New Year’s Resolution – 20 Massages in 2 Months

My new year’s resolution for 2010 is to get 20 massages within the first two months of 2011. The plan is to receive them at the Well Being Center for Health in Monroe, Washington. I’m looking forward to it. The folks at The Well Being Center for Health on Hill Street give a quality massage and often seem to be at the cutting edge of developments in massage.

What prompted this and why two months?

My health insurance runs out at the end of February. My goal is to take advantage of the 20 self-referring massages allowed per year under my insurance in the first two months of 2011.

I have relied on massage to help with life. A decade or so ago I had a car accident that left me with intermittent back and neck pain that is more intense during times of fast change – and right now, things are changing fast. I write a lot so my arms get sore. My leg muscles including my IT bands (these run up the outside of the thigh) are painfully tight – in theory from pedaling my bicycle. And then there is the emotional side of life. Since childhood I’ve disliked it when people touch the front or sides of my neck. It makes me tense. I’d like to see if the massage can help me get to the bottom of this.

20 massages in two months? That’s two and sometimes three massages a week. Now that I’m thinking about it, I'm not sure it's a good idea. All that muscle manipulation relieves pain and stress in part through releasing toxins from the cells of the body. It takes time for those toxins to work their way out of the body. Trying to process too many toxins at once can lead to emotional overwhelm, physical discomfort and even symptoms like those that come with cold and flu.

There is a chance I will become infinitely relaxed and pliable or, equally, that I will get pushed to my limit of what I can process physically and emotionally. There’s only one way to find out! Please join me as I explore the outer limits of massage!