.

The ability to defend oneself is everyone’s right. The problem is that not all of us are born with the same abilities or strengths. Luckily for us, information is the great equalizer. jiu jitsu is an excellent tool to utilize for self-defense because it’s as much science as it is an art.

There are thousands of self-defense styles, and I’m sure many of them are effective and useful in their own right. However, jiu jitsu answers the questions of “What if I’m smaller than my attacker?” or “What if I get knocked to the ground?" and "what do I do if the attacker gets on top of me?” These are the worst case scenarios that have been tested through jiu jitsu and have the track record to honor its merit.

There is a good chance one of our teachers or another student has invited you to Yoga class. At the very least you have heard of yoga before. Perhaps you are inspired to try but equally nervous or unsure about what to do, what to say, what to wear etc. Well, I am going to clear all of that up for you now, starting with the number one question I am asked and ending with the answers to questions no one wants to ask. Check it. 

What do I wear!? 

Yep. That is number one. Comfort is the most important thing in Yoga and in life in general. So wear clothes that you can comfortably move around in. Gym clothes or even lazy Saturday clothes will do just fine. I would stay away from anything too baggy because in Yoga we do go upside down to some extent and our shorts shouldn’t become thongs and our shirts shouldn’t smack us in the face. Maybe a pair of compression shorts for the men and spandex top or undershirt for the ladies. Also we get to set our feet free! That means NO shoes & NO socks. Ok wear socks if you must but eventually you will love your feet so much you will never want to wear socks. (Socks also make your feet a little extra slippery too.)