The first goal when we all wake up is to have the best day possible. Sometimes this gets messed up before we even get started. We sleep through alarm clocks and are late so we are rushing the whole day. We just don’t feel right and our body is off or we sleep in the wrong position and now we aches and pains that we have to workout to try to feel better. Possibly you just didn’t have a good night sleep or enough sleep because you went to bed later than you expected.
There is a long list of reasons why many of our days don’t start off ideal which more often than not slips into us not being able to have the most productive day. I guess in a perfect world we would all wake up like the prince in the movies Coming to America. Beautiful spacious bed, perfect temperature setting in the room, just the right amount of sunlight. Laying in the perfect position with the best pillow and gently waking up to a symphony. Well this isn’t the reality for 99.9% of us in the world and definitely not the people reading this blog.
But how do you make everyday the best day possible? You do some research, play around with a few ideas and construct a regimen that works for you. As an athlete we always talk about warming up and being a our peak so we can perform. That is the same for everyone else living life as well. If you start your day in ways that put you in the best possible light you will have less stress, a clearer mind and a more joyful heart. With those three components your will be a better employee, parent, partner and person all around.
The first thing I do when I wake up every day is go and sit in my Human Touch Super Novo masage chair for twenty minutes. If you look they tell you that everyday first thing you should meditate. No better place to do than your chair! I don’t your the same setting every morning but I do a 20 min session and I always use the heat option.
During this time I mentally go over the thoughts and key points of what i would like to do that day. I try to visualize and anticipate things that may happen that day and ways to proactively deal with adversity. I also envision the success that i would like to see on that day. Many times while I’m in the chair i do drills and allow my mind to take over my body and talk to my muscles and tell them what needs to trigger without actually doing the motions fully. This gets my body ready to move, my muscles get the gentle wake up that then need so I can be at my best.
I totally understand that everyday it’s going to be perfect but if you take the to find a regimen that works for you and stick to it you will have more good days than bad. Thank you for checking into the recovery corner and I hope this was helpful to you in your wellness journey.
Maurice Allen
World Long Drive Champion
WLD Tour Champion
Long Drivers European Tour Champ
American Cancer Society Ambassador
Boys & Girls Club of America Ambassador
Former Guinness World Record Holder
Balance is a term commonly used in today’s world and it’s consistently connected to energy. These terms have become catch phrases without a consensus understanding of the words true meaning.
In reference to the human body, human output, and recovery, the term balance is truly nonexistent. In the medical views we work in “range” instead of balance, this is due heavily to the fact that life is a progression. Balance is a term that only exists in a stagnant form, a stage or state of no movement and no outside influences. Everyday your environment is forever changing just as you are forever changing. By the time you finish reading this article you will have gotten older, your environmental influences can be different and your internal influences may have changed as well.
In trying to learn how to recover it is extremely important that you understand that it is a cycle. The things that you do will be extremely effective until your body builds a tolerance to that particular thing, which is when it’s important to introduce something new. Ironically, after introducing 3 to 4 new things you will be able to go back to your original recovery regimen and repeat that same cycle as long as there are no new injuries. We must remember that our body is our experience, and what works for us an individuals doesn’t have to fit into a current philosophy practiced. The most important part is that it works for you and allows you to be at your best at a most consistent base.
No one will ever not have bad days that a part of the journey and “balance” give the thought that when those bad days happen it’s because you of out of sorts. Days when you aren’t feeling 100 percent can come from a long line of things but most of them aren’t bad especially when you are training towards a goal of getting better. Growth in any arena is extremely difficult and stressful but it’s because you are pushing your mind and body to new levels. This is simply the act of you changing your threshold or range, while doing this it’s important to consume enough of the proper food, the correct amount of water as well as get the proper a mouth of rest (not sleep but rest, including recovery using products such as the Super Novo massage chair).
Over the next 90 days I will document my journey and I prepare for the opportunity to win 4 Long Drive World Championships in three different divisions. During the next 90 days I will push myself at the highest levels of all ranges to see if I can achieve this goal. It will be extremely tough but necessary to get every ounce of production out of my body. I hope you enjoy following me on this journey.
Hello, my name is Maurice Allen and I am a professional long drive competitor as well as a professional golfer. I have teamed up with Human Touch over the next 12 months to document my recovery methods in hopes that it will give you some ideas that you can use to help you gain a greater quality of life.
How to Use Massage Chairs for Recovery in the Right Way
In this first month I started with baseline, it’s important to know where you are to start and also to help you see improvements of any kind which will give you the motivation to continue the process. The assessment and documentation is a lot of work to be honest with you but I feel that it is a necessity and one of the first steps to truly get better. In my baseline assessment I would take 5-7 minutes every morning when I first wake up and again right before I got to bed to see how my body is responding to movement.
The key parts I check are the following:
- Feet
- Knees
- Hips
- Lower back
- Shoulders
- Neck
These are the major places that are the site of discomfort for most individuals.
The assessment is a simple series of movements that help me look at range of motion and strength. You are looking to see what feels tight, is there any sharp pain, is muscle atrophy present, inability to move, and is the movement smooth and fluid. The purpose in doing it twice a day is to see how well my body recovers as I sleep.
From my assessment I’ve learned that I need to work on:
- Ankle mobility
- Knee stability with strengthening the supporting muscles
- Loosen up my hips
- Shoulder range of motion
- Strengthening the muscles in my neck
Do I Need a Massage for Muscle Recovery?
I know that many of you reading this will say “I’m not a professional athlete so how does this relate to me?”
Recovery and wellness is something important for everyone because you can’t perform at top level without it. If you are consistently in pain or discomfort you can’t be the best parent you want to be, the best spouse you want to be or be the best worker you want be. This is a long ongoing process but it hopefully gives you all some great information that you will be able to use as well.
Each month I will tackle one issue at a time in detail using a series of methods, I will also use my Super Novo massage chair as one of my daily maintenance tools to help me recover better and enjoy life more. We'll also explore how massage helps with muscle recovery and overall recovery in general.
Thank you for following my journey, and starting your own as well!
Exercise plays an important role in overall health and wellness, and your recovery can be just as important as the workout itself. Not only can recovery prevent muscle soreness, but it can also help support healthy muscle growth.
Ryan Bader, MMA Bellator Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, shares his experience with the Novo XT2 Massage Chair from Human Touch. Learn how he uses his Novo XT2 as part of his training and recovery routine, and why he says it will help "take his career to the next level."
World Champion Athletes and Health Advocates Join Current Members to Build Awareness for the Latest Therapeutic Innovations from Human Touch
LONG BEACH, CA July 10, 2019—Human Touch®, the U.S. market leader in high-performance massage chairs, Perfect Chair® recliners, and other wellness innovations, announces its new Wellness Council, consisting of equestrian, Elisa Wallace, professional golfer, Stephanie Kono, triathlete and hyperbarics expert, Alexandra Williams, and returning member, Olympian and Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Andy Potts.
The Human Touch Wellness Council was formed with the intention of sourcing valuable insights from leading doctors, professional athletes, wellness practitioners, and natural healers to further advance the design, function, and needs of the Human Touch product line.
Elisa Wallace is an award-winning equestrian representing the U.S.A. in international competition. She is a 5-star three-day event rider, popular YouTuber, and well-known advocate for American Mustang adoption, off the track thoroughbreds, rider safety, and women in sports.
Stephanie Kono is an LPGA professional golfer earning her first full tour status in 2012 and re-earning her full tour status with her performance at the 2018 LPGA Q-Series. The highlight of Stephanie's 2018 season was winning the second annual Donald Ross classic on the LPGA Symetra Tour.
Alex Williams is a triathlete, hyperbarics expert, and the Founder of Holistic Hyperbarics in Berkeley, California. An EMT, birth doula, and post-surgery masseuse, she has a deep passion for promoting healing and chronic pain relief to patients.
Andy Potts is an Ironman World-Champion, U.S. Olympian, and a three-time winning USAT Triathlete of the Year. He has completed over 200 races with more than 57 first place finishes. As one of the most versatile triathletes in the world, Andy makes it a priority to give back to the sport and its community.
“We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding team of professionals to the Human Touch family,” says David Wood, CEO of Human Touch. “Their diverse experiences, along with their personal and professional dedication to total body wellness will serve to guide us as we continue to develop the most innovative, intuitive, and purpose-serving products possible for individuals with chronic pain, athletes, health professionals, and consumers alike.”
To learn more about the Human Touch Wellness Council, please visit www.humantouch.com/wellness-council
About Human Touch
Entering its 40th year, Human Touch® proudly serves as the country’s leading provider and innovator of high-performance massage chairs, Perfect Chair recliners and other wellness solutions. Committed to creating the most immersive and personalized independent wellness experiences, Human Touch introduces patented massage systems that replicate the touch and techniques used by leading massage professionals. Each product is strategically engineered and designed to address the pains and stresses caused by today's hectic lifestyle using the latest technologies and intelligent ergonomics. 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.
Media Contact:Emily WongDirect Ph: 562-733-7358ewong@humantouch.comMeet Alexandra Williams, Founder of Holistic Hyperbarics and Human Touch Wellness Council member.
Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash
By: Dr. Jon Stucky, Doctor of Chiropractic and Human Touch Wellness Council Member
There is a growing presence of Doctors of Chiropractic in all types and levels of sports: Olympics, NFL, NHL, college athletics, professional rodeo, professional strongman competitions and action sports to name a few. Many would conclude it is because the organization or the athlete can afford it and it is a luxury. That assumption may be true, but the athlete and organization would tell you that having a Doctor of Chiropractic on the health care team is a necessity for performance and enhancing recovery. The best approach is utilizing chiropractic care as a pre-performance and training enhancement. The effort that athletes make to strengthen and enhance repetition in a sport - to provide muscle and nervous system memory of skills needed to function at a championship level - may take a toll on their muscle, tendons, ligaments and ultimately their nervous system in enabling and directing recovery.
Chiropractors evaluate the spinal segments for position and movement, and the impact to the nervous system. The nervous system can alter and inhibit subtle to obvious brain-body communication that will affect the body’s ultimate capacity and function. Chiropractors in the sports world will often assess the extremities (shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, etc.) for proper alignment and movement within the parameters of each joint’s particular movement. The ability and skill set of Doctors of Chiropractic is unique and they attribute to the functional improvement of an athlete’s performance.
Athletes immediately gravitate towards chiropractors to receive care during training and competitions. High level athletes are separated by tenths, hundreds or thousands of a second or by minute movements that save energy and time, that with altered brain-body mechanics, can be the subtle difference in winning. This competitive edge is why most athletes seek chiropractic care. The nervous system interference is evaluated, body efficiency is elevated, energy is enhanced and muscle strength and coordination is improved. The athlete is able to feel that he/she can perform their skill with precise movement.
I have worked with a range from youth to professional athletes in many sports, and know that the nervous system is the regulating organ system that houses the communication of coordination and control of all that we do. The nervous system is well organized, ready to train, learn and perform at a high level, it just needs no interference due to injury, which is why chiropractic care in high-impact sports is an ideal way to regulate and optimize performance.
While attending the CES (Consumer Electronic Show) show this year in Las Vegas with Tough Tested and my racecar, I got to meet the wonderful people from Human Touch. They had come to my booth, stopped to say hello and ask some questions about my racecar. I immediately loved their positive energy. We took some great photos and I promised to check out their booth the next day.
If you have never been to the CES show, let me tell you, it makes for some very long days of standing! My feet and back were aching from standing around for three days. As promised, I still wanted to drop by the Human Touch booth. I figured with all my aches and pains this was probably the best time to go check out massage chairs.
Upon arriving at the booth I could see that it was very popular. There was a very long line to test out these chairs. When it became my turn, I quickly hopped in to a really beautiful red chair. A wonderful 5-minute demo message was started. It was one of the best 5 minutes of the show! When I arrived at the booth, my back on down to my feet were aching. After just five minutes I got up feeling energized and refreshed. My feet no longer were screaming!
There is something you need to know about my history. At about the age of 8, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis. I began with a 15% left Thoracic curve. I had to wear a hard shell preventative brace that covered my entire torso from my hips to my neck for 20 hours a day. After wearing numerous braces, that failed to prevent the curve from progressing, I had progressed to a 40% Left Thoracic curve with a rib hump. My left shoulder was 4 inches higher than my right. The curve caused my chest to begin to impede on my heart and lungs. When I was 15 years old, it was determined that I needed to have corrective Scoliosis surgery. I entered the hospital in Phoenix and came out not only straighter, but with two 12-inch titanium rods in my back.
Since I was very young, all I have ever wanted to do was race. I would race the kids on my street on my bicycle. I was the little kid that loved watching NASCAR on the television. When I was ten years old I began to race Quarter Midgets. Since then I have worked my way up to Bandoleros, Legends, Late Models, Super Late Models and have even had a shot in ARCA and the NASCAR Camping World Trucks. It was when I was racing Legends that I had to take a year off to recover from Scoliosis surgery. I listened to everything my doctor told me to do, worked extra hard in physical therapy and ate extremely healthy. My doctors were amazed when I was fully healed in nine months and wanted to get back in my racecar seat. My Thoracic area is now the strongest part of my back. The only thing I will never be able to do is a back bend, and I don’t think I will ever miss doing that.
It was after learning about my history of Scoliosis and the fact that I am involved in a high impact sport that I was asked to be a part of the Human Touch Wellness Council. I was so honored when asked. I am excited that Human Touch not only meticulously designs their massage chairs, but they truly care about well-being, fitness, wholeness, strength and recovery.
So far I am really enjoying my NOVO XT chair. Delivery was a breeze. I have found my stress level reduced and I am sleeping much better. I am excited to try the chair after a race in my NASCAR Super Late Model. The placement of my rods always causes deep bruising in my lower thoracic area after long periods in my racing seat, and I hope that the NOVO XT will help with this. I am looking forward to sharing with you how well my chair helps me to recover from back pain and accelerates my recovery.
How does Olympian and World Champion Triathlete, Andy Potts, keep his competitive edge? A strict training regimen that just won’t quit.
Learn just what it takes to become a champion from the Ironman legend himself. It certainly isn’t easy, but his training and recovery schedule has helped him to achieve over 28 Ironman 70.3 first place titles since he took home his first Ironman 70.3 World Champion title in 2007.
Learn more about Andy Potts, and how Human Touch products help him to bring his best each and every day, in this press release.