So for the month of June I was on the road 26 of the 31 days. This played a huge effect on how my body reacted and recovered. Obviously being on the road I was unable to use my Super Novo massage chair as often as I liked. For this reason, I was sure to maximize my use of it while I was home by sitting in it twice per day to help my body to really recover. Between training and travel, it’s become crucial to optimize my recovery during my “down time” by really taking the time to relax and work through any built-up tension that my body is holding. I was also recently able to get my hands on the new WHOOP 4.0 wearable technology that Human Touch has partnered with, which will allow me to track my recovery to ensure that I’m making the most of my massage chair and other recovery tools. More on that next month!

That being said, all of my recent travelling has made me find new and creative ways to stretch my body out so I can perform at my best.

The first thing that I did was use the suspension trainer that was available in the hotel gyms and set a 30 min program that gave me a good upper and lower body stretch using my body weight to make it more challenging. I followed that with a 15 minute balance and awareness program to stimulate my mind and body to make sure they were aligned to start the day. I avoided all heavy pounding on my body (sprints, ect) because I knew if I got out of alignment I didn’t have access to the things I needed to help get me back to a place of peak performance. I finished with a 15 minute core strengthening program because I know my hips and lower back have been problem areas in the past.

To finish off the day I would go to the pool and walk around the pool as an active recovery and cold therapy solution. This would help reduce any inflammation that I got throughout the day also allow for a latic acid flush from my muscles.

A large part of recovery is doing the work necessary for you to feel better. It may sometimes be inconvenient but trust me there is no substitute to feeling good. Feeling good sets the tone for the rest of your day it allows you to be open to the opportunities and possibilities that the day will bring you. When you’re away make sure that you focus on the areas that give you problems so you can function at the best of your ability while you’re gone and most importantly so you don’t have huge issues when you get back.

Being on the road can be inconvenient but for so many of us it’s a necessity to earn a loving. While we don’t have all the comforts of home at our disposal it’s a time to help us appreciate home just a little more. Learn to take care of your body and your body will take care of you. Thank you for checking in at the recovery corner this week.

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!