10 Cool Ways to Beat the Winter Blues in Brighton

Let's face it Winter is upon us. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, even the best of us can get a little down. The "winter blues" are characterized by the mild depression, lack of motivation, and low energy that many people experience during this cold season. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to both prevent the blues from coming on and get yourself back to normal if they’re already here.

Winter time from massage Brighton

 Relax!

You’re busy! Work, class, family, friends, appointments, meetings—even if you enjoy being busy, everyone needs some time off. Don’t be afraid to say "No" to extra opportunities (covering a shift for a co-worker, bringing food to your son’s class party). Try to spend a few minutes each day doing nothing! Read a book or magazine, sleep in on the weekend, go to bed early, try some meditations,  take a yoga class or go for a massage in Brighton. Relaxation, especially in the form of massage, can alleviate stress and leave you with a calm energy. Mental exercises like meditation and positive thinking can help keep depression at bay. 

Get some Exercise

As if we needed another reason to get fit! It’s great for relieving the stresses of life. Plus, the effects of a good workout can last for several hours after you hit the showers.Your energy throughout the day will be greater, and your metabolism with stay elevated too. Exercise helps your brain by releasing those "feel good chemicals" that improve the mood.

     

 Try a Healthy Diet

When and what you eat has a big affect on your mood and energy. Try to avoid refined and processed foods (like white breads, rice, and sugar). This category of foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body craves, but they will zap your energy levels and will affect your mood—causing depression, lack of concentration, and mood swings. Try to mix more complex carbohydrates (whole wheat breads, brown rice, veggies, fruit) and get your daily 10 cups of H2O. These healthy foods provide your body  with nutrients, and stabilize your blood sugar and your energy levels.

    

Get Some Sun rays

You know that sunlight provides us with Vitamin D. But did you know that it also improves your mood? Winter days are shorter and darker than other months of the year, and because of the cold weather, lots of people will spend less and less time outside. The lack of sunlight can cause many people to become depressed—without knowing why! In the same  manner to exercise, sunlight exposure releases neurotransmitters in the brain that affect your mood. Keep your shades up during the day to let more light in. Try changing the light bulbs in your house to "full spectrum" bulbs. These mimic natural light and actually have the same affects on your mind as the real thing.

     

Try to Act on your Resolutions

A recent study from the CDC showed a strong link between healthy behaviours and depression. Women and men who exhibited healthy behaviours (like exercising, not smoking, etc.) had less sad and depressed days than those whose behaviours were less than healthy.  

Winter time in Brighton

     

Avoid Binge Drinking at all costs

Staying in with a cold beer or a nice glass of wine may seem like the only thing to do in the winter months, and many people who feel down also tend to turn to alcohol when they’re feeling down. But alcohol is actually a depressant, and rather than improving ones mood, it only makes it worse. Avoiding alcohol when you are already depressed is a very good idea. Moderate drinking is fine for most people, but binge drinking (defined as having 5 or more drinks in one sitting) is never a healthy choice. The morning after will have you feeling sick, depressed, and even more tired, which will affect many aspects of your life.  

     

Treat Yourself something nice

Having something to look forward to can keep anyone motivated. Winter seems endless! But if you plan something exciting, your mood improves when you’re anticipating it and when the event actually comes. Plan something that’s exciting to you—a weekend trip, a day at a Brighton spa, a party, or special event like a play, girls (or guys) night out, or sporting event.

     

Embrace the Season

Instead of always avoiding the cold and the snow—look for the best that it has to offer! Take up a winter sport like ice skating, snowboarding, hockey, or even sledding! Enjoy these opportunities while they last—after all, they’re only here a few months per year. Staying active will boost your energy. Seeing winter in a positive light, with all the fun activities that it has to offer, will keep your spirits high. 

Winter land in Brighton

     

 Switch on the Social Support

Don’t underestimate the power of friends, family, mentors, co-workers, and neighbours. Who can you turn to when you’re down and need a pick-me-up? Keep a mental list of these special people and don’t be afraid to ask for help or encouragement when you need it. Something as simple as a phone call, a chat over coffee, or a nice email or letter can brighten your mood.

    

Catch some Sleep

People naturally want to sleep a little bit longer during the winter time. But with all we have going on, sometimes sleep is the first thing to go. With a little time management, and some self-discipline, you can meet your shut-eye needs. Aim for 7-8 hours each night, and try to keep your bedtime and waking time consistent. That way, your sleeping patterns can normalize and you’ll have more energy. Although  try not to oversleep—those 12-hour snoozes on the weekend can actually make you MORE tired. Don’t forget naps! A short (10-30 minute) afternoon nap may be all you need to re-energize midday.

Enjoy winter time from Little Jasmine Therapies in Brighton!

Experience Massage Brighton as you deserve it!

Having an exceptional massage in Brighton experience -

My ideal massage session would combine of the following elements :

A warm welcome to the therapy premises with an offering of tea or water, maybe some slippers and gentle music to help me relax and tune in to the moment.

Followed by a thorough consultation to identify my treatment needs for the session and any long terms treatment plans. 

Best Brighton massage by Little Jasmine Therapies

A mid-sized room with soft lights and a few candles, temperature wise should be approximately 20-25 (°C). Noises from the outside should be eliminated all together.

During the session i would expect from the therapist to ensure that i feel comfortable with the pressure applied and ensure that the temperature and music of the room are to my satisfaction. 

At the end of the session i would expect not to be rushed and able to take my time to recover with an additionl offering of tea or water

Finally i would appreciate the opportunity to offer feedback on my session/therapist in a confidential manner.

Thats my wish list, let me know yours.

Be healthy in Autumn by Little Jasmine Therapies in Brighton

As the warm ( and wet!) days of summer faint away in Brighton to give way to cool crisp autumn weather we have to make sure that we make simple lifestyle changes to give ourselves the opportunity to adjust to the change of season.

Ancient sages advise us on how to leave in harmony with seasonal changes based on the principles of YIN and YANG. The changes affect our bodies - particularly the respiratory system leading to an increase in colds and allergies.

Five simple lifestyle tips with assist your body to adjust gradually making sure that you keep healthy this fall and coming winter

Autumn massage in Brighton

1. Food choices - eat juicy fruits and healthy vitamin filed veggies :  Changes in the climate in autumn leads to dryness affecting the entire body, especially skin and lungs, resulting in dry skin, dry cough and constipation. Eating more moistening, juicy fruits like pears, pomegranates, persimmons and apples can reduce these effects. To assist boost the immune system, add some vitamin-packed seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, yams and winter squash. If you do come down with a cold or allergies, try adding some pungent flavored foods to your diet such as green onions, fresh ginger or sweet onions.

2. Food preparation: warm it up. As the weather becomes cooler, prepare warm cooked foods and reduce the amount of cold raw foods in your diet. Try using cooking techniques like baking, braising, roasting and stewing to improve nutrient absorption in the cold weather months.

3. Exercise: be gentle. Avoid heavily aerobic exercise outdoors in the autumn months, as it reduces vital energy or qi, and weaken your system. Focus on gentle or moderate exercise like brisk walking, tai chi or yoga. Light exercise boosts your immune system by enhancing the activity of neutrophils (a common white blood cell), which are instrumental in protecting the body against viral and bacterial infections. Traditional Thai Massage or "lazy man's yoga" as some people call it, is another gentle option of keeping the body energized and in tune with the environment. 

4. Early to bed and early to rise. According to ancient Chinese philosophy, sleeping habits should adjust with the changing length of days through the seasons. In fall, as the days become shorter, try going to sleep earlier to avoid the chilly nights and rise early to enjoy the crisp morning air.

5. Layer, layer, layer. A Chinese folk saying states that one ought to "muffle the body in spring and freeze the body in autumn." That is to say, people should avoid wearing heavy winter coats and adding thick quilts too early in the autumn season. Especially in the beginning of autumn, the body needs some time to cool down from the summer heat. Careful though adding too much clothing may prevent the body from adjusting to the cooling temperatures. 

As the weather cools more, add gradually more clothing and blankets to your bedding to give your system time to adjust. Layering is so important in autumn, as evenings and mornings tend to be cooler than the warm afternoons. Carry a sweater and scarf  on when spending time outside in the wind or shade.

Finally try to be positive and enjoy your life!

Great massage offers in Brighton

Brighton massage offers are quite important for numerous reasons :

• They assist the business to fill in any gaps on days that are fairly quite, even though they result in a lower margin transaction, its much better then nothing at all.

• It helps people to make purchase decisions that they would not normally make by lowering the risk of the transaction.

Quality massage in Brighton

• It also tips the balance in favour of a purchase decision by enhancing the benefits  vs the price of the massage treatments.

• It acts as an acquisition strategy for new customers as a lower risk will entice some consumers to give it a try but the business needs to ensure that the the experience is high quality to have a chance in retaining them.

• Finally, it helps consumers as a whole as offers in one business will usually trigger offers from other competitor businesses resulting in better overall market prices.

Massage offers in Brighton are great but they need to be balanced within the overall marketing strategy framework of the company and financial position, as businesses do need to protect their profit margins which ultimately have a direct impact on the quality of the treatments they offer.

Switching on creativity for the Brighton massage Industry - Part 2

As mentioned on our previous article massage practices in Brighton luck a certain creativity that would have in the long run enabled them to establish Brighton as one of the key places in South East for massage treatments.

Massage in Brighton

The most effective type of creativity in business is focused creativity in other words an insightful approach that is based on concrete evidence and data. Creativity will then act as a lever for differentiating ones’ business from the competition.

Differentiating  ones business/practice requires a fundamental understanding of the following elements,  becoming aware of these elements and how they interact with each other provides a solid base for devising a business strategy:

• Operating environment – this can be defined as the environment a practice is operating in, in other words the city of Brighton in terms of the local economy, infrastructure and relevant government policies  
• Customers – understanding of customer segments and behavioral pattern
• Competition –analyzing competition and their capabilities
• Suppliers – every business has a key set of suppliers from the company that supplies massage oils to therapists that might work for the practice, these are all considered supplies that a practice requires in order to operate effectively.
• Resources – this type of analysis concentrates on the type of resources ( tech capabilities, staff, processes, managerial now-how etc ) that a business might have at its disposal.

There are various tools that can assist even the untrained to structure this type of research such as a Porter’s 5 Forces model and SWAT analysis. Obtaining the data to plug in into these tools might be harder to obtain but its well worth the effort as it can lead to insights that will ensure your business reaches the Holy Grail that every business out there is seeking consciously or unconsciously and that is a sustainable competitive advantage ( SCA) against ones’ competition. 

Spa in Brighton

To phrase it slightly differently, a SCA is what you can do as a business that nobody else ( at a particular cost and quality) in your market can emulate. This type of advantage is what giants are build on like Microsoft, Apple, Coca Cola American Express and other great brands.

Once a good understanding of the above elements has been obtained then it’s time to mix it up. Use a SWOT analysis to  categorize your findings. The SWOT analysis will provide the strengths of the business that you need to invest further, the weaknesses that you need to handle in order to avoid  risks, the opportunities that you need to take advantage of and the threats that you need to remediate immediately.

A very good example of the above is a business that identifies the qualifications of its therapists are superior to its competitors so it pays extra attention in making customers aware of it as that is considered a strength/advantage, on the other hand a weakness can be the lack of a web presence which  requires attention as its a certain weakness when taking into account consumer behavior and trends. An opportunity can be in the form of training and expanding the repertoire of treatments offered and a threat can be the lack of insurance for the treatments offered.

Beauty in Brighton

Join us on our third installment were we discuss how to match your business capabilities and resources with the operating environment and build sustainable competitive advantage in the massage treatments market.

Is the massage industry in Brighton creative enough?

Massage in Brighton lucks creativity, although the market is tremendously fragmented with many providers where you would normally expect a great deal of diversity it does not deliver that very important differentiation factor that would have made Brighton the Mecca of massage practices in the South East.

Thai massage in Brighton by Little Jasmine Therapies

Lets outline the different type of establishments or practices  you have within the Brighton massage industry :

Hotels with spa facilities

Beauty salons that provide massage treatments

Exclusive massage treatment establishments

Individuals that practice from home

Mobile massage therapists

Thai oil massage in Brighton by Little Jasmine Therapies

All of the above offer more or less the same type of treatments

Deep tissue massage

Sports massage

Swedish massage

Thai massage

Reflexology

Remedial massage

Pregnancy massage

Obviously the skills and competency of the massage therapists is an all important factor that distinguishes good from bad practices but it should not be the only basis of differentiation therapists and owners should strive for.

Hot Stone Massage in Brighton by Little Jasmine therapies

Differentiating your business from the competitions takes a lot more, from the type of advertisement and communications to the aesthetic of the business premises and loyalty programmes that professionals engineer and beyond. Differentiation must also come within the treatments themselves in other words innovation on the work place should take the driving seat amongst strategies employed within the industry.

Signature massage treatments is one of the manifestations of the paradigm outlined above but it should be more diverse and radical both vertically and horizontally.   

Join us on the next segment of the discussion where we will be outlining concrete strategies to bring about the creative revolution that is so much required if Brighton is to be a strong competitor in the industry.

Brighton massage explores - Is Thai Fusion Massage the Ultimate Stress Relief Treatment?

My first Thai Fusion massage in Brighton

"I opened my eyes suddenly. She was smiling at me. I then realized I must have fallen asleep. It was a strange feeling. Refreshed, energized and relaxed, all at the same time. If that is a full body Thai Fusion massage, I want another one.

Brighton Massage by Little Jasmine Therapies

Thai Fusion massage therapy in Brighton is done fully clothed, but nothing restrictive must be worn, I was told. I lay on a futon on the floor. She started by placing his hands on my stomach and closed her eyes, just sensing my energy. Then she started to work her way around my body using all sorts of massage techniques combined with stretching and pulling of my arms and legs.

Massage therapy in Brighton by Little Jasmine Therapies

But the best bit was when she worked around my head and neck and when she moved down my spine with her hands chopping and kneading. My whole body tingled and I felt a rush of energy. I think it was about then that I must have drifted off to sleep." 

Massage in Brighton by Little Jasmine Therapies

What is a full body massage?

The session starts with some questions, existing medical conditions, problems, pain, tension. This builds a case history. If you have a number of regular treatments your case history is kept current with the results of each session.

The Thai Fusion massage technique involves stimulating or relaxing the acupuncture points or meridians of the entire body.

A full body session includes work on the abdomen, shoulders, chest, arms, hands, head, neck, legs, feet and back. You get your arms and legs pushed and pulled. You are kneaded and chopped with hands and static finger pressure is applied at specific points all over your body.

Why do you feel both energized and relaxed?

Your body has a complicated network of energy channels or 'meridians' in which your 'ti' flows. This unseen energy network assumes similar pathways as the nervous system and provides a constant supply of life-giving energy.

And just like a busy freeway, blockages in the flow can occur. But unlike a freeway these constrictions often do not clear naturally, causing local pain, tension, irritation or even illness. And because the meridians connect all the organs together, it can cause problems in other parts of your body too.

Thai Fusion massage removes and clears these blockages, releasing energy, so you feel energized. The massaging techniques have a tremendous relaxing effect on your whole body. This is why you can fall asleep. Releasing all your tension you instantly relax into much deeper levels of mind which border on sleep.

Why Thai Fusion massage is the ultimate stress relief?

Most of us lead busy lives and balancing work, homes, relationships and many other triggers for stress and tension. These triggers build up slowly especially if your life is 'full-on' with little rest and relaxation. You will notice the signs: inability to relax, irritability or you may suffer from insomnia. These are just some of the symptoms.

This overwhelming stress causes body and muscle tension and many in-balances in the way your body  works. In turn, the critical energy that flows around and through your body becomes constricted causing pain and discomfort. We all know the therapeutic value of massage for releasing tension but Thai Fusion massage combines tension release with energy unblocking, all in one session.

Thai Fusion massage therapy in Brighton melts away all your accumulated stress and tension and gives you an energy boost all at the same time. There are not many therapies that can do this and be so enjoyable too.