By: Dr. James Rouse  

What if I told you that you could stop negative thoughts in their tracks? Or that the solution to finding your happiest self, and becoming a more loving partner and engaging friend, is up to you??

We sometimes forget that our thoughts are actually up to us, and that we have the power to minimize negative thinking. Everybody has pessimistic thoughts sometimes, but it’s important to know that those thoughts are totally normal.

The answer to negative thinking is not to pretend that we don’t feel upset or down from time to time. The answer is to own those negative thoughts by acknowledging them, accepting them as a part of life, and then CHOOSING to turn our attention to a place of optimism.

Since it can be difficult to be optimistic when life gets tough, it’s important to actively look for things that you can be grateful for. You can see it as enduring a gloomy day and thinking “today is rainy, but the past week has been beautiful!” You might even start to appreciate the rain as it helps you to recognize your fortune during the sunny days.

Gratitude has been shown to benefit our lives in a variety of ways, including overall optimism, more energy, improved sleep, an overall feeling of peace, and a stronger immune system. It allows us to shake our minds free of cluttered and gloomy thinking, and create space for clarity, peace, and a solid foundation from which to support ourselves and our loved ones.

Some ways to turn your focus to a place of gratitude include:

Send a Thank You Note

This is truly a Win-Win, since it helps us to feel connected each other and lifts up both people’s spirits. Thank You Notes can be done a variety of ways, including through email, but a hand written and “snail mailed” version really goes the extra mile to demonstrate the gravity of the impact the other person’s actions had on you.

Start a Gratitude Journal

Gratitude journals are a place to keep track of the blessings in our lives. They encourage us to notice all of the little things that bring us joy, rather than only noticing the big/obvious things that make us happy.

These written accounts also allow us to peek back on our journaling history in order to reflect on all of the gifts we’ve been given, so that we can feel hopeful during challenging times. Gratitude Journals can be an actual diary, recorded memos on your phone, or created using one of the dozens of Gratitude Journal apps available.

Give a Gift of Gratitude

Offering our time to others allows us to show people that we are grateful for their friendship. Not only does this improve the other person’s life, but knowing that we have the capacity to brighten someone else’s day reminds us that we have the power to turn our own attitudes toward happiness. Ideas for sharing your time might include baking cookies for a friend, helping a neighbor to mow their lawn, or showing a colleague how to use the latest version of your company’s content management system.

Seek Out Beauty in the World

One way to zero in on happiness is to stop running our lives on Auto-Pilot, and observe the simple beauty that might go unnoticed but exist right in front of us. Watching a bird glide gracefully through the sky, or noticing the shape of your city’s skyline, are just a few of the things that can help us to disconnect from monotonous daily tasks and enjoy our lives with newfound gratitude and appreciation.

How much time can you dedicate to your morning ritual?

Here's a practice that will take just 5 minutes - the Morning High 5 – and includes visualization, prayer/mantras, gratitude, reading, and HIIT physical exercise.

Human Touch was recently able to show support for the American Cancer Society at the 2016 Relay for Life event. There, we donated two HT-Reflex 2 Foot and Calf Massagers to the team Beautiful Feet, which was captained by 16 year-old Carissa Dahlia. These Reflex2’s were featured in the Beautiful Feet booth at their May 1^st event, offering some much-needed relief to its participants.

Relay for Life is an event that raises money for the American Cancer Society to put toward cancer research, as well as patient resources and programs. Beautiful Feet is a chapter of Chapman University’s event, in which the goal of each team was to have someone on the track walking to raise money for cancer for a full 24 hours. Carissa Dahlia also made it her goal to walk roughly 16 miles barefoot, despite the hot cement of the sidewalk route, in tribute to the hardships that cancer patients go through every day. In 2016, she increased that goal to 26 miles.

Carissa’s story is truly inspirational, as this young woman formed her team in memory of her maternal grandfather, Terry Borchard, who lost his battle with Multiple Myeloma cancer in 2014. Borchard had been a missionary and Bible translator in Papua New Guinea for over 40 years, and led a generous lifestyle that inspired Carissa and her family to also lead similar purpose-filled lives. Carissa’s team raised approximately $900 for Relay for Life in 2015, and another $1209 (so far) in 2016.

Here are a few quotes directly from Carissa throughout her experience: 

"Once again I have created a Relay for Life team called Beautiful Feet. Last year I walked 16 miles barefoot at Relay for Life. Everyone thought I was crazy. It was hot. We were walking on cement. And yet I had ditched my shoes in our tent. At the time I didn’t have a real answer for why I was walking barefoot, I just knew deep down that I needed to do it. I now have the answer to why. The pain I experienced from walking barefoot on that hot cement for 16 miles was fleeting. Of course it hurt at the time and for a week or so afterwards, but it was nothing compared to the pain experienced by those fighting cancer or any other diseases. The pain I experienced was momentary and my choice. Theirs is not.” 

“Walking barefooted reminds me of the real reason that we relay. We relay for the people. The people we’ve lost, the people still fighting, and the future people who might have to hear those fateful words. Relay is not just about the cancer and funding research. It’s about the people who will benefit from that research. The people it will save.” 

“26+ miles completed barefoot and I am done walking. Or rather my legs are done walking. So I am reflecting on the reason that I have done this to my legs. Because of my Grandpa, both my grandmas, and countless others, I relay for them. I relay for the hope of a cure, the hope that one day all cancers will be treatable. I relay for love, the love I have for all those I've lost. And finally, I relay to help kick cancer into the past so that no one else has to hear those three words, "You have cancer." 

"It has been one week since Relay for Life and my reasoning for walking barefoot has changed so much. As I walked so many more reasons came flooding to me, especially at night with the luminaries surrounding the track. I realized that as you watch a loved one suffer through their treatment you constantly say that you wish you could take some of their pain from them, walking barefoot allowed me to feel as though I had taken some of that pain from them. It also allowed me to physically feel the progression as my legs went from strong to weak to unable to walk. Walking barefoot for me was similar to my grandfather's cancer journey, like Multiple Myeloma, the pain would go away or subside, but it would always come back. I felt really connected to my grandpa during this experience, and while it hurt a lot, I will definitely do it again next year."  

Additional details on the Beautiful Feet team can be found on their Relay for Life page here: https://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/?team_id=1976151&pg=team&fr_id=71676  

Inspired by NASA’s neutral body posture, the Perfect Chair places the body in a virtually weightless position to provide relaxation and minimum muscle tension. In this doctor-recommended position, the spine, hips, and knee joints are on or close to the balanced midpoint of the muscles. Its sleek and elegant design and zero-gravity engineering make it a great way to relieve the soreness, tension, and fatigue caused by the constant load-bearing. The Perfect Chair comes in a variety of different styles and colors.

This top-of-the-line robotic massage chair defies the clutches of gravity and adjusts to the individual’s body to fit like a glove. It’s based on the patented Human Touch Technology®, which replicates the hands of a professional massage therapist and delivers 4D massage technology with 104 micro-sculpting and acupressure massage techniques for the upper and lower-body. Human Touch’s patented calf massage mechanism includes targeted shiatsu therapy and a unique air massage that rejuvenates your legs using 19 different massage techniques as well as under-foot reflexology.The Navitas chair also offers 36 wellness programs- more than any chair in the world- as well as cloud touch acupressure, and zero-gravity seating to deliver an experience that will rival even the most proficient masseuse.

“We’re proud to receive this recognition from the World Federation of Chiropractic,” said David Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Human Touch. “This endorsement iterates the effectiveness of Human Touch products in providing health and wellness benefits to the millions of Americans suffering from back pain. We strongly believe that regular massage therapy and proper posture alignment can supplement a balanced diet and active lifestyle, thereby maximizing overall health and wellness.”

In its ongoing commitment to enhancing the wellness of consumers everywhere, Human Touch also offers a Wellness Council. Through the Wellness Council, Human Touch has brought together influential individuals with a variety of wellness experiences and expertise to educate people about how to achieve a healthier and happier life by integrating massage, relaxation, sound posture, and balance into their daily routine. To learn more about the Wellness Council or to get daily, expert prescriptions on achieving a healthier lifestyle, visit https://www.humantouch.com/wellness-council or blog.humantouch.com.

About Human Touch

Human Touch is the leading provider of high-quality, innovative lifestyle products, massage chairs, and experiences that deliver indispensable, life-changing benefits to an ever-growing number of consumers for more than 35 years. Human Touch has been making people feel better by developing state-of-the-art massage products containing patented massage systems that replicate the hands and techniques used by massage professionals, thereby helping to reduce pain and stress caused by today’s hectic lifestyle. Products are available at fine furniture stores, back care specialty stores, and mass-market retailers across the U.S., through international retailers and distributors in more than 40 countries, and online at www.humantouch.com.

About The World Federation of Chiropractic

The World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) has national associations of chiropractors in 88 countries as its voting members, and represents them and the chiropractic profession internationally. Many individuals and organizations support its work as associate members. The WFC has been a non-governmental organization or NGO in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1997, and collaborates with many federations representing other healthcare professions. To learn more about the WFC, visit https://www.wfc.org.

Gandhi once said, “There’s More to Life Than Increasing It’s Speed,” and that certainly couldn’t be more true that it is for me today.

Watch this video to learn how you can slow down and enjoy each moment of your life.  

Human Touch was recently able to donate a massage chair to Peyton White, who lives in Texas. Peyton and his mother, Lynne, plan to conduct a study to determine the effects that a massage chair will have on Peyton’s Autism, including regular updates from Peyton where he will discuss the results from his perspective. We are excited to follow along with Peyton on his journey, and invite you to join us with his updates as well! Here is an excerpt from Peyton’s latest post:

A couple weeks ago, I got a new Human Touch massage chair. It helps me reduce anxiety, get rid of muscle soreness and have better sleep at night. When I sleep better, it helps me with my autism, as I don’t stress as much. When I do stress, I sit in the chair, and it helps me calm down. I use the massage chair about 2 or 3 times a day. My favorite parts of the massage chair are using foot and calf and rolling and kneading which really makes me relax to help me become confident. While I’m sitting and relaxing on the massage chair, I can study my notes when I’m worried about a quiz or test so that I’ll do better at it. Whenever I’m stressed or need a better sleep, I sit on the massage chair for 15-25 minutes. I just wanted to tell you how awesome and comfortable my chair is and how much it is already helping me.

Read Peyton’s Full Blog Post Here.

We recently took our new Human Touch Novo Ascent Series massage chairs to a product launch event in Santa Monica, California. There, we invited people to test out the massage chair, and asked them what they thought. Here’s what they said:
For more information on the Novo massage chair, click here.   

Long Beach, CA– Human Touch, the U.S. market leader of innovative massage chairs, Perfect Chair Recliners, and other wellness solutions, has introduced three new models to their zero-gravity Perfect Chair Recliner series. The new Omni-Motion Classic (PC-610), Omni-Motion Silhouette (PC-600), and Classic Manual Plus (PC-420) each include several new upholstery options and performance features to provide an even more perfect seating and wellness experience.

Inspired by NASA, the Perfect Chair places the body into a doctor-recommended, neutral-gravity position—with the feet above the heart—to alleviate pain and stress from the neck and vertebrae, which is caused by earth’s gravitational pull on the body. This provides improved relaxation, reduced stress and better sleep quality, among other important benefits.

According to David Marcarian, President of Precision Biometrics and NASA-trained Ergonomics Expert, “As the Perfect Chair reclines, the muscles instantaneously start relaxing. When the chair reaches neutral posture there is a huge reduction in the state of muscle irritation, establishing objectively that the Perfect Chair promotes spinal health.” [caption id="attachment_4217" align="alignright" width="450" caption="Perfect Chair Omni-Motion Classic (PC-610)"][/caption] Every Perfect Chair blends contemporary architecture with old-world craftsmanship, giving it a bold yet classic look. Each base is crafted from hand-carved and hand-finished solid wood, made from the Hevea Brasiliensis (rubber tree), which yields one of the strongest woods on earth. The premium leather upholstery is sourced from a select 5% of the world’s most high-quality, uncorrected cowhide. The high-tensile strength steel glide rails are also sandblasted, cleaned, and powder-coated with a protective surface for long-term durability and a smooth, quiet glide in order to offer the highest possible level of quality.  

Upgraded Design with Manual Recline

The Perfect Chair Classic Manual Plus (PC-420) offers precision-engineered design with a manual recline option that’s as easy as leaning back in the chair. Additional key upgrades offered in this new Perfect Chair model include:

Extended Armrests: The wide and long armrests give constant support even as the chair reclines into zero-gravity.
Adjustable Lumbar Support: The adjustable lumbar system is equipped with a release valve, allowing for individual seating comfort.
Fully Customizable: Choose from premium, top-grain, and SōfHyde leathers, and a variety of solid wood-based finishes. Additional upgrades of Memory Foam PLUS and Jade Heat offer enhanced comfort and health benefits, and the many accessory options allow the chair to customize to the user’s preference.

  [caption id="attachment_4220" align="alignright" width="450" caption="PC-610 in Zero-Gravity Position"][/caption]

Revolutionary Omni-Motion Versatility

The new Perfect Chair Omni-Motion Classic (PC-610) offers independent leg and back adjustability with an electric recline, now giving you the power to easily and independently position your recline angle and leg elevation. The Omni-Motion Silhouette (PC-600) also offers this innovative feature, but in a slim, tapered design that is the perfect choice for those smaller in stature. The new Omni-Motion PC-600 and PC-610 models include each of the design upgrades of the PC-420, along with these additional features:

Independent Leg and Back Adjustability: A revolution in zero-gravity seating, the Omni-Motion Classic and Omni-Motion Silhouette provide dual-motor power to independently position the recline angle and leg elevation.
5-way Controller: The intuitive 5-way omni-control Perfect Chair offers infinite comfort positions with a simple press and hold for zero-gravity.

Customizable Options for the Perfect Fit

[caption id="attachment_4225" align="alignright" width="450" caption="Available in a variety of upholstery colors"][/caption] For more information on Human Touch Perfect Chair recliners, visit www.humantouch.com/pc610. There, you’ll discover how the Perfect Chair is created using a hand-carved wood base and premium leather upholstery, and you can customize your own Perfect Chair using the following expanded list of color choices:

We’re pleased to share this post from Peyton White, who is conducting a research study on the effects that his Human Touch massage chair has on his Autism. This original post can be found on his blog here. Being Autistic sometimes I have trouble sleeping, and that isn’t good. The Reason why sleeping is important is because it helps you be healthier and increase your brain function to positively think and learn. It also helps prevent heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. When having little sleep, people feel less positive and can have a rough day at school or work. Having 2 or 3 hours of sleep is never a good thing to do at night, especially when you have to focus. When having too much sleep, it can also increase the risk of having heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure. Having proper sleep actually helps people do well in sports, quizzes, math and music and more. A short period of sleeping is called a nap, many people take something called a “power nap” during the day. Naps also help people become healthy and increase their brain function. The difference between sleep and nap are that sleep is for nighttime and people usually spend 8-11 hours of sleeping and nap is usually for daytime and people spend at least 30-90 minutes of napping. Why am I telling you all of this? Because sleep is very important for me, so I can focus better. When I focus, I learn better and have fewer meltdowns. Every day and night, I sit in my massage chair to help me calm down, it helps me have good sleep at night and do well on my schoolwork. I did very well on my final quizzes after I sat in my massage chair and studied my notes before I took my final tests. When I relax I make better eye contact, speak well and become more aware, as well as get a good night’s sleep. Before I go to bed, I watch something on TV in the media room and sit in my massage chair to relax. I turn on the programs and sometimes have the lights off a bit, turn on the massage chair and relax. This helps me get ready for bed and allows me to sleep sound. I love having this massage chair as it is helping me in so many ways.  

You work hard. You understand how important it is to revitalize physically and mentally to perform at your peak and be your best. Super charge your daily ritual with a Human Touch® Ascent Series massage chair and gain your high performance edge. The Novo massage chair offers a variety of benefits, including:

• 30 Auto-Wellness Programs, including full-body immersion, rocking motion, and an effective collection of therapeutic relaxation and recovery programs.
• Zero-Gravity Massage. Enable zero-gravity auto rocking with just the touch of a button, and you’ll automatically be moved to an optimized neutral posture position, then gently rocked in synchronicity with the auto-programs for a more soothing and refreshing.
• Unibody Track. The striking design of the Novo is more than just style. The unibody track covers up to 60% more of the back than conventional chairs, extending high performance coverage from your neck and shoulders all the way down to your thighs.
• Extending Foot-and-Calf Massage. With under-foot rollers for optimized reflexology and adjustable intensity for calves and feet, the extendable leg rest automatically adjusts to your height.
• Cloud Touch Acupressure. Strategically placed targeted aircells apply to pressure to key healing points and manipulate your body to stretch muscles.
• Lumbar Heat. Using Human Touch Air Technology®, heat flows continually to target the lumbar area, gently soothing tight muscles and relieving pain.
• Bluetooth Speakers. Enhance the relaxation of your massage with the sounds of your favorite music, using the built-in Bluetooth speakers on the Novo.

Take a look at this video for an introduction to the Novo Ascent Series massage chair.

For more information on the Novo massage chair, click here.