Anyone else struggling to drag themselves out of bed during these chilly months. Here are some quick tips to help you stay motivated through winter! 

Drag someone out with you! Everyone knows it much easier to make it out of bed when there is someone waiting for you! 

Half the battle is avoiding getting cold in the process of getting out of bed! So keep that jumper in arms reach so you can throw it on and make it easier to get up! (Don't forget the old slippers too!)

I'll be honest! I'm not very good with technology BUT I have managed to work out how to use the timer on the heater. I set it for half an hour before I want to get up so it's nice and toasty!

I don't know about you but I am FAR more motivated to exercise right after I've bought new active wear!! Go on! Treat yo self to a new jumper, a long sleeve or some tights! Get some new found motivation to head out into the cold sporting your new fancy active wear!!

Exercise is my happy place and my stress relief. I try to focus on all the reason's why rolling back over in bed is a great idea! Rather than that it is cold and the sun isn't up yet!

• I'll feel great after...
• Exercise is my stress relief...
• Future Kat and 'Summer Kat' shall thank me!  
• THE COFFEE AFTER!!!!

Recently I was struggling a little to get out of bed because it was dark and chilly! My friend suggested we do a night run!  First of all this ticks the accountability buddy box. (WIN!) I'm very much a morning exercise person so I was a little apprehensive. It was much easier than I expected to change it up and go at night. Particularly when I was meeting up with someone. I have also been doing a power session on my lunch break, in the middle of the day when it's warm! Some times it's only 20mins but something is better than nothing! 

Bridge to Brisbane is coming up! As is the Brisbane to GC ride and the Gold Coast Marathon! If you really want to go all out there is the Queenstown, NZ Running Festival in November. Find something to train for and create a plan. It's much easier to drag yourself out of bed in winter when you have a goal! 

Alright team! 

Good luck! Hopefully that gives you some ideas about how to drag yourself out of bed through these chilly months! Don't forget to rug up! We see alot of shoulder tightness at this time of year from people changing their posture to stay warm!! (Who would have thought!)

Kat Murray
Founder - Just Knead It 

Hey Team! 

As you know Just Knead It is all about being proactive with your health and wellbeing. This doesn’t just stop with your musculoskeletal health, but your body as a whole. We are constantly looking out for health practices that embody our values and focus on ensuring you live a full, happy and healthy life, long term. 


Neuaudio is a company that represents what we believe in. Andrew, an audiologist and the founder of Neuaudio focuses on proactive hearing health and cognitive decline. He spoke to me recently about the heart breaking effects of cognitive decline and how research is showing that improving your hearing is the number one way to prevent it.  


As a massage therapist I see the both sides of this terrible condition. I see family and friends affected by stress as they see their loved ones start to be impacted by cognitive decline. I hear about clients who start to withdraw from seeing family and friends because they are struggling with their hearing but don’t want anyone to know. Social isolation is extremely common amongst those with untreated hearing loss, this frequently leads to physical inactivity as people start to find it easier to stay home than to go out and interact. 
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Article by Shane Assmusen, 
- One of our highly experienced remedial massage therapists.  
 
Posture, as defined by Oxford Dictionary is ‘The Position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting’

When it comes to the position of the body, there is an ‘ideal’ position. This position (or alignment) allows for a stacking of the skeletal structures, in a way that combats the forces of gravity and distributes the load evenly across your spine. 

As a massage therapist and trainer, this is key. To have a posture that resembles “ideal” alignment, allowing for greater performance, and decreased risk of injury.
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Below is a picture giving an idea of different postures from side view;

Hey there!

Kat here! One of the main reasons why I started Just Knead It was to empower people to become the best version of themselves. Helping you to live a long, healthy and happy life is what gets me out of bed in the morning and keeps me pushing Just Knead it forward. (Sounds lame but it's true!)

One of the key goals to achieving this is to give you the skills and tools to help you fulfil your health and fitness goals. So I want to give you some really high value information that helps rocket launch your wellness journey.

So what is first? HABITS! Health is a lifestyle and it starts with creating healthy habits.

3 tips to get you started on healthier habits?

Plan the night before.

• Getting fit for summer?
• Lose 10kg?
• Live a healthier life starting from tomorrow?
• Any of those sound familiar??

THEY ARE HUGE GOALS and good on you for setting them!

However, what's going to happen tomorrow morning when you get up and it's dark!!? Will rolling over, pulling up the covers and pressing snooze seem like a better idea? Plan what you are going to do the night before, when you are more motivated. How often do you procrastinate from getting out of bed because you're trying to work out what exercise you're going to do?! By the time you decide you could have been finished??

Change the goal post!

Often huge goals like losing 10kg or getting fit for summer can be quite overwhelming. Let's get back to the process. In the morning rather than thinking about the exercise, just focus on getting out of bed and putting your exercise gear on. Half the battle is just making that first decision to get out of bed. Think about how long it takes to actually make that decision? Seconds. So all you have to worry about is being uncomfortable for a few seconds. Once you're up it's much easier!

What is your focus?

• What would it feel like if you achieved your goal?
• Ran that 10km for the first time?
• Finally got on those scales and saw those numbers drop?
• Jumped out of bed because you were healthier the day before and now you have more energy.
  
  

That's what we need to be focusing on! It's exciting! Focus on 'your why' and make it really powerful. In the morning bring these feelings to mind and remember all you need to do is get up and get dressed. After that the process is much easier!

They say it takes 21 days to break a habit. In the whole scheme of the world that is nothing. Even though when you're in the thick of it it seems like forever! Just take it day by day. Don't be too hard on yourself and aim for small shifts rather than big jumps. If we aim for 1% better each day over time we'll make huge gains!

You've got this! Would love to hear how you go!!

From Kat Murray

Founder - Just Knead It - Sports and Remedial Massage 

PS

• Need a present for Mothers Day? We are offering 60min vouchers for the price of a 45min vouchers until Saturday 11th May, when you purchase online via this link.
  
  

• Has it been a while?? Receive $15 off your next massage (because you read to the bottom of this blog! But more so because your health is important to us!) when you book in the next 10 days. (Valid until 16/5/19) Book now! Just type In $15 Blog to the notes when you book in online.  (*not valid with any other offer) 

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We have a whole heap of amazing referral partners who we trust to help you get fitter, healthier and stronger. We sat down with Ally from The Health and Fitness Shed on Balaclava St in Woolloongabba to talk all things about her business and cross fit!

I loved hearing Ally's answers to these questions! It's worth a read and definitely give these guys a go if you are looking for a new, fun way to get fit!

We see a suprising number of people for relief from Achilles Pain. So what do we do in a massage treatment to help? In this blog we give you some information about the background of achilles pain and how massage and other treatments can help to relieve it. Click below to read more.

You often hear people talking about 'roll out their ITB.' However what does that actually do and what is your ITB? In this blog we provide some clarity about your ITB, ITB friction syndrome and how you can treat it. 

I'd think that neck and shoulder tightness is our 'bread and butter as massage therapists. We see if all day every day which makes are really good at treating it!! I am positive there isn't a person on Earth who hasn’t had sore shoulders at one time in their life! The question is what can you do about it when they do get sore?