Foods can be medicinal for your body or poisonous.

People think about food all the time. We think about what we want and need to eat. We go out to get the food, prepare it, and then spend time eating it. That is a lot of accumulated time we spend around food. Some say we spend around 240 hours per year just thinking about food. 

In every culture on the planet Earth, we gather around a table, to share food and celebrate life. In many ways, we associate food with happiness. But we also need to start associating food and eating with our health. 

Nutrition is a fundamental cornerstone of healthy living. You must keep a close eye on your diet, and be very careful with what you eat. 

Continue reading “Foods can be medicinal for your body or poisonous.”

Your Health is Your Lifeforce

For me the messaging about importance of health has been the same for almost 20 years. I think Health is Everything. I’ve been trying to deliverer this message to myself and my subconscious, to my family and friends, to my clients, patients, to my circles, networks and the internet. 

In my opinion, for us humans, good life could be measured by 3 interdependent measures, which are health, happiness and wealth. 

Continue reading “Your Health is Your Lifeforce”

Ancient Relaxation Delivery Tech

Wouldn’t it be great to have an app that would deliver relaxation to your brain and body instantly as you press of a button?

I can almost picture it in the workshop of my imagination. The light blue icon of the app, and as I press it, the sensation of relaxation starts to tingle on the surface of my skin. The mental tension starts to melt away from my brain; the quality of my emotions begin to change; my breathing becomes deeper and deeper, my shoulders dropdown. I feel more tingling sensation starts to trickle down from the back of my neck onto my shoulders my and my back.

Sounds really delicious…

Continue reading “Ancient Relaxation Delivery Tech”

The Weight of the World on Your Shoulders

Everyday stress and tension eventually start to feel like the weight of the world in on your shoulders. Neck and shoulder issues are some of the most common reasons why patients schedule clinical massage therapy sessions. 

Rotator cuff tears are the leading cause of shoulder pain and shoulder-related problems that also become a pain in a neck. About 4.5 million physician visits annually in the United States are regarding shoulder issues. In the United States, the annual cost for treating shoulder pain was $7 billion; these numbers are only for in the year 2000.

Continue reading “The Weight of the World on Your Shoulders”

Couples Massages

Who knew that couple’s massages could be this meaningful… 

… and it feels amazing?! 

Couple’s massages are usually offered in a private room or on a beach on two separate, side-by-side massage tables. Two therapists work on the couple at the same time in a synchronized fashion. 

Many couples go for massages as part of a celebration for special occasions, like anniversaries or Valentine’s Day. It’s also an excellent opportunity for the ladies to introduce their significant others to the benefits of facials, massage therapy, spa vibes, and proper cleanliness. Head to toe scrubbed-female-cleanliness, to be more precise. 

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THE MISERY LOOP. 10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BREAK OUT OF THE MISERABLE LOOP OF STRESS, PRESSURE, TENSION, SPASMS, AND PAIN.

The miserable loop starts with stress, which builds pressure, and then pressure creates tension, which is followed by spasms and pain. From a clinical perspective, it is much easier to treat tension compared with spasms and pain. Spasms and pain are evolved, and more established versions of tension in the body.

Spasms and pain have stubborn qualities to them, and they tend to linger for a while. Spasms and pain also come with constant displeasure and nagging annoyance that creates more-stress, more-tension, and more-pain. This is why it’s so important to understand this miserable loop and to be strategic and timely with it. As Franklyn said, an ounce of prevention is worth pound of cure. It is as true today as it was true centuries ago. 

Continue reading “THE MISERY LOOP. 10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BREAK OUT OF THE MISERABLE LOOP OF STRESS, PRESSURE, TENSION, SPASMS, AND PAIN.”

How to deal with muscle soreness when the weather gets nicer?

The sunshine and the warmth feel so good, doesn’t it? I’m sure you’re enjoying the nice weather and doing much more outside now than during the past few months.

This issue is about the increased activity level most of us take on at this time of the year, and how to prepare for it. I hope it helps you.

What Makes Muscles Ache?

There are more than 650 muscles in your body. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown, so smile more. Your gluteal muscles being the biggest muscles of your body, and the smallest is hiding in the middle of your ears. Muscles make up 30% of your body. It’s closer to 40% for men. It takes 200 muscles to take a single step. No wonder we feel soreness as an effect after exercise. What is your muscle care for routine?

Continue reading “How to deal with muscle soreness when the weather gets nicer?”

Deep Tissue Massage Therapy

Deep tissue massage therapy also known as deep tissue muscle work is offered pretty much everywhere where you can get a massage. But here is the but. Everyone and their mama are offering and claiming that they do deep tissue massage therapy, but only very few deliver really great deep tissue sessions.

So what is deep tissue massage and why is it so hard to find someone really good at deep tissue work?

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Timeless Wonders of Touch and Massage Therapy: Why does it feel so good to get a massage?

Hi! 

The purpose of this article is to review some of the basics of massage therapy. Massage therapy has so many health benefits that I’ll only be able to touch on a few of the high points here. Massage benefits will be covered in more detail in future articles and newsletters.

Continue reading “Timeless Wonders of Touch and Massage Therapy: Why does it feel so good to get a massage?”

The Connection Between Your Brain Health, Mindfulness, Meditation, Happiness and Success

Learn how through mindful living and meditation you can improve your brain’s health, increase its capabilities and live a longer, healthier, happier and more successful life.

If this subtitle didn’t trigger any interest in you, you must be one of those search engine bots Google Captcha asks to check the school bus pictures for authentication. 

In August of 2016, I wrote an article titled “Brain Health, Mindfulness, and Success” for Natural Medicine & Rehabilitation. The article was published on the NMR’s website and in Connection magazine in New Jersey. This was a great opportunity for me, but because it was for a print magazine, the opportunity came with a word count limitation of 500-600 words. But if you know me, you know I need 500-600 words just to get me warmed up. 😂  

Continue reading “The Connection Between Your Brain Health, Mindfulness, Meditation, Happiness and Success”

FREE 6-WEEK YOGA/MEDITATION PROGRAM IN APRIL

Hi guys,

Our friends from LoveYourBrain Foundation and Alluem Yoga are organizing FREE 6-week Yoga/Meditation April Series at Alluem Yoga in Cranford, NJ. 

Registration is open for the LoveYourBrain Yoga program at Alluem Yoga starting April 5th!  LoveYourBrain Yoga is free and open to individuals who have experienced traumatic brain injury (including concussions) and caregivers. The two are welcome to attend together but are not required to.

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7 Reasons Why You Should Schedule a Massage Today

Hi guys, 👋

I read an article last week on Forbes.com on executive personal healthcare habits in relations with getting massages. The point of it was that business leaders are starting to look at massage therapy more as a necessity. Same as working out 💪 and eating healthy 🥗.

Study after study keeps reinforcing the benefits of therapeutic massage 💆 so they are introducing massages as corporate wellness programs and as well as for their own personal care. As a result, many executives are changing their mindset from thinking of massage as a nice treat, to thinking of massage therapy as an essential item in their routine that helps them perform at the top of their game. 🏆

Continue reading “7 Reasons Why You Should Schedule a Massage Today”

How to Choose a Good Massage Therapist Near You 💆

As long-time massage consumers we can take for granted our understanding of good, great or terrible massages. After 13 years of being in practice as a massage therapist, I still meet people who never had a massage in their life. Not often, but I do. And the questions they ask are: How to choose a massage therapist? Where to go to get a massage? So here are some answers to some of those questions I’ve given to people.

Continue reading “How to Choose a Good Massage Therapist Near You 💆”

#1 Mistake People Make for Lower Back Pain

Back pain is a very common condition, and it affects many people every day. If you are experiencing low back pain, you are not alone. An estimated 75 to 85 percent of Americans will experience some form of back pain during their lifetime. Back pain can be quite debilitating.

Female Back Pain in Office
Shot of a young businesswoman suffering from backache while working at night

Continue reading “#1 Mistake People Make for Lower Back Pain”

Cranford Office

We’re at the Cranford Professional & Medical Arts building across from Walgreens. We do have a parking lot. We’re on the second floor #201. On the door, it says Harmony Acupuncture. There is a brief health survey to be filled out for the first visit, so please come in a few minutes earlier. After you’ll also brief me verbally on your particular problem or condition in the room. We’ll discuss your massage therapy need and acceptation, and that’s about it. Relax, take deep breaths, and enjoy the best massage you’ll ever have.

Health is Everything!

Health is the number one resource we have. Health affects everything, our relationships, our earning ability. One of the best things to do to maintain health is to get regular massage therapy sessions.. 💆

Immune System Functioning Can Be Improved By Use Of Clinical Massage Therapy

Massage therapy and Immunity. Immune system functioning can be Improved by use of clinical massage therapy. Massage therapy is also great for your health and wellbeing.

It’s a common knowledge that getting massages regularly helps tremendously with relaxation. But did you know that in recent studies it came to light that regular massages also help with your immunity? A great deal of research indicates that massage therapy helps immune system functioning, especially for preventative and recovery purposes. Regular massages, particularly clinical massage sessions received once or twice a week is a great strategic move for health maintenance, illness prevention, and self-care. Receiving regular massage therapy sessions have been revealed to boost immunity by making the immune system stronger, according to scientific studies.
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Research References on Benefits of Meditation

A large body of scientific evidence showcases a long list of benefits gained from practicing meditation mindfulness for health and wellness gains. Few of the benefits are long-lasting stress reductions, sustained health improvements, organizational culture and behavior enhancement and educational development advancement. Here you’ll find Research Reference on Meditation, Mindfulness for Wellness, Health, and Stress Managment.

Meditation practice plays an active role in changing brain’s plasticity. Mindfulness practices help to increase immunity, wellbeing and improve quality of life. MIT and Harvard studies have shown that regular meditation practice can help to relieve symptoms in people who suffer from chronic pain.
Continue reading “Research References on Benefits of Meditation”

GREAT LEADERS ARE CATALYSTS FOR CULTURAL HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

ZAR.INK Perception

It is the job of a great leader to be the catalyst of cultural health and happiness in their organization. You as a great leader must create an environment for your people to thrive and strive for excellence. As a great leader, you need to keep your people informed, in order for them to feel included, to feel as an integral part of your team and your agenda. You must treat them well, in order for them to get motivated and be and do their best. 
Continue reading “GREAT LEADERS ARE CATALYSTS FOR CULTURAL HEALTH AND HAPPINESS”

How To Quickly Adapt A New Language For Conversations?

ZAR.INK Perceptions

Here’s a quick tip how I intuitively picked up, that can help you quickly pick up and adopt a new language for the conversational purposes. 

In order to start mastering a language you’re trying to learn, you must read and write in that language. But the funny thing is, most of us learn new languages to be able to speak it. That’s how babies learn to speak a language also, by actually trying to speak. 

So when I moved to the US I was desperate to speak English. And one day out of nowhere I got this idea. I thought if I could only read an entire book, even a small book in English, I’d experience just about all aspects of the language, proper grammar on a practical level, sentence structure and construction, dialog, description of things and I’ll go through about 50,000 words, which in reality is about 2000-3000 words, many words repeat in books. And 2000-3000 words is more than enough to start the process of communication in that language. I thought to myself I’d be able to say stuff.

But the big problem was I wouldn’t know the meaning of the words I’d read. I also realized that by stopping and checking the meaning of each word I didn’t know would take me forever. I needed a quicker fix, and when I thought about it little more, I came up with a solution, a strategy, kind of a hack.

This was a big idea.

If I read a book that I already have read in another language that I know, I’d know the story very well, I’d know the characters, the settings, so I would have a general idea all the visual images that the book is communicating and all I have to do is associate the English words those visuals.  

So here is what I did. 

I read my favorite book, which is still my all-time favorite book, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. I read the book multiple times in Russian before. It’s a wonderful story and a quick read, I love that book.

So I read in Russian again, and right after I finished it, I started reading in English.

It was really difficult in the beginning, but because I knew the story and was able to guess a lot of the words and didn’t have to stop to check words. I just powered through it.

Right after I did that once, I did it again. The idea was if I master the content of this one book in English I can actually talk to people. So I did it again. 

I repeated that process three or four times. I read “The Alchemist” in Russian and right after I read it in English. I read it in Russian and then right after I read it in English. 

To my surprise, I leapfrogged in English, it worked. I started actually to speak the language good enough, to have conversations and apply for decent work. Obviously, I never stopped learning the language, but that was a turning point for me. 

Keep in mind, I only new handful of sentences in English, and after doing these process I was able to hold a conversation. I continued that process with other books until I got proficient enough to take classes and start writing.

Just a quick tip for you, try it maybe it’ll work for you too. But remember you got to have fun, so pick a small book that you really like, and enjoy the process.

Thanks for reading…

@haykzar

BRANDING IS THE ART & THE SCIENCE OF CREATING PERCEPTIONS

From your company name, slogan to your employee’s business cards, marketing, sales materials to your social media pages and your website you create impressions, opinions and ultimately perceptions about your company, your products, and services. Every interaction with potential and existing customers, every point of communication, every letter, every email, every marketing event is an opportunity for you to create and reinforce your company’s image as a perception in the minds of your potential and existing customers.

It is considered a great practice to create brand identity manual for internal use, which becomes the foundation for the corporate culture manual. Brand identity manual describes the essence of the brand, meaning of the name, logo, reasons for color choices, corporate personality traits, acceptable perceptions and how to use cultural expressions to create and manage these perceptions, and much more.

This is not to be mistaken with brand identity guidelines, which is used for internal and external purposes. Brand identity guideline is part of the brand identity manual, and it focuses on technical aspects of the brand expressions. These are fonts to be used in relations with the brand, acceptable logo sizes and color specifications. It is unwise for companies to rush and develop poorly executed creative content without a clear understanding of brand positioning in the marketplace, and what the overall perception should be projected out.

This is why brand strategy is very critical, especially in the age of technology and information. The brand strategy defines what your company stands for, the personality it conveys, and the key messages it communicates directly, indirectly and most important clearly in all forms communications. Brand identity manual helps the company to create all their marketing plans, strategies and messaging for maximum emotional impact and strong connections. In reality, brand image is the “marketing master key” which helps to unlock the doors of different niche markets.

The brand is an asset. 

Business is as strong as its brand, and nothing else offers more leverage to an organization to be the leader in their category or subcategory than a strong brand identity and recognition. On an average day, consumers are exposed to six thousand advertisements and, each year, to more than twenty-five thousand new products. Strong brand identity helps to cut through the proliferation of choices available to the consumers in every product and service category.

Brand Analyses

Brand analyses consist of complex analytical processes. Analyses of brand identity design, positioning, strategic scenarios, development, employee alignment, go to market planning, media implementation and much more.

Brand Strategic Plan

The effective brand strategy provides a central, unifying idea, which helps to drive all proper behavior and communications. It works across products, services, and programs, and is effective over longer time. The best brand strategies are so differentiated and powerful that they deflect the competition. They’re easy to talk about, whether you are the CEO, an employee or the customer.

Strategic Brand Identity

The brand is an asset. In today’s reality brands are as tangible as tangible gets. Through brand identity, the name, the logo, the messages, website, and the product looks brands get to creates impressions and perceptions in consumers minds.

Strategic Brand Asset Systems

Being tangible assets especially in the digital realm, brand identity appeals to our senses. You can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, and move it. Strategic brand assets fuel recognition, amplify differentiation, trigger emotions and thus help new, big ideas and meaning be accessible. Strategic brand asset systems take disparate elements and join them into a whole, cohesive systems.

Strategic Brand Communication Systems

Strategic brand communication systems consist of groups of strategic brand asset systems. Every brand touch point between the brand and the consumers is an opportunity to increase brand awareness and build customer loyalty.

Thanks for reading…

@haykzar

Hayk Z. A. founder of ZAR.INK/Director of Training and Development at NMR