Giving Wellness This Thanksgiving
Happy almost Thanksgiving!
I hope you’re staying warm, happy, and safe during this holiday season.
For most of us, the holidays are going to be a bit strange. Gatherings will be smaller, or maybe cancelled altogether. Air travel is nerve wracking to say the least, and that’s if you’re low-risk enough to travel at all.
Let’s be honest. We love the holidays, but they’re pretty much always stressful, covid or no covid. If you want to give a loved one (or yourself!) a relaxing gift this strange Thanksgiving, consider the gift of wellness. Detox the body, destress the mind, and give the gift of bodywork.
At Moyer Total Wellness, we take our safety and sanitary protocols seriously while striving to give the ultimate healing experience. In times like these, we could all use a break from our altered lives. But sometimes, we feel a little (for lack of a better term) guilty for taking time for self-care. If you’re not the type of person who does this, I guarantee you have a friend who does. So give the gift! Get a massage and/or acupuncture!
Want some tips for making your bodywork gift festive and autumnal? Here are a few!
Essential Oils
Try out some autumnal essential oils. Bring your own cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, cedarwood, and/or bergamot to your appointment. Your therapist can either add them to a diffuser or apply them directly to your skin.
Add Cozy Heat to Your Massage
Hot stone massages are extremely popular all winter long, but especially during the holiday season. Hot stone massage is a modality that involves the application of warm stones to the skin.
Heat therapy is a common remedy for muscle stiffness, body aches, and emotional stress. When a hot stone is placed on the skin, the blood vessels expand and send nutrient-rich blood to the muscles and bones. A well-nourished body is a relaxed body, and the warmth of a hot stone massage can offer that benefit.
You may also consider getting a reusable heat pack. Have you ever seen those gel packs that heat up in your hands and can be used as a massage tool? They’re the best! Buy one and bring it with you!
Hydrate Autumnally
You always need to hydrate post-massage; it’s the most important post-massage instruction. In fall, hygge (pronounced like huga) is the best. That warmth and coziness, oh yes!
After your massage, pour yourself a caffeine-free herbal tea. Some nice fall flavors include hot cinnamon, hot apple spice, hot cranberry spice, pumpkin spice… basically anything that starts with hot or includes the word pumpkin. They’re all delicious, relaxing, and full of antioxidants!
Again, Happiest of Happy Thanksgivings!
Katrina Jenkins
Author, Licensed Massage Therapist
Katrina Jenkins graduated from Towson University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science and worked as a nurse’s aide briefly before pursuing her true passion. She graduated from the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado in April 2016 with honors and completed the Touch of Healers Scholarship Program the following summer. She has been a part of the Moyer Total Wellness Team since the summer of 2017.
Photo Credit:
Canva by Vadym Petrochenko
Originally published November, 25, 2020
Updated November 22, 2021 by Nicole Morrison