Massage

I went in for my prenatal massage at Soma Studio, a place specializing in pregnancy massage.

Having never been there before, it's in a strange, artsy building, like a condo development, but everything's made up of metal. The open-air stairwells, outside walls and doors were all metallic. Neat port-holes in elevator. All the bronze and the neutrals gave me an eerie feeling like I was on the set of Waterworld. Alas, no sign of Kevin Costner around.

The suite's entrance was pretty indescript. Save for the small signage on the door, I would've sworn I had the wrong place, and would end up knocking on the residential door of someone named Uma, Rainbow or Cosmo.

I met my RMT (Registered Massage Therapist), Ateshia, at the desk: tall, blond, leggy, young, beautiful, of course all of the above, a sharp contrast to my older, short, fat, dark-haired self.

She showed me to my room. In for a 1-hour massage, I quickly settled myself face down on the table after she left the room briefly, anxious to see if my sore back could be relieved. Bolsters were set up for my chest and hips, leaving a space between to accomodate my swollen belly.

The room was small, perhaps 7x10, with a tiny, pretty concrete patio beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door, adorned with a small fountain, climbing ivys and other greenery and a few token zen Buddhist items. The Granville St bridge traffic was audible, but not overbearing. New age music emanated from a small stereo behind me.

Despite her appearance (looks CAN be deceiving), Ateshia is stronger than she looks. I consider myself to have a high pain tolerance but almost gave in a few times under her brute strength. I'll surely bruise later.

She worked on my calves and hips, and then on my back, shoulders and neck. I'm sure she could tell I tensed up a few times, my body shocked from her amazonian strength.

When the massage was complete, energized isn't the word I'd use. Peaceful? Maybe. Sore? Definitely. Calm? Yes, a much needed sense of warmth.

I made another appointment with her the following week, figuring a massage is ALWAYS a good idea, pregnant or not, if you can get it. My Extended Health covers most of it, so as I see it, it would be a crime NOT to take advantage of the System.

Being pregnant offers a chance to splurge and spoil myself. I could get used to this!

Boot Camp: Day 12

Our hour didn't start off very promising, but ended with a POW!

Boxing class!

Our small class stood around for way too long, handing out recipes given by Winnie and Jenn (the "punishment" for 3-Dayers intruding on Tuedays and Thursdays reserved for us 5-Dayers) and listened to T'ai explain the benefit of doing so (nutritionally, more variety and less boredom). After, six of us partnered up and ran one -- only one! what? -- lap around the soccer field.

I never wear a watch, but when I go for my runs I usually do. However, my dependable purple Timex had stopped working on me sometime between my last run in, say, 2004 and now, and I have not replaced that battery yet. But I'm kinda glad I didn't have it with me today, because I didn't want to see how much time had gone by, wasted by chit chat....c'mon, let's get moving: I came here to sweat!

So, like I said, it turns out to be a boxing class. We learned how to properly stand so that our balance is stable when pushed. Yeah, he literally pushed us around to see if we would fall. We learned to jab, punch, hook, cross-punch, pivoting, hips lowering, keeping our hands by our nose and temple. Honestly, though, I didn't really learn anything new, since I had taken a whole bunch of kickboxing classes before and even several Boxer Fit classes while at Fitness World. He never once had to correct me, so I'm gonna take it that my form was fine. The only thing I found real difficult was shuffling left and right and then quickly throwing a jab, punch, jab, cross, jab, hook. My feet weren't cooperating before I needed to swing....I was still kinda shuffling before my arms where swinging away.

While we were in that circle, shuffling and swinging back and forth, we had a chance to spar one-on-one with T'ai, with boxing gloves. Jab, punch, jab, punch. He urged me to go harder because, he says, he knows I've got it in me. Ok. Then faster, he says. Ok. Next, jab and cross. Harder jab! Keep it going! Now, faster, for 10...9...8....omg! My bangs were soaking with sweat and strewn across my forehead and over my eyes, blocking my vision. I must have looked real attractive, up close and personal! I wailed on him with increasing power. My arms were weighted heavy. T'ai is taller than I am (duh!) so I was essentially pounding him from below. Finally, the rush was over. Water, water! Where's my towel?

Then out of nowhere comes this aching, excruciatingly tight pain radiating down my neck....ow, what's going on? I figure all that punching above me locked my neck in a paralyzed position of stiffness that, now as I move around, refused to release. I shook off the pain shortly after, as I resumed throwing jab after jab with the others in that Circle of Shuffling.

I must say, at this time, shuffling just does not do me any good. Really. After yesterday's shuffling around those barbells, my arches are just killing me! I don't think it's plantar fasciitis because I CAN still walk on it, but it sure damn hurts when I massage it. No more shuffling, T'ai!

He mentions to me privately after class that I should see an RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) and a Chiropractor and even consider making a call to the Acupuncturist he mentioned in class yesterday. [Oh, yeah....yesterday's pop quiz gave us a certificate to see someone who specializes in TCM - Traditional Chinese Medicine]. They work wonders with aches and pains, especially something resembling plantar. The RMT he recommended will also honour a free session, as one of T'ai's bootcampers....hmmm, when will be getting THAT quiz for the THAT prize? Apparently we only have a month after bootcamp to redeem our free sessions. Hook me up!

So, what started not-so-promising, ended up a real POW! I feel a lot more shoulder and back muscles activated, all on top of the shoulder and back pain I felt from yesterday's pushups. I should have a wonderful day at work!