Hands on way to break bad habits

If you have a hard-to-break habit, choose a replacement habit that makes you feel great - such as a massage.

One change - whether it be a new idea, decision or habit - can be enough to alter your life. That's because small changes, over time, can have snowball-like effect, picking up momentum and creating an avalanche.

If you have ever tried to dump a bad habit, you may know that often, rather than ridding ourselves of the bad habit, we unintentionally replace it with a new one.

So, if we are actively seeking to change something in our lives, the New Age rage is to change your habits in pairs. Sound strange? Let me elaborate ...

My daughter is a terrible nail-biter and has identified this as a habit she wishes to stop. Next, she needs to identify the habit she wants to replace nail-biting with. It could be anything - drinking more water, being organised, increasing her Fitbit steps.

Whatever it is, she needs to focus on switching the bad habit for the good habit - so she's not fighting to stop a habit, she is actively replacing it with a new chosen one.

If you have a hard-to-break habit, choose a replacement habit that uplifts or inspires you - a habit you can love and that makes you feel great.

You could replace an unhealthy habit with a healthy one - my favourite example is dropping fizzy drinks for a weekly massage. Or, for a budget-conscious option, try a daily 15-minute foot rub and get your partner on board.

As you move away from the unhealthy habit, you reward yourself with the healthy habit.
So what do some of our local experts on massage have on offer for us?

JADE TRADITIONAL THAI MASSAGE

Thai traditional massage is different from what many people expect.

For starters, it is done with clothing on and there is no oil used. The massage is done by applying pressure to muscles and tendons, and by performing yoga-like stretches of the body.

It is generally performed on a mat on the floor, although sometimes on a massage table.
Massage is effective at restoring mobility, as well as relieving aches and pains. It also helps relieve stress, and improves circulation in the blood and lymphatic systems.

The therapists will use hands, forearms, elbows and knees to get the desired pressure applied to the right spots. In some Thai massage clinics, feet are also used, but only if a customer requests it.

Regular massage is a great way to keep the body supple and working well.

MASSAGE THERAPY AND REFLEXOLOGY

Tonia Nesbitt has more than 16 years' experience as a massage therapist and reflexologist, and has diplomas in remedial massage, reflexology and anatomy and physiology.

A member of Massage New Zealand, which ensures ongoing training and professional recognition, she enjoys working as a remedial therapist, often to relieve pain which is commonly caused by workstations, poor posture and over-use of the body.

Tonia uses trigger point therapy and manual lymphatic drainage which assists with healing of sports injuries and also lymphodoema, which assists the body to drain unwanted fluid.

With reflexology, pressure points are applied to the feet, to remove toxins from the body, helping to increase energy and decrease stress.

Some common ailments successfully treated are:
?Asthma and other respiratory disorders
?Stress and fatigue
?Menopause and other reproductive disorders
?Digestive imbalances
?Body aches and pain, and many more.
Tonia is passionate about using massage therapy and other techniques to assist athletic performance and everyday stress levels.

--Jade Teki - designer/entrepreneur/fashionista