Did I ever tell you when I started massaging?

It was already 22 years ago when I lived in New York at age 19 and 20! I was studying acting and theatre and at the same time I needed a job to support my living and studies there, so I got a job in a wonderful little hairsalon in East Village called RIAH (hair backwards). I was their schampooer!

As an actress I could study all the wonderful New York characters coming into to this special hairsalon having their hair done. It was a dream. Everyone had an amazing ‘story’ to tell. I could have written a film/book about their lifes and emotions.

During this period I started to realise how fun it was to give people good scalp massages in my schampooing, it made it all creative and I would get big tips which was great!

I developed the scalp massage more and more but eventually after two years I left New York and continued working as an actress in London, but my time in the hairsalon in New York had grown a little seed in me about learning about massage, but it wasn’t until 7 years later when I was fed up with my life and wanted to change my career that I decided to do a proper massage course – I did it!

I have never looked back! It’s my life! It’s my passion. And now 20 years later when I visited New York this Spring I found my old hairsalon and my old boss & friend Ann who had moved the hairsalon to the area of Soho/Nolita – it was amazing to see it again.

Thank you New York and people for starting a massage seed grow in me 22 years ago!

Thank you for listening to my story.

Much love Nunu

It was Barcelona Marathon last weekend and I massaged a few marathon runners,two sisters from Estonia in their 20′s who were running their first marathon and who made the 42km but who couldn’t get on and off my massage table the day after the marathon – What pain they must have had in their legs. I was glad to be able to help them release and soften the mucle ache and tension. One of them was working in South Sudan for the UN peace committe to help this African country – what a challenge! And living in one of the harderst places on the planet, no food, no water, the heat etc. It was fascinating to hear and learn about her life there. Thank you Kat!

I also massaged Nigel, a lovely Aussie man from Perth, who was 57 years old and ran his 10th(!) marathon! What an achievement! And he ran it in 3.38min – which is a fantastic time! An inspiration. He had massage with me 2 days before the marathon and 2 days after – he was in perfect shape! Thank you Nigel!

Here is to remind you why a good sports massage before and after a marathon is a good idea:

After an exercise session, massage speeds up the elimination of waste products(in particular lactid-acid) by stimulating the lymphatic system. The accumulation of these waste products during exercise is the cause of much of the stiffness and pain experienced afterwards.

A routine of pre-exercise massage and limbering will help to prevent strains.  Most sports also put increased strain on the legs, buttocks and back. Previous injuries can make the back prone to recurrent pain. With regular and thorough back massage (particularly before exercise), the likelihood of injury is reduced.

I have just finished a very successfull week of on-site chair massages for 2 multi-national companies – I am so excited that I got these two jobs! It has strengthened yet again my beilief in how brilliant the chair massage works for events and congresses.

So our first job was with Fujitsu. A very deep rooted traditional Japanese company – at this event their California Lab were experimenting with a device which connected to a mobile and which was showing in real-time your stress levels. Wow! The experiment was to see how much your stress levels lowered in a 4-min back massage.In real-time.  It was fantastic to watch how much people relaxed in 4-min! Substantionally. I wish I had one of these devices in my clinic to show people how much they relax in a fullbody massage – Imagine!! The idea one day is that we can download one of these apps to our phones  and people are able to have a Personalized Stress Management Service.

What do you think about that?  I like the idea and I guess I have to accept that this is where the world is going but I can’t help but think of how far remote we are these days from connecting with our bodies and that we need a device to tell us how stressed we are, isn’t that crazy!? We live so far removed from nature that we are loosing more and more touch and connection with our mind/body.

This saddens me abit but at the same time if this is the direction we are moving towards then I’d rather people have an app that tells them their stress levels are high and that they can stop for a moment, breathe deeply and become aware/consious of what is going on in them. So maybe it will help people to connect with their bodies! What about that thought?!I loved working with Alex and Fred from Fujitsu Lab California and we all learnt alot from these event. Thank you.

From one extreme to the other – on the Thursday we had a chair massage job with American software company INTEL. All the bosses were women, everyone dressed nicely but relaxed. The energy wasn’t so serious. We massaged for their VIP back room where they had a party with Dj’s from Razzmatazz club in Barcelona, lots of food, beers, robots dancing, 3D digital photo badges on offer and our 10-min back massages. It was a fun, lively, wild, young energy and all the Intel staff were dancing around the stand – I felt like I was massaging at a disco! It was fun!

In general what struck me was how many people from all around the world come to this event, I loved finding out where people were from and taking care of their stress levels for just a moment! And I’m super grateful for my teamhelpers Paulina and Valle who did a fantastic job with me. I love my team! Thank you people of the world for this experience!

Stay connected with your bodies! Nunu

1)Liz, tell me about who you are, where you are from & what you do?

-I am a Canadian living in Barcelona since November. In Canada, I was an event planner and yoga teacher and a mom. Here is Barcelona, I am trying to learn Spanish and offer private yoga lessons to individuals or groups, and blogging about our adventures here. Meanwhile, my kids are still in Canada at university reading my blog.

2)You’ve recently arrived to Barcelona, what was your first impression?

-Vibrant and full of life. That was my first impression. Plus I cannot get enough of the Mediterranean blue skies and sunshine, even when the temperatures are cooler, the weather is always gorgeous to me. Oh, and the abundance beautiful architecture. I’m still getting to know Guadi and Picasso and have fallen in love with them both.

3)Your have a passion for yoga & you are a teacher in Ashtanga yoga, how did this interest start, how has it affected your life, how does it make you feel?

-I stumbled onto yoga over 15 years ago. While I was waiting for my son to finish his karate class and my daughter her tap dance class, there happen to be a free Ashtanga yoga class at the community centre that I dropped in to try. I loved it. It was my oasis in a busy life. It was for only once per week then because that’s all the time I had. Now I practice 6 days a week and it is still my oasis.

4)What would be your advice to someone starting out to do yoga?

-Be realistic with your commitment. Find a place to go to and timing that works with your lifestyle. I have seen many people make big resolutions to go from zero to one hundred; thinking they should go this many times per week. Then they stop completely because it was too much or their body was too achy rather than better. The reality is you will benefit a continued commitment at a sustainable pace.

5) You are also vegan, have weekly massages & lead a very health conscious life, why?

-I have been so fortunate to meet many inspiring role models who thrived on a plant based diet. We were a meat eating family for a long time and one day, my daughter who was fourteen years old at the time decided she would no longer eat animal based foods. Suddenly, I had to learn  how to prepare healthy vegan meals for her. We were amazed by how good the food could be and how wonderful we felt. My husband became vegetarian and soon after I was vegan. It is a compliment to a daily yoga practice because everything is digested much faster which allows for easier twists and lifts. We are thrilled to find how easy it is to be vegetarian or vegan in Barcelona. The restaurant options are even better than in Canada!
As for regular massages, I used to think that it was an indulgence until someone asked me me how often I get my car tuned up. Do I wait for it to break down before having the oil changed?That shifted my thinking completely. Why should we treat our cars better than our bodies? Regular massages are the much needed tune ups for our bodies to avoid injuries and pain. Plus massages with Nunu are simple a little bit of heaven.

6) What has been the most powerful moment in your life, which changed your life?

-Having children. I think all mothers of the world are Wonder Women. There is no greater power and strength than that of a mother protecting her child. Look at the animal kingdom too! We’re the same fierce protectors.

7)Last but not least what makes you tick?

-To live life in the moment. There’s a quote I love;

“Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Liz can be reached at liz@greatevents.ca and www.chocolateandtravel.ca

I’m sitting in bed on the computer, resting, but also feeling a little bit wintery, tight in my shoulders & neck, poor posture and closed in my body, do you?

So.. I suddenly remembered how immediate and powerful reflexology points in the feet can be so I’ve thought of a quick cure all for you all….hihihi

Listen up…The reflexology points that treat the spine also have an effect on the whole nervous system. Working these points may help to shift a headache, backache or shoulder tension, and it is a great way to give yourself a general boost.

Remove your shoe and bring one foot to rest on your left knee. Turn the foot to expose the inner edge. Starting at the base of the big toe, walk your thumb along the bone and down to the heel, using caterpillar-like crawling motion. Now thumb walk back towards the toes, but this time press up into the bone as you go. Repeat the movements on the other foot.

The spine reflexes run along the inner edge of each foot. As you work the points, try to be aware of any areas of tenderness, and give them a gentle massage.

Giving yourself a quick treatment can be a great way to revitalize body and mind!

Happy Weekend Beautiful People!

Nunu X

• 3 sesiones de entrenamientos mas 30 minutos de masaje de espalda por 120eu! (valor real 160eu)

• 2 masajes corporal completo de 1hora mas una sesion de entrenamiento por 120eu! (valor real 165eu)

• 3 sesiones privadas de entrenamientos de fútbol para tu niño por 75eu (valor real 90eu)

• 1 sesión de masaje corporal completo de 1 hora por 48eu (valor real 60eu)

• 1 sesión de entrenamiento por 38eu (valor real 45eu)

Esto es fácil y simple, solo tienes tienes que llamar a Nunu al 659 995 657 o le envias un mail a nunu@thevitaltouch.es y te enviamos el giftvouchers en un mail o lo pasas a recoger por nuestra clínica en el centro de Barcelona, puedes chequear nuestras web:

Masajes: www.tvtbarcelona.com
Entrenamiento Personal y de fútbol para niños: www.personaltrainerbcn.com

Muchas Felicidades y Buena Salud!

Nunu y Dany