January 2021
Hello, and welcome to this month's article! What a difference a year makes! This time last year, we were all poised to pursue the next part of our lives, not realizing just what life had in store for us.
One thing that became clear this year is that good health should be our first priority. It’s pretty hard to carry on a normal life if you aren’t feeling your best, both physically and mentally.
This month’s feature article takes a look at how the pandemic has refocused our priorities when it comes to setting goals for the new year.
What plans have you been making? What are you doing to stay healthy as we live through the rest of the pandemic?
The information on knee massage is excerpted from an online article and covers some of the specific benefits you can expect from this treatment.
Of course, you can experience similar results in your other joints, such as your hips, ankles, wrists and shoulders. Keep your body functioning better with regular massage sessions.
Take care of yourself; see you soon at your next appointment!
Americans abandoning traditional New Year’s resolutions for 2021, focus on less materialistic ‘intentions’ instead
by Study Finds
With an immensely challenging year behind them, seven in 10 adults say they are tossing out their materialistic New Year’s resolutions for 2021, according to new research.
The survey asked a nationally-representative panel of 2,000 Americans about their plans for the new year in light of the stress from 2020. Results show that 71% will be focusing on learning life skills or practical goals. In fact, top planned New Year’s resolutions for 2021 aren’t focused on going to the gym or losing weight, but rather saving money for the future (62%) and learning a new skill (50%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Affirm, the survey also finds that over half of respondents (54%) are planning to better budget in 2021 and another 49 percent are hoping to pay down debt. Sixty-eight percent of respondents want to move away from “traditional” resolutions to focus more on experiences—like spending more time with their family (53%) and traveling more (49%).
Finances, positivity, life skills among top New Year’s ‘intentions’ for 2021
In fact, respondents plan to take an average of two road trips in the new year. Nearly six in 10 (58%) of respondents also say their 2021 resolution will be having a more positive outlook on life.
Reflecting on such a difficult year, it makes sense that respondents are approaching their 2021 resolutions differently. Sixty-five percent don’t even plan on looking at these as “resolutions,” but rather “intentions” for the new year.
Seven in 10 respondents also don’t plan on setting harsh deadlines to achieve their new goals, but they’ll rather be checking in with themselves throughout 2021. Sixty-two percent also can’t wait to tackle the new year with a fresh mindset and renewed motivation after feeling stagnant all throughout 2020.
And with this renewed motivation, 63 percent believe their personal finances will be better off in 2021 than they were at the end of 2020. This also may be connected to the 43 percent of respondents who say they learned to be more intentional about their purchases in 2020 and plan to take these experiences with them in 2021.
“It is no surprise that people are focusing their upcoming New Year’s resolutions on taking control of their finances in 2021 given all the experiences that they had to put on hold in 2020,” said Silvija Martincevic, Chief Commercial Officer at Affirm. “We expect to see much more intentional spending in 2021 as people attempt to make up for what they missed out on this year!”
Even though respondents are feeling optimistic about 2021, 53 percent worry they won’t be able to afford to pursue all of their new goals and resolutions. However, the majority (58%) agree that pay-over-time solutions allow them to better budget and one third (32%) plan on using one to fund their goals.
In order to stay committed to their goals for 2021, 45 percent of respondents plan to set checkpoints throughout the year to measure their progress and 44 percent will create a game plan of specific steps for each of their new goals.
Source: studyfinds.org
Benefits of Knee Massage
By Tim Petrie, DPT, OCS
If you are dealing with issues like pain, stiffness, or swelling in your knees, massage may potentially be of benefit to you. Whether your symptoms are caused by osteoarthritis or another condition that impacts your joints, there is some evidence showing value in this supplementary treatment. While physical therapy or pain medication may be more frequently prescribed, massage can be an additional option that may positively impact your day-to-day function.
Benefits of Knee Massage— Because many of the commonly prescribed treatments for knee pain have side effects and some are of limited benefit, many people are left searching for alternative options. One such treatment is knee massage. Several different studies have found that massaging a sore or arthritic joint can have a number of benefits including:
- Improving circulation in the area
- Reducing the swelling
- Bringing in new joint fluid
- Reducing overall pain and stiffness
Massage may also help improve the tone and increase the overall flexibility of the muscles that lend support and stability to the affected knee.
While these physiological benefits are important, what is truly impactful is the effect they may have on your daily life. Research seems to suggest that massage therapy can positively affect pain levels, stiffness, and overall day-to-day function in individuals dealing with osteoarthritis in their knees. This seems to be especially true in the short term when dealing with a flare-up of pain. One other benefit is that there are minimal side-effects associated with massage.
Source: verywellhealth.com
Happiness is when what you think, what you say,
and what you do are in harmony.
— Mahatma Gandhi
The content of this article is not designed to replace professional medical advice. If you’re ill, consult a physician.
© 2021 Massage Marketing. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
