Articles posted by: polly_admin

Q1. Tell us a bit about yourself Jess

I am originally from South West London, and I qualified in sports massage 3 years ago. I have since been practicing freelance from home, whenever I’m not here in bath, with regular clients.
I am currently about to start the final year of my Sport & Exercise Science degree at the University of Bath. I have a history of involvement in elite sport throughout my teenage years, and I’ve since developed a passion to work in the field. I’m a happy, easy going person who loves a good chat!

Q2. Your degree sounds fascinating, would you share what the course is and what it involves

My course is Sport & Exercise Science which essentially develops an understanding of how humans’ function in sport, physical activity and health environments. There are three core disciplines within my degree here at bath, these include; 1) biomechanics – exploring the ways in which humans create and control movement, particularly athlete’s technique, 2) physiology – encompassing the structure, function, regulation and performance of the body’s systems and how these relate to sporting/exercise performance, and 3) Psychology – examining the role of thoughts, feelings and behaviours in both sport and exercise settings and the impact these may have on performance and participation.  

Q3. What made you decide to train as a Sports Massage Therapist

I decided to train as a Sports Massage Therapist during a gap year that I took before starting university in 2017. At the time I was in full time training as an elite triathlete and was looking for something that I could do to further my personal and professional development while I wasn’t studying. During this time, I required regular sports massage myself and found it frustrating that I couldn’t afford clinical prices to receive treatment as much as I needed. I also had several friends in the same position, which inspired me to complete my level 3 sports massage qualification with the intention of providing affordable treatment for athletes. Within my network at the time I was fortunate enough to have several athletes and friends who were interested in my services, many of whom I still treat today! I then also began to develop a recreationally active client base through word of mouth and friend referrals.

Q4. You have worked with some exciting organisations – tell us how you got involved withTeam Wiggins U23 Cycling Squad

I am fortunate enough that a few of my regular clients are professional road cyclists who live and train in my area. Through these athletes I was lucky enough to learn that the Team Wiggins U23 team were looking for a massage therapist to travel to the Kreiz Breizh Elites stage race in Bretagne, France, as a soigneur. After chatting to the team director at Wiggins about my experience with road riders I was invited to travel to the race as a soigneur (often referred to as a swannie) for the team. A swannie’s main role within the team is to provide massage therapy for the riders both pre (for warm up purposes) and post-race (for maintenance purposes). The role however also involves looking after the general welfare of the riders with tasks such as preparing their breakfast, preparing race nutrition (water bottles and food) and feed zone assistance throughout the race.

Q5. Tell us about your time in Australia working at the NSW Institute of Sport

Last year, as part of my degree, I was fortunate enough to secure a placement working at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) in Sydney, Australia. NSWIS is a government funded sport science institution dedicated to supporting Australia’s most talented athletes to become the worlds’ best. The institute aims to achieve this by providing an integrated multidisciplinary service to athletes that is unparalleled around the world. This includes integrated support in disciplines of Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Psychology, Performance Analysis, Strength & Conditioning, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Sport Consultancy and Athlete Wellbeing & Engagement. My role as a Sport Science intern was to work across all disciplines within the institute to provide performance support and to impact the success of athlete scholars within the many NSWIS sports programmes. Over time I became predominantly embedded within the track cycling and hockey programmes, mainly providing physiology and performance analysis support. However, I was fortunate to work with a great number of athletes and sports including para-archery, water polo, swimming, athletics, netball and diving to name a few. The experience was incredible and living so far away from home really taught me a lot and allowed me to develop greatly as a person.

Q6. What makes a Sports massage different from other massages and why would people need to get one?

The main difference between sports massage and other forms of massage is that it tends to be deeper and more area specific. A sports massage will often involve greater pressure and more in-depth techniques than other forms of massage, and although the goal is not to cause pain, it can be slightly uncomfortable at times. The aim of sports massage is to manipulate soft tissue in such a way, so as to prevent or treat sports related injuries. This does NOT mean that only athletes can get sports massages. Anyone can benefit from a sports massage, whether you are an elite athlete, go to the gym regularly or simply walk to keep fit! A person may get a sports massage if they have specific areas of discomfort or tightness; for example someone who is on their feet all day may find themselves with particularly tight calves or sore knees, or an individual who sits at a desk all day may suffer from tight upper back and shoulders. Additionally, an athlete (or anyone who regularly exercises!) may wish to receive what we refer to as a ‘maintenance’ sport massage. This is a more general treatment that focuses on flushing out the muscles that may be used extensively in the individuals sport. This functions to reduce injury risk and muscle soreness, allowing them to train and compete to the best of their ability.

Q7. Any finally, what do you do to relax and unwind after Uni/work?  

To relax and unwind I love to keep fit. In particular I enjoy running and cycling in my spare time and occasionally I like to set myself a physical challenge to complete to keep things interesting! I also really enjoy spending time with friends, eating out and going for coffee. I’m a huge music fan so I spend a lot of my free time listening to music and I love going to live music events.

If you’d like to experience Jess’s treatments please contact us.

Our next online Hypnobirthing course will start on June 1st and run for 4 consecutive weeks.

Below is a lovely testimonial from a recent clinet who did the course.

All the details can be found on our dedicated Hypnobirthing page here. Please do get in touch for a chat and for any further information.

Have you started to think about Christmas yet? It can be overwhelming to think of unique gift ideas, and we think giving a gift of massage is always a welcomed present, and always greatly received.

We are offering you a 10% discount of multiple Gift Voucher purchases – you can easily buy our vouchers at this link and you can choose to have it posted out or sent via email – you can also add a personal message which we will add to the gift card.

Give someone you love the gift of time, relaxation and good health!

We are absolutely delighted to announce that we have a new Brand Ambassador – MIA HAWKINS

Mia is a Triathlete and is currently studying the University of Bath.

We asked Mia a few questions about herself….

Tell us a little bit about yourself Mia
I am a Triathlete racing for Team GB where I race on a national and International level. I am also a final year student here at the University of Bath.

How did you get into Triathlons?
I have always enjoyed being outdoors and taking part in sport. I took up triathlon when I came to University 3 years ago as I thought it sounded fun, and it is, I’ve never looked back!

What has been your hardest event?
Racing at the World Championships this year in Lausanne was a very hard race, the course was very hilly and it was a hot day too, but it was great fun and I ended up being placed 8th, so I was extremely happy.

What do you do when you’re not competing?
As a student I have a lot of studying to do, but I enjoy travelling, reading and baking, and am loving watching Bake Off!

Tell us your favourite place to hang out in Bath?
I love going to Alexandria Park, its quiet and has amazing views over the city.

We will be working with Mia supporting her with massage and treatment to keep her event ready and injury free. Mia will also be giving us some great advice and tips for runners, and other sports, so keep an eye on our social media feed and to stay up to date with her news.

Local Bath website for parents, Mums In Bath, recently interviewed BMC owner Polly Chadwick for their website – you can read the interview here.

Restless legs can be a big problem for women during pregnancy and it’s an issue we get asked about a lot during our maternity treatments. But is there anything you can do to help combat it? The answer is yes, but because there is no known cause, unfortunately, there is no magic cure either; however we do have some great tips that we share with our clients, and hopefully for those of you reading this and having the same issues, they will help you fight off some of the more severe bouts and hopefully help you to achieve some valuable sleep.

The most effective way to help restless legs is through gentle stretches and movements which will help to improve the blood flow and relax the muscles in the legs.

Here are our top suggestions for combatting restless legs:

1) Get your partner involved! Kneel facing forwards and then rest on your arms over an exercise ball or chair with pillows for support. You partner kneels behind you and then using both their hands makes up and down ‘brushing’ movement all the ay up from the knee to the top of your thighs and all around your legs and down into your calf muscles. This is a great way to get the blood circulating (and it really works!)

2) Leg pumping is another helpful movement to do – lying on your back in bed imagining that you are pushing something away with the soles of your feet. Don’t be too vigorous as you’re not looking to raise your heart rate you’re simply looking to bring some awareness and gentle motion to your legs.

3) Imagine you’re drawing circles with your feet can also be a beneficial movement.

4) Keep active. Just 30 minutes of walking every day will help to keep your circulation moving. Swimming and yoga are also great exercises to do during pregnancy.

5) And of course, massage is a great way to help relive it as working on the legs and calves with massage movements will help to get the blood flowing and get the lymph moving also.

The most likely time to encounter RSL during pregnancy is in the later stages – particularly the last three months of pregnancy and it is most bothersome when experienced at night, when it can interrupt your sleep and become a barrier to achieving enough rest.

1 in 5 women report symptoms of restless legs during the last 3 months of their pregnancy (according to NHS figures) and it usually disappears once the baby is born and as the body starts to return to business as usual.