Spring in Indy, Remember?

Ha!  We thought so much.  Seems as though this is the year of Winter’s revenge.  I know we’ve seen enough.  School closings, shifting schedules and now, POT HOLES!  One swallowed Rhonda’s car last week so Mr. Firestone will be seeing us soon.

Seems as thought the only solace is “what goes around comes around”.  The Polar Vortex has taken no prisoners this year, and even Florida and California are feeling it.  But again, we just see that as higher food prices!

So what can you do?  You can start getting ready for Spring anyway.  Here are a few suggestions before Spring Fever hits and we forget all of our winter woes.

• Start Spring cleaning now.  Yes like you I am tired of wearing that same sweater over and over again.  It’s time to bag it up with the rest of your unused or overused stuff and get set to move it out.  You’ll feel better.
• Make a list NOW of all the projects you want to do.  Create your task list and start clipping inspirational ideas to help get you motivated.  When Spring hits, if you are not ready, you could easily lose a month of progress if you are not prepared.
• Join a gym if you have not already.  This winter has been particularly rough physically.  Two months flew by.  Time to get your summer act together.
• Change something about yourself.  Change your hair length or color.  Change your nail polish.  Do something that gives you a strong sense of creativity and control.
• Take care of yourself.  Time to put down the “comfort food” and slim down your diet.  De-stress with a massage or pedicure.  Put the phone down and go out for a “real” laugh.  “Lol’s” don’t burn calories.

Mother Nature was not very gentle this Winter, but you can do a few things to help you recover and forget her unkindness.  Try a few of these ideas out and let us know how it went.  In the meantime, be of good cheer.  Warmer days are ahead!

But I have come to appreciate the peacefulness of Winter and the joy of the Holiday Season.  Rhonda and I have two young children and they all too often remind us of how close Christmas must be.  We on the other hand remind them that “They better watch out, they better not pout”!

With that, have you ever noticed that this is the time of year where everyone puts on their best behavior?  The Holidays present a unique once a year opportunity for us all to bury the hatchet and be kind to one another.  We take the time to look our best and make sure others in our lives look their best too.  Mode Salon and Day Spa is a great place to visit this time of year.  Each year we scour the globe to find unique decorative items for the Salon.  The newness and sparkle makes us happy, as we try to imagine how our clients might view them.  Beauty and Image, the business we are in, are ultimately about helping you feel better about yourself.  When you feel better about yourself, you just might be willing to do something nice for someone else in your life.

Let the Holiday Spirit shine through you this season.

How do you experience the Holidays?  We would love for you to share your stories with us.

Alan – Mode Salon and Day Spa

It’s been a long hot summer.  Let’s say that again…  IT’S BEEN A LONG HOT SUMMER!   I never thought I would be looking forward to cooler days.  But today I find myself loving the cool mornings and a projected high of 80 degrees!

Back to school comes but once a year but this time it’s special for us.  Our oldest is off to full day kindergarten.  Yeah!  Dreams abound of a quiet house with no Power Rangers or Transformer Rescue Bots cartoons blaring.  Ah the silence.

So for me,   I am looking forward to having a few more minutes to reconnect with the things that always gave interest to my life.  For this I like two sites:  Pinterest and Fancy.   Now Facebook is nice for staying in touch and commenting on current events, but these two sites are different.

At first, like Facebook, I didn’t get it.   Why would I want to see a seemingly random mashup of someones images with seemingly no meaning.  It seemed senseless until I got it.

You see, I can tell you what I like to do, where I like to go and how I think.  But if I play 5 songs of my music collection, you have a much better chance of “getting” me.  The same goes with photos.  If I show you what I like to see on the outside, you will have a much better chance of understanding what is going on on the inside.

Creatives use this all the time, for inspiration and to remind themselves of who they are.  Which brings me Back to School and my suggestion to you:   Sometimes we have to give more of ourselves than we ever thought possible and unless you have a source of renewal and continuous learning,  you risk losing track of who you are.  Sites like Pinterest enable you to re-energize, rediscover and share who you are with those in your life.  It’s easy to get started.  I am sure there is something there you will find yourself connected to!  You can even check out my Fancy and Pinterest boards if you like.

What do you use to renew and re-energize?  Do you use Pinterest or something else?  And what you plan to do for Back to School?

See you in School

Alan

I know I know…. it’s HARD you say.  But I recommend you treat it like a game.  Hey, if it’s not fun, you probably will find something else to do, right?  So here is a fun way to 1)  Get fit  2)  Enjoy the weather and 3)  Have a few laughs.

HULA HOOP!

The humble Hula Hoop has been around for ages, and even though it is fun, it’s serious gear for a fun workout.

My 3 and 4 year old asked me a couple of weeks ago if I could Hula Hoop.  They laughed at me  and said “No way Daddy”.  We don’t believe you”.  I got a hold of one and the family could not stop laughing when I showed them how it was done!

Trust me.  It is fun and a great workout.  Check out this website for a complete workout:

http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/workouts/hula-hoop-exercise-00000000057576/index.html

So get up, get out and get fit.  You’ll be glad you did.

Alan Hayes is the Director of Marketing at Mode Salon and Day Spa

Energy.

We are happy to welcome our newest Salon Staff Member, Hanna Castillo.

Hanna is joining us as our newest Massage Therapist.  She recently moved back from

Orange County, California.  Yes….back to the wonderful winters of the Midwest!

Hanna is very versatile in her skills as a Massage Therapist.  They include:

• Swedish Massage
• Deep Tissue
• Sports
• Trigger Point Massage
• Hot / Cold Stone Massage
• Chair Massage
• Aromatherapy
• Pregnancy Massage
• Myofascial Release

She joins Dan Heylmann to round out our Massage  Staff.  Please remember to stop in to meet Hanna and book your next Massage.

Mode Salon

Yes, they may taste great, but these foods discussed by Joy Bauer will get you in the end

http://tinyurl.com/64hopn6

1.  Flexibility

Safely stretching your muscles releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue.  Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body.

2.  Strength

Many poses such as downward dog, upward dog, and plank pose build upper body strength.  The standing poses build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles.

3.  Posture

Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength.  With a stronger core, you’re more likely to sit and stand “tall.”

4.  Breathing

Deepening and lengthening your breath stimulates the relaxation response.

5.   Less stress, more calm

Some yoga styles use specific meditation techniques to quiet the constant “mind chatter” that often underlies stress.

6.  Concentration and mood

Concentration and the ability to focus mentally are common benefits of yoga.  The same is true with mood.  It may  help depression due to boosting oxygen levels to the brain.  Yoga is also being studied as a therapy to relieve symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

7.  Heart benefits

Yoga lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate.  A slower heart rate can benefit people with hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.  It also boosts the immune system.

8.  Effects on other medical conditions

Yoga relieves symptoms of asthma, back pain, and arthritis.

Taking an intense power yoga class  in a heated room can provide an aerobic benefit.  I recently tried the yoga center which offers multiple hot yoga classes.  The room is heated, creating a sauna like atmosphere.  This causes you to sweat even more, which detoxifies the body.  You leave feeling refreshed and energized.  I highly recommend it.

Angie Noble is a Master Stylist at Mode Salon

Angie Noble discusses some of the benefits of Massage Therapy

1. RELIEVES PAIN

People suffering from chronic pain can experience immediate, partial, or temporary relief through massage.

2. EASES TENSION

Physical tension caused by standing at your job, or carrying and lifting heavy objects can be relieved by getting a massage to relax worn muscles.

3. RELAXES INFLAMED MUSCLES

Massage will ease the tension and soreness from exercise and other sports related injuries.

4. IMPROVES CIRCULATION

Massage helps stimulate your body tissues and improves blood flow. For some people, massage can help lower blood pressure and can improve pulse rate. This contributes to an improved overall health and well being.

5. REDUCES STRESS

Massage can relax stiff muscles, and reduce the occurance of tension headaches. It also helps you cope and manage with stress and difficult emotions.

6. ENHANCES YOUR MOOD

It has been shown that massage releases the feel-good endorphines into your body. Massage creates a sense of well being that can make anyone feel better.

7. A WAY TO PAMPER YOURSELF

Do something nice for yourself, and take a mental break through the power of massage. This will truly make you feel pampered. At various points in life, you may feel run-down, overwhelmed, or bored from the daily routine. When you get a massage, your body and mind wake up. Not only does a massage offer a relaxing escape, but the benefits continue after, allowing you to feel more alert and energized.