John Aaron Wellness

Whether you play tennis or golf, or you spend most of your time filing papers, tendinitis can affect anyone. Tendons are the tissues at the end of muscles that connects muscle to bone. Known for its painful inflammation ('itis' refers to inflammation), scarring of tendons, swelling, and a feeling of weakness, tendinitis can inhibit proper muscle function. Tendinitis is sometimes confused with or occurs with a condition called 'tendonosis,' a degenerative condition of the tendon, which also causes pain and dysfunction. The most common sites for both are the shoulder, arms, hip, hamstrings and the Achilles tendon. You may experience pain at the site of the injury or pain can be referred, or radiated, to areas distant from the injury. Pain and Repetitive Actions Repetitive strain injuries (RSI's) develop from repeated movements and are characterized by pain, stiffness and tissue scarring. They often involve tendons that cannot adapt to forces placed upon them. ...

Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite season is autumn. Something about its warm glow and harvest season just gets my energy up. Spring, however, would be my close second. After all, you can’t have a fall harvest without spring planning and planting. And, while MY idea of spring gardening usually involves “telling” Alex (that's my 'other half' in case you didn't know) where to plant this year’s greenery; I've discovered spring to be a perfect metaphor for reviewing my life and instituting changes for the future. It provides a clean slate, perfect opportunity to set clear goals, and watch them grow into reality. So, this spring I decided to copy the growth you see in nature. I want to see how it affects my own goals, perceptions and desires for self improvement. I’m not generally one to meditate. I always thought of it as an alien experience for me and I thought you might feel the same way. So, I thought I would outline my process to help you get star...

Monday sucked. I'd say that entire day just seemed to conspire against me for one reason or another and a ton of things I had planned on getting done didn't happen. Needless to say I was more than a little cranky by day’s end. If there is one thing I hate is the feeling you get when you think you aren’t making any progress. That feeling compounds when you feel overwhelmed. I wasn’t happy and with a full plate for the week, I wasn’t in the mood for it. Good thing for me that I have a great family and the loving, supportive network of close friends, and readers and fans like you. They say you gravitate toward those that share your views, interests and temperament. This is another reason I count myself blessed. Being a generally happy person, I have friends that freely share that trait. And, while negativity usually breeds negativity, I take solace that the same can be true about inspiration and happiness. If you’re happy, there’s a good chance that your positive feeling...

For most of us, it’s easy to get enough fruit in our diets. They are generally portable, snack-able and sweet – what’s not to love about that? Add bananas, berries, or dried fruit to breakfast cereal, slice a juicy melon for a cooling after dinner dessert, and crunch on an apple for a quick mid-day snack and you’ll probably meet the typical daily nutritional guidelines of 2 cups. The REAL challenge is to get enough vegetables in a variety of colors into your day. That’s why I’ve listed some easy ways tips that I personally use to insure I add the recommended 2½ cups into my daily menus: Start the day with ½ cup of vegetable juice (low-sodium of course). Enjoy a spinach salad or other main dish salad for lunch. Add vegetables instead of meat to pasta dishes, pizzas, soups, and stews. Spoon salsa onto a baked sweet potato. (The spicy-sweet combo is delicious) Keep bags of organic, pre-cut, pre-washed carrots, snap peas, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes on ...

I’m sure I am not the only one to have ever taken their stress, anxiety, or depression out on a nice big bowl of ice cream or potato chips. Hey, when you hurt, you need comfort – right? Unfortunately, sometimes we forget why we have certain cravings and tend to go on auto-pilot when it comes to self-medicating with food. There are two basic thoughts about why we ‘crave’ certain foods: One is that our body is lacking in specific nutrients, the other is that we have triggers that activate our cravings such as habit, or emotional events. Whatever the cause, cravings are important to pay attention to and address. So what can you do to stop stuffing down your feelings with food? Well, there is the usual “fight the feeling” theory that holds some merit. But, just fighting the urge can be tough. However, I discovered that the brain can misinterpret the body’s need for water as a craving for food. Weird, huh? Try this, when you feel a craving, drink a full glass of water. Then “figh...

Research published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, the American Journal of Public Health, and Journal of Child Neurology supports the notion that massage can reduce the frequency and intensity of stress and migraine headaches. This further supports the experience of many massage clients who report a decrease in both headaches and headache pain. How It Works: Massage relaxes tense muscles. When tension held in the muscles of the head, shoulders, and neck eases, there is less pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that supply them. Blood flow improves and muscle spasms are often relieved. Trigger points in the neck, head and shoulders can be another cause of pain which respond well to specific massage techniques. These factors add up to relief of tension or migraine headaches. Massage therapy often reduces the anxiety and worry that can accompany headaches, too. As overall stress eases and muscle tension that can trigger headaches lessens, headaches can be prev...

I've never been an extremely outgoing person. So, given my introverted personality, I tend to have a small and tight circle of friends. Imagine my surprise to learn that if you want to age well, having strong social relationships are equally important as having a positive outlook on life. The unfortunate thing for introverts like me is this: unless the circle of friends is replenished, their numbers reduce with time. Sickness, physical distance or death will inevitably make an impact on your social circle. So, in addition to planning for financial security, I’ve learned we must invest in the behaviors that can add not just years to our life, but life to those years. So I distilled three main points that I use as a ‘template’ to lead and live my life to those lofty, aged, senior goals. They are as follows: Despite being ridiculed, I often try to imagine living 120 happy, healthy years. No, that's not a 'type-o.' I plan on living at least to the ripe old age of...

When you look in the mirror do you like what you see? You should, but if you don’t, you’re not alone. Many people suffer from negative body image. The key to developing positive body image is learning to appreciate & accept who your are and what you've got. Love you. Love your body. And, treat it well, because -like it or not- your gonna be in it for life... To help; Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself that don’t involve your appearance. Refer to it often. Think about everything that you could accomplish with the time and energy you spend focused on your body and your appearance. Start doing some of those more productive, more enjoyable activities. If you are concerned about being overweight, set a healthy target for your Body Mass Index based on expert recommendations, and don’t expect to get to your target any faster than one pound per week. Create a list of people you admire — people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world. Ask...

‘You've got to live in the present.’ Doesn't that phrase just sound a little pretentious or preachy? In fact, sometimes just hearing that phrase would get me downright pissed off. What does that phrase mean, anyway?!?! Of course I am living in the present; in the here now! Where the heck else would I be? It just so happens that my ‘here & now’ is jam-crammed full of unresolved issues and the responsibilities of determining how my life is going to pay off the future promises that my bigmouth and ambitions committed me to in the past. My reaction when I hear that phrase is to say, “Don't tell me to live in the here and now when you haven't sat in my driver's seat. You haven't peered through my rear-view mirror, seen where I've come from, nor looked toward the long miles of road I have before me. I am absolutely in the here and now - you can't tell me otherwise.” I now realize that I have stumbled upon my own understanding of the 'here and no...

Your body aches and you can’t wait to get to your next massage appointment to help alleviate the pain. You absolutely know how much better you will feel after getting your massage. massage helps manage pain. But, have you ever wondered how it works? Well, there’s much more to it, but I’ve managed to condense it into small easy to understand bullet points Massage stimulates the release of natural pain-relievers such as endorphins.  Massage stretches tight muscles and sends messages to the nervous system to relax.  Massage not only increases circulation, but flushes irritating waste products and floods tight muscles with healing oxygen and nutrients. Combined with stress relief, improved circulation may be enough in itself to help you relax and allow the pain to recede as you let go. Massage releases trigger points. These are highly irritable spots that feel like lumps or knots, which send uncomfortable sensations to other parts of the body.  Massage softens contr...