Massage & Bodywork

July/August 2013

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PerSonALIZe your SeLF-CAre PL An Self-Care Team The suggestions in this article are only a few ideas to get you started. Think of something else? Add it. It's your plan. Taking care of yourself includes knowing what professionals you need to have on your selfcare team. It should be obvious that the fi rst professional on your team is your own bodyworker (or myriad of bodyworkers). The type and frequency are up to you, but the bottom line is that bodyworkers need to have regular bodywork sessions. From there, assess who else you need to have on your self-care team. These professionals might include, but are not limited to: • Accountant. • Acupuncturist. • Business coach. • Chiropractor. • Financial advisor. • Health coach. • Life coach. • Nutritionist. • Personal trainer. • Primary-care physician. • Professional mentor. • Psychologist. The list will shrink or expand based on your personal needs at any given time. You should determine the frequency of your visits and desired outcomes with each individual. cHecK in! You've defi ned your personalized vision and coupled it with a combination of these strategies. Now it's important for you to periodically evaluate what's working and what's not. This honest assessment will help you maintain or enhance the positives and make adjustments to the negatives. Incorporating evaluation of your self-care plan will go a long way to ensure you are able to sustain it amidst life's changes and challenges. Once you master the process of setting a plan and making periodic adjustments, you will end up with a healthy path that's sustainable for your unique life. Notes 1. Mayo Clinic, "Exercise: How Much Do I Need Every Day?" accessed June 2013, www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/AN01713. 2. WebMD, "How Much Exercise Do You Really Need?" accessed June 2013, www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/getting-enoughexercise?page=2. Mary Beth Braun owns, and is the chief massage therapist at, one Body Therapeutic Massage in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is also a certified Duke university integrative health coach, ryT 200 yoga instructor, and coauthor of Introduction to Massage Therapy (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2007) with Stephanie Simonson. Contact her at marybeth@marybethbraun.com. pick one self-care team Get an appointment calendar and use it Schedule regular physicals Get weekly/monthly bodywork Outsource business tasks Hire an employee to help with the small stuff www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 73

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