Thursday 20 December 2012

You get what you pay for, go for gold!

"Are there any other first class training institutions in London for Holistic Massage?” Peter Rixham
  "I have really enjoyed the course and think the level of instruction to be First Class. Even though the course was very intense the level of instruction was excellent and I felt everyone who attended the course is fully aware that it was gained at Essentials for Health will stand us in good stead for the future.” Ray Wall

 Don't delay, a new start to the new year is one click away! Come to our:

Next Course Taster

Saturday 12th January at 10.30am
Borough, London SE1 6NX

Come and find out about our courses whether you are a beginner or a massage therapist
 "On looking at all the websites, Essentials for Health stood out for me and the half day free course taster inspired me, I booked that day.” Jane Ferdinando

Thursday 8 November 2012

Essentials for Health Business Tips for a Successful Massage Career

Essentials for Health Business Tips for a Successful Massage Career I highly recommend the following books to get you into the right mindset for success: Read the following books

Think Like an Entrepreneur Robbie Steinhouse

Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business and set Yourself Free Ian Sanders

Anyone can do it Sahar hashemi

The Adweek Copywriting handbook Joseph Sugarman

Free Chris Anderson

The Beermat Entrepreneur Mike Southon and Chris West

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind T Harv Eker

Wink Roger Hamilton

Seven Habits of Highly Successful People Steven Covey

Happy reading!

Gill Tree

Massage the antidote to stress- hints for your massage career success

Massage the antidote to stress

WOMEN between the ages of 25 and 34 appear to be the most stressed says a new study.
Climbing the career ladder, caring for demanding children, paying the mortgage and trying to maintain some sort of social life all trigger higher stress levels in this age group say researchers.

Two in three of women, 67 per cent, suffer from stress every week in the UK, the study by herbal stress remedy brand Kalms found after surveying 2,000 adults.

And over a year the average Brit gets stressed 208 times.

Women, who often shoulder the greater burden of raising children, typically suffer more bouts of anxiety than men, the study found.

It also concluded that because men and women tend to worry about different things relationships can become revaged by tension.

Neil Shah, Director of the Stress Management Society said: “Women worry more about bills and finances, and juggling their time, but men are more concerned about working long hours and debt.”

The study suggests relaxing through a healthy diet and exercise, as well as avoiding stimulants, such as technology and alcohol, particularly close to bedtime.

A good night’s sleep can really help reduce symptoms of stress, so ensure you have a good wind down routine in the evenings,” Mr Shah added.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4628115/Women-between-25-and-34-suffer-most-stress.html#ixzz2BfDUZrC9

How about targeting this age group for your marketing?

A chance to check Essentials For Health Massage Courses out +learn some massage for free on November 18th

A chance to check Essentials for Health out +learn some massage for free on November 18th


 Next Course Taster

Sunday 18th November at 10.30am

Borough, London SE1 6NX

Come and find out about our courses whether you are a beginner or a massage therapist

Here’s what you are going to learn:

Some effective massage techniques in a seated back massage taught by Gill

Some sports massage techniques

How you can structure a course around your lifestyle

Plus:

Meet the Essentials for Health Team and some fellow students

Be inspired by our Managing Director Gill Tree and hear her massage story from social worker to successful entrepreneur

Meet with people on a similar path to you

Plus £1900 worth of bonuses when you book:

  • 3 Free ‘Learn to Massage in One Day’ worth £269.85
  • Save up to £320
  • Free Sports Clinic Session worth £10
  • Free Couch worth £120
  • Therapist Business Passport worth £39.95
  • EfH Licensed Therapist worth £1200
  • Total bonus value = £1959.80

Essentials for Health Business Tips for a Successful Massage Career

Essentials for Health Business Tips for a Successful Massage Career

I highly recommend the following books to get you into the right mindset for success:
Read the following books

Think Like an Entrepreneur Robbie Steinhouse

Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business and set Yourself Free Ian Sanders
Anyone can do it Sahar hashemi

The Adweek Copywriting handbook Joseph Sugarman

Free Chris Anderson

The Beermat Entrepreneur Mike Southon and Chris West

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind T Harv Eker

Wink Roger Hamilton

Seven Habits of Highly Successful People Steven Covey

Happy reading!

Gill Tree

Massage the antidote to stress- hints for your massage career success

Massage the antidote to stress

WOMEN between the ages of 25 and 34 appear to be the most stressed says a new study.

Climbing the career ladder, caring for demanding children, paying the mortgage and trying to maintain some sort of social life all trigger higher stress levels in this age group say researchers.

Two in three of women, 67 per cent, suffer from stress every week in the UK, the study by herbal stress remedy brand Kalms found after surveying 2,000 adults.

And over a year the average Brit gets stressed 208 times.

Women, who often shoulder the greater burden of raising children, typically suffer more bouts of anxiety than men, the study found.

It also concluded that because men and women tend to worry about different things relationships can become revaged by tension.

Neil Shah, Director of the Stress Management Society said: “Women worry more about bills and finances, and juggling their time, but men are more concerned about working long hours and debt.”

The study suggests relaxing through a healthy diet and exercise, as well as avoiding stimulants, such as technology and alcohol, particularly close to bedtime.

“A good night’s sleep can really help reduce symptoms of stress, so ensure you have a good wind down routine in the evenings,” Mr Shah added.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4628115/Women-between-25-and-34-suffer-most-stress.html#ixzz2BfDUZrC9

How about targeting this age group for your marketing?

Saturday 13 October 2012

10 SIMPLE THINGS TO MAKE YOU HAPPIER AT HOME

10 SIMPLE THINGS TO MAKE YOU HAPPIER AT HOME

Our homes are an extension of who we are: what we do within the walls of our abodes shapes our mood, affects our productivity, and influences our outlook on life. Scientific studies have shown that we can have an impact on our happiness by adjusting the tiny little habits and routines that constitute our daily lives — we are, in fact, in control of our outlook on life.

It’s amazing how a few tweaks to our daily habits can become a catalyst for meaningful, positive change. Here are a few simple things you can do every day to feel happier at home.

1. Make your bed – This three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness. Trust me it just is!

2. Bring every room back to “ready.” I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul’s clever book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. It’s a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room back to “ready” before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)

3. Display sentimental items around your home. One reason that experiences (and memories of those experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of positive memories.

4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal. Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, “What was the best part of today?”) Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.

5. If you can’t get out of it, get into it. This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting “Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!” and pretend you love it.

6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day. In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says “”Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, “Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!” Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like “be productive” or “enjoy today’s delicious moments” or it could be something more specific like “say thank you to my loved ones today.” But it should not be another “to do” item on your list.

7. Do small favours for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!). (That’s right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don’t expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don’t try to get bonus points for it. Take the rubbish out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It’s YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It’s a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.

8. Call at least one friend or family member a day. You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don’t feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.

9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home. Save money for a new grill for parties or a new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don’t forget to print out the pictures to remember the good times.)

10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself. Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs — may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling better yet?)

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Start your school of massage with help from Essentials for Health massage school franchise program

Start your own school of massage with assistance from Essentials for Health franchise program

Teaching massage is to me joyous work that not only gives your participants wonderful skills that they can use on friends and family, it develops and enhances you as a therapist and acts as a great marketing tool. When I first started Essentials for Health I taught many massage workshops all over London and got a lot of faithful massage clients as a result.

If you would like to teach introductory massage workshops, you can use all our materials and teaching methods from our Massage Magic Course for a small fee which includes our “Teaching Your Own Therapy” E-course.

If you are thinking of starting your own massage school, align yourself with one of the most successful and let Essentials for Health accelerate your success by using our course and administration materials under a license agreement. For details call Gill Tree 01628 476100.

http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/Page.php?ID=Licensee

Thursday 13 September 2012

OFFICE WORKERS BURN AS MANY CALORIES AS HUNTER GATHERERS

Researchers found that western men and women used strikingly similar amounts of energy each day compared with peers from a traditional community from the open savannah of Tanzania.

Despite trekking great distances each day to forage and hunt for game, results showed that the members of the Hadza tribe burned no more calories each day than a group of Americans and Europeans.

Experts have long assumed that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have used up more energy than we do today, indicating that a lack of exercise could be behind the current obesity epidemic.
But the study in the PLoS ONE journal – the first to directly measure how much energy hunter-gatherers use – suggests that the rate at which humans use up calories remains relatively constant regardless of lifestyle.

Herman Pontzer, of Hunter College in New York, who led the study with colleagues from Stanford and Arizona universities, said: “The vast majority of what we spend our calories on is things you will never see like keeping our organs and immune system going. Physical activity is just the tip of the iceberg.

“If you spend a bit more [energy] on something like physical activity, you spend a bit less on something else but you do not notice it. This study shows that you can have a very different lifestyle, but [energy use] all adds up tot he same level no matter what.”

It follows that the modern obesity problem is more likely down to our higher consumption of food than our ancestors, rather than our lower rates of physical activity, he added.

“People argue about why it is that westerners are getting so fat, and at the end of the day it has to be the fact that we are taking in more energy from food than we are burning – but is the big problem that we are taking in too many calories, or that we are not burning enough?

“But even if we had a lifestyle like our ancestors did …[we] would not burn more calories than we do today. That has not changed a lot, but over the last 50 years we are eating a lot more than we need to be, so that gets to the heart of this issue.”

Despite its apparent limited impact on obesity, Pontzer emphasised that exercise has a wide variety of physical benefits and is essential for keeping the body healthy.

The fact that the Hadza spend more of their daily energy output on physical exercise could be behind the good health of older tribe members, who are much more resistant to chronic illnesses such as heart disease than westerners, he said.

“We are not saying that physical activity is not important for health – clearly it is – but it does not appear to be the main cause of obesity.”

Wednesday 12 September 2012

See our MD Gill Tree talk at the CAMEXPO on Sat 20th October 12 at 3pm.

See our MD Gill Tree talk at the CAMEXPO on Sat 20th October 12 at 3pm.

Gill will be sharing invaluable marketing hints on tips to get more clients and make your therapy business a success. http://www.camexpo.co.uk/2012/

Thursday 23 August 2012

Massage the antidote to stress- Essentials for Health

Massage the antidote to stress- Essentials for Health

Stress Management can help MS 

A new study by Northwestern Medicine research, published in the journalNeurology, discovered that a weekly stress management program for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) prevented the development of new brain lesions, which often precede a flare-up of MS symptoms, like pain, loss of vision or use of limbs. Brain lesions are a marker of the disease’s activity in the brain.

Lead investigator of the study, David Mohr, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine declares:

“This is the first time counseling or psychotherapy has been shown to affect the development of new brain lesions. In M.S., the prevention of new brain lesions is an important marker used to judge how effective medications are. The new finding is an important step and the strongest evidence we have to date that stress is involved in M.S.”

As massage is the antidote to stress and can play a real part in stress reduction, there is definitely an opportunity here for us to to help MS sufferers.

Therapy Business Hints and tips for your Massage Career

When selling a service such as massage we need to increase its  “Tangibility”. Intangibility leads to customers;

1/ Having difficulty in evaluating competing services

2/Perceiving high levels of RISK

3/ Placing great emphasis on recommendation

4/Using price as a basis for assessing quality

Increase its “Tangibility” by;

1/Including tangibles in the price

2/Allowing people to visit the clinic

3/Have testimonials

4/ Have physical evidence such as a brochure with photos

5/ Customise the service to the client

6/ Make the service as simple as possible

7/ Encourage recommendation

8/ Focus on service quality

9/ offering freebies to sample

Once you have got people in through the door, you want to keep them coming back. People love to think they are getting a bargain or a good deal so consider:

Offering a course of treatments with a discount for them paying up front (this really helps your cash flow)

Have the loyalty cards like the coffee shops where they get the 6th or 10th treatment free

Have a freebie provided with the treatment- you might negotiate a special deal with the gym down the road to have a free day membership for example

Have special offers during quiet times of the year

Have peak and off peak prices

People are also more likely to book if what you offer is scarce. When starting out, don’t  let on that you have a completely empty appointment book. Instead intimate that you can “just squeeze them in!”

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Essentials for Health Therapy Business Giveaway- You’d be crazy to miss out!

You’d be crazy to miss out on this giveaway!

Gill has gone mad and is giving away 20 years of business knowledge via her Therapists Business Passport. Her motivation is simply to get Therapists of all disciplines being more successful and therefore improving the nations health. You will receive 30 weekly emails and 6 guiding principles completely free, jam packed full of therapy business hints and tips. We have sold this for £39.95 in the past but as a special birthday present we are giving it away to the first 100 therapists.

http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/SHP/EventsInfo.php?ItemID=103

Monday 13 August 2012

ARE YOU SABOTAGING YOUR SLEEP?

After a marathon meeting day at work or a blowout with a significant other, it may seem impossible to settle in for eight hours of blissful sleep. But those tough times may be when we really need the rest, since skimping on sleep actually makes it more difficult to handle stress. So stop tossing and turning. We’ve got the best tips on how to get a good night’s sleep even when you’re stressed.

Beat the Bedtime Blues — Your Action Plan

Don’t work in bed, or even in the bedroom. Turning the sheets and pillows into a makeshift desk makes it harder to see the bed as a place for rest. And definitely put away the laptop, phone, and any other technological devices well before bedtime. The artificial light coming out of these gadgets can mess up the body’s natural sleep cycles.

Go to sleep at a reasonable hour. (And make it a habit.) Especially when we’re overwhelmed with work, it can seem tempting to stay up all night putting the final touches on a project. But pulling an all-nighter can make it much harder to focus the next day. And consistently staying up ’til sunrise may impair learning abilities and contribute to higher anxiety levels. (Now that’s something to get stressed about.) Stick to a regular bedtime and things may look better in the morning.

Wind down. It’s important to take some time to unwind between shutting the computer screen and crawling under the covers. Try taking a warm shower or sipping some herbal tea. If nagging worries are keeping you awake, write them down in a journal. Or mellow out as you’re drifting off with some Enya or classical tunes.

Take a power nap. If the stress monster kept you from getting a solid night’s rest last night, try dozing off during the day. Ten to 20 minutes should be enough to wake up feeling refreshed and more alert. Just make sure to keep naps to the afternoon, so you’ll still be able to sleep soundly at night.

BUILD A BETTER YOU, ONE HABIT AT A TIME

Let’s say you want to get in better shape. Of course, you’re smart, informed, and know exactly what to do. So you’ve listed the changes you need to make, pinning them to the fridge next to the vision board and inspirational photos. Here’s the only problem: You haven’t actually done anything on the list. You’re struggling with the getting started part.

Or maybe that’s not you at all.

Maybe you’re the “fit one” among your friends. Maybe you’re even a trainer. Countless friends, family members, co-workers, or clients seek your advice. And you send them workout plans, links to the best websites and apps, meal plans, and lots of encouragement.

Yet it’s always the same story. They can’t seem to follow through. What’s going on here?

After all, it’s not that difficult to eat more veggies and lean protein. Not that impossible to cut down on the alcohol and drink more water or green tea. Not that overwhelming to lift weights several times a week, add some high intensity interval training and get more sleep. That’s because it isn’t difficult. Providing you’re already doing that stuff.

What is difficult is trying to do all those things at once. Especially if the practices are brand-new and none of them are daily habits. That’s because getting fit — or learning any new skill — is a bit like juggling. If you begin by randomly throwing a dozen balls in the air, what’s going to happen?

Splat.

The solution to this problem? Start practicing with one ball. When you’ve got that one under control, add another. Get that one under control, and add another. And so on. Soon, you’ll be running off to join the circus.

ONE HABIT AT A TIME

To support this analogy, bestselling author Leo Babauta estimates that when people focus on changing a single behaviour at a time, the likelihood that they’ll retain their new habit for a year or more is around 80 per cent.

But what about those who try to change two or more behaviours at once? In them, he asserts, success rates drop as low as 20 per cent.

Of course, there’s nothing new in the idea that focusing on less helps you achieve more. Experts in all walks of life have recognized it for years. As Guelph University psychology professor Ian Newby-Clark explains:

“Habits are highly ingrained behaviours. They are almost automatic. Changing one habit is hard enough. Trying to change more than one at a time is often a recipe for disaster. So, despite the occasional example to the contrary, my advice is to focus on one habit at a time.”

Here’s the only problem: If we take a look at the world of fitness for example, we still haven’t caught on. So when people decide they want to get into shape, they feel as if they have to do everything at once. Join the gym, check. Buy some new running shoes, check. Set the alarm for 4:30am, check. Cut out all the junk food, check. Eat more broccoli, check.

They mentally prepare themselves for an all-out assault on fitness and, after a few short days or weeks… splat!

Maybe this is why so many people who lose weight put it all back on. Instead of making fitness and weight loss a long-term, sustainable practice, they made it a short-term, inconvenient project. But surely, if someone hires a fitness trainer, the trainer will help prevent this problem. Right?

Unfortunately, some fitness trainers aren’t too great at helping their clients prioritize and build from where they are. Rather, most of them focus on the top 10 percent of clients who, endowed with superhuman genetic gifts, can juggle dozens of habits right from the start.

The other 90 percent? They give up and head back home to their couches, all of them forgotten by the fitness industry.

“A high percentage of people stop exercising within six months,”* says Kris Berg, Ed.D., an exercise physiologist at the University of Nebraska. Overwhelmed by the task of trying to build new exercise and nutrition plans into their already overly busy lives, they give up.

HABITS FOR LIFE

Fortunately, there’s a small segment of the fitness industry doing things differently. These fitness professionals (and their clients) realize that harnessing the power of less can be accomplished through something called “habit based coaching.” Instead of counting calories, trying to follow rigid meal plans, and trying to adopt the perfect exercise program from day one, habit based coaching starts with a simple daily practice.

Based on your starting point, that practice might be to go for a 15-minute walk every day. It might be to take fish oil and a multivitamin each day. It might be to start the day with breakfast. (Of course, these practices can be scaled up or down).

Then, every two weeks, once the previous practice has become a habit, you can add another one. Each habit builds on the last until 6 or 12 months later, you’ve been transformed. And not just physically.

By using the one habit at a time approach, you don’t just lose fat. You also internalize a new way of being and that lasts longer than willpower or discipline, which are both finite resources.

FOLLOWING THROUGH

So, how can you use the principles of habit-based coaching to get in shape yourself or to address another unhealthy aspect of your life? Here are a few examples:

Start small. First, when it comes to making any kind of lifestyle change, it’s best to start small and build. Begin by choosing one practice to follow. It could be drinking 8 cups of water each day. Sleeping 8 hours each night. Or exercise 30 minutes each day. Just be sure to choose only one and follow it for 2 weeks before adding any new habits.
Make things clear and measurable. Next, make sure the practice is clear and measurable. “Eat more veggies” isn’t that useful. “Eat 1 fist-sized portion of vegetables with each meal” is much better. At the end of each day you can know for sure if you did it or not.
Gain confidence first. Finally, make the practice something you (or your client) feels confident they can do every day. Even if the habit sounds small, if it’s not something that inspires confidence, it’s not a great practice to begin with.
One recommended practice could be “Eat five fist-sized servings of vegetables each day.” This practice is clear and easy to measure. Either you ate your five servings (or more) or you didn’t. Yet is it truly a small habit? That depends.

For some people, the ones who can’t wait for their weekly organic produce delivery, it is almost laughably small. For others, it’s a just-right challenge, the kick in the pants they need to make an improvement that’s not too hard for them to make.

But for others, those who have trouble identifying a fresh vegetable much less preparing it, the habit may be too difficult. And that presents the perfect opportunity to shrink the task.

If five servings of vegetables a day is too ambitious a goal, you might aim for two servings a day until that feels like a do-able challenge. We can stretch the practice to five servings later.
Of course, you’ll sometimes have to scale it back until the habit seems ridiculously small. You might even wonder how it could ever produce any meaningful change.

The answer is it might not, at least today. But build on the small change, and you’ll be amazed at what can be accomplished over a few months. Even more, you’ll be surprised at how sustainable these new practices become.

In the end, treat your new health and lifestyle program like you might approach learning to juggle. Sure, you might not run off to join the circus. But you’ll end up with the strength, energy, and balance of a circus performer. And that’s an achievement most of us can get behind.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Massage the Antidote to Stress and a potential replacement for alcohol

A survey of more than 2,000 people aged between 35 and 45 years in the UK also found that a fifth of men and nearly one in six women admit they drink daily or most days of the week just to relax after a stressful day at work.

It found that four out of 10 women and a third of men said they were drinking more than the Governmen…

t’s daily unit guidelines, which are set at 3-4 units for men and 2-3 units for women.

Almost half of the people questioned (44 per cent) said they were more likely to drink after a stressful day and more than a third (37 per cent) said they thought about having a drink on the way home.

The majority of those questioned (60 per cent) blamed work for their stress levels while half blamed financial worries and more than a third (36 per cent) said family life caused stress, the researchers found.

“Alcohol can be a ‘false friend’ when you are trying to deal with stress, said Siobhan McCann, head of campaigns and communications at Drinkaware which commissioned the survey.

“Even though it might seem like a few drinks can relieve the pressures of the day, in the medium to long term it can actually add to them whether they’re work, financial or family related,” McCann was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

He said: “Stress can also be an excuse for people to drink more than they should, especially if they don’t realise the negative impact it can have on their health and wellbeing”.

As we know that massage is one of the best ways to relax, perhaps we should be targeting those who drink to relax and suggest a massage as a healthier and more positive alternative.

Massage Therapists Business Tips- creating a niche for a successful Massage Career

If you have ever heard me speak at a conference on marketing you will have heard me say that it is no longer good enough to be a therapist you need to be a specialist and have a niche. Please read my blog about research on the benefits of massage for relieving menopause Symptoms. Could this be your niche?

A small number of massage sessions with scented oils may be enough to help ease menopause symptoms in some women, according to a new study.

The work by Iranian scientists at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences found the sessions could relieve symptoms such as irritability, depression and disruptive sleep problems and that the presence of the oil helped the massage to be more effective.

Dr Hilda Hutcherson, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health that the results seemed logical.

With the symptoms the study measured it makes sense that massages could make some women feel better, she stated.

Lavender oil was found to be the most effective addition to a massage and Dr Hutchinson said the oil has an association with making people feel more relaxed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some women may experience all the symptoms associated with the menopause, while others may not have any at all.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Massage the Antidote to Stress -Therapy Business Hints and tips for your Massage Career

Massage the Antidote to Stress

Therapy Business Hints and tips for your Massage Career

Yale University researchers have found that chronic stress plays havoc on the brain by blocking out an important gene that protects the brain from depression.

Neuritin — “an activity-dependent gene that regulates neuronal plasticity” that is important for normal brain function, not just protection against depression — is decreased by chronic stress,Ronald Duman, a neurobiologist at Yale University and his team report in the study. “Neuritin produces antidepressant actions and blocks the neuronal and behavioural deficits caused by chronic stress,” they say in the June edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Depression affects roughly 121 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Massage could help people with depression by relieving their stress levels and reversing the negative effects of stress. Could be

Tuesday 10 July 2012

2 opportunities to trial Essentials for Health Massage Courses for free

Coming up in the next 12 days are 2 opportunities to check Essentials for Health out, learn some massage for free and trial our massage courses.

 Next Course Taster

 July  22nd at 10.30am

Borough, London SE1 6NX

We have changed this date from 28th July to avoid the Olympic mania!

 Come and find out about our courses whether you are a beginner or a massage therapist
 Here’s what you are going to learn:

 Some effective massage techniques in a seated back massage taught by Gill
Some sports massage techniques
How you can structure a course around your lifestyle

Plus:

 Meet the Essentials for Health Team and some fellow students

Be inspired by our Managing Director Gill Tree and hear her massage story from social worker to successful entrepreneur

Meet with people on a similar path to you


* * * * * * * * * * * *   

Learn to Massage in 1 Day Introductory Workshop

New special offer price £67 reduced from £89.95 (book our diploma course having attended this workshop and you get the workshop fee refunded)

21 July 2012 0930 – 1800 (London SE1 6NX)

A wonderful first step for the beginner in massage, this one-day introductory course is ideal for those wanting to massage friends and family or for those considering the Essentials for Health Diploma Course

Book here: http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/SHP/EventsInfo.php?ItemID=50&name=massage_courses

Massage the Antidote to Stress and a potential replacement for alcohol

Massage the Antidote to Stress and a potential replacement for alcohol

A survey of more than 2,000 people aged between 35 and 45 years in the UK also found that a fifth of men and nearly one in six women admit they drink daily or most days of the week just to relax after a stressful day at work.

It found that four out of 10 women and a third of men said they were drinking more than the Government’s daily unit guidelines, which are set at 3-4 units for men and 2-3 units for women.

Almost half of the people questioned (44 per cent) said they were more likely to drink after a stressful day and more than a third (37 per cent) said they thought about having a drink on the way home.

The majority of those questioned (60 per cent) blamed work for their stress levels while half blamed financial worries and more than a third (36 per cent) said family life caused stress, the researchers found.

“Alcohol can be a ‘false friend’ when you are trying to deal with stress, said Siobhan McCann, head of campaigns and communications at Drinkaware which commissioned the survey.

“Even though it might seem like a few drinks can relieve the pressures of the day, in the medium to long term it can actually add to them whether they’re work, financial or family related,”
McCann was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

He said: “Stress can also be an excuse for people to drink more than they should, especially if they don’t realise the negative impact it can have on their health and wellbeing”.

As we know that massage is one of the best ways to relax, perhaps we should be targeting those who drink to relax and suggest a massage as a healthier and more positive alternative.

Therapy Business Hints and tips for your Massage Career

Therapy Business Hints and tips for your Massage Career

If you are unsure about pricing, (there is a huge section on my E-course Passport to Business Success about how to price) then test and measure. http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/SHP/EventsInfo.php?ItemID=54)

Send some emails/flyers out with one offer to half of the people who have shown interest and send a different offer to the other half. Give each offer a code that they have to quote to get the discount or freebie and see which one gets the best response.

Once you business gets to a certain size, we recommend that you buy in some software that can automatically do this for you.

What you need is a database that is linked to an auto-responder emailing system that has the ability to provide you with reports on how many emails were opened, how many people went to look at the links you had included to your website…. The list goes on. You can also send out the same email with a different title to see which heading is most appealing.

A database that is linked to your website so when someone makes a enquiry or a purchase, it autopopulates the database and generates an invoice saves a huge amount of time. It is known as a CRM. Customer Relationship Manager.

We have one and the time savings are huge. We recommend http://www.besthost.co.uk/
who offer them for a monthly fee. They also offer, web design, web hosting, domain name registration and much more.

Tip of the week

Do you know how to turn a dream into a reality? Put a date on it………
So announce to the world when your clinic is opening for business!

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Essentials for Health Massage Therapy- the antidote to stress

Essentials for Health MD, Gill Tree has found the following research, adding to her argument that massage is the antidote to stress.

Sleep deprivation and physical stress have similar effects on the immune system , researchers from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom reported in the journal SLEEP. Both physical stress and severe sleep loss jolt the immune system into action, the authors explained.

The scientists , from Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, compared the number of white blood cells in 15 healthy young adult males who were subjected to normal sleep and severe sleep loss.


The greatest impact was on granulocytes - types of white blood cells – which lost their day-to-night time rhythmicity as numbers shot up, especially during nighttime.


As massage can really help enhance peoples length and depth of sleep, perhaps people with sleep deprivation could be your niche market?


For more information: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247320.php

Essentials for Health Therapy Business Hints and Tips for your Massage Career-Stuck?

Essentials for Health Therapy Business for your Massage Career Hints and Tips- Stuck?

If you are not sure exactly how to structure you therapy offering go out and trial it. When ever we are creating some thing new at Essentials for Health we will get a group of potential customers together, buy them dinner and brainstorm. Once we have more of an idea of what is required we will then trial it.

Your future customers will also provide you with all the answers you need to know about how to structure your treatments so when someone calls up to ask you about your therapy service say

“I’m looking to update how I offer my treatments. Can I pick your brains for a minute?”

It is fine to be a work in progress! You won’t have all the answers, but keep asking the questions and they will come!

My job at Essentials for Health is spent often not knowing, but time spent speaking to the people who will know or who can give me clarity or insight gives me the ah ha moments. (Remember last months tip about going to the experts sooner).

Thursday 28 June 2012

Massage Therapists Business Hints and Tips for a Successful Massage Career

Massage Therapists Business Hints and Tips for a successful massage career

Millionaires when asked about their businesses “what would you do differently?” invariably reply “Go to the experts sooner”.

When we start a business we often try and go it alone for various reasons, we can’t afford help, we are proud and want the achievement to be all ours, we don’t know who to ask for help or how to ask for it, we think we know it all…..

All of this is a mistake. We need the help, vision, advice, expertise of many different people and many people love to give their help and advise for free.

If they aren’t willing to help for free, try bartering with them and swapping your services hour for hour.
Essentials for Health are providing for a limited period free of charge for all therapists a business planning e-tool called the Therapists Business Passport, written by Gill Tree

Sign up now:
http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/Page.php?ID=Business_Passport

Thursday 21 June 2012

Massage therapy is the antidote to stress- Massage Career hints and tips

Massage therapy is the antidote to stressMassage Career hints and tips

UK office workers spend two hours and 18 minutes a day working using mobile devices on their commute home and then when at home according to research from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP),

The findings – based on a survey of more than 2,000 office workers – reflected a surprisingly high level of employee dedication that the researchers said could lead to stress and posture problems.

This provides us with a real opportunity as massage therapists or for those on massage courses and thinking about their new career, to help the nations health and particularly their posture. (Remember you’re A and P- poor Posture can impact our internal organs)

Get out there promoting your massage therapy as the antidote to stress

Learn to massage in 1 day

Learn to massage in 1 day and see where it leads you!

Yumiko decided to take our Learn to Massage in 1 Day workshop, purely out of interest to massage her partner and friends. She so fell in love with it that she straight away signed up for our Diploma. Almost as soon as she qualified she handed in her notice as a translator for a large company in the city and concentrated on a new career as a massage therapist. That was in 1999. I saw Yumiko in May and she is teaching Onsite (chair) massage and is studying shiatsu. Her massage practice by the way is very successful.

You can learn to massage in just 1 day to give friends and family an effective massage for the back, legs and feet on 21st July and you never know where it might lead you too!

Book here for the special 20th anniversary price of only £67.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Find out what it’s like to be a Massage Course student with Essentials for Health

Find out what it’s like to be a Massage Course student with Essentials for Health.

We have changed our next Course Taster to  July  22nd at 10.30am in central London from 28th July to avoid the Olympic mania!

Our Managing Director Gill Tree is waiting to meet you! She would love to invite you to come along to our Course Taster to visit one of our venues,  meet some of our staff, tutors and graduates and experience what it might be like to be a student of Essentials for Health

Here’s what you are going to learn:

  • Some effective massage techniques in a seated back massage taught by Gill and taken from our massage course
  • Some techniques from our sports massage course
  • How you can structure a massage course around your lifestyle

Plus:

  • Meet the Essentials for Health Team and some fellow students
  • Be inspired by our Managing Director Gill Tree and hear her massage story from social worker to successful entrepreneur
  • Meet with people on a similar path to you

There’s more!

When you come to our Course Taster and book a diploma course with us you get a bundle of bonuses worth over £255.00 including:

A fully adjustable massage couch
Gill’s e-course “Passport to Business Success”
Our business suppport programme

 Book here

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Massage Therapists Business Tips- creating a niche for a successful Massage Career

If you have ever heard me speak at a conference on marketing you will have heard me say that it is no longer good enough to be a therapist you need to be a specialist and have a niche. Please read my blog about research on the benefits of massage for relieving menopause Symptoms. Could this be your niche?

A small number of massage sessions with scented oils may be enough to help ease menopause symptoms in some women, according to a new study.

The work by Iranian scientists at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences found the sessions could relieve symptoms such as irritability, depression and disruptive sleep problems and that the presence of the oil helped the massage to be more effective.

Dr Hilda Hutcherson, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health that the results seemed logical.
With the symptoms the study measured it makes sense that massages could make some women feel better, she stated.

Lavender oil was found to be the most effective addition to a massage and Dr Hutchinson said the oil has an association with making people feel more relaxed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some women may experience all the symptoms associated with the menopause, while others may not have any at all.

Learn to Massage in 1 Day Introduction to Massage Workshop

Learn to Massage in 1 Day, for the special price of £67 come and learn how to massage friends/family. Also great if you are considering doing our diploma as your workshop fee is refunded when you book the diploma course. In this 1 day introduction to massage workshop with will both give and receive massage whilst learning effective massage techniques for the back, legs and feet.