Love Yourself Therapeutic Bodywork

A few appointments are still available this week. Book today before the schedule fills up.

The deltoid muscle caps the shoulder at the side of our upper arm bone, the humerus. This muscle helps us to raise our arms in front of us and to the sides and adds to the overall strength and reach of our arm and shoulder in various tasks and positions. If it is weak or tired, your body can borrow support from other muscles, often the pecs and trapezius, which can sometimes lead to overuse injuries or tension building in these muscles.

This week's simple deltoid strengthening video helps to regain overall shoulder strength and stability, and can lead to a reduction in overuse and strain of the traps and other nearby muscles. You can perform this exercise seated or standing. The video ends with a short deltoid stretch to release everything afterward.

https://youtu.be/8RWRW3twcZU

Single-Arm Rotator Cuff External Rotation with Band (The Door Opening)

The rotator cuff is an important collection of small muscles on the back of the shoulder blade that helps keep your shoulder stable. Strengthening here can assist in improving shoulder posture and may help to reduce some types of upper extremity pain (hands, wrists, elbows)

With a tension band, knotted at one end and anchored in a door, externally rotate your arm, with elbow bent and squeezing a towel against your ribs. The squeeze on that towel is important to help prevent injury while isolating and engaging the external rotators. Your wrist should stay neutral.

The full video, with the door setup, is on YouTube.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/YXNuW8QrM_0

Book a session: https://www.massagebook.com/therapists/LoveYourselfTherapeuticBodywork/services?src=external

For Facebook, put the booking link in the first comment as usual. For Instagram, keep the link out of the caption and drop the hashtags in the first comment.

Your body shape is like a cookie cutter of your daily activities. When everything you do sits in front of you, the front of your body stays tight, the back side becomes weak, and the shoulders round forward.

This one works the rotator cuff with a resistance band to wake up the back of the shoulder and ease you toward a taller, more neutral posture. Use a light or medium band, and start light. The back of the shoulder might tire faster than you would expect.

Feel for a slow burn where the arm meets the shoulder blade, your infraspinatus and teres, with the triceps and rhomboids lending a hand.

A new addition to the Shoulder collection. Full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ahGVaMmXpy8

This calf (gastrocnemius & soleus) and achilles stretch works through multiple angles using a yoga strap or towel so you can reach the gastrocnemius, the soleus, and the achilles rather than stretching the same spot every time. The video also includes a kneeling toe curl and hover for a deeper achilles and foot stretch.

How long should you hold a stretch? The answer is, it depends:)

Full video on YouTube at 9am this morning. https://youtu.be/FvfN2AWQ5KM

Book a session: https://www.massagebook.com/therapists/LoveYourselfTherapeuticBodywork/services?src=exte
rnal
Leg Stretches and Exercises Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdOZbQohd_-A

I am Erin, a licensed massage therapist with 24 years of experience, specializing in Myofascial Release, Traditional Thai Yoga Bodywork, Reflexology, and natural therapeutics.

This is not just another traditional Cat /Cow; there's a thoracic twist, a reach, and Thread the Needle to finish. Together, they move the spine through flexion, extension, and rotation. Full video on YouTube at 9am this morning.

Do not forget to breathe. It sounds obvious, but many people hold their breath somewhere in a stretch without realizing it. Don’t let that be you. Exhale toward the end of the movement. Inhale as you transition between positions. Breathing with the stretch rather than through it changes how much the spine actually lets go.

Check out the full video here: https://youtu.be/P3aA2e0RgZg

Book a session: LoveYourselfTherapeuticBodywork.com

I am Erin, a licensed massage therapist with 24 years of experience, specializing in Myofascial Release, Traditional Thai Yoga Bodywork, Reflexology, and natural therapeutics.