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What Are Muscle ‘Knots’ and How Do You Get Rid of Them?

Five takeaways:

  1. The common muscle knot is technically known as a myofascial trigger point. The fascia is the thin layer of connective tissue that surrounds a muscle. When a muscle takes damage, even just a little, it can cause inflammation that makes it tender to the touch and can limit range of motion. As many of us are likely aware- they can be very uncomfortable!
  2. While these can be associated with strenuous exercise, you may also notice a muscle knot in your upper back and shoulders if you are consistently hunched over a computer all day.
  3. So how to get rid of them? The tried-and-true method is to wait them out. You can also try massages, electric stimulation, or even a procedure called dry needling, which injects a thin needle into the trigger point. Each of these methods is meant to break up the tissue and increase blood flow to the area- to decrease the tautness of the fascia.
  4. There are methods of “self-myofascial release”: using a foam roller or rolling device like a lacrosse ball or softball. Lying on a roller of some kind will allow you to put necessary pressure on the affected area and allow you to control the movement based on your own pain tolerance.
  5. For those of us at a desk all day, remember that consistent exercise habits and moving throughout the day can help keep knots from developing in your muscles in the first place.

Zachary Gillen from How Stuff Works
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

What is Long-Term Care Insurance, and Do you Need It?

Five takeaways:

  1. A Genworth Financial report says that 70% of people 65 or older will need some kind of long-term care in their lives
  2. Long term care is extremely expensive and looks only to become more expensive over time. The average cost of a private room in a nursing home in 2019 was $102,200 a year, which is 57 percent more than it cost in 2004, according to Genworth Financial.
  3. At this point, Medicare and Medicaid provide inadequate long-term coverage. Medicare will only pay for 100 days maximum in a nursing home, and Medicare does not cover any unskilled home health care (which includes help dressing, bathing, eating etc.)
  4. While long-term care might offer peace of mind (not only will keeping a policy holder from being a burden on their spouse or family later in life but protecting one’s savings by reducing potential health care costs), it can also be a waste of money if a policy-holder does not wind up requiring extensive, long term care.
  5. So should you buy it? Unless it is clear that you may spend extensive time in a care facility or in need of in-home assistance, the better route forward is to be aggressive in saving for retirement, with the expectation that you may incur long term health care costs in later years.

Dave Roos from How Stuff Works
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Five takeaways:

  1. Paying tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers, Labor Day became a holiday in 1894 amid the groundswell of the labor movement of the late nineteenth century.
  2. During the height of the industrial revolution in the late 1800s, working conditions were abysmal and regulations protecting workers were thin. A series of demonstrations and riots advocating for workers’ rights created unrest that led to the government recognizing American workers with a federal holiday.
  3. The first Labor Day parade occurred Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. The workers’ unions chose the first Monday in September because it was halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving.
  4. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law in 1894, despite not being a staunch labor union supporter. Historians agree that he was trying to repair some political damage he suffered in the wake of the federal response to a strike in Chicago earlier that year that had resulted in the deaths of 30 workers.
  5. Membership in labor unions in the United States reached an all-time high in the 1950s, when about 33 percent of the workforce belonged to unions. In 2020, union membership was down to 10.8 percent of the working population, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From How Stuff Works
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

The Importance of Managing Stress

Five takeaways:

  1. Stress management is imperative for physical and mental health, but it is important to remember that it is not one-size-fits-all. You must experiment with what works for you.
  2. A first step is to do a thorough accounting of the stressors in your life. Starting a stress journal can help one assess their various sources of stress.
  3. Practice the four A’s of stress management: Avoid (sources of stress), Alter (stressful situations), Adapt (change expectations and attitude), Accept (the things you cannot change).
  4. Get moving and live healthily: physical exercise is a proven de-stressor. Remember, it doesn’t have to be marathon training or weightlifting. It can be as simple as taking a walk. Nutrition also goes a long way.
  5. Learn to relieve stress in the moment: this will take personal experimentation, but use of sensory techniques has been proven to help deal with stress in the moment. Take a deep breath, and focus on what you see, hear, taste, and touch– you will find a sensory experience that calms you down.

From HelpGuide
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.
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