The Massage Stick - Is It Just Another Gimmick?

The massage stick, WHAT IS IT?

At first glance, the massage stick seems like an odd piece of essential gear for athletes. It looks like a cross between the typical rolling pin your grandmother may have used and some sort of Oriental Kung Fu weapon. To the uninitiated, it is a rod of hard space-age plastic with grooved handles on each end and independent spindles. In a sense it is a rolling pin but rather than reshaping dough, the massage stick is designed to knead, roll and manipulate the sore muscles that all runners experience.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

There are at least 10 different models of the massage stick, with three of the most popular models for sale here. They include the Original, Marathon and the Sprinter stick. It works on sore & tired muscles as a tool to prevent injuries. Sore and tight muscles are at the root of most muscular injuries. After long, hard workouts, muscles can not knot up in clusters of excessive lactic acid and other waste products. Ideally, a massage specialist could knead out these sore spots and while I am a Massage Therapist and would love for you to come and see me on a daily basis, few of us (including me) can afford a daily or weekly massage.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

By rolling the massage stick over these tired, overworked muscles after exercise, it removes lactic acid build up and reduces pain and soreness through this form of self-massage. Doing so also allows for quicker recovery because this form of self-massage reduces some of the tightness and allows for better blood flow which helps the body heal itself faster. It's easy to use and the price of the different models vary from $80 on down. It's waterproof and comes with a 90-day customer satisfaction guarantee and a lifetime warranty which is somewhat superfluous since they can't break. To use The massage stick, simply get on the floor, grip each handle and massage your tired leg muscles by rolling them with The massage stick. Do this slowly and with enough force so that it actually rolls and kneads the muscles. The massage stick works best when there isn't anything between it and the muscles so if you were wearing tights or sweatpants while exercising, remove them first before using The massage stick.

ANY SPECIAL MASSAGE ROUTINE?

While there isn't any single best way to use the massage stick, a good routine begins by rolling the bottom of the feet to prevent plantar fascia soreness, then, while sitting up, roll the calf muscles and soleus. Work your way up the torso and go deep into the quadriceps and hip flexors muscles. These are usually quite tender after a long, hard run, but since the muscles are so thick, you can exert plenty of pressure as you roll back and forth. Finally, comes the hamstrings. These, too, are often sore and tight from exercise. Lie on your back and roll back and forth along the entire hamstring muscles. Go slowly, but deep. But don't go too deep that it becomes painful. If it does, back off. You can also massage your lower back by bringing The massage stick behind you at your buttocks, but it's difficult to go very high on the spine without some assistance. For an effective massage, get into a child's pose with your head touching the floor and your spine rolled downward. Have a friend roll your spine with The massage stick.

DOES IT HURT?

Like any massage, you will feel some pain during self massage. However, work within your own limits. A good scale to keep to is 6-8 out of 10. You may experience some residual soreness the following day after using The massage stick for the first time. That's normal. But you will quickly grow accustomed to it and find the right pressure for you. Make it a part of your daily post-exercise stretching routine and it will pay off with more flexible, pliant muscles, quicker recovery and fewer injuries.

Where can I get one?

You will want to have a look at the three most popular Massage Sticks for sale on my website.

Pat Rae is a Health Wellness and Life Performance Coach, a qualified Personal Trainer, a mentor to Personal Trainers, a professional Public Speaker, a freestyle cycle instructor, a Rugby Union Referee Coach, a budding Massage Therapist, and a Dog Trainer. You can check out my blog at PatRae.com

Radley Purses - Another Fashion Craze in the Making?

It may have been only ten years but in that time Radley bags have become the best selling handbag brand in the U.K. It's not surprising therefore that Radley purses are also taking the market by storm. Their purses come in a variety of different shapes, styles, colours and designs and all echo the playfulness of the Radley bag collection.

Whenever they bring a new bag out then they will also release a purse from the same collection. Buying a Radley purse not only gives you the opportunity to possess the perfect accessory to your cherished handbag but it is also a less expensive way to buy into the brand. All Radley purses are made using the finest leather and although this leather is very soft it's still hardy enough to deal with everyday usage due to the leather being treated in a special way making it difficult to mark or scratch.

Radley purses come in a variety of styles:-

Zip coin purses - These are small leather pouches with a zip fastening. The front leather panel depicts a design feature which is echoed on the main Radley bag collection. They are available in small, medium and large sizes.

Flapover coin purses - This is a double sided purse, similar to a wallet, and is fastened with a press stud. The front panel again depicts a design which is echoed from the main bag collection of the same design. Radley flap over coin purses are available in small, medium and large sizes. The company produces many different variations of the above styles offering the consumer a fantastic choice of purses.

The Radley Bubbles Purse features the Scottie Dog watching bubbles floating in the air and the purse is available in a variety of styles and colours.

The Radley Butterfly Purse features the Scottie Dog again but this time playing with a floating butterfly. The Butterfly purse is available in a variety of different styles and colours.

The Hattie Purse features a wild flower motif on the leather and on the inside of the purse on the lining. The Radley Hattie Purse is available in a variety of different styles and colours.

The Howie Purse features a plain front panel with a vertical stitching pattern leading to a knot detail. The Howie purse comes in a variety of different colours and styles.

The India Purse features a colourful, concentric semi circle design of an Indian style and is available in a variety of different colours.

The Radley In a Tangle purse features the cute Scottie dog playing with a ball of string and comes in a variety of different colours and styles.

The Radley Incognito Purse features the famous Scottie dog protruding from a pocket on the front panel of the purse. This Radley purse also comes in a variety of different styles and colours.

The Making Hay Purse features the cute Scottie dog frolicking in a field of summer grass. This Radley purse comes in a variety of different styles and colours.

These purses really are an ideal accessory gift either for someone who is already a fan of Radley bags or just for someone who appreciates a well constructed, designer purse.

I'm the webmaster of http://www.designerleatherbags.co.uk a website that specialises in Radley bags and Radley purses

I'll be honest I had never heard of Radley before until my girlfriend told me she had bought a new bag and then told me how much she paid...THEN I was VERY VERY interested to know why the bag cost so much !!

I have to say that the bag she bought drew plenty of admirers whenever she took the bag out and I soon came to realise that these bags are a lot more popular than I had thought. The reason for me creating this website is that I realised that only a limited number of stores actually stock Radley bags and Radley purses and I wanted to create a one stop shop for both used and new Radley purses.